Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
A cyoIist Who Was Six Months in
the Saddle.
TOOK NO HEED OF THE Time
Was Happy After He Traded His
CycIometer.
ANU SING EXP ERIEN

Mr.. Mcintyre is a newspaper man of New
| Orleans ard made the trip simply for
| health and recreation, and while they made
| no records or remarkably long runs, in
| fact, took the trip very leisurely the chief
| novelty is that they were practically six
months In the saddle, and while the dis
lance is less than 1900 miles, still they
covered several thousand miles, rs they
| rode continually in the different cities
which they Visited on the way. When re-
| quested by a representative of The Star
to give a short account of the trip Mr.. Nc
| Intyre said:
| There is really nothing especially inter-
| esting about the trip except probably the
great length of time we took in making it..
Other people make records for quick time,
| but we are entitled to the record, l think,
| for loafing on the way.
| MY reasons fer making the trip were
simply because thought it would be bene-
| fetal, and l knew Of no way in which l
could put in six months to a better ad-
| vantage.
| II had been In Central America for some
| time engaged in newspaper work, and had
| managed to get well stocked with malaria,
| which seemed to stick closer than broth
| er. l finally decided that change of eli
| mate was necessary, and as it was then
| February l did not feel like going direct
| frcm Louisiana TO the NORTH not at that
| season Of the year.
| Now, as my wife and both rode wheels
| We decided to ride through to Washing on
| and take two months to make the trip.
| So we started in the early part of Febru-
| airy.
| Almost from the start | began to i'm
| prove in health, and before had reached
| Montgomery. about two hundred miles out,
| | ceased having fever or chills.
| Since then all symptoms of malaria have
| disappeared and ! feel we'll as ever, ana
| that without taking drop of medicine of
| any kind.
so that. whatever may be said to the
| malaria.
Our route from New Orleans was from
| there TO Mobile, then to Montgomery, Rir-
| mingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Ashe-
! Vile. Salisbury, Greensboro, Danville.
| Lynchburg and then here. Rather a
| roundabout way. hut we were not pressed
for time and wanted to see those places
| No: cannot tell YOU the average num-
| Der of miles a day we made, as we kept
| no count and did not want to know.
| Il did intend to keep record.and bought
| cyclometer for that purpose, but did not
use it more than a few days.
| My advice to pleasure seekers on wheel
| is never to bother with cycometer; it
| spells the pleasure, and turns the holiday
| >.
If you have a cyclometer you have silent
| master which keeps YOU on a trot, whether
| you want to go no.
| You see shady spot with nice
| SPRING, ard It's about lunch time: you
| glance a Your mile treasurer, and are
| warned that if you stop you will fall be-
hind where you Were yesterday at that
time. and YOU go, and when you have
| treadmilled yourself far enough ahead to
| suit the cycometer, and against your own
| feelings. you eat lunch In some unsuitable
| place. with the same kind of feelings and
temper. In the blackberry season especial
ly should cyclometer be avoided as 1t
| breaks the berry-loving wheelmans heart
| to leave behind the ripe. luscious fruit, in
| order to have the finger point at so many
| miles when night comes
| "A little farmer boy is wearing my meter
| for a watch somewhere in the iron hills of
Alabama. He got it for glass Of milk"
| How are the roads further south?'
| We'll, rocky. in every sense of the word.
| Virginia has some fair roads: North Caro-
| lima is now working the county convicts
| on the roads, so that there will be an i'm
provement in few years. Tennessee needs
| good roads, and SO do the other states fur
| Tier south. Wherever the old system of
| working out the road tax prevails there you
| have bad roads, especially during road
| working time.
1T is strange that the l.. A. w, with its
good roads policy. is not stronger In the
south, for no section has greater need of
its good offices.
| w dSHl1SlOn is a NerltaDle paradise for
wheelmen. with its long, level, asphalted
streets. If one Of your wheelmen struck
! few miles of unrolled macadamized roads
| with a grade like pitch roof, which can
be met with almost anywhere in east Ten
! nessee, then, as his heart went out for his
poor suffering tires. he would certainly
say. Washington, My Washington, as he
wished himself home again.
| yes, we crossed the Blue Ridge noun
tains from Knoxville. Tenn. to Old Fort
N: G., via Ashevlle, and to any wheelmar
with the time to spare / would say dc
likewise. From Old Fort, N. c.. to Ashe-
| Vlle, N. e., distance of thirty miles, is a
steady climb from ,446 feet above the level
of the sea. the altitude of Old Fort, to 234C
feet at Ashev!lle. From Old Fort to Round
KNOB, a distance of five miles. there is a
climb of 1894 feet. OF course. the wheelman
does almost as much walking as riding
but the scenery fully repays the trouble
From Ashevillc to Newport, Tenn, there is
1alriy level path along the French Broad
verse position with the wheel in fording the
river which has to be done quite often.
But with all the walking and wading
me Wheelman will be amply repaid for
the trip by the beautiful scenery and brac-
ing air, II he only leaves his meter behind
10 the lady cyclist the trip is enjoyable II
only TO observe the curiosity which he,
presnnce excites among the people In the
small mountain towns
When we went through, none of the
people except those who had been to Knox.
FHe or ASheEllle had ever seen a lady
awheel, and as the mountaineers are no,
great travellers the percentage was small
| Our arrival in a village was the sigma,
LOT all those at home to turn out, and If by
chance family MISSED being in front OF
,he mouse when wespassed they were quick.
~ summoned by lotd calls from their for.
tunate neighbors. Wherever we stopped
over night or to take dinner our departure
was Witnessed by the whole population OF
the town, who were neither sparing nor
silent IN comments whether complimentary
or otherw1se. Such comments as, Bill
heW'd we like yer Wife to ride one of them
ar things" and from some old lady, i
tnought women 'atsrede them things wore
pants, and other remarks of like nature
could be heard on every side. In a remote
part OF the mountains we had just crossed
q brldge over creek; made from single
log having been felled and allowed to fall
across the stream, and we're walking up a
steep hill, when we heard in the rear shouts
OF, Mister, mister.' evidently coming from
several pairs of lungs, Turning round, we
saw that a whole family, occupants of a
nelghboring hut, had been watching our
crossing. Hating to find out the cause OF
| the tumult, and with thoughts Of bridge
toll in mind, we asked what they wanted.
Actlrg as sp okesman. the old woman sai6
| Mister, can your wife ride that little wag-
| g1nF She then inquired If the family could
see the performance. On being told that
| If they would follow up the hill they could
in t1t, Cell