The End

So after more than 5000 miles, half a million calories plus, two bikes, many many friends(new and old), rain, wind, ice, and so much more i decided to rent a car in Santa Cruz Ca. I was 400 miles short of my final destination, and i wanted to be there by the weekend. After a few days of hard riding i realized that i needed to continue that pace for several more days. At this point i was no longer taking time to see or enjoy myself, it was beginning to be a chore. I think that by driving the last bit i will be able finish my trip with the same joy that i started it on, rather than just riding exhausted for 4 days. I feel good with my accomplishment and am a different person for it. Yes I'm taking the tact that renting the car is a positive and not quiting. For when i arrived in Anacortes i accomplished everything i set out to. Now I'm driving to la. I'm going to hang out with some people that i met at my brother's wedding, Matt and Maurine. I might possibly get up to bishop for a couple of days to climb with Eric and Matt. I hope to see Sam Maloof's house and possibly the Nixon Library, but as for my Bike trip it has come to an end with nothing but pleasant memories even the moments of misery.

Close call

As i was rolling into camp the park ranger said that the hiker/biker campsite had a tree down in it, though there should still be space. What she omited, that i came to find out as i arrived at the site was that the tree fell last night and crushed a cyclists bicycle. This Sounds like pretty bad luck until you realize that the guy was sleeping within 3 feet of the bicycle when it was crushed by the tree. The gentleman was still in the campsite when i got there and related the story to me. The most amazing thing was that he didn't know that the tree had fallen until some other people came by and said “I guess it wasn't his time.” This sounds amazing but he said he woke to a loud noise, sat for a second and then didn't hear anything else so he went back to sleep. By the time i talked to him he was still shaken and was unsure as to what he should think of the whole experience. It definitely made that days of rain seem like less of an ordeal, i guess all you need is perspective to appreciate what you have.

the Sun

So the sun has come out again. After 6 days of pouring rain the sun has come again. Miserable is the best way to describe it, when you don't stop to eat all day because when you get off the bicycle for more than 10 minutes you get extremely cold. My sleeping bag stayed mostly dry, but you only get into it when you have finished for the day. I was never in real danger and there were motels about. I broke down and got a motel room on the six day, since i got into town after the laundromat was closed and i had neither socks, fleece, nor down jacket that didn't need ringing out. I have to say that i can't decide which i like least rain or wind. Fort Bragg, CA is the home of the College of the Redwoods School of Fine Furniture. Which was started by the eminent furniture maker James Krenov. I probably wouldn't have ridden in the rain on the last day but i wanted the opportunity to see the schools facility and talk with the students and professors. I rode all day pedaling hard in the worst rain and arrived an hour before school let out. The hard work paid off, since i not only got all of the information that i was looking for, it was their weekly pot luck get together. Which meant that i got fed(ribs, potato salad, and other good stuff). The following day was sunny and the forecast calls for sun for the next week. I rode into Mendocino were the school was having a 25 year anniversary show at the Highlight Gallery. This was quite fascinating and definitely inspired me to come home and refine my own skills. I broke another rear bike rack in Mendocino. Luckily there was a bike shop less than ½ a mile for were i was. Which i found via my own personal onstar System AKA Michael Whiddon(my older brother). He has been the source of much information along the way. I got some new brake pads and the rack and got everything set up. Oh and the sun is still out.

Northern California

So after a long hiatus in Portland i got back on the road. I took a bus to Grants Pass Or which cut off about 200 miles. The weather looked better down the coast since in Oregon it was 40 mph winds gusting to 60 mph and rain. Still of the next ten days the lowest chance of rain is 40%. It does look better in San Francisco. I was worried that my legs would complain excessively because of the break but after 90 miles the first day they felt fine. The last day was good weather though so don't think it's all bad.

Portland

24 hrs and 175 miles later i arrived in Portland were Kim and Bill met me in the downtown area. They threw out several ideas as to what to do so i picked the Pittock mansion. It had the preface of “ it's a bit up hill”. Turns out it is the highest point in Portland and has an amazing view of the City. After we arrived they apologized for taking me up such a hill after having ridden all day. Despite being tired i was really glad i saw it and didn't see it as an imposition. We then rode back to Kim's where i got a shower and we went out. While in Portland we traveled to Smith Rock which is a few hours away but is one of the best sport climbing areas around. It was warm during the day, in the 70's and quite cold at night, below freezing. I had a great time climbing and just chilling out. I was going to stay there and wait to meet up with Matt and Eric who were going to be there in a couple of days, but then i decided that i would just come back to Portland and hang there for a little while longer. I have done so much and had such a good time in Portland that it is hard to relate here. I've been welcomed by everyone and made to feel at home by Kim's roommates, Liz and Elizabeth, and nearly everyone else I've interacted with. I think because the high percentage of transplants, I've been invited by a huge number of people here to move to Portland. Portland is extremely bicycle friendly and because of my current mode of transport it is very appealing, also this city is just full of people with common interests and mentalities.

Tacoma

I arrived in Tacoma a couple of days after leaving Squamish. Tacoma is where Steven Cangelosi lives who is the brother of Jason who many know as the former assistant director of Earth Treks Timonuim. Steven is the Sr. Aquatics Director at the YMCA in Tacoma. He was very hospitable and i felt that his home was mine. It was the first time in a month that i slept inside and it was great. I meet many of his friends, who were all friendly and made me feel a part of the group. I got picked up by Liz Sunday morning and went to the Puyallop Fair, which i had heard of a lot when i lived in Seattle but never made it to. We went to the fair and met Steven, Kenji, and Tea. The YMCA was sponsoring a program who's name i can't remember but it was to encourage walking and eating a little less. So we walked around the fair and eat at the prerequisite foods, funnel cakes and anything else you can imagine that could be fried and some things you couldn't. I also got the opportunity to see Kenji and Tea's house. Kenji paints and his art stems from graffiti. (I'm not much good at describing art, so all I'll say is that i loved it) I left the next day and headed south to Portland.

PS to all who worried about my wasting away to nothing. I've gained about 6 pounds since i left.

My time at Squamish

In total i spent 10 days at Squamish and it was a great time. It was nice to hang out with people i knew and to meet people whom i didn't. The days consisted of climbing, cooking, drinking , and just enjoying one another's company. I met Mark on my first night at Squamish. He had just arrived from Australia, and was just walking around trying find people to climb with. We ended up hang out a good bit and he gave me a ride back to Vancouver when i left because the road to Squamish was the most unsettling road I've ridden on yet. Largely due to Construction for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Also I met this awesome German couple Ben and Karin. They spoke English well, and we (meaning me, Matt, Eric, Ben, and Karin) quickly became friends. I feel a good measure of personal compatibility is how long it takes people to become comfortable enough with each other to make fun of them. My point was just that I had a great time hanging out, despite the fact that i could barely climb anything.

Squamish

After taking leave of Bruce I rode the 40 miles to Squamish. I arrived at the campground at dusk and Matt was sitting in the parking lot. This was a good thing since the campsite number I had was wrong. Matt was taken away to see me since he thought I wasn’t coming. It’s been pretty funny since everyone hear has traveled great distances, so when they ask were your from SC doesn’t seem that far away until someone chimes in “he rode here on his bike”. I’ve decided to stay for a while and climb I just couldn’t see leaving an amazing climbing area without climbing some. Also I’m can’t put up pictures until I get back to Seattle since I don’t have the right cable and I’m updating my blog with Matt’s Computer. I hope everyone is doing well and I’ll write when I’m back on the road.

Bruce

On the Ferry ride from Vancouver Island to South Vancouver I met a gentlemen by the name of Bruce, who was from Vancouver and had just come over for a beer festival. He doesn’t own a car and commutes to work via bicycle as well as doing touring for vacation. He said he would take me into Vancouver since it was a little difficult to find the routes on your own. We stopped at his bike shop and he had his front tire checked and I got some air in my tires, then he proceeded to take me on a scenic tour of Vancouver and took me all the way to the other side, where I would catch 99 to Squamish. This made my afternoon.

The Dutch

In the morning I bought a ticket to Vancouver Island and rolled into Anacortes to check out the town. It was Sunday so the bookstores were closed but I managed to get some food. I got on the ferry at 2 pm for the 3 hr ride. On the ride I meet two Dutch guys who were touring around the Pacific Northwest. They had arrived 4 weeks earlier and were leaving in a week. I hitched along with them and made camp that night with them. It dawned on me close to bedtime I hadn’t caught their names. When they told me, it took me a couple of tries to pronounce them, and that was the reason they hadn’t offered them. So we made some jokes about repeating them over and over like we were in grade school and trying to pick up new vocabulary. In the morning I said my goodbyes and did my best to pronounce their names, which they said, was good though they could have just been polite. They joke that I had practiced all night I’ll be honest that I repeated them to myself at least 30 times before I went to bed. Frebus and Wannus were good sports about my ignorance and we had a great time.

The Coast

I thought that when I got to the ocean that I would be excited to the point of bursting. Like jumping for joy and such. Instead it was more of a sense of contentment. Just happy and glad to have completed that part of my journey. I sent out a text to let people close to me know I had arrived, and was amazed that so many responded since it was 1 am on the east coast.

Daver

On my last day before getting to the west coast I met Daver. I woke up to a layer of ice covering my sleeping bag and all of my stuff. I hadn’t bothered to set up my tent cause I was tired. I packed my stuff quickly and jumped on the road in-order to warm up. My hands and feet were frozen until I climbed to where the sun hit the hillside. I stopped and warmed myself there. I started riding again and maybe 200 yd later I was so hot I had to stop and start removing layers. Just then a rider passed me. We exchanged pleasantries and he continued. I started riding again and then he stopped to remove his excess clothing. I caught up to him at this point and asked if he didn’t mind riding together for a while. He had come from Chicago and was riding the same route to the ocean. I had 140 miles to get to the ocean that day and having someone to get you motivated was very nice. We got along very well and I definitely enjoyed riding with someone. We stopped to get some food, and I overheard a man in an RV explaining that the problem with North Cascades National Park is that it didn’t have enough roads and that some parts of the park were only accessible by trail. I feel that the problem with the park is it allows people like this guy. We continued on for about 80 miles before Daver’s knee began hurting him. It turned out he had hurt it several days earlier and it was bad enough that he thought he might have to quit. At that point we said goodbye and with only 60 miles left I couldn’t just stop and not make the coast so I pushed on.

Cocky

On my first full day in Washington state. I rode 85 miles before starting the hardest climb of my trip; it was almost 5000 ft in 18 miles. Also it was after dark when I began. 6 miles into the climb I was ready to stop, and with 6 miles left I had begun to walk my bike when I got to a slow vehicle turn out. Then ride the mile to the next one. I arrived at the top some time around 1:30 am. The campsite I was banking on was closed and I was to tired to ride any more so I just slept in the closed campsite. I figure the worst that would happen is that they would kick me out and give me a ride down the hill. The night was cold and really windy. The announcement board had a sign saying there was a problem bear in the campsite which added to my since of happiness. I decided to sleep in the bathroom that night. It helped with both the wind and the bear problem. I had been averaging 115 miles every day, and at just 103, I was done.

Montana

The drivers suck as bad as those in Missouri. I got run off the road by a logging truck passing another with no shoulder and me in the lane. Throughout the state there were multiple instances of just as obnoxious behavior. On the other hand the state lives up to it’s moniker of “Big Sky Country”. This is just as true at night.

Ego Check

While in Missoula I was feeling pretty good about my bike skills so I tried to track stand while holding on with one hand, and opening the trash can with then other and throwing something away. I almost pulled it off. If there weren’t an obstacle straight in front of me I would have. As you can guess the bike went down though I managed to get to my feet and couldn’t stop the bike since the 40 lbs behind me had already started going over. I was in front of PetCo. There was a beautiful woman coming in with her dog and at the sound of the bike falling the dog started barking at me. This woman smiled at me, I feel because I was noticeably embarrassed, and made tracks to get out of there as fast as possible. I was ten years old all over again and could see the other children laughing at me. I think it’s good to feel stupid sometimes.

KOA

It’s a rip off

I arrived at 1 am and was going to leave by 8 and they wanted, get this 27.82
After talking to they guy who worked their, he said that if I left before the next guy came on he would let me stay for free. So I was out by 6:30 since 7 was the shift change.

Cali

In West Yellowstone it was 11 pm and I was jonesing for a coke. So I get on my bicycle dressed in flip-flops, sweat pants, and a bright orange puffy jacket. As I wonder about the empty streets a clearly inebriated guy yells at me. He asks me were I’m from cause I don’t look like a local. I stop and he asks me to go get a beer with him. I go inside and he asks where I’m from and where I’m going. After finding out, he insists on buying all of the beer and we tour the local bars. He is from Sacramento CA and now lives in Boise ID. He decided to leave for a few days cause school is back in session and the students annoy him. I had a very interesting evening and roll back to my tent feeling warm on the inside.

Bill Bryson

Mr. Bryson has become my constant companion. After reading four of his books on this trip I hear him talking to me and imagine his reaction to what I see. He rails on the RV, which I have also come to dislike very much. They regularly take up the road pass me to close and get angry that I’m in the way of the house that they couldn’t leave at home. I noticed that every vehicle in Yellowstone had at least 1 if not 4 bicycles strapped to it. Though it was funny that I probably saw less than five being ridden.

Grand Teton National Park

Entering the park on my bicycle and know that I had arrived there under my own power made the experience that much better. The Park is one of the top five most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I continued into Yellowstone in the dark. I made a pretty big climb and the temperature was pretty low. My hands and feet felt numb as I rode into lake Lewis campsite. Riding in the evening is amazing when the moon is out. You can see everything as a shadow and there are way fewer cars if any at all. This adds to the feeling of discovery. As if you were alone in the wilderness crossing the continent, instead of on a road built by people and traveled by vast groups. I skipped old faithful, because of the crowds though I saw the prismatic pool, which was just gorgeous. I also met two nice couples. After talking for a few minutes they asked for my picture and said that I rank with the other sites Yellowstone had to offer. Our conversation was very comfortable, it turned out the two men were retired police officers. My father is also a retired Police officer which I’m sure was the part of the reason I so quickly felt familiar. That afternoon I entered Montana.

Wind

Wind has become by arch nemesis. It was the worst in Wyoming. In-order to keep up my mileage I was force to double the time on the bike. My longest day was 14hrs of riding and 16 hours total from when I left camp until I arrived at the next. I liken the wind to running up a down escalator. It’s much like riding a steep mountain all day without the benefits of the other side or even the sense of accomplishment derived from conquering a mountain. It’s frustrating on so many levels. It’s impossible to hear cars coming from behind until they are on top of you, it lowers your mileage, and you lean into it until a vehicle passes and you practically fall into the street, and it’s almost impossible to read a map. Some one from the map writing office wrote that the wind comes from the SE, but is “variable” I would love to have a chat with this person since in the 4 days that I peddled into 40-60 mph winds it didn’t deviate from the west. My throat grew raw and I felt as though I had a bad cold all of the time from the wind. I would ride in the morning until the wind picked up and then try and ride after dark since the winds were lower then. This made for very long days. I would describe my moods as bi-polar. When the wind was low and I was cruising I was the happiest I’d ever been but then the wind would pick up and my speed would drop by more than 50% and I would loose my composure, scream, yell, and shake my bike like a small child. It’s hard to describe the frustration when you know that this morning you could make this 40 miles in 2 ½ hours and now it’s going to take 7. I imagine this myself as Jekyll and Hyde. One day I tried to tie my shirt on as a cape since it would stand out horizontal in the wind though I just couldn’t make it work right. I tried just about anything to keep my mind off of the wind. This is one of those things that fit into the category of “ that which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”.

Rock River Wyoming

I left Laramie Wy and headed west of hwy 287. The road was under heavy construction and nearly no shoulder. This continued for a mile until I realized that the two lanes that had been closed in the other direction hadn’t been torn up yet. I picked up my bike and walked over to this section of road and had my own personal road for some 15 miles. I would have been in heaven if it weren’t for the 40-60 mph headwinds, which were just buffeting me and dropping my speed to 5-6 mph. I had my shortest mileage day to date and after 40 miles I was more mentally beat than physically and I decided to stop in the next town I came to. When I arrived I inquired about a place to stay and found that the park next to town hall was a good candidate. Around 9 I was looking for a bathroom and saw a bar across the street. I went inside used the restroom and inquired if they took credit since I was out of cash. The owner/bartender’s response was no, then he said “hey your that guy riding the bicycle?” To which I responded “yes”. He then told me that the first beer was on him and that the guy at the end of the bar would buy me the second cause you can’t drink just one beer. I thanked them and conversed with most of the 10 people in the bar. A couple of hours later I left and went to bed feeling good and having had an unexpectedly good time. In the morning I was back at the general store were the night before I got the info about the park and related my story of the free beers and the woman who worked there explained how most of the town didn’t like that bar and there people very much. I didn’t try to argue but all I could think was that if I had to choose between her and the bar, the bar gave me free beer, and never badmouthed anyone.

Timber Frame

I arrived in Laramie were Dan and Craig were working on a Timber frame church. The weather turned cold and rainy so I opted to stay another day. Sitting and watching a timber frame go up made me just want to jump in and stop riding. The church was beautiful and was such a contrast to the idea that just 100 yds away was were in 98 Matthew Shepard was beaten and left for dead on the very fence that created the church property boundary, just because he was gay. I found it hard to get motivated to get riding again, though the next morning

Flats

When I left boulder I hadn’t had a flat tire. This was about to change. In the span of 10 miles I had 4 flat tires. I was trying to fix the last flat and an older gentleman came by and inquired if I was ok and told me where the bike store was. By this point was out of tubes and patches so I walked the 4 miles into Loveland and got an education on a thorn with the name of goathead. This was the culprit for my flats. I bought liners and thorn resistant tubes. But then I was late to catch Dan in Laramie. I called a my friend skinny and though I knew he was out of town I assumed he would probably know someone in Ft. Collins that I could crash with. He put me in touch with Corey and I headed up to his place. Not only did they feed me, we went out for beers and made a night of it. In the morning I got breakfast with Corey and got on my way.

A new level of laziness

In Sweet Water Wyoming I saw possibly the laziest person on the planet. As I was reading a historical marker a car pulled off the road. I turned to see the driver reading the same marker but with binoculars. I guess getting out of the car would be out of the question. Maybe he was worried that the wind might ruin his hair, or the lack of air conditioning might cause a medical problem were his pores emit water. I thought this might be an isolated incident, but to my disappointment it was not. In Yellowstone I saw many people with binoculars. Overlooks and other sites were just to taxing if viewed from the wild world outside of the car. So the next time you feel lazy remember there is someone that much lazier out there.

New posts coming

I'll update my blog by the sept. 16th. I sent my laptop to tacoma washington when i left colorado. I arrived on the pacific on the 8th. then i went up to canada and am staying with matt ballard at squamish. hope all is well and i'll be in touch.

New Ride

While i was relating the story of my trip to Aaron he asked about my bike. Since i was about to hit the mountains again and i was still without low gears he offered me his touring bike to finish my trip with. I was hesitant at first though it sounded great. After a few more times of offering i decided to take him up on it. I had to get new tires and adjust things so that it would fit better. I rode it around and it feels good. Dan took my bike to Laramie so if after a day the new bike feels wrong i can trade back to my old one. I have to say that this is the most generous thing that has been done for me since i left. Thanks Aaron. The picture is Dan on the left and Aaron on the right.

Dan

I arrived in boulder on Thursday at Dan Hanley's house. I was excited to get an opportunity to hang out with a friend and have a place to stay for a few days. Boulder by the way has the best bike paths and is by far the most biker friendly place I've ever been. One could actually not have a car and commute comfortably to work. Dan had a BBQ the first night i was in town. The following morning we went rock climbing in Dream canyon with April and her dog Charlie which was a great source of entertainment to everyone. That evening we went out and drank beer and had dinner. I met lots of Dan's friends though i will refrain from listing the names of everyone. Craig, Dan, and I went for a bike ride of about 40 miles the next morning. I felt great though i was not in shape for the speed we were doing. There is a vast difference from riding 100 miles day in and day out, and riding 40 miles at a fast pace. That evening we went to evergreen to see a friend of Dan's by the name of Aaron Worstell. After a few beers we went into evergreen and saw some live music by a band called Harper who's lead singer is a Australian. I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Got up late got breakfast and went back to boulder. Sunday was just a relaxed day and Dan cooked some stir fry. In the morning Dan left for Laramie and i stayed to pack my stuff do errands and mail some things off. I'll be back on the bike Tuesday. I'm headed to Laramie where I'll hang out with Dan for one more day.

Near Miss

The scariest moment to date was as i was headed to Hugo. A truck was passing me and i turn to see how much space there was. As i turned my head back i hit a block of wood in the road. It jarred me so hard that my hand slipped from the handle bars and both of my feet unclipped from the pedals. So i was riding the bicycle like a bull in a rodeo. The bicycle was listing to the left and the wheels were just entering the dirt off the road. At this point images of scraping across the asphalt ran through my head. Some how i managed to pull it off, get the bicycle righted, and back on the road. It a good thing nothing like this happened earlier in the trip because I'm sure i would not have had the balance to make it safely through this.

Rain

As i was leaving Hugo I saw dark clouds in the distance. I decided that i could make it the 15 miles to Limon before they arrived. After about 3 miles i realize my mistake and decide i had better pick up the pace. I pedaled as hard as i could for the next 11 miles. The lightning was making me nervous and It was just beginning to rain. I managed to get to the I-70 overpass 2 miles before Limon and waited out the storm their.

Flat Tire

Not but 15 minutes after leaving the chocolate shower i was riding past a truck stopped on the other side of the road. I thought about stopping, but he had a cell phone and looked like he had the tire off. At the last minute i decided to check on him anyways. Well it turned out he was unable to jack the truck up high enough to put the inflated tire on. The problem was improper use of the jack. After about 15 minutes i get his tire back on and he's ready to go. He said “I've only got $3 but you can have it.” I appreciated the offer but i couldn't imagine taking it. So i decline at which time he tell me that he had been there for 3 hrs and no one had stopped to help him. He thanked me again and i was on my way. Just as i was leaving a cop showed. I would love to hear the guys relating of the story when he says so i was stuck in the middle of nowhere and some guy shows on his bicycle fixes my tire and rides off. I was also very happy to get an opportunity to help someone and just be helped all the time.

Chocolate milk

I stopped to grab a bite in Kit Carson, CO. As i was sitting there eating my food. I picked up my chocolate milk to give it a shake and after two vigorous shakes it dawned on me that the cap was still on the table. Just then the repercussions of the my actions hit me, or should i say showered me. I look around to see just about everything within a 4 ft radius covered in milk. I get up and start cleaning. A minute later the man who works at the store came up and asked what had happened. He laughs after i explain and brings more cleaning supplies. I clean the mess and we get to talking. He related two similar stories that were funny enough to tell again. The first one was when a child dropped a soda and the cap cracked just a little. Well the soda spun and a small stream of coke covered everything in sight. The guy said it took 3 people 3 hrs to clean the mess up. The other story was when a woman bought a coffee and immediately bobbles it. It came to a rest upside down in her purse. The counter was completely clean and every last drop was contained by the purse. Well as you can guess the woman was not enthused. The guy working at the store though said “it's impossible to see this happen in front of you and not laugh”. I totally agree. Then it was back to riding.

We're not in Kansas any more

So Kansas was fun and now I'm happy to be out of it. The state is everything that Missouri wasn't. I guess you have to ride through Missouri to appreciate Kansas.

Excess appetite

Hunger has become a constant state. The other day I ate a pot of spaghetti, bread, pudding, and then finished it off with watermelon. The watermelon was given to me by a very nice gentlemen who came over and said “If you are going to stay in the park then you have to help me and my family eat this watermelon.” The point being that i ate and ate while continuing to feel hungry. At some point there was just not enough room for it all and the last bit came up. I thought it was funny actually. This is just an illustration of how hunger is now a constant. Not something that comes up three times a day.

Ron

A week and a half ago Ron from the climbing gym called me to see how far i had made it because he had the idea to ride west on and meet up with me on his motorcycle. After i told him were i was he said he wasn't going to be able to catch me and get back in a weekend. He had a week of vacation so he left last Friday in order to catch up with me. We were going to meet in Tribune, Ks. I got a late start after staying in Dodge City and tried to call Ron to let him know that we might not make it to Tribune. In the afternoon we decided to make it to Tribune though it would mean riding after dark. I still hadn't heard from Ron and it was dark. At about 9:30 Ron pulled up next to me as about 8 miles from Tribune. We had a short conversation and he went ahead to town. I got there about 10 which turned into 9 in town since this was the transition into mountain time. We all slept in the city park. Since i slept in that morning i was happy to talk until midnight. It was very nice to see someone familiar. I was on the road by 7am since there was 60 miles between towns and it was bound to be hot.

Logan's Family

After we crossed the makeshift bridge we met Logan's uncles, Mike and Larned, just before reaching Larned. They were going to ride with us until Ness City. It was nice having a group and other people to talk to. Mike and Geo ride regularly and have nice road bikes. Several sprints broke out in the afternoon. Everything was going well until two of the towns on the map turned out not to have stores we were expecting. Because of this Logan and I ran low on food and the last 20 miles were pretty miserable. The high was 104 degrees. Of course we finished though just as soon as we finished I ate a snack of 1500 calories. Mike's wife and daughter met us in Ness City and transported us to Dodge City were we spent the night in a hotel. I was exhausted and as soon as i could crashed and slept till late. We caught a ride back to Ness City in order to start were we left off the night before. Logan has a funny ritual of looping back when ever we go off route and come back on. He saws it's for luck and to make sure he doesn't miss a single inch of the trail. This loop was a source of entertainment to everyone riding, jokes abounded. I very much enjoyed the company and say thanks for the hospitality.

Road washed out

Info travels by word of mouth along the transam. It's actually pretty interesting how quickly you find out about cool places to stay and obstacles in the road. I heard the road was out about 200 mikes before we got to it, but Logan got the info in Virginia. I was told about the wash out by at least three different groups including people who were not connected to the trail. We were told by this older couple that there was a plank across the 15 foot gap, but that we should either find another route or go into the field and walk around. This came off as a challenge so Logan and me decided to walk our bikes across the board. It turned out to be easier than expected though it would have made for a better picture if one of us had fallen in.

Lost

I managed to get lost without ever actually leaving the trail. The transam maps are broken into 25-35 mile sections. Accidentally i folded over one and since the map i missed contained just one road without any turns i was looking for Rosalia after 15 miles instead if 40. I get to eureka and buy a map of Kansas because when i had exceeded 15 miles i decided to ride on and just me back up with the trail later. It took about 2 seconds to realize my mistake after i opened the map. 5 dollars wasn't to much to find my way again though i never actually lost it. It did make me feel a bit foolish though.

Prairie Harvest

After a couple of hours after leaving my riding companions i arrived in newton Kansas. I rode to the agreed upon meeting place. Not more than two minutes after stopping my bike outside of prairie harvest, a women who introduced herself as Heidi walked up to me and asked if i was riding the trans am bike route and was i staying the night in newton. Before i got out the answers to her questions she had explained that she hosted people in her house though she was leaving for a wedding in South Dakota. She then gave me her roommates name and number with instructions to call her so that i could stay in their extra room. Just after this interaction Logan showed up. We went inside prairie harvest were we met Heidi's roommate Liz. She offered to have us stay at her house just as i was trying to come up with a way to say that her roommate had offered us a room in their house without sound to entitled. We ended up getting showers and then went out for dinner. It turns out that they had done the trans am the year before and since they live within 200 yd of the route they would show the same generosity to others that they had received on their trip. The night ended up with Liz, Kate(Liz's friend), Logan, and myself drinking beer, and looking up funny nostalgia on the Internet. Such as hammer pants and Dean Cain from Louis and Clark, who by the way was the worst superman to date. All said and done it was all that Logan had hyped it up to be and more. So much so that we didn't wake until 10 and only rode 60 miles the next day. I have to say thanks to Liz for the hospitality.

More people to ride with

I meet three people in Cassady Kansas at a convenience store who were out for a afternoon ride. We had a very interesting conversation about the local area, Kansas, my trip, and many other things. They left and were headed in my direction. I then filled my water bottles and got back on my way. I caught up with them after a few minutes. They were having a leisurely ride and since it was heinously hot and i hadn't ridden with anyone to date so i rode up and continued the conversation where it left off. This went on for about fifteen miles when we came to their turn off. As we said our goodbyes i was asked about my blog and how often i updated it since they would like to read it. I said something to the effect that i probably wouldn't write in it again until i get to Colorado because Kansas is flat and boring. As i said it i knew it wasn't true, but it was only then that i realized that despite the dreadful heat, mosquitoes, the major lack of distinguishing landmarks I have really enjoyed Kansas. What makes this a great place to ride is the people.

Someone to ride with

I ate dinner at this nice restaurant in Toronto Kansas. The owner of the restaurant piled my plate high and brought me extra food since she knew how hungry i must be. We talked for a bit and glad to have get info about the local area. After dinner i road down to the lake where there is a state park and stopped for the night. This to cap off my longest day to date of 115 miles. I had just recently broken a rear spoke and spent the next 30 minutes fixing it. Which turns out to be much more complicated than i would have guessed, since you have to remove the rear wheel, take off the tire and tube, and then take off the rear cassette in order to replace the spoke. As i was washing up from this, which in addition to being labor intensive is one of the dirtiest jobs possible, i meet Logan. Who is a 19 year old college student from NY. We sat and talked for a couple of hours until it was really late and we decided to go to bed. During the course of the conversation we realized we were headed in the same direction so we agreed to meet up in the afternoon the following day in newton Kansas about 100 miles away. This i was told was the place to go since there were people at a health food store their by the name of prairie harvest that would put us up for the night. The idea of a shower and air conditioning sounded wonderful so in the morning we got up early and headed off.

Missouri

My observations about Missouri so far are as follows. It is a grave imposition the slow down or even move over but the slightest bit in order to pass cyclists. As well they feel the urge to jam the horn whenever they are passing. Not to let you know they are there, but just as they get along side of you. The worst offender was a tractor trailer who passed me much much closer than i would have like and just as he was pulling even laid on his horn. With maybe 3 feet to my self every muscle i own contracted and tried not to swerve but startled is an understatement. And then just as i was relaxing i guess his colleague decided to begin laying on his horn 50 feet be hind behind me and continue using it until 100 feet after he left. I guess that i forgot the roads were made for these two drivers alone. Not only this but they don't believe in building roads that navigate around hills. Everything is straight up and straight down. The Ozarks were pretty but between 100 degrees and hills that were as steep if not steeper than anything i encountered in the Appalachians i could have done without them. Some one i passed said that they had found a grade of 21%. This compared to the steepest interstates of 6-7% and the steepest climbs in the tour de france of 10-12%. I can say that words not fit for children passed my lips on more than one occasion. In addition my rack broke again. I'm waiting in a small town until morning for the hardware store so that i can mend it well enough to get me to the Kansas border where there is a bike shop. Lets just say that Missouri is my least favorite state so far. Luckily I'll be out of it in less than two days.

Comedy

The quote of the day is “don't worry it's not a fire”. This was said at a taco bell as a cloud of smoke came billowing from the kitchen. It turns out that someone tried to clean one of the ovens using instructions given her by an employee who wasn't there. My hats off to the other employee it definitely made me laugh. This was after i stopped at Wal-mart, were i saw what would have been two of the cutest Amish girls if wasn't for the fact that they were the most sullen looking people I've seen in the resent past. I walked by them probably a half dozen times and not a hint of a smile. As I began to ride away they passed in the cross walk in front of me. To my amazement they both broke out in wide grins. My theory is that they finally saw a person who had a worse mode of transportation than them. I feel the thought went something like this “that poor b'#%^& doesn't even have a horse”. Maybe not but it made me feel good to see them smile.

Farmington

In Farmington MO you can sleep in the city parks if you check in with police. Just as it was getting dark, a young man appeared in the pavilion where I was staying. As my grandpa would say he was no brighter than the law allows. I engaged him in conversation out of politeness and a little boredom. His questions kept coming back to the types of animals I had seen. He would ask “have you seen any moose?” and I would politely explain there weren't any along the route that I had taken to get here. I would try and draw out some semblance of an interesting conversation, then he would ask “have you seen any elk?”. After maybe 5 repetitions of this I was through and did my best to look busy doing something else. He finally left after another 10 more minutes of the questions. During the course of the conversation I found out that I was not the first cyclist to have been way-layed by this gentlemen. I believe he came by this park regularly to check to see if there was anyone spending the night. Finally I was alone and the mosquitoes had died done a bit. They had been nearly unbearable earlier. Just as I was beginning to enjoy my peace and quiet a group of 8 girls in the 12-14 age group rolled up and asked if they could sit down. I thought hell why not, it's not like i was trying to relax or anything. All of a sudden I found myself in the midst of a barrage of questions “where are you from?”, “don't you get tired?”, “how old are you?”, “how do you like Farmington?”, “what time in the morning are you leaving?”, and many more. To the age question they guessed 23 then as I pointed up, 25, and then 26, finally I said 28. They all exclaimed that I definitely didn't look 28. This I took as a compliment and
began to laugh to myself as I realized I was being sorta flirted with. At the question of when I was leaving one of the girls piped up that they should get up at 5:30 and see me off as a cheering section. I did my best to squelch this idea because not only was I trying to limit my interactions with young girls but I probably would not be especially sweet if I was fallen upon by 8 giddy girls at 5:30 in the morning. It was getting dark and I was acting disinterested so they eventually left. Sleeping out in the middle of an urban area is a very interesting and odd experience.

Pictures problems

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Counting Calories

As many people in the US, I have joined the ranks of the calorie counter. Probably not as diligent as most, but i find myself turning over every food item i buy and reading how many calories are in the entire package. Though i am constantly aware of my caloric intake its for the polar opposite reason of most. Having a goal of eating as many calories as possible is sometimes tiring, though eating when ravenous actually makes everything takes better. I find that my previously less than discriminating taste buds have given up all opinions other and “that tastes good”.

My sun tan

The sun tan that I've achieved is at comical proportions, and only getting funnier. Not only do I have the permanent socks, it looks as though my gloves never come off, complete with dots on the backs of my hands which line up with holes in my gloves. These are funny but expected. What makes me laugh the most is the four brown ovals across my forehead which match up perfectly with the vents on my helmet. I could see them being used in a CSI to find out what manufacture of helmet I use.

Beer

The most spontaneously nice and funniest moment happened to me. As I was just sweating to the point of dripping, a car flies by and a beer is put out of the window, and the car slows. They had already passed but then pulled off the side of the road. As i pulled up alongside the passenger said i looked like i need a cold beer. I thought that i would love one in another 10 miles but that at this instant it would be a horrible idea. So i said thanks but no thanks then continued up the hill, which was steepening. As they pulled past i had a short conversation between labored breaths. At this point i was straining severely to make it up the hill, and after 90 miles this was no small feat. The conversation consisted of the usual, “where are you coming from?” and “where are you going?”. Then a car began down the hill in the opposite direction, and they had to leave. Through the sweat i chuckled and smiled the rest of the way up the hill. The best thing was this inspired me to buy myself that beer and relax.

Sweat, sweat and more sweat

Taking a hot bath helps to relax my legs as much as anything. Sitting and sweating profusely while reading a book, maybe listening to music can be an amazing experience. Ironic as it is since i spend all day sweating, until the salt builds up on my body like some joke with a salt shaker went awry, wishing i could take a brake in the shade and cool off. If you couldn't guess this is salt on my shirt.

Beautiful Nights

The nights have been clear. So i haven't bothered to set up my bivy. I've always enjoyed sleeping outside, and actually feel safer sleeping without a tent, since the tent doesn't add to my security, and without it i can see the things that go bump in the night. In Illinois I watched as a raccoon ran by in the middle of the night. I feel attuned to my surroundings sleeping out, and it is amazing. Getting up with the sun is much easier as well. I barely use my sleeping bag. Though maybe completely wrong I feel my metabolism has increased to were I've turned into this human heater. With the temperatures in the low 60's, I only use my sleeping bag liner that resembles a sheet sewn into tube. It is great except that it doesn't have a zipper and you have to slide into it from one end. I envy the AT through hiker for the readily available sites to sleep undisturbed in the woods.

Fire Flies

Fire flies, I haven't seen them since i was a kid at my grandparents. I didn't expect to see any in Illinois, I guess for no other reason than that is the only other place I've seen them. The state park that I'm spending the night in is not quite as cool, but it does have showers and electricity.
I was worried that I would get lonely and that this would be the biggest challenge on the trip. Up until now the problems have been physical. I guess I overestimated my abilities. There's a first for everything right :) Today at lunch time it was extremely hot and the sun was just unbearable so I stopped into a gas station/food mart and bought a pizza, which I ate at one sitting. I was dehydrated and was glad to be in the AC so I drank a liter of Gatorade and couple of bottles of water while i sat and talked to some local farmers who passed in and out at different times. They told me all of their stories about cyclists coming through and changes to the town the usual. Some thing that made me laugh, is that since I grew up in a suburb I never really was affected by the weather. To were a raincoat or not is not really being affected by the weather. Now it is much more of a concern. Though I can generally find a place to wait it out when I see the clouds coming. My point is that their lively hood revolves around this issue. Of the 9 or so odd farmers who came in and out during my rest everyone of them commented on the fact that rain was for casted and it had not arrived a point that they were all very peeved about. This brings me to the point that until now I've slowly gotten better at striking up conversations with strangers, though being out on my own and needing info such as weather reports, good places to stay, etc. has definitely helped me in this department. I have come to enjoy this rather than dread it as I did when I was a child.

Wal-mart

In Bowling Green, KY I bought a new pair of flip flops from Wal-mart for $1.94. earlier that day I was taking to my Dan and he suggested that I should see if they would let me sleep there since they allow RVs and trucks to spend the night in their parking lots. I asked the manager and they had no problem with this idea so I set up my tent out back. It seems kinda odd to sleep in tent a misted large buildings. Other than having the cops called on me, who were annoyed that someone other than Wal-mart would call since as the police officer said “if Wal-mart had a problem then they would have called”. So this is the second time in two weeks that they police have been called on me. This definitely adds to the homeless feeling and makes me wonder how easy I have it in comparison to real homeless people. Since I'm reasonably well educated and have a specific reason for sleeping outside, I'm left alone as soon as I tell people my situation. Were as it must be trying to have no were to go and no quick and easy way to convince people your doing nothing wrong.

Finding the Trail

The brake down of my day has become very Spanish in structure. I've started making my large meal in the afternoon and taking a nap afterwards. I find at the end of the day as it's getting dark I have less ambition to cook and clean up. I think I've found the answer to the picky eating habits of children, exercise. So if junior won't eat, go outside and run until your hungry enough to eat anything put in front of you. I say this cause I've taken to cleaning the very last bit of food from what ever vessel it came in. I lick the pudding cups clean and empty every donut crumb into my mouth. Today is my first real day on the transamerica bike touring route published by adventure cycling. I haven't seen a single person touring on their bike let alone maybe two riding a bicycle at all. So I was a little surprised that I would see five people touring today. They were all east bound. In the first little town I stopped in yesterday, I met the mailman who informed me that I could sleep in the volunteer fire station which was left unlocked for cyclists. I was pretty excited since I hadn't showered in a couple of days and yesterday though only 90 degrees, had a humidity of 85-95 percent. I was drenched by 6:30 am and it continued until I got to Utica. I slept in late and didn't get started riding until almost 12:30. 40 miles went extremely easy were I took my long lunch and hope to make it to the Ohio river, were I'll stay the night. Things have definitely flattened out a bit and since everything is feeling better I hope to start making a few more miles every day.

New Pictures

The new pics are up.

Food

Wi-fi has taken over the world. I'm sitting in a McDonald's writing this. Yes I ate here. Only twice have I succumbed to the fast food temptation. Usually when I get a late start and am just trying to make up miles.
My knee is better, the swelling has gone away and it's not as stiff. The rest helped and Dan gave me some advice that I think is working, about adjusting the cleats on my shoes. To answer Joe's question of diet, I stop at a grocery store at least once a day to pick up food. I've found it difficult to carry much fruit. So I've started to carry canned fruit as well since it doesn't get destroyed in my pack. As to quantity, a couple of days ago I ate a bag of bagels, two yogurts, two bananas, a can of peaches, four puddings, can of tuna, some peanut butter, a bag of powdered sugar covered donuts, and misc other things I could get my hands on. I think the rolling hills in Kentucky are almost as bad as the mountains that preceded them. It's hard to get a rhythm and i think that the road builders in Kentucky just drew a line on the map and started paving. I rode up the steepest hill to date this morning. It was only 100 yards long but it was everything I had just to turn the pedals to the top. The sun something else, and finding shade has become more difficult. It's only going to get worse to. The day after rest days are usually the worst anyway cause it's almost impossible to get a early start out of a motel. Rural motels' prices are amazing though. They don't add taxes either. So when they say $35 that's what they take from you, not another $10 for misc “taxes” that chains seem to be charging. Well back on the bike, I hope this finds everyone well.

The Internet

I haven't riddin my bike without the bags for so long that I now suck at that to, it wobbles everywhere. Though I feel much stronger as I crush up a small hill that felt hard before, like I was some amazing cyclist. Celina has no cell coverage but it does have wi-fi in town. I rode around stopping and taking out my laptop then closing it and doing it over until I found some. It didn't take to long. Also I'll post some more pictures tomorrow.

Physical Failure

The kamikaze grasshoppers scored a hit yesterday. The slightly fat lip I received is a testament to their impact force. So not only have I been beaten by small insects, but my knee has been hurting for a couple of days. Either because I'm getting old or just want an excuse to be lazy, another rest day is in order. Most of the other pains I have experienced have gone away on their own and I'm sure this would have also, but I just decided to be extra cautious. I'm pretty sure the pain developed from pushing to high a gear in the mountains. It was feeling better in the last 20 miles of the day over rolling landscape, to the point I was questioning my decision to take a rest day. Everything else is feeling much better, my body has definitely become much stronger. Celina Tn is a beautiful city and as good a spot to rest as any. Though I have all of the extra energy that my body is generating with no outlet. I actually rode 65 miles this morning and I don't know what to do with myself. I think tomorrow will be interesting at best. Too bad there isn't a climbing gym here. It's ironic that my only source of transport is the bike and I'm trying not to ride it so that I can rest.

Unexpected Help

Before i left the bike mechanic at Lutherville bike shop told me all of the things that he saw as potential flaws in my bike and might be problem areas. Of course none of those things have gone wrong. The new bike rack that i bought lasted maybe 35 miles before it to shook apart. To make things worse my sandals fell out when it broke. As you might guess at this moment, i was less than enthused. I had been running on a real high energy level and just feeling great, the weather was great everthing was going well that day and then this. Before i my attude had a chance to change, the owner of the house who i stopped in front of came out with a huge glass of ice and asked if there was anything he could do to help. I initially turned him down, but on second thought I took him up on his offer. Honestly what was i going to do other than limp to another bike shop and have the rack break apart again. Doc and Sherie(sp?) were very hospitable. We managed to get the rack together using mostly pieces from his garage and a few nuts and bolts I brought along. We bolted a couple of mending plates to it, and strapped a hose clamp around the whole thing. Doc turned out to be a software engineer who describes himself as having been on the right side of the .com boom. I think having the means to move into the country and grow your own food is the dream of many people. Well to them I say thanks. The rack has held together quite well for 300 miles so far, and my good mood continued.

Mechanical Failure

So I finally got into the mountains. I was eager to get there and once there, I only wished that I was done with them. It reminds me of being a child wishing that my beard would grow so that I could shave like a “real man”, then as soon as you have to shave you wish you could go back to when shaving wasn't necessary. The day was hot and sunny. Some of the climbs exceeded an hour of standing in the lowest gear. I stopped on one such climb and took a nap under the overhang of a closed craft shop. I slept comfortably until the angle of the sun change enough to make the shade narrower than my body. So I've taken to cat naps in places were I can find shade and few people come by to bother me. These little siestas actually are one of my favorite things to date. I continued up into the mountains after i was properly rested. As i was getting near Clayton GA I realized my rear rack was shaking a lot more than it had previously. The bike was wobbling and it took a great deal of added core tension to keep the bike going in a straight line so i stopped again and took off my rear bags. After a few minutes trying to find the cause I found that two of the welds had broken and the aluminum platform had sheared clean through, on the rack. I used some cable ties that i had, to stabilize it and a strap from one of my bags. I then tied my messenger bag to my seat. The next thing was to call my brother who always has access to the Internet, and find the nearest bike shop. It was some 45 miles away in Hiawasse, the town that Bryson hitched to in “a walk in the woods” and ditched Mary Ellen. All this made it possible to limp the rest of the way to Clayton. As i got there it began raining. I decided to stay in Clayton rather than continue on, which i had planned on. The following day I got up to be disappointed that it was still raining. My departure was postponed until after 2 when the rain stopped. Most of this time was spent under the front of an Ingles supermarket were I continued to read Bryson's book. Finally the sky cleared and I began my arduous trip to Hiawasse. It was almost all climbing for the first hour. I was still continually frustrated by the bicycle shaking side to side. I'm sure people driving by must think that I'm the worst cyclist on the road. As I got to lake Burton, of course it began raining again. Probably one of the funniest sights you'll see is a grown man riding a bicycle screaming at nothing. To say the least I was very frustrated. So I stopped at a lake overlook where there was a gazebo with picnic benches. The rain actually never materialized, but I've gotten a little gun shy since it could be ten miles before there might be another place to stop. So I took one of my naps, and then continued on up the hill. So I climbed until I found a overlook with a nice view of the valley below. I stopped for about 15 minutes where i met two people. One, an Obese man who expressed how it was unfathomable that one could ride all the way up the mountain. The other was an eccentric husband and wife couple who were looking for a place to put in their canoe, on the lake that wasn't a private slip. Of these two groups I tried to find out how the road to Hiawasse was, as far as terrain. I got that it was just like that leading up to were I was. This news was not what i was hoping to hear. If the climbing was to continue i thought it was going to be very hard to get to Hiawasse that night. Luckily they were both wrong and it was actually about 80% downhill. Along the way I passed by were the Appalachian trail crosses US-76. So I stopped and took a picture. I had this real urge to take my stuff off the bike and start hiking, since my legs feel so much better when I'm walking. I managed to get to Hiawasse then managed to miss the rode for the bike shop by two miles, before I asked directions and returned. I arrived too late to get the new bike rack. So I'm waiting until 10 am when the store opens. So this brings to an end the first week of my trip.

Friends

I got my start late Wednesday. My legs though recovered were a bit sluggish. This took the first 10 miles of the day to get them moving properly. The wind was in my face. I would only get a relief while in the middle of going up a hill and then as I was nearing the top BAM. It felt as though someone hit me in the chest and was holding me back. I would have to drop 3 gears just to continue, even though the hill had begun to flatten out. After about an hour of fighting the wind I was feed up and decided to stop and read for a while. It is very fitting that the book I'm reading is “ a walk in the woods”. Reading about Katz and Bryson I'm reassured that this is completely within my ability. While sitting at a gas station reading I was asked the usual questions. Though this couple were exceptionally unable to grasp the concept of what i was doing and where I was going. Actually after repeating it several times i became amazed at how complicated it was to explain to the this couple. I'm sure they something between disbelief and confusion. Reading about someone else's ineptitude on an equally unprepared trip, brought my spirits up a lot. So I got in another 40 miles in the afternoon. During which I found a new reason to were sunglasses, kamikaze grasshoppers though this seems in-consequential. They actually hurt, at first I thought they were rocks from passing cars but then i saw one and it rode hanging onto my derailer cable for a few minutes. A little later I stopped at an grocery store to fill my water bottles and pick up some food. This is were I met Lee Smith. He's 76 and his wife died of Parkinsons a year and a half ago. I was on the phone with my father and he just started asking me questions so I told my father I would call him back. After speaking to Lee for a couple of minutes he had informed me that he had been a principal until retirement. Now worked as a “bag boy” at a grocery store, which i could clearly see was largely for the personal interaction. He insisted on buying me dinner. I ended up going with him to his house and he showed me his diplomas, pictures of his daughters and his wife, who he said nothing but the absolutely nicest things about. I had wanted to get another 40 miles in after i stopped at the grocery store. I decided I should just take Lee's hospitality and be grateful so I stayed the night. I think Lee is my kindred spirit. He had more soda in the house than anyone I've ever met and when i tried to drink water he did his best to convince me to take a brake from the water. For everyone who knows my eating habits this is ironic at best since i was the person turning down mountain dew for water. He also insisted on buying me breakfast and asked me to promise to call him semi regularly to let him know my progress and that i was still alive. After this, off I went for the day.

Bikers

So I feel as though I've been adopted by bikers. Maybe more like the runty kid that everyone looks out for. Whenever we're stopped in the same place they almost always strike up a conversation. Usually they ask the basics, but generally more interested in how I deal with rain and common dangers on the road. When most pass they give me the same side wave that they give to one another. Which I hadn't noticed until I was talking to two bikers and watched their interaction with passing motorcycles. Not only do I get the wave, but as I was moving down a hill fast enough that I was keeping up with most of the vehicles, I noticed a motorcycle pass and the passenger had out their camera and instead of taking a picture of the sprawling mountains they were taking a picture of me

pictures

Use this link to see my pictures
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the journey thus far

So I've learned that animals are at least as fascinated by my riding by on a fully loaded bicycle as everyone else. it's hysterical to me when every cow in the field lifts it's head to look at me though pays no attention to every passing tractor trailer. Also dogs, yesterday i passed a house that had at least 12 dogs unfenced that chose to chase me 200 yards or so. Though i love the reaction from people just as much. yesterday i stopped at a gas station and i was asked "where i was coming from?", this same scenario has played out more than once. to my reply of folly beach i got the response of wow. Then the best part is when they inevitably ask "where are you going?". i usually just say Colorado or maybe Vancouver in-order lessen the blow to this person. if we continue to talk i explain the rest of my trip. I get a range of responses from "i won't feel as good about myself the next time i ride my bike" to "my daughter wants to do the same thing" to "what cause are you riding for", to my favorite "man, only a white guy would do something that crazy". All said in friendly and curious fashion.

I've covered a little over 200 miles. the first three days can be summed up with three titles day 1 "Rain", day 2 "pain", and day 3 "mileage".

The rain started less than two hours after i left at which point i stopped under a Eckards awning for about an hour. about an hour later down the road i stopped in front of an elementary school for about 2 hrs for the second bout of rain. Some one called the police. When they arrived they looked at me and only asked "you taking a break". They barely waited for a response before leaving. Though this was the beginning of the "homeless" feeling that Steve described to me. i got in two hours of riding before i stopped at Gihvans state park to eat lunch. I was there maybe 15 minutes before the rain just poured out of the sky. If you've lived in the south you can appreciate the amount of rain I'm talking about. When there is 3 and 4 or more inches of standing water everywhere because the sandy soil can't absorb it fast enough. So at this point i waited for about 5 hours in a bathroom. I finally got about 3 more hours of riding before dark when i pulled my bike into the woods and made camp. It's unnerving to "stealth camp". every little noise makes catches your ears.

The pain came from changing my seat and didn't have the height properly adjusted. this causes pain in the knees. I had to call my brother first thing in the morning, and have him look up on the Internet which way, up or down, to adjust my seat based on the specific knee pain i was experiencing. I did eventually get it adjusted properly. the pain is much better, but it lingered into today. At a gas station where i stopped to get a mountain dew i also bought some boiled peanuts. this i a taste of home for me. Something that is an acquired taste and i miss about living i Baltimore. While i sat and savored my boiled peanuts and began to read Bill Bryson's "A Walk In The Woods". the irony if you've read it is inexplicable, at least in the beginning since I've only read that part. So he goes into detail about bear attacks and camping in the woods. all I'll say is that i was very diligent with my food stuff that night and had one more thing to imagine the noises were coming from. i experienced a little more rain in the evening. so far my bivy kept me dry though when closed in the summer it's warm enough to make you sweat an equal amount to having just been out in the rain.

The mileage came in an unexpected way. I decided to take the day off, get a hotel, and try to recover from riding hard for two days after having not ridden in two weeks. As i arrived in Monetta 15 miles away, i realized that it was to small to have a hotel. So i asked the person staffing the gas station were the closest town with a motel was i was told Batesburg. I then rode 10 miles there. Now i found out that there was only one hotel here and not what i was looking for. In hind site the woman in Monetta was guessing there was one based on Batesburgs size. So finally i got credible info, and i ended up
riding 45 miles to greenwood. This actually ended up better than you would think i actually rode through the pain and ended up feeling pretty good and managed to get another 70 miles in on i day where i was going to through in the towel. This brings me to here where I'm sitting in my hotel room after having iced my legs, then took a hot bath, and showered.


On a side note, i completely underestimated how the gear would effect every aspect of the bicycle. From how it handles to how to lean it against a wall. This education has come slowly. Today i was finally able to stand-up on the bicycle and pedal uphill without having the rear shake me several feet side to side. now i can even lean my bicycle against a pole without watching it with shock and awe as it slides to the ground after it sat just fine for 10 minutes.