WAYPOINTS 8 GEARED UP 38 OPEN ROAD GALLERY 47 ADVENTURE CYCLIST CYCLING.ORG MAY 2011 $4.95 SHARE THE JOY GET A CHANCE TO WIN Spread the joy of cycling and get a chance to win cool prizes n For every cyclist you sign up through a gift membersip or who joins through your referral, you score one entry to win a Novara Verita (rei.com/ product/807242) valued at over $1,100. The winner will be drawn from all eligible members in January of 2012. n Recruit the most new members in 2011, and you’ll win a $500 Adventure Cycling shopping spree. n Each month we’ll draw a mini-prize winner who will receive gifts from companies like Old Man Mountain, Cascade Designs, Showers Pass, and others. n The more new members you sign up, the more chances you have to win! Adventure Cycling Association adventurecycling.org/joy Adventure Cycling Corporate Members Adventure Cycling’s business partners play a significant level of support. These corporate membership funds go toward GREG SIPLE role in the success of our nonprofit organization. Our Corporate special projects and the creation of new programs. To learn more Membership Program is designed to spotlight these key support- about how your business can become a corporate supporter of ers. Corporate Members are companies that believe in what we Adventure Cycling, go to www.adventurecycling.org/corporate or do and wish to provide additional assistance through a higher call (800) 755-2453. TITANIUM GOLD SILVER BRONZE Esri Gateway Printing Lorain County Visitors Bureau First Interstate Bank BikeQuest Bicycle Touring Co. 2 ADVENTURE CYCLIST MAY 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG ADVENTURE CYCLIST MAY 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 3 5:2011 contents May 2011 · Volume 38 Number 4 · www.adventurecycling.org ADVENTURE CYCLIST is published nine times each year by the Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit service organization for recreational bicyclists. Individual membership costs $40 yearly to U.S. addresses and includes a subscrip- tion to Adventure Cyclist and dis- counts on Adventure Cycling maps. The entire contents of Adventure Cyclist are copyrighted by Adventure Cyclist and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from Adventure Cyclist. All rights reserved. OUR COVER George B. Thayer poses for the camera during an 1886 bicycle adventure. Photo from the collection of John Weiss. (left) John Likins in the waning light of the midnight sun, on the North GREG SIPLE Klondike Highway. THE BICYCLING BUFFALO SOLDIERS by Dan D’Ambrosio MISSION 10 The 25th Infantry Division rides from Missoula to St. Louis — a rugged ride by rugged men. The mission of Adventure Cycling Association is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. We help A LOT OF GOOD IT WOULD DO by Eric Butterman cyclists explore the landscapes and 18 Gripped by the bicycling craze of the late 19th century, cyclists push for better roads. history of America for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. SWEATING THE YUKON by June Siple CAMPAIGNS 22 The early stages of Hemistour were formative times for the founders of Adventure Cycling. Our strategic plan includes three major campaigns: Creating Bike Routes for America A VICTORIAN ALBUM photos selected by Adventure Cyclist staff Getting Americans Bicycling 30 Looking back at cycling’s past reveals differences as well as similarities. Supporting Bicycling Communities How to Reach Us To join, change your address, or ask questions about membership, visit us DEpaRTMENTS LETTERS online at www.adventurecycling.org or call (800) 755-2453 or (406) 721-1776 companions wanted LETTER from the Editor email: 07 04 [email protected] WAYPOINTS LETTERS from the readers Subscription Address: 08 05 Adventure Cycling Association P.O. Box 8308 34 FINAL MILE 06 LETTER from the DIRECTOR Missoula, MT 59807 Headquarters: 38 GEARED UP COLUMNS Adventure Cycling Association 150 E. Pine St. 41 SCENES FROM THE SADDLE 36 road test / Patrick O’Grady Missoula, MT 59802 The Raleigh Port Townsend 42 Marketplace/Classifieds 47 OPEN ROAD GALLERY 2 ADVENTURE CYCLIST MAY 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG ADVENTURE CYCLIST MAY 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 3 ADVENTURE Letter from the Editor CYCLIST BICYCLING’S GRAND paST May 2011 volume 38 number 4 A glimpse back reveals a connection to the present WWW.ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG EDITOR michael deme mdeme@ adventurecycling.org ART DIRECTOR greg siple There have been many interesting comments gsiple@ adventurecycling.org TECHNICAL EDITOR made about history through the ages. Here are john schubert schubley@ aol.com a couple of my favorites: “History is filled with FIELD EDITOR michael mccoy the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden mmccoy@ adventurecycling.org CONTRIbuTING WRITERS shoes coming up.” — Voltaire. “To look back upon history dan d'ambrosio nancy clark willie weir jan heine is inevitably to distort it.” early photographs that COPY EDITOR — Norman Pearson. a quite a variety of phyllis picklesimer ADVERTISING DIRECTOR In the information- people were involved rick bruner everywhere age, you can in its past. When I look 509.493.4930 advertising@ adventurecycling.org read quote after quote on at the many photos we subject after subject. While came across while mak- STAFF doing this on the subject ing the selections for EXEcuTIVE DIRECTOR jim sayer of history, it struck me this issue, I’m amazed at jsayer@ adventurecycling.org that the vast majority of the way people dressed CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER sheila snyder, cpa the quotations come from when bicycling — men MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT a time when photographs in jackets and ties and julie huck amy corbin thomas bassett joshua tack didn’t yet exist, which women in what looks to MEDIA helps explain why many quotes paint his- be their Sunday best. It seems riding a winona bateman michael mccoy tory, for the most part, as bunk. Since there bicycle was something to be quite proud PubLICATIONS michael deme greg siple are no photos of Caesar and his legions of. derek gallagher crossing the Rubicon, we have to take The more we dig into cycling’s past, IT DEPARTMENT john sieber richard darne someone’s word that it happened followed the more we realize we’re only scratch- matt sheils by reports from a series of someone elses. ing the surface. In this issue, you’ll read TOURS mo mislivets But this isn’t the case with the his- about the 25th Infantry Division Bicycle paul hansbarger tory of bicycling as the capture of images Corps who rode basic safety bikes from ROUTES AND MAPPING carla majernik jennifer milyko began before the bicycle’s invention. Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri virginia sullivan kevin mcmanigal Or did it? There are sketches of two- in 1897. Because we’re located in Missoula, casey greene nathan taylor SALES AND MARKETING wheeled machines from the late 15th we were lucky enough to have access to teri maloughney century; perhaps one was even built and the excellent Historical Museum at Fort CYCLOSOURCE ted bowman sarah raz ridden. It’s generally accepted that the Missoula, where the 25th was stationed, OffICE MANAGER Draisine (or Laufsmaschine) was the first as well as the archives at the University beth petersen two-wheeler that was actually used for of Montana, where certain photos were BOARD OF DIRECTORS a practical purpose. It was invented by being archived for the first time. You’ll also PRESIDENT German Karl von Drais, who used his read about the Good Roads Movement, carol york feet to push it along through the royal which began in the 1870s and moved VICE PRESIDENT jennifer garst gardens where he was a forester of sorts. America toward better byways, and which SECRETARY So it seems the history of bicycling spawned the creation of the League of andy baur TREASURER does suffer from the same shortcoming American Wheelmen. We also decided to andy huppert as other histories — we still need to take include some images in a brief photo essay BOARD MEMBERS plenty of people at their word and then format because we found them fascinating. jason boucher todd copley george mendes jeff miller suffer through someone like me summa- We’re hoping you will too. donna o'neal wally werner rizing a previous summarization. Regardless of whether anything Michael Deme related to bicycles is considered his- [email protected] torically significant, we can see in these Editor, Adventure Cyclist 4 ADVENTURE CYCLIST MAY 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG ADVENTURE CYCLIST MAY 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 5 Letters from our Readers Bike overnight joy, braking (mis)information Bear populations are fine, advertorial creep? Try a bike overnight to ease off the front brake and hit the a look so we could have a discussion. We After a long absence, I renewed my mem- back harder to avoid wheel flop, which both agreed that it was more of an adver- bership with Adventure Cycling, just throws the rider off the front. Hard brak- tisement about the Price family and their read the March issue of the magazine ing down mountain passes requires brak- business than a bicycling article about and discovered your bikeovernights.org ing with both wheels, again front brake Sardinia. We learned very little about through Jill Homer’s column. Gosh, what first, otherwise, brakes will fade danger- Sardinia. Gregg Bleakney was given a a fantastic idea, and the Bike Overnights ously if only the front is used. 10-page spread for a story he was prob- blog (bikeovernights.org) is so fresh and Bob Deaton ably contracted to write by the Prices. I fun to read. I recently started camping Missoula, Montana doubt that any other magazine would and have done short overnight trips. I have printed it without a substantial never thought of doing the same on a Thriving bears payment.