Watchdog: Bicycle carried Minnesota couple coast to coast, but train line just gave them the runaroundBy Debra O’Connor
watchdog@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 10/09/2011 11:51:20 PM CDT
In the summer of 2010, Doug White and his wife, Therese, of Shoreview took an Amtrak train to Seattle and rode their tandem bicycle from the Pacific Ocean back to St. Paul. This summer, the couple completed their tandem-cycle crossing of the country, setting out from Minnesota and reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Portland, Maine.
They returned from their trip by train, but a big mistake on Amtrak’s part meant they were forced to leave the tandem bike behind.
The couple had made arrangements to leave from Boston specifically so they could bring their oversized bike as checked baggage, which cost only an extra $5, plus a couple of $15 bike boxes.
“I called six days prior to departure and received confirmation that they took tandems and they had plenty of boxes, which is one of their requirements for shipping,” Doug White told the Watchdog. "We arrived at the station on July 26 and wheeled our bike up to the baggage dock, where we were met by a rude worker who said, 'We don’t take tand