Some frequently asked questions about my trip.

1. Where will you stay?    Answer:  I will be camping mostly at camp sites and staying in hotels / motels when available.

2. What will you eat?       Answer:   I will take 2 days of food with me on the bike, but will be eating anywhere I can find to eat along the way. Most of the route takes me through small towns and some larger ones, and rarely will I be more than 20-30 miles from stores, cafes, etc.

3. Do you feel safe?    Answer:   Yeah, sort of. I have no major fears. In my training and daily riding, many of the situations I will be dealing with along the way, I encounter here. Cars, road hazards, dogs, rude people, etc.

4. What will you do if your bike breaks?  Answer:   After riding the same bike for the past two years and several thousand miles, I have a good feel for what might break on an extended trip. I will take certain parts wtih me, i.e brakes, cables, chain links, etc. In addition, I have spent several months working at local bike shops and learning how to fix things I might need to fix. Kenny, at Bob's Bicycle has taught me a great deal.

5.  What does Charlotte think about this trip?  Answer:   She has been very supportive and encouraging, but I know she would rather I stay at home. She understands why I am doing it and will worry about me, I am sure.

6.  How will you take all the stuff?   Answer:   I have bags that hook to the front and rear of the bike called, panniers. They will hold my camping stuff, clothes, tools, food, etc. All together, the baggage weighs approximately 40 pounds.

7.  What will you do if you have a flat tire?  Answer:   I carry 2-3 extra tubes, a patch kit, and tire tools with me all the time.  Flats are always going to happen, and you just fix them. Takes less than 10 minutes. The tires I use are expensive touring tires and are relatively puncture proof, but nothing is 100%.

8. Do you wear those spandex shorts?  Answer:   NO!   I see no need in them and they are uncomfortable for me.  Maybe if I was Lance Armstrong and was going to ride 50 miles an hour. I do wear padded cycle briefs, under a pair of  touring shorts that look like regular shorts. If guys want to wear them and feel comfortable, I think that's great, but I don't. They do have a lot of benefits however as I understand.

9.  How long will it take?   Answer:    I have a 53 day riding itinerary, but I have around two weeks of free days available if I need them. I am not going to plan days off.. I will take them when I need to rest or facing severe weather conditions.

10. How many miles will you have to ride?   Answer:   The route will take me a little short of 4000 miles. I am using Adventure Cycling maps and will be doing 1500 miles of the Lewis and Clark Trail and then a route called the Northern Tier. I will be passing through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesotsa, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virgina.

Every week brings an interesting experience. This week, I discovered a painless lump on the side of my left knee. Apparently it is a ganglion cyst. a friend of mine ( who should know ) told me not worry about it and when it got bigger he'd  ice it and then smash it with a book. OOOUUUCCCHHH!!!!  

" Dreams are born in thought, pursued with enthusiasm, and realized through action."  mod

Good week for riding! Litter, litter, and more litter. If this area doesn't lead the nation in highway littering, I  would be surprised. It's sad and disgusting to ride along the local roadways and see all the litter. Sad thing, besides the obvious, is that most of it is plastic bottles and aluminum cans that could be recycled. Now, if I was a big shot politician and wanted to save Amercia a lot of money, I'd get some of these overfed and overpaid welfare people to pick up trash along the highway and in the parks, to earn this free ride. But then, that's why I'm not a politician, because I might do something that makes sense, and that wouldn't fly in Washington.
One short stretch along Rte 50 around Coolville, OH, there was a pair of old shoes on a guardrail post. Then a little further, a pair of socks along the berm. Then a bit further, a pair of pants and then a shirt. Kept looking for the underwear, but didn't see any.  Warm weather must have gotten to the guy.
Ok, the riding was great and got in a little over 180 miles for the week. Not a great amount, but for March, I'll take it. Shortest ride was 23 and the longest was a 52 mile ride from Parkersburg, to Hockingport, along the river, which took around 4 hours.
I find myself riding along thinking about my summer trip and wondering what it will feel like to be in a strange area, alone. I think about how fast my life is moving and about the things I want to accomplish before it ends. I think about what I have and haven't done, and the many people who have made my life more meaningful. The people I may have inspired and been inspired by. Yet when I am riding, for that brief moment in time, things move slowly and I have time to think about the people I care about and the things that are most important. Maybe that's why I love to ride. Maybe that's what has inspired me to make this trip. It gives me time to do something I seldom have time to do. Think!
Oh my!  I got lost in heavy stuff there for a second. Right now, however, I probably should be dealing with the other heavy stuff.  Me, ( 189# )  the bike, ( 35# )  and the stuff I have to carry!! ( 40# ) That's 264# these  little, old, skinny legs have to push up those mountains. I have never used a pair of scales so many times in my life. I think I'm on my third pair,  trying to find one that weighs right! :-)

" Never expect anything greater than you are willing to give! "   mod

Dusted off "PJ" and started the long road to cycle legs. Amazing how fast the winter went by and how quickly June 11 is approaching. Difficult to hold back the miles when it is so nice outside. I feel like I could ride 50 miles now, but don't want to risk sore knees, etc, so keeping the milage to 20 miles per day. Got in 106 miles this week, but certainly will need to more than double/triple  that by the end of May to be ready. Keep being reminded of the many things around the house needing done before I leave. Amazing how many things a person's life involves.  
Settled my camp stove issue with a "pop can stove". Made out of two pop cans and the thing works better than my $70 stove. It took 20 minutes to make and uses rubbing alcohol,  HEET,  and many other inexpensive easy to buy fuels. It's light weight, easy to use, and cheap. Great combination!
Berms are sand covered , left over after the winter snows making the riding a bit testy.  Best thing is the absence of road kill that litters the highway in the spring and summer. Being an animal lover makes it hard to ride past the many animals that get killed along the highway during the warmer months. In a car you drive by so fast you get no sense of the suffering or pain caused by automobiles. However, when riding at 10 miles an hour and within a few feet you can't help but be aware of the mangled bodies and suffering of the innocent little creatures.
It is so nice to see the sun and the grass! I looked in the front yard the other day and saw grass for the first time in a month! Now that's something to celebrate!! The girls and boys are starting softball and baseball practices and it is time to roll the bike tires down the road. Soon the flowers will be blooming, the robins will be singing, and the grass will need mowing .............. oh no, not that again!
More later!!

" The only true unsinkable ship is freindship! "  mod


 

Added fenders to the bike this weekend, assuming that it might rain in the over two months I'll be gone. Had a little fun this week on google earth looking at some of the places I will be riding. Made the mistake of showing Charlotte some of it and her reccommendation is for me to sit in front of the t.v. and google earth the entire bike trip. Says it will be a lot safer and I can still experience it all. Didn't help my case any when I showed her a picture along one of the highways of an elk standing close to the road. Her comment was, "What if that had been a bear?" I said , " Well, I guess I would be peddling way too fast to get a picture!"
If that didn't do enough to worry her, she recieved a bit of encouragement today from an anonymous friend. An article addressed to her that appeared recently in the local paper about preparing to be a widow. No joke! Well intentioned I am sure, however, just what she needed to comfort her prior to me leaving for a bike trip. It takes me months to make her feel comfortable about the whole concept and a few seconds in an anomymous letter to undo it. The article pointed out that over 1,500,000 women are widowed between the age of 55 - 65. I figure that's true and mostly from couch potatoes whose wife wont' let them do anything exciting and they die from boredom. Or maybe he's trying to escape from a boring woman! Charlotte isn't boring! Thought too, that maybe it's because many of these 50 something women were married to 80 something men. All kidding aside, if you really want to know what causes this phenomenon, go to any restaurant or bar on a Friday or Saturday evening ( or any evening ) and it becomes obvious why this happens.
 Just in case the "anonymous" person reads this, she ( Charlotte ) is very well covered if anything happens to me. Hope that doesn't encouarge her though. :-)  Enough for now, gotta go eat a couple of quarter pounders, some fries,  a bowl of ice cream, wash it down with a couple of colas, and take a nap!  Might even order my Mountaineer football tickets! Now that's enough to do me in!

" Our eyes reveal what lies before us; our minds what lies behind us; our faith what lies ahead of us; and our heart what lies inside of us"            mod

Took advantage of the snowy weather and finished trip itinerary. Made a spreadsheet with the day, distance, town leaving from, going to and where I plan to stay. I am sure this will change somewhat as I travel, but I need a plan and a daily goal.  Used adventure cycling maps for routing to Ohio, then road map through Ohio. Will be followng the Lewis and Clark trail to Williston, ND, then the Northern Tier route to Monroeville, IN.  Total distance approximately 3650 miles, but this doesn't include off route camping and hotels, etc. Longest day planned is 95 miles and shortest being 33. Longest day without services, such as food, water, camping, etc. is 75 miles in Montana.
Coninue to weight train and work on flexibility. Have started doing push-ups, crunches, and stretching during commercials in the evening while watching t.v., but can't keep dogs from thinking its play time. The second I hit the floor, they hit me. Usually in the face with their feet or jump on my back, but it adds a bit of excitement to another wise boring routine. The time is passing by very quickly and I know June 11 will be here before I know it, so I have to pick up the pace and keep busy. Trying to get all the little things done over the winter, so I can focus on riding when the weather breaks.

" Love is a gift, not a loan!"   mod

Got in a little riding before ole man winter came back. Got in 85 miles over the past weekend, but back in the gym to keep the fat monster away. Definately need the bike time, but concentrating time on mapping trip, campgrounds, getting equipment lined up and trying to elimnate all unnecesary stuff to cut weight. I really had no idea how much was involved in making this type of journey when I first got the idea. I'm not sure if I had realized what it entailed, I would have ever started. I guess I thought I'd just ride the bike, get in shape a bit and take off cross country. Never thought of all the camping gear ( lightweight ) , knowledge needed to work on the bike, mapping, communication while on bike, dangers, etc, etc, etc. Not sure I have a firm grasp of it all yet, but I am sure about half way home from Portland, I will be much smarter about traveling by bicycle.
Charlotte's dad passed away this week, so that has been a bit rough.
As my luck would have it, our governor and legislature is considering moving the starting date for school next fall up a week. Not that I care a whole lot about that except it takes a week out of the time I have to make the 4000 mile trip. I had a week built in to allow for bad weather, bad days, and maybe a relaxation day. I now will need to do one of two things. I will need to ride 60 straight days without a break, or increase my daily milage, or both.

" Faith is believing that something will happen. Hope is that it will be good. Love is understanding when it isn't."  mod

"When we face our greatest enemy, we will recognize self."   mod

Got in a little riding in this weekend, 56 miles, even with the rain. Good to test out the rain gear. Everything worked as it should, but a flat tire wasn't planned. Good experience though, changing the tire in a downpour along Rte 50. Weight is stabilizing around 189, so an increase in intensity is in order. Target weight before leaving for trip is 180. Why carry any extra weight up all those mountains? That's my theory! Got the last three maps and will be planning camping sites, etc. I'm sure there will be many "on the fly", adjustments due to bad weather, fatigue, etc, but its nice to have a plan.  I know the next 4 months will go by very fast! Practiced pumping my tire from flat to 80psi with the hand pump on the bike. Had to know this in case my tire gauge quits working. It will take about 130 pumps. In other words, if I have very many flats along the way, I may be able to get a job at a tire shop hand pumping tires when I get home. Or maybe refilling all the "airheads" in Congress. Lord knows they're all full of hot air!!

" It's not important to be recognized for what we do, but to know the world is a better place for  our having done it! "   mod