Got into a bit of a fix on Wednesday. Hot weather and hills sapped my strength quickly and I bummed a ride over the final mountain of Massachusetts. A woman in a white station wagon gave me a lift out of Great Barrington in Berkshire County.
Susan Witt was with the E.F. Schumacher Society. She was in her mid-60s and heavily involved in the BerkShare, which was local currency designed to strengthen area businesses. Witt brought out her wallet and showed me several denominations of BerkShares which all had pictures of local heroes including Norman Rockwell on the 50, "Moby Dick" author Herman Melville on the 20, and civil rights founder W.E.B. Du Bois on the 5.
Witt said BerkShares were placed in circulation when people exchange federal dollars at six of the participating Exchange Banks. Witt said they initially had a year to make the program work, and they just recently received a two-year extension.
Witt got me as far as Hillsdale, New York where I grabbed another ride from Mary Lou Kersten. I was arranging my gear in her Real Estate parking lot. I said I was from the Milwaukee area and she was too. "A graduate of Custer High School," said Kersten who gave me a lift to Hudson.
I had planned on crossing the river, but my daylight was running out. Since I wasn't feeling too comfortable in Hudson I opted for PLAN C and jumped an Amtrak train to Albany. I feel like I'm in an episode of "The Incredible Race."
The train got me away from the Catskill Mountains and to a safer community of Rensselar. Thursday, I jumped to PLAN D and took a Greyhound to Rochester.
I figure if I don't start making time soon, I'm never going to make it back.
During my three hour wait for the bus I toured Albany. Found the Palace theater off Clinton Street and got a private tour of the USS Slater which is docked in the Hudson River. The historic naval ship has been completely restored since it's World War II days.
The most interesting thing was the captain's eating quarters which also served as the ship's operating room. "They would clear off the table and operate right here," said tour guide Bill Scharoun who turned on the overhead lights and pointed to the medical tools across the room. Bill said the doctor was normally a guy who had a pharmaceutical degree.
After a quick four and a half hour bus ride to Rochester I managed to bike about 25 miles west and spend the night in Churchville. I debated about staying in the Gates Motel up the street, but opted to stop at St. Vincent de Paul Church to see if I could throw my gear on the floor for the night. Pastoral Administrator, Charlotte Bruney said she had a spare bedroom and I'd be welcome to stay.
Look at all these great people just stepping up and taking care of me. That night, I was also spoiled with a church picnic dinner, a shower, air conditioning and a great bedroom with a huge mattress on an antique bed. The mattress was so high you had to hop up a bit just to get in bed. It was like sleeping atop a semi.
Got in 50 miles by noon this Friday. Made it to Arcade, N.Y. It feels like 98 hundred degrees. High humidity. I'm almost to the point of taking out my sheer shorts ... just for the extra ventilation.
Judy is a Milwaukee native who is ever exploring the country. Her favorite mode of travel is her 21-speed, blue Centurion bicycle, which she bought after high school. Judy has worked in the local media for the past 20 years. "I need to do something to support my biking habit."
Judy has an extensive history in radio news, having worked at WISN, WUWM, WTMJ, WKTY in La Crosse and WBKV in West Bend. A strong interest in sports also had Judy reporting for ESPN Radio covering the Packers, Buck, Brewers and Badgers. "One of my first Brewer games at County Stadium the security guy yelled as I walked into the locker room LADY IN THE LOCKER ROOM. Now its so commonplace. But that story makes me sound really old."
Judy is currently working at WISN-TV in Milwaukee. She is a freelance writer and her pieces have been seen in The Small Business Times and The Business Journal. Her travel journal has appeared in Minnesota Trails Magazine, The Statesman and the West Bend Daily News, to name a few.
Aside from biking, running and being active in her community, Judy is known as someone who is "very, very thrifty." "I get candles for Christmas. My friends call them my space heaters because I normally keep the heat in my house at 40 degrees during the winter. Its not that I cant afford to turn up the thermostat, I just hate paying for heat."
Judy said her "conservative attitude" plays a part in her bike tours ... not needing to pay for gas and frequently spending nights camping inside churches. "First of all, it makes me feel safe since Im traveling alone and second all youre doing is sleeping, so why pay for that. Its no wonder I cant ever get someone to travel with me."
Judy grew up in Whitefish Bay and graduated from Dominican High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Judy is the second oldest among seven siblings and spends a lot of her time working as a "park tester" along with her eight nieces and nephews.
