tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17703148481951059042024-03-19T07:20:46.864-04:00pedal, pedala bicycle journal focusing on bike touring, bike camping, and bike packing with an emphasis on photography.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-5015786946888150502015-11-29T02:28:00.002-05:002015-12-01T00:32:58.036-05:00mountain laurel designs trailstar - reviewtouring for a third of a year requires quite a bit more gear than a weekend trip, for sure. when going out for a night or two you can get away with all sorts of stuff that just won't fly when home is hundreds or thousands of miles away. everything must have a purpose, and even better, more than one purpose, so you must chose your gear wisely. the ability to do that really comes almost exclusively through personal experience, but often seeking reviews is the place to start.<br />
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getting a quality review of a piece of gear is often more difficult than it would seem. reviews on sites like REI or Amazon <i>can</i> be helpful but you have to consider the source. how long has it been used? in what conditions? what were the expectations? is the person reviewing qualified to make that review? i can't say how many times i've read a review online about a bike that says "i tested this in the parking lot, it's so fast!" this person has no business saying anything about that bike. i want to read the review by the person that's used the product for at least a season, if not more. only then can the review be taken with any sort of credibility.<br />
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over the past four months i've gotten a lot of questions about the gear i've brought on my tour. i'd usually just toss out the name and say, "it's great", but i always had much more i could have said. when you spend all day every day interacting with more or less a few pieces of gear you get to know any strengths and weaknesses pretty well. i mean, <i>really</i> well. i was in the fortunate position to have to rely on my gear day in and day out, without fail. if something didn't work right, well enough, or at all it could be really bad news, depending on the item. so i had done my homework and i chose wisely, indeed. i hope that i can provide some helpful insights into the gear i brought.<br />
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sometimes the weather cooperates and you can just sleep out under the stars, which, as far as i'm concerned, is plan A. other times you can find a sturdy structure to camp under, like a gazebo or a bridge. still, other times you just need a shelter because you're in the middle of nowhere. maybe it's due to rain, wind, or mosquitoes or maybe you just don't like sleeping outside unprotected. no matter the reason, you need to have one with you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkC9T8hc6Xw/VhMDj69I7PI/AAAAAAAA3oA/JCEpCjBnuAI/s1600/_MG_2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkC9T8hc6Xw/VhMDj69I7PI/AAAAAAAA3oA/JCEpCjBnuAI/s400/_MG_2008.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar on tour in the nebraskan sand hills</td></tr>
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i chose the term shelter because it doesn't have to be a traditional tent. i personally brought along a <a href="http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=102" target="_blank">Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar</a> tarp, and i couldn't have been more pleased. i had looked at a few one-person tents but often found that their specs made them too heavy or bulky in terms of volume. i would have made due with what i got, but this one came on recommendation from a friend with plenty of experience with it. it's also made in the USA, which is nice.<br />
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in the past i've used smaller tarps for single-night trips and i took one to nova scotia last year for a one-week tour. it was small and covered barely more than a hammock or a sleeping bag, so it would be terrible for heavy rains. for this tour i knew it would be probable that i'd run into some weather where i'd have to spend quite a lot more time under the tarp so i wanted something that was a bit bigger and sturdier. the Trailstar fit the criteria.<br />
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the footprint is a luxurious 50 sq.ft., which is plenty of room for whatever you may want to put under there. i often just had my sleeping bag and pad along with some a few other things like food or clothes which left ample extra space... not that i needed any more, it's just nice to have. they do recommend not cooking under this thing, but go on to say that it is large. i cooked in this thing pretty much every night and morning that i had it set up with no issues. plenty of ventilation and the ceiling is high enough to not be close to any flames. if you do that, though, just be smart about it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoITU2IAUGVAhvPB06K3EmOjIzWwvOBxBZxzpsJrigfLjU4Fnm6upABbSn7MijkYV5-ZQnygFG2K6wSKcGhn_IaW0S2wN0K4zwqVc1sWHjwiy_pfyvWNB3Hpp_IlDRRR0GTJnkzHickSU/s1600/IMG_20151027_080429199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKoITU2IAUGVAhvPB06K3EmOjIzWwvOBxBZxzpsJrigfLjU4Fnm6upABbSn7MijkYV5-ZQnygFG2K6wSKcGhn_IaW0S2wN0K4zwqVc1sWHjwiy_pfyvWNB3Hpp_IlDRRR0GTJnkzHickSU/s320/IMG_20151027_080429199.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 miles east of the continental divide in wyoming.</td></tr>
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a big footprint also means you have a ton of coverage from the elements, which is a <i>very</i> nice feeling when you can see some nasty clouds off in the distance headed your way. i've waited out several heavy rain storms, plenty of nights with drizzle, a few snow storms, and a few nights of excessively strong winds under the Trailstar and at no point did any precipitation find its way onto me or my stuff. nice. it does come with a tube of seem sealer, which you have to apply yourself. it's not much of an issue but it is something you ought to do before using it in rough weather.<br />
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going through many of the western states there is a lot of nothing and the wind can get pretty fierce. often, even if the temperatures permitted and there was no rain in the forecast, i set up the Trailstar just for wind protection. with its low pitch angle and 10 tie-out points it's super sturdy. if you button it to the ground and tighten it like a drum it will hold up to some serious winds. in a few places in nebraska and idaho the forecasts called for 25mph winds with gusts up to 50mph at night and, though the walls flapped quite a bit, it held up very respectably.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikuhqsKT7InZ0KcbwxNS2ophuXxZPs2sPb5ryQ4oB5wHGj83zWvT9nt-2ueanlxK6wz8uiSolvuGTx_-G3mChX7JAyaJe90snFnLGwy7qEnITNRhwiW9zkjWiVR5rLgEnXT8GlH5GoMHc/s1600/IMG_20151112_091649675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikuhqsKT7InZ0KcbwxNS2ophuXxZPs2sPb5ryQ4oB5wHGj83zWvT9nt-2ueanlxK6wz8uiSolvuGTx_-G3mChX7JAyaJe90snFnLGwy7qEnITNRhwiW9zkjWiVR5rLgEnXT8GlH5GoMHc/s320/IMG_20151112_091649675.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">among the idaho sage brush. tripod as support.</td></tr>
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now, it seems like it was designed for backpackers because you're supposed to use trekking poles to set it up, one in the middle and one for the doorway. but if you're bike touring trekking poles are not part of your gear list, so you'll have to find something else to use. branches can work, but only if you're around trees, so i suggest something more reliable that you carry with you. i ended up buying a $12 monopod from walmart for hunting and used that for the center support. i just put a cap nut on the end to protect the tarp and it worked great. for the doorway i often used my camera tripod, my bike, a found stick or a tree. i never had an issue with any method.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7dQnZ7zbgi3vE-OGKcCJ4bCu8_BWBeKlfjtQa6Kze4qEKJY7ZEqv3SWH_h2CWSan4qZnb3KywKh_Stptv3TIBzVFL-KvWl3ZbqFnrD_cPkK8wXxO_mWNQc9X8MAq4NnOpqmc2VM_mjB-/s1600/IMG_20151019_152314682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7dQnZ7zbgi3vE-OGKcCJ4bCu8_BWBeKlfjtQa6Kze4qEKJY7ZEqv3SWH_h2CWSan4qZnb3KywKh_Stptv3TIBzVFL-KvWl3ZbqFnrD_cPkK8wXxO_mWNQc9X8MAq4NnOpqmc2VM_mjB-/s320/IMG_20151019_152314682.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">aluminum stakes are garbage.</td></tr>
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packing it up was easy, just fold it in half a few times and roll it up. done. i had a separate small ditty bag for some stakes that i tossed in the stuffsack with the Trailstar so i didn't have to look for them when it came time to set up camp. side note: don't bother with aluminum stakes, they amount to garbage. just go ahead and pick up some steel stakes or get the stakes that have 3 blades to prevent them from bending. i started with 10 aluminum stakes and finished with none.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsUWCWvbV4Q/VdS029qS9LI/AAAAAAAA0EU/RLIWq8G5kCg/s1600/_MG_9588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsUWCWvbV4Q/VdS029qS9LI/AAAAAAAA0EU/RLIWq8G5kCg/s320/_MG_9588.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the inner bugnet set up solo using a guy line tied to a branch</td></tr>
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now, being a tarp it is simply protects you from precipitation and wind, but not bugs. some places or seasons that won't be an issue, but during the summer it will be a big problem. MLD does make an optional <a href="http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=51&products_id=214" target="_blank">inner bugnet</a>, which i did use for the first half of the tour. for most of the first half i used the bugnet independently of the Trailstar, which is quite nice. during those hot and humid summer nights it's nice to sleep protected from mosquitoes but have a fully ventilated shelter. i often just slept on my sleeping pad with no bag. a good night's sleep is invaluable when you're on tour. after the bug season passed i ended up mailing the net home with some other stuff to free up some pannier space. for the first half though, it was one of the most-used, most-appreciated pieces of gear in my bag. once i get home to connecticut this will definitely get used more than the Trailstar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYx-u0kiSDV2GdM8nGiIG9w7LdwB0SuD-UtiyqMxYctFwdCM4jYBEKuq72WzO_ITmBxe-U-9uZiOteRy_umcIlR6bxOaGo1BNJZJIQIMghy9QYISZPD1fXyDb1kU0LDMQE-EaofBnTYw5/s1600/IMG_20150907_202437312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYx-u0kiSDV2GdM8nGiIG9w7LdwB0SuD-UtiyqMxYctFwdCM4jYBEKuq72WzO_ITmBxe-U-9uZiOteRy_umcIlR6bxOaGo1BNJZJIQIMghy9QYISZPD1fXyDb1kU0LDMQE-EaofBnTYw5/s320/IMG_20150907_202437312.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">high pitch for better ventilation</td></tr>
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it does have to be said that the Trailstar can be a bit difficult to set up, at least at first. having 10 tie-out points there is a lot of ways to set it up and a lot of ways to have a wonky set up. it does take a bit of experimentation to find the right pitch for your needs. i usually had it set up in the standard configuration, but on occasion i had it set up as a teepee or just used a higher/lower pitch for wind or snow shedding. when it was still fairly hot out i set it up with the sides off the ground for better ventilation. this thing is versatile, to say the least.<br />
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the Trailstar did me well on this tour. i have no regrets with my choice. for me it worked perfectly, though, i can see for some people it just wouldn't be right. some people may just prefer the full enclose of a tent. being a tarp it does not have a bottom so you're just there in the dirt, and that may be a deal-breaker for some people. you could get the inner bugnet, but that's just another thing to set up. i, personally, don't mind at all, but it does expose you to stuff on the ground. if you need a shelter that will fit a few people, or one person and a bunch of stuff, are facing lots of rain, snow, or wind, the Trailstar might just be the ticket. MLD often has some lead times posted on the front page of their website. i think when i ordered mine it said 3-4 weeks but it arrived in under 2. sweet.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-85117999984797634182015-11-28T22:32:00.001-05:002015-12-03T19:16:10.992-05:00left coast.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazDF3bv2H2DT0c42Vwv79f7IzufZqrbbYn0-Fvg6hctK9VP8usqzE302r_Ejz86Lc6YwDtCiLh7455jrPii5oJzyByHxVLqSsBSnZGgeiR0DWCOnkKO50ZodepgyGBuWv3x9_n5gKBsJu/s1600/20151128190252_IMG_5564-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dipping the tires in the pacific" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazDF3bv2H2DT0c42Vwv79f7IzufZqrbbYn0-Fvg6hctK9VP8usqzE302r_Ejz86Lc6YwDtCiLh7455jrPii5oJzyByHxVLqSsBSnZGgeiR0DWCOnkKO50ZodepgyGBuWv3x9_n5gKBsJu/s320/20151128190252_IMG_5564-01.jpeg" title="" width="320" /></a>with no fanfare or anyone to recognize the achievement, i quietly rolled my bike out onto the beach and let the waves roll in. three and a half months on the road has had it's official end. it's bitter sweet, for sure. a tour of this size fundamentally is a freedom we are not used to as adults. it will be 1/3 of a year by the time i get home that i will have had no schedule to live by. no place to be at the end of the day. no person i had to see. no thing i had to do. i just pointed my wheel west and rode until i didn't feel like it anymore. that's a nice feeling and i'd like to feel it again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHGU5wxcuRyyEDimkw58QOgKAftB2CxuDIxUxNADtHGdZB19u1VE9DSfWLan72oq1chTGN3tzO_Tzb6ZJvivUPt5pgFcglI7qcuC0i5v5trqFJvuWOKf5oIMWwjumqUQVS4aBgowHqmxw/s1600/GOPR0046_1448758139751_high.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHGU5wxcuRyyEDimkw58QOgKAftB2CxuDIxUxNADtHGdZB19u1VE9DSfWLan72oq1chTGN3tzO_Tzb6ZJvivUPt5pgFcglI7qcuC0i5v5trqFJvuWOKf5oIMWwjumqUQVS4aBgowHqmxw/s400/GOPR0046_1448758139751_high.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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that's not to say that my ride is over, though. i still have some riding to do.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-40267476075194053972015-11-21T23:11:00.001-05:002015-12-03T19:17:58.911-05:00denouement. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzQdSfxUA4M/VkYW-FGKSVI/AAAAAAAA4Rs/4a942VZJhYI/s1600/IMG_5386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="riding among bales of hay" border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzQdSfxUA4M/VkYW-FGKSVI/AAAAAAAA4Rs/4a942VZJhYI/s320/IMG_5386.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>i'm certainly touring late into the season, and i knew that i would be back when i first decided to do it. finances needed to be squared away to make it possible in the first place. when it came down to leaving late or putting it off another year, a late-season tour was the obvious choice. that meant i'd still be riding through the fall and i'd be at some much higher elevations by that point. i said i'd just deal with it when i got there.<br />
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so i'm there. and i'm dealing with it. nights are cold and getting colder. a few nights have hit single digits and have exceeded the rating of my sleeping bag. it's pretty miserable when you wake up at 3am and your face literally has ice on it and your feet ache from being so cold. there's not much more you can do that just wait it out until the sun comes up. luckily, that's only been a few times. for the most part nights have been a reasonable just-below freezing, which is perfect for sleeping.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BnF9I7BKdac/VkYW-0AdX_I/AAAAAAAA4Rw/OZj38zayt3A/s1600/IMG_5457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="enjoying idaho sage brush" border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BnF9I7BKdac/VkYW-0AdX_I/AAAAAAAA4Rw/OZj38zayt3A/s320/IMG_5457.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sagebrush for miles and miles.</td></tr>
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the downside to dealing with the colder temperatures is that i don't have a home or car to go back to after my ride... i live outside. if i'm cold all day and then it just gets colder at night, i'm just going to be cold. it's not pleasant, but you just deal with it. a few nights i've been able to have a fire but i've been burning sage brush, which burns like gasoline. you need an absurd amount just to keep a fire going for an hour or two so it's not terribly worth it.<br />
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one thing is for sure, though... the west is magical. it is everything i imagined it would be. it's huge. it's wild. it's beautiful. i'll be forever bound to the west in a way that the east cannot approach. just being completely removed from the rest of the world and existing purely in the expanses of the west has concretely carved itself a special place in my soul. after i've dipped my tires in the pacific and returned east to my home to sleep in my bed i'll be dreaming about sleeping in western dirt.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-13874367849783745192015-11-04T21:21:00.000-05:002015-12-03T19:24:29.006-05:00climax and falling action.. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uYBMlEP_sFg/VjqC2iEzP6I/AAAAAAAA4Kw/VxouxM0P3EQ/s1600/_MG_4625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="riding west into the wyoming rockies" border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uYBMlEP_sFg/VjqC2iEzP6I/AAAAAAAA4Kw/VxouxM0P3EQ/s320/_MG_4625.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>the past week and a half has been interesting, indeed. a little over a week and a half ago i left riverton, wy. and started heading into the mountains, which, are both literally and figuratively the climax of my tour. there is no phone service to be found and few towns with any resources so for the most part, you're on your own. by this point in my tour that type of isolation is familiar and actually quite comfortable. it's something that i'll miss when this is all over.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeFFKXxo9Mc/VjqCsUeflNI/AAAAAAAA4Kg/tzuvv1kmm8w/s1600/_MG_4512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="riding west into the wyoming rockies" border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JeFFKXxo9Mc/VjqCsUeflNI/AAAAAAAA4Kg/tzuvv1kmm8w/s320/_MG_4512.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>the landscape surprisingly looked very much south-westy in palette. orange and red rocks sprout from the ground and the land is relatively barren of trees. around every corner is another stretch of road with beautiful cliffs on either side. it did not wear thin. i could ride these roads over and over again.<br />
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the further i rode the more i could feel a change in elevation, though, there were no signs. my lungs were fine and i never went lactic but i just could not generate any power whatsoever. it was low-gear all the way, which made for some slow miles.<br />
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going up in elevation definitely means a change in weather. i had found a spot on the side of the road that looked good for a campsite and decided to call it a night. not having service i had no idea what the weather was going to do so i just prepare for the worst. i pitched my tarp, buttoned it to the ground and tightened it like a drum. i brought everything inside i might need and called it a night. during the night the winds whipped up and started dumping rain in spurts. by morning it had changed to ice. preparing for the worst paid off for sure this night.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wPl7v8L0Cj4/VjqJnCc1ZQI/AAAAAAAA4PI/Tf3cJUoS5MY/s1600/_MG_4791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wPl7v8L0Cj4/VjqJnCc1ZQI/AAAAAAAA4PI/Tf3cJUoS5MY/s200/_MG_4791.jpg" width="200" /></a>just after sunrise the clouds broke and let a little light through, and man oh man, light just doesn't happen like this at sea level, for sure. i had just enough time to get out, grab some more food from the bike and enjoy the contrasty light. the clouds closed up and the precipitation started up again. all you can do is tighten the guy lines and get back into your sleeping bag and just wait. sometime around 1 o'clock the weather lightened up and it was time to make some distance. a quick pack job and i was on my way.</div>
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while climbing through the shoshone national forest i came across a campground and decided to call it a night. i wasn't going any further that night and having a campsite would be nice seeing as though i was definitely in bear country at that point... not that that would really have any affect on a bear, it just made me feel a bit better. while setting up my tarp a guy from the one other campsite being occupied walked over and offered me to join him and his family in their camper for some dinner. absolutely i would. dinner, snacks, coffee, and fresh cranberries from their farm in wisconsin were had. afterwards i head back to my site and set up my tarp. again, prepare for the worst. i awoke to a winter wonderland. i heard a voice calling through the trees, "breakfast is ready... so is your coffee". well, you can't say "no" to that.</div>
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when they had packed up and were on their way out of the park the stopped by and offered to drive me in to jackson hole. i declined, i had ridden this far and had to continue on my own two wheels. they wished me luck and drove off leaving me in the snow cave that had become of my tarp. around mid-day the weather broke and the sun came out. it was time to get moving. up through the mountains i rode.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c28_v2gEuJw/VjqPVqXac-I/AAAAAAAA4Pk/xCQJZkJrwN0/s1600/_MG_4892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="scraping ice off the pedals of a soma grand randonneur bicycle while crossing the continental divide in wyoming" border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c28_v2gEuJw/VjqPVqXac-I/AAAAAAAA4Pk/xCQJZkJrwN0/s320/_MG_4892.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>the higher i went the grayer and colder it got. when you get to that point there is no turning back, you just have to go up and over. not having access to any data i had no idea how far "over" was just that it was somewhere up there and i needed to get there. continuing in my bottom gear i crept on. it was getting bitter cold and my pedals were icing up almost immediately. i had to stop and scrape the ice off with my multi-tool every twenty minutes or so. stopping for any length of time was bad news. freezing cold would stab its way in at every opportunity.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jj3BAlfITVE/VjqPau6iTVI/AAAAAAAA4Ps/yIAa34_aLTo/s1600/_MG_4909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="riding over the continental divide through togwotee pass in wyoming." border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jj3BAlfITVE/VjqPau6iTVI/AAAAAAAA4Ps/yIAa34_aLTo/s320/_MG_4909.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>grinding on with no idea how far i had to go i looked up and saw a sign. a good sign. the continental divide sign. 9584 feet. then another good sign "6% grade next 17 miles". although crossing the divide was literally the high point of my tour, the second sign was perhaps even better. it was time to lose some elevation, and fast. but first, i needed to put some socks over my gloves... i was a bit under prepared. </div>
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coming down from the pass the snow quickly disappeared. this was a good sign, though still cold. i stopped at the first campground i came by and called it a day. i was beat and i deserved a good sleep. the campsite was right next to a ranger station and i struck up a conversation with one of them. "do you have bear spray?' he asked... i did not. he popped back into the station and gave me a bottle and said, "i could save your life". all that means is i was not going to have a good sleep that night. don't get me wrong, i was glad to have it, but, dammit.<br />
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it was a cold night. very cold. a sturdy layer of frost covered everything and all of my water was frozen solid. i packed up as fast as i could, being painfully cold, and got on my way. still riding slightly downhill the wind burned my eyes... it made looking at the wild buffalo off in the distance difficult. even if they're blurry their size is quite clear.<br />
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now, here is where things get interesting. i pulled off on the side of the road to get a good look at the tetons and there was a guy there sitting in his car near by. "not a bad sight, eh?" he said and we struck up a conversation. he invited me to go hunting in the teton wilderness on horseback the day after next and i said "yes, absolutely" are you kidding me? people pay thousands of dollars for this experience and i just happened to meet the right guy. awesome. this is what my tour is all about. we head back to his cabin a few miles away and got the fire going. it ceases to amazes me how friendly people are outside of the northeast.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t76PELbHjaw/VjqaCXjqc3I/AAAAAAAA4P8/-r8xO9hW44c/s1600/_MG_5042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="riding horseback into the teton wilderness in wyoming." border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t76PELbHjaw/VjqaCXjqc3I/AAAAAAAA4P8/-r8xO9hW44c/s320/_MG_5042.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a>the next day we drove around, got coffee, talked to people he knows in the area and just talked about everything late into the night. the following day we head out into the backcountry. i should mention that this was my first time on a horse. not a bad way learn how to ride, right?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g89HKun-xXk/VjqrewCsM7I/AAAAAAAA4QM/xnIuyIt9AXI/s1600/_MG_5053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g89HKun-xXk/VjqrewCsM7I/AAAAAAAA4QM/xnIuyIt9AXI/s200/_MG_5053.jpg" width="200" /></a>we got lucky. very lucky. about an hour into the ride he had spotted what would become our dinner. he dismounted, aimed, and fired. now, remember how i said this was my first time on a horse? right, well at the gunshot the horses bolted, mine with me on it. they all took off back down the trail and i could not get my horse to stop so my only job was to stay in the saddle. trees, branches, fallen trees, rocks and dirt flew past as i juggled between trying to get control of the horse and bracing for an unwanted dismount into any of those obstacles. i managed to bring him to a stop and immediately hopped out of the saddle in case he decided he had some more running to do. that was an exciting minute, for sure. that night i had the most mind-blowing steak ever.<br />
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after a few days of insane hospitality i bid my host farewell and set off hoping to get ahead of some snow coming in the next day or so. my time in the tetons has been unforgettable but it was time to get going. weather waits for no one and i still had about 1000 miles to seattle. a day riding towards jackson hole downhill into a stiff headwind and having to work for it is enough to demoralize the fittest tourer out there.<br />
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keeping an eye on the weather i did what i could to get ahead while trying to stay dry. sometimes there's nothing to do but seek shelter and wait it out. unfortunately, this day i'd still get caught in some downpours and get soaked. cold and wet is a bad combination and all i could do was motor on to stay just warm enough. i spent the night in a luxurious gazebo that had electricity so i was able to charge my phone and get a good night of sleep.<br />
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i'm into idaho now and still have damp clothes. nothing dries at 37 degrees, especially if the sun hasn't shone in over a week. there's not much i can do about that but keep moving. it's getting late in the season and i have places to be. the last time i checked i'm about 800 miles from seattle. there is an end in sight, for better or worse, but i'm not there yet. i still have some riding to do.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-10081462418900540962015-10-12T16:37:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:04:53.972-05:00there's water in them sandhills.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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for the past several days i've been riding through the sandhills region of nebraska. scenic ranchland is a more accurate description, though everything is actually a sandy hill. for the first few days i had a sweet tailwind. the hills rolled by quickly and over every hill was another never ending expanse of grasslands. day after day nothing but rolling hills. i don't want to make it sound like it got boring, because it didn't, but after 1000 miles of corn it was a welcome sight.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H7l6gs1hcBQ/VhscyfytcpI/AAAAAAAA3to/UEuRI3QRDZE/s1600/_MG_2523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H7l6gs1hcBQ/VhscyfytcpI/AAAAAAAA3to/UEuRI3QRDZE/s320/_MG_2523.jpg" width="320" /></a>the towns got few and far between. half of them are unincorporated and are more or less just settlements with no resources to be had. the air was dry and the sun was intense so i ripped through water much faster than i had thought i would. luckily there are plenty of windmills drawing water from the ogallala aquifer. the water is delicious and cold. if the windmill is spinning, it's drawing water... unless it has been disconnected, which i came across a few times. it's as much of a letdown as the oasis mirage in a desert.<br />
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with 150 miles to alliance the winds changed to a stiff 10-15mph out of the west. not exactly a good time but i had no choice but grind away the miles. if i had to spend an extra day or so among the sandhills i'd be just fine with it, or so i thought,</div>
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with 80 miles to alliance the forecast called for westerly winds of 25mph with gusts up to 45mph. that would stop me in my tracks, for sure. i made the decision to ride late into the night and cover the 80 miles instead of being stuck in my tarp, probably far enough from any towns that i'd get anxious from the disconnect. already having done a typical mileage for the day the idea of pedaling on for another 30 miles or so didn't really excite me. as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon the winds calmed down and it cooled off to a comfortable 60 degrees. maybe the rest of the night wouldn't be all that bad.<br />
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i decided to get a motel for the night and get out of the wind. staying in town, or on the outskirts, would have been a rough night even with the tarp buttoned to the ground and tuned like a drum. every now and again it's good to get in from the out and feel like a human being, even if just for a night. it had been 10 days since leaving my good friends in lincoln and i was a salty, dirty mess. i deserved a shower and to do some laundry. sometimes those things are one in the same. it's nice to get all of your laundry done at the same time rather than only how much can be draped off the panniers to dry while riding.<br />
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now i must head out of alliance and keep heading west into a headwind. pedal, pedal.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Alliance, NE 69301, USA42.0930235 -102.8702005999999841.998761 -103.03156209999997 42.187286 -102.70883909999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-74232340826660262672015-10-05T21:43:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:05:51.653-05:00my heart rises in the west.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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it certainly is starting to feel westy out here in nebraska. the cornfields are becoming further and further apart and are being replaced by more and more prairies. towns, too, are further apart... which is a double-edged sword, for sure. i've passed the bigger towns of eastern nebraska and have entered the center, filled with towns with signs that read "pop. 62". i've started carrying a lot more food and water because not all of those towns listed on a map have any resources a town should have. i'd hate to get caught starving and 30 miles from the next town that has a market/gas station.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--2_NJSgAoEo/VhMj0BQEUuI/AAAAAAAA3og/rpZDC5G2cro/s1600/_MG_1971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--2_NJSgAoEo/VhMj0BQEUuI/AAAAAAAA3og/rpZDC5G2cro/s320/_MG_1971.jpg" width="320" /></a>camping is no problem out here. you basically find a field and call it a night. and what a night you'll have. yesterday i set up in a field with enough time to relax, take some pictures, make some dinner, and just overall enjoy myself. i was joined by some new friends... they seemed curious but didn't want to get too close, which is fine, because i was eating a can of savory pot roast soup and gently stroking my brooks saddle.<br />
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when the sun went down it got <i>dark </i>and <i>quiet. </i>all night it the only sound i heard was the occasional wind blowing the tall grass against my tarp, which is about is about as effective as light rain in lulling you to sleep. delightful.<br />
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earlier on in my tour i used a bugnet literally every single night and used the tarp only a few times out of necessity. now that the weather has changed and the bugs have all gone away i've sent my net home. i've had a few nights where i just toss out the sleeping pad and bag and have a wonderful night under the stars. i've been using the tarp every night simply as a shelter. the prairie offers no respite, even from a gentle wind.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-18722027620966070392015-10-02T20:59:00.001-04:002015-12-01T01:06:54.015-05:00iowa may break you.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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uf... it was getting rough there for a little bit. i ran into some unforeseen affects of long-distance touring and it was grinding me to a halt. the last half of iowa was a tough stretch, to say the least. i made it to my destination of lincoln, NE. and took a week of to straighten my head out, and not a minute too soon.<br />
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when you effectively ride your bike for the equivalent of a full-time job, if not more, it becomes routine. you wake up, pack up camp, get in the saddle and ride, find a spot, set up camp, fall asleep, repeat. what had been exciting everyday becomes just what you do day in and day out, and that's not a good place to be. i'm sure plenty of distance tourists have run into this but i've never heard anyone ever talk about it. it's probably just like anything else, in retrospect you forget much of the bad and candy-coat everything. well, it's a thing, it happens, and it's not cool.<br />
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for me it was a mixture of loneliness, depression, never-ending cornfields, and straight up physical exhaustion. all of these things combined to a point where i was basically looking up bus schedules and utterly giving up. what an awful thought. things had conspired against me an almost had won.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTG03D2oNpc/Vg8fDKRoO4I/AAAAAAAA3kI/WYlfMWDYfI8/s1600/_MG_1643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTG03D2oNpc/Vg8fDKRoO4I/AAAAAAAA3kI/WYlfMWDYfI8/s320/_MG_1643.jpg" width="320" /></a>when i rolled into lincoln i had already had a long shitty day of rain, headwinds, awful strip malls, horrible directions from google, and absolutely no motivation nor enthusiasm for being on a bike. i spent the next week hanging out with some really good people at <a href="http://monkeywrenchcycles.com/" target="_blank">monkey wrench cycles</a>, eating good food, drinking excellent coffee, riding around town and just taking a break from touring. it could not have happened at a better time, or any later for that matter. those guys are far too generous and cool for their own good... plus, they have, hands down, the coolest bike shop i've ever been in, and that includes the shop i used to own. it had to be said.<br />
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i was able to regain some enthusiasm and excitement for the tour. i had come half-way across the country, up to the literal start of the west [the intersection of O street and 13th in lincoln, NE is marked with a giant compass and says it's the official start of the west], i could not stop now. i put my time in through the cornfields, i came to see prairies and mountains and that's exactly what i'm going to see, dammit.<br />
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so my tour continues. i have my apprehensions but i know, i <i>know,</i> that when all is said and done i'll forget much of the bad and candy-coat everything too.<br />
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carl, nate and eric, i'll miss you guys... you helped me out in a big way and you didn't even know it.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-40576936512808280372015-09-18T18:43:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:08:08.703-05:00clay and cake.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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iowa is a tough state. i've been grinding through it painfully slow and i feel every mile of it. it's not a difficult ride, though it has the rolling hills that ohio, indiana and illinois were lacking. they're not hard by any means, but they still slow you down. it's not for a lack of scenery. it truly does look like a grant wood painting and it turns out, he didn't exaggerate all too much. it's not for the people, they have all been very nice, so far as my interactions have gone. it's just a rough ride. i know i have many more ahead of me, but it's still a hard adjustment.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIzTBHw0Rm0/VfyMZQy5j4I/AAAAAAAA3PY/RsVLIReRZeQ/s1600/_MG_1428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIzTBHw0Rm0/VfyMZQy5j4I/AAAAAAAA3PY/RsVLIReRZeQ/s320/_MG_1428.jpg" width="320" /></a>yesterday was one such tough day. after a good chunk of the previous day being spent in iowa city <br />
and not gaining much in terms of mileage i really wanted to put some saddle time in and get somewhere. around 11am i took shelter in a barn just in time for a thunderstorm. rain on a tin roof will knock you out very quickly. after a furious nap it was time to move on... but i was very much not into it.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tEfye0mapsU/VfyI2vBmBHI/AAAAAAAA3O4/INPDV41fkFM/s1600/_MG_1477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tEfye0mapsU/VfyI2vBmBHI/AAAAAAAA3O4/INPDV41fkFM/s320/_MG_1477.jpg" width="213" /></a>the past few days i have not been terribly interested in taking photos. even though i've seen plenty of great landscapes i just have not been interested in stopping and getting the camera set up. towards the evening i spotted a sweet dirt road rolling off into the distance with some great highlights from the setting sun through the clouds. i turned around and started down the road. i got about 100 feet before my bike came to a halt stuck in what amounted to clay. the photo was clearly not going to happen now. no, in stead i had to drag my bike back out to the road sideways because the wheels would not turn. the clay had filled my fenders and clogged my brakes and made a general mess out of everything. the clay was building up on my shoes as i slid about dragging my bike. after about fifteen minutes i managed to get back up to the main road and proceeded to remove the wheels to scrape out the clay. my day was now ruined.<br />
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after another twenty minutes of clay removal i reluctantly got back in the saddle and started grinding away. i was in a pretty foul mood and was enjoying nothing about my day when a guy in a pickup truck pulled up next to me and shouted, "you want a piece of cake!?" now, if this ever happens to you the correct, and only answer, to that question is, "yes". he passed me the cake and sped off. and that was that.<br />
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i rode for another five miles, tops to the next town where there was a fairly nice looking athletic field. at the prospect of more thunderstorms that night i decided that one of the new dugouts would provide some sweet shelter. i started making dinner on one of the picnic tables while i waited for some softballers to finish up their practice by my dugout. just as the sunset, and as i was packing up my kitchen, i startled a woman that had showed up to get something from the concession stand. i apologized a few times and she said it was quite alright. after my run-in with the 5-0 in mineral, illinois i figured the possibility that she'd call the cops was likely so i decided i'd move off into the shadows of the dugout.<br />
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just as i was setting up my mattress a car pulling into the parking lot. i watched from my shadow as 4 people got out and head over to the concession stand that i had just left. "sir?" said a man. "hello, sir?" i didn't say anything because, who knows? maybe they'd tell me to gtfo and it was after dark, i didn't want to ride any more. "hello, sir? we have a care package for you"... okay, now i doubt they're here to bust my stones. i called out to him and met him on the other side of the field. apparently the woman i startled had seen me riding earlier in the day and then recognized me at the concession stand. she rallied the troops and they came back with bottled water, beef jerky, nuts and home-made cookies. wow. we talked for five minutes and they were really concerned that i had everything i needed. i assured them i was alright and i thanked them profusely for the provisions.<br />
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cake and cookies. not a bad end to a bad day.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-22735216521909269922015-09-09T11:49:00.002-04:002015-12-01T01:09:39.730-05:00the daily gear grind.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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you know, i thought that leaving my job and hitting the road would provide me with an unlimited amount of time to do whatever i wanted. i thought that i'd have time to sit around, nap in the shade, make elaborate dinners, or just stop and smell the corn. what i didn't take in to account is just how much riding there is to do. obviously, i knew there'd be a lot, but it really takes up most of my day and when i get to where i'm going all i want to do is eat cold soup out of a can and pass out. it's not bad though, i just thought it would be different.<br />
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it's been almost a month on the road and i don't think i've managed to shake the pace of life with a job and embrace the pace of life in the saddle. i <i>really </i>do have time to stop and nap, or just stare at some clouds or those fuzzy caterpillars i see frantically running across the road. there really is no reason why i can't do these things but i just have this nagging feeling that i <i>need</i> to be riding west at all times. i've had a few fleeting moments of clarity where i do actually stop and just do whatever it is i want to do, but it's difficult to downshift into this lifestyle. i guess it really is a grind-it-'til-you-find-it transition... i feel it happening, though, slowly.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-6103519694316753112015-09-07T13:23:00.002-04:002015-12-01T01:10:58.943-05:00cops and amish.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4NFWgWTf44/Ve26DfnFK1I/AAAAAAAA2vo/k_eQ2pLwFhY/s1600/_MG_0727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4NFWgWTf44/Ve26DfnFK1I/AAAAAAAA2vo/k_eQ2pLwFhY/s320/_MG_0727.jpg" width="320" /></a>it's been hot. prohibitively hot. the kind of hot that forces you indoors and takes away your motivation to do anything other than sweat and be crabby. it's not fun by any means and i've never sweat as much as i have in the past week or so. i'm disgusting. i guess it's all part of the adventure.<br />
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frustrating is a pretty accurate way to describe ohio and indiana. <i>finally</i> the roads have flattened out and i can really start logging some miles except that damned heat stops me in my tracks and i'm forced to spend several hours at a walmart or mcdonalds waiting for the sun to ease up some. i can't help but feel bad because i can waste time at one of those places a few miles from home. but i'm on this bad-ass adventure and i can't do what i set out to do... <i>ride. </i>i know, i know, it won't last for much longer. i have quite a bit of time of what will probably be fantastic riding weather to come, and i'm looking forward to that, but it's hot now. dammit.<br />
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all negativity aside, let's talk about the positives... <i>the grass!</i> oh my stars the grass in the midwest is luxurious. ultra-flat lawns, fluffy grass, and apparently no rocks to catch tent pegs on. everything looks like it's been mowed within the past day, and i wouldn't doubt if it had been. i respect the midwest's lawn pride. it's a freedomcamper's dream.<br />
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last night i rolled into a town just as the sun went down and spotted a nice patch of grass behind some commercial buildings and some trees. really, around here everything looks mint. i quickly set up my yardsale and called it a night. as i laid there reading my kindle a wicked bright light swept across my campsite and a police office on a quad rolled up. he was just curious as to what i was doing, obviously. he saw the bike and we got to talking. he said he had no issues with me staying there and let me know he'd be around the area if i needed anything and then he rolled on.<br />
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a few thoughts on that... since 99% of the campsites you end up using on tour are either private property or are otherwise public and definitely not for camping, you have to be low-profile. set up in the dark. get up, pack up and be off before other people are awake. not the most comfortable schedule, but, eh, you gotta do what you gotta do. if you are discovered, like i was last night, and certainly by the authorities, be polite. be <i>very</i> polite. explain the situation. it's not all terribly odd, if you think about it. you're on a bike tour. you're an adult. you're not some teenager making a mess. clean up after yourself and ride on.<br />
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post script. just a moment ago as i was sitting here writing this post an amish couple came up to me and asked about my bike. we got to talking and they are very much into bikes as well. i told them of my tour and they thought it was fantastic. they then handed me two $5 bills and told me to have an exciting adventure. believe me, i tried to give the money back but they refused. now <i>that</i> was amazing. just amazing.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-53365391514292930612015-08-24T17:46:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:11:54.221-05:00yes, yes i do want coffee.i woke up to a brisk morning today and everything covered in dew. i had hit my snooze button a few times because i really needed the sleep and i was nowhere that someone would stumble upon me. i eventually got up, packed my things, fetched an apple i had picked the other day out of my bag, and rolled off. i set a leisurely pace still trying to wake up. also, because i had nowhere to be but just to be going west.<br />
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about a half hour after i started riding i decided to pull over and take my jacket and gloves off. i picked a random telephone pole and started opening panniers. a womon was sitting on her porch about 50 feet away called out, "want some coffee?" my first reaction was to say "no", and i actually started to, but then i stopped myself and said, "sure, that would be great." after all, i have all the time in the world. so there i was sitting on some retired school bus driver's porch drinking coffee at 6:30am. she waved at just about every car that drove by. i ate a biscuit. after 2 cups of coffee and some 45 minutes i sincerely thanked her and went on my way. now <i>that</i> is a good way to start the day.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-9480857192073636902015-08-22T20:14:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:14:53.864-05:00freedom and arby's.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHD4Rl1txSVVRRb8KBdXvxAYvyZKXLLHDi3HVHXSAS093B-0fq4KgxL6GbLthUcqo8WnZJsLVJmePxeOUQbM0S194CGJaA2em2P1uMqpSfYTHqlldYP_xWDvnWzAi7s4ohQYfg1IXtOqa/s1600/_MG_9904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHD4Rl1txSVVRRb8KBdXvxAYvyZKXLLHDi3HVHXSAS093B-0fq4KgxL6GbLthUcqo8WnZJsLVJmePxeOUQbM0S194CGJaA2em2P1uMqpSfYTHqlldYP_xWDvnWzAi7s4ohQYfg1IXtOqa/s320/_MG_9904.jpg" width="320" /></a>i have good days and i have bad days on the road. i have small moments of utter transcendent joy and others of self-loathing depression. i find it hard to balance the two as of yet. i still haven't found the rhythm of the road yet and set my pace of life. it will happen for sure, it may take a few weeks, though. i can be patient.<br />
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that, having been said, for partly budgetary reasons and partly because of the authenticity of the experience i'm camping 99.9% of the time. and of that it's pretty much all freedom camping. for those that aren't familiar with that term, i learned it from a friend of mine after he spent a few months touring in new zealand freedom camping the whole way. it's where you set up camp wherever it suits your needs, often in unauthorized locations. here it's more commonly referred to as "bandit camping". i'm not a big fan of that term because it perhaps implies ill-intent. freedom camping, on the other hand, implies just that, a life of freedom... and that is what i'm after.<br />
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this type of camping is not for everyone, however. it takes a certain amount of bravado to risk being caught in order to get some sleep. to be more specific, the locations you find yourself spending the night literally cover the entire spectrum. no location is verboten. but with risks come great rewards.<br />
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sometimes you find a location out of sheer necessity. for example, 2 nights ago i rolled into a town after a long, hard day of riding and i was just absolutely beat. i had just got to a grocery store and gotten some food for that night and the next day when it had just started to drizzle. the weather radar showed a lot more rain heading my way over the next several hours with a bright band of orange/red in the middle. i was too exhausted to do any more riding and further more, i had run out of time, the rain was happening now. i had spied an out-of-business arby's right down the road on my way in. it had a doorway with plenty of coverage and it was not terribly visible from the street. welp, that's the spot for tonight. not glamorous but i stayed dry. and man, did it pour that night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWv2G5WD2RM3FOZRRcxGeSAkauG-xazuQl4IFJ6LTWC7U9qTIdqKvKOFg-71DWyF0HltvaDBTUVAakdYhs10TLI9mNKriPanGL25pOmVle3AmJEfqNqb2n7nIUYRponvVY8QwP9UmJIHc/s1600/_MG_9820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWv2G5WD2RM3FOZRRcxGeSAkauG-xazuQl4IFJ6LTWC7U9qTIdqKvKOFg-71DWyF0HltvaDBTUVAakdYhs10TLI9mNKriPanGL25pOmVle3AmJEfqNqb2n7nIUYRponvVY8QwP9UmJIHc/s320/_MG_9820.jpg" width="320" /></a>other times you have the luxury of stumbling upon a location that just pops. you just know that this is it for the night, even if you have plenty of time and energy to ride further. a few nights ago i had taken a rest day and spent my time at the local library and made a very leisurely lunch in the grass out back. with plenty of daylight left i decided to go find home for the night and started on down the road. i had spied a few potential locations using google satellite views [an absolute necessity for freedom camping] and decided to check them out. i never even got to the first one. i had rolled up on a section of the delaware river that was so scenic and so abandoned. the water was crystal clear. the weather was perfect. the vibe was totally right. i knew this was it for the night. i made some coffee and some dinner. i went for a night swim. i woke up and went for a morning swim because i can. it was a magical night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAA1SANXJou-5FJuoMx54jEfJQ78MV7Hv0nn6aFExavmqbcDlqYczEfts9QUm7ELfEQu-es1q8cVFJ3iPU05lME0GqHF30_MJFfm2GtZJr1c5_YdvQ-A0VLRAULOA7kRf6CD7up5beY7z/s1600/_MG_0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAA1SANXJou-5FJuoMx54jEfJQ78MV7Hv0nn6aFExavmqbcDlqYczEfts9QUm7ELfEQu-es1q8cVFJ3iPU05lME0GqHF30_MJFfm2GtZJr1c5_YdvQ-A0VLRAULOA7kRf6CD7up5beY7z/s320/_MG_0053.jpg" width="320" /></a>when you spend the night in a location that you get you into some trouble you have to get up extra early so as to not get pinched. that has it's own side benefits. as a photographer i want to shoot in interesting light and weather conditions and those things often happen <i>before</i> the sun rises. after clearing out my yard sale from arby's and after a night of heavy rain the fog was thick... <i> very thick</i>. long before the sun comes up it just makes for interesting and gloomy ambiance. but near sunrise everything changes; the fog remains but the sunlight makes everything look magical. i've gotten quick with my travel rig so i had it up and shooting in no time. if my day was over right now i'd be okay because i just scored, big time.<br />
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with any camping, but especially the camping of this type, the "leave no trace" mantra is of utmost importance. you <i>absolutely</i> need to respect the location and take away everything with you. nobody should ever know you were there... unless they look at the GPS data of your photos... in which case, whatever, chill out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-20391635905698545852015-08-19T13:27:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:21:03.980-05:00short-sighted on a long-distance tour.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i've only been on the road for 6 days and i've become very short-sighted. i found that all i end up concerning myself with is that it's too hot for anyone's good, where can i find a spigot, is that another f*cking hill, i should find shade and nap, and where is a grocery store because i'm getting very hungry. i can think all of those either at my house or very close to it. i haven't been doing what it is that i wanted to do when i set off on my trip.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUfk16wD7lA/VdS1D5sKYfI/AAAAAAAA0Ek/_sXtT_M_yQA/s1600/_MG_9630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUfk16wD7lA/VdS1D5sKYfI/AAAAAAAA0Ek/_sXtT_M_yQA/s320/_MG_9630.jpg" width="320" /></a>what are these things? i want to explore new spaces and just be curious about the places that i ride through. i want to photographically document a <i>true</i> adventure in a way that is more that just snapshots that will bore friends and family. yesterday was the first day that i stopped focusing on the short-term and started to get to the real purpose of the ride. google maps had sent me through stewarts state forest in NY and, just like the other day the route actually sent me up onto interstate 84 for some reason. at the edge of the woods i decided it was completely off and just decided to figure out my own way through the park. did i mention the approaching thunderstorm? i set off on one of the <i>very</i> well-marked dirt roads through the park and found that i was no longer anxiously searching for a way to get back on route but was just enjoying myself. i was thinking about nothing but how well-groomed the roads were. about how nice the park was and wished it was a lot closer to home. about how i should stop and have a snack because, why not? about... what the hell is that thing?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hzBrg4M2sqs/VdS1PTlDmBI/AAAAAAAA0E8/1G5CBorpCbw/s1600/_MG_9696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hzBrg4M2sqs/VdS1PTlDmBI/AAAAAAAA0E8/1G5CBorpCbw/s320/_MG_9696.jpg" width="320" /></a>as i rode on the last stretch of dirt road leading out of the park i see an abandoned building tucked away in the woods. now, as an adult, i reserve the right to act like a child whenever i want and this was one such time. i <i>couldn't not</i> go in and explore... and besides, where did i have to be? was that thunder i just heard again? i have no idea what the building could have been; it was completely gutted. the ceiling was in shambles, concrete and metal bits were everywhere, all the windows and doors gone and plenty of graffiti. i must have just walked around, climbed on, crawled over, and squeezed through stuff for almost an hour. <i>this </i>is what i intended to do. just explore. freely explore my surroundings at my pace and to whatever extent i want.<br />
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i feel like a lot more days like this are coming. the further west i go the more it seems like an adventure. whenever i travel, usually by car or sometimes by plane then car, my head is on a swivel. i am fascinated with every field, row of trees, shitty building, hill in the distance, creek, or sad-looking house. i want to know more, i want to see more. i'm slowly finding my pace and my routine. in no time at all i'll find the things that i am looking for.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-51439064179565139242015-08-17T15:04:00.001-04:002015-12-01T01:22:38.049-05:00one part google, one part giant grain of salt.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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google failed me today. i pulled up directions to a rough estimate of my destination today and the elevation profile didn't look <i>too</i> bad... except for one really sharp spike in the middle. oh well, pretty much every route i looked at had a similar profile but this one was the shortest. well, we'll just have to see how that goes...<br />
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another early morning trying to log some miles before it became impossible. i lucked out and had some fog and some otherwise low-floating clouds until about 9:30 and then the sun was all business. shortly there after i got to that nasty spike in the middle of the route and it was a deusy. there was no possible way to ride it so i had to push. i think this road would have broken the legs off of anyone on any bike let alone a loaded touring bike. dignity retained. i was pushing up 50 feet at a time stopping in what little shade there was. after about 20 minutes of pushing a guy in a cherry Studebaker rolled up on me and asked where i was headed. "up and over" i said. "no sir, this is a dead end".... fuuuuuuu**. that's not what i wanted to hear. i asked if it just turned into a dirt road or even just a trail and he said it did not and that my best bet was to head back down and around. i told him i felt like Sisyphus and he said "well, i don't know about that but if you think this is bad you haven't even hit the steepest part yet".<br />
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back down it is. it's for the best, anyway. it's a 90-degree day and the sun is relentless. i head into pawlings, NY. to the library for some air conditioning and wifi. i don't think i'll get too much farther today. i'll just scope google maps for a spot to camp. dinner tonight: soft tacos.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-45318054341072720412015-08-16T17:32:00.001-04:002015-12-01T01:23:35.427-05:00mild heat stroke.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WS95WddpZwLZUnL4vBmEdmkDDP57-t0fAL8s6q_28mKRYdX221Qps2mMama14WqVWyB3zbJmXo_msG_A0XaYE1LDGu-AIfkBjhfQtTxIrV4gnY9hbjaar3LR2rDp47TOBuWh-NNS0oWM/s1600/IMG_20150815_145040972_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WS95WddpZwLZUnL4vBmEdmkDDP57-t0fAL8s6q_28mKRYdX221Qps2mMama14WqVWyB3zbJmXo_msG_A0XaYE1LDGu-AIfkBjhfQtTxIrV4gnY9hbjaar3LR2rDp47TOBuWh-NNS0oWM/s320/IMG_20150815_145040972_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a>so i've left. just with my luck we're in the middle of a heatwave... my second day i literally only made it 10 miles before i almost died of heatstroke [my estimation, as a non-professional]... my destination was a library, a good place to enjoy air conditioning, wifi, outlets, and spigots. they were closed. i still hung out for the rest of the day using all of their amenities except i had to lay on the concrete to cool off, as pictured over there. also, there was an apple tree. bingo.<br />
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today was a very long 30 miles. i got a very early start trying to reach my destination before the worst of the heat set in. i was on the road at about 6am and i had a blast. temps in the 60's and no cars on the road. i found some fantastic roads, some dirt, some well-traveled... some went straight up. i didn't care for those <i>at all</i>. i had to get off and push the bike up some hills a few times... undignified, but i had a few excuses.<br />
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i think the hardest part is right at the beginning. i'm starting to get the hang of this.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-64048122920974216712015-08-12T11:32:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:24:26.714-05:00mission statement.<br />
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most people that have strapped a tent onto their bike have probably daydreamed about doing some grand tour for weeks or months on end. most probably won't for one reason or another. of course, the older we get the amount of reasons that stand between us and dirt-bagging it across the country start to pile up and the chance of a long tour plummet or are completely squashed. and so it goes...<br />
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back in february of this year i made a very important decision in my life, to leave a perfectly fine job that pays very well [by my standards] and do such a tour. like so many other ideas or plans i've had in my life that never go anywhere this one was <i>certain</i> to happen. fast forward 6 months and the departure date is a few days away and i can't be more excited or stressed out. it <i>is</i> happening.<br />
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the idea had come to me within the first year of running the bike shoppe. i had told myself that when i eventually close that i'd do the ride then. of course, i closed the shoppe for financial reasons so i had no loot to do a tour... life and finances had gotten in the way. this time i had the foresight to start planning for it well in advance. if i was going to do it i was going to do it right. there's no guarantee i'd ever get another chance so i was going to maximize the time i had in the saddle and i was going to do everything and anything i wanted along the way... and that's exactly what is happening in 2 days. squee.</div>
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i do want to state, for the record, that i realize a blog about a bike tour is cliche. these days it can't not be trite and it will be difficult to keep my head out of my ass at all times, but ill try. i acknowledge and accept these things in their entirety. however, this is <i>my </i>tour and i'm going to write about it, dammit. stay tuned.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-51360802792297700072014-12-22T00:33:00.000-05:002015-12-01T01:25:36.619-05:00winter woe.<strike>miles</strike> frames: thousands<br />
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sometimes it's just hard to get out on the bike. usually for me it's a combination of a lack of time and a lack of motivation. i usually don't like riding alone unless i'm going to a specific destination, the store, coffee, etc. i just don't "go for a ride" these days. it also doesn't help that just about all my friends that also ride have moved far away, one as recently as yesterday. i tell you, peoples' personal and family lives are exceedingly inconvenient for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX59XKj3Z2_KWfBSQZ2cGGfzT4r1wbrLST5WYU-ozZ1sV97tZwXn0OQF1hvbphy9rnOFmj2WGL9AivP0rkZV96b90R8MIJ8FYkO4lp73DgvpNO4m1OsctjYXDmumgenme_YJ23gLIAYVLi/s1600/_MG_1716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX59XKj3Z2_KWfBSQZ2cGGfzT4r1wbrLST5WYU-ozZ1sV97tZwXn0OQF1hvbphy9rnOFmj2WGL9AivP0rkZV96b90R8MIJ8FYkO4lp73DgvpNO4m1OsctjYXDmumgenme_YJ23gLIAYVLi/s1600/_MG_1716.jpg" width="320" /></a>so recently it's been hard to stay connected to the bike. winter is now officially here. it's dark for most of the day. work is tiring. the saddle has collected a fine layer of dust. i just don't have any interest in riding. i'm okay with that for now because i know towards the spring i'll be all about it once again. in the meantime, though, photos are how i stay connected to the bike. i am perfectly content while others ride and enjoy their time in the saddle while i enjoy my time behind a lens. click click, pedal pedal.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-27724310555161967412014-09-28T12:09:00.001-04:002015-12-01T01:26:56.641-05:00new haven to northampton.miles: what?<br />
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i have not had a saddle sore since 2007, at least. well, it was a good run indeed. i'm currently trying to break in a new Brooks and it's having none of it. i've been treating it with a proprietary blend of Obenauf's heavy duty leather preservative and ass sweat but it's been a slow process. okay, Brooks, if it's a war of attrition you want, then it's on. but i warn you, you look too damn good so swapping you our for a comfier vinyl saddle isn't an option.<br />
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recently, i got out for a weekend ride up to massachusetts. what a treat it is to get out to do literally nothing but ride with essentially no agenda. i had a location in mind, northampton, to be exact, but it was only a vague destination. ultimately, i'd never make it there, but that wasn't the point.<br />
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i was blessed with fantastic weather all weekend. sunny, comfortable temperatures, low humidity, scattered clouds... and a few passing rain storms. it's funny how if it's raining when you want to start a ride it can completely spoil the mood and cause you to stay in but if it starts when you're already out it's just way more epic. sure, you get a bit wet but it just makes for a better story later.<br />
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it was a super casual weekend. riding at my own pace, stopping when and where i wanted to and simply exploring on my own. </div>
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on my way back my knee started to hurt and i realized my seatpost had slipped down an inch or so and i immediately put it back in place, but by that time the damage had been done. for the last 60 miles or so i limped along in sheer agony with every pedal stroke. about 15 miles from home i decided to camp for the evening and give my poor knee a rest.</div>
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i found a big open field with some tall grass and tossed my bike and bags along the treeline and called it a night. aside from the mosquitoes it wasn't a half-bad night. sure, for several hours after i laid down i could hear the sounds of 4x4's tearing up the fairgrounds nearby while someone blasted awful country music but after a while it just faded into background noise. when the morning came my knee was now stiff and sore and the remaining mikes were fueled exclusively by the knowledge that getting home meant the pain would stop. in spite of the injury the weekend was fantastic. i don't get to do trips like this often, which is a shame, but when i do they are a total blast.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-71958165095668361422014-04-09T15:09:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:28:17.706-05:00spring and a new bike.miles: fueled by soup and espresso<br />
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spring is here, through the worst of it, life was losing meaning, it's about damn time, et cetera. there's no need to go on about the relief that the weather has taken a turn for the better, certainly after this winter, but, oh boy it <i>is</i> a relief. work has been taking its toll. so too has life junk. spring is always good to apply its positive vibes on even the most downtrodden. also, more bikes!<br />
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winter is the best time to plan and build a new bike and i did just that this past season. sifting through all the available options, ordering, scrutinizing photos of other people's bikes for ideas and staring at a box of incomplete components for months is a blast... and a bummer when the weather is garbage. today was a mint day to take it out and about and work out the kinks.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-32188443426339288062014-01-27T12:00:00.000-05:002015-12-01T01:30:29.013-05:00hardiness is transitory.miles: none<br />
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me and my bike, we're doing quite well, thanks. not unlike other periods of my life i haven't done much riding recently. it's been pretty much every other week and even then it's only a few miles one way. work and weather have certainly hampered my desire to saddle up. i'll be the first to admit that i am either not as hardy as i once was or maybe i've just realized riding in single-digit temperatures is just no fun at all. well, it is winter, it's natural to put on some extra pounds and conserve calorie expenditure to survive these cold months... right? *cough*.<br />
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when i have gotten out it's pretty much just to go camping. i've found that getting out in the woods where my cell phone gets no service, away from netflix, away from steam, away from youtube is the only time when i can forget about what's going on [or not going on] in my life and just focus on the tasks at hand. you'd be surprised how much work it is to set up a campsite and maintain a fire. next thing you know, you've finished your sweet potatoes and are in your bag enjoying the dead silence of a winter forest.</div>
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i may have limited time right now to actually load up the bike and get out on the road but that doesn't mean i don't think about it all the time. the harshness of winter camping makes me <i>really</i> look forward to the spring and summer and i think about it daily. just the thought of a long ride out to a lakeside campsite via dirt roads months from now helps with the day-to-day stresses of today.<br />
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i have a confession, sometimes when i walk past my mountain bike leaning against the wall in my living room i sniff the grips because they smell like dirt in the spring and it makes me happy.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-64668161352024612392013-09-19T20:23:00.002-04:002015-12-01T01:32:03.827-05:00errands deserve coffee.miles: 5 or so<br />
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the weather is insane. it does not get any nice or more pleasant than this, honestly. having had the day off i spent most of it catching up on breaking bad, but then it was time to get out and get stuff done. a trip to the store for virgil's rootbeer, a mighty haul of 5 pairs of wool socks, and the post office to mail a campy record BB to some lucky ebay buyer and i was all set with errands.<br />
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i stopped by the town green to check out some monuments. i'd say i do this about once a year. today was the day because i was in no rush to go back inside. the grass was lush... and i mean <i>lush.</i> the only time i've ever felt grass thicker than this was on a ranch in colombia owned by a guy who i could only describe as a mix between pablo escobar and panama jack. linen, and lots of it.</div>
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after i pedaled about town i head off for some coffee and a nice walk on some sort of greenway trail. it's nice gesture, but hardly what it should be. i thought about the potential of a bike path that would run along the shoreline away from traffic and how bad-ass it would be... and then i thought about how that would never happen here and it bummed me out.</div>
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oh well, i guess i'll have to find more dirt roads instead.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-25646765512349076782013-09-14T14:43:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:34:15.784-05:00crispiness.miles: some<br />
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another rough day at work and a race home to have enough time to go camping. this time i thought ahead and packed the day before so as not to forget anything crucial. 20 minutes after i got home i was already out the door again and on my way. a late-summer mugginess had ruined the almost-autumn vibe that everyone had been enjoying for the past week and today it persisted. on my way a few clouds and sprinkles were interrupted by an intense evening sun.<br />
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the dirt road i rode out on was in particularly bad shape today from an earlier rainstorm. i had a funny idea of doing a photo of michelangelo's "creation of adam" with me and a bike... honestly i'll probably do that at some point, but it thought about that quite a bit while riding around path-wide puddles. i found a trail that head off to the right that i don't ever recall seeing before and decided that would be the direction i would head today. along the way i spotted a small ridge off in the woods that i decided would be a good spot to set up camp for the evening. a nice rock outcropping made for a nice backdrop to camp.</div>
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i very much enjoy riding a bike with luggage... especially a bike that's designed for carrying luggage. my 24-year-old cannondale st400 is such a pleasure with 20 extra pounds strapped to the rack. [small digression: 20lbs is what i lost in chubbiness this past year. donuts and pizza or a full set of camping gear. crazy.] the bike feels so sturdy with the extra weight and tracks like it's on a rail. delightful.</div>
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15 minutes worth of setting up and i was all set for the night. i had a bit of light left so i decided to go for a bit of a walk and see what i could see. i saw more woods. i headed back to camp, made my dinner and crawled into the hammock just in time for a passing shower. i read some of Death, The High Cost of Living and then dozed off. i awoke to an autumn wonderland... oh my stars, what a wonderland! a brisk 50 degrees and dry as a bone. that was one hell of a morning in the woods, for sure. i got dressed, made my coffee, and sat up on the outcropping just enjoying the insanely amazing morning it was. the coffee was bitchin' too. i packed up and head back to town.</div>
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bicycle, you complete me.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-48109750776806221522013-08-31T18:58:00.000-04:002015-12-01T01:35:58.756-05:00moka hussle.miles: 15-ish<br />
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this week was a rough one at work. a power trippin' new health inspector, employees fighting, and business just getting busier all the time. one of my bosses, oddly enough, offered to cover my shift on saturday so i knew my chance to strap some garbage to my bike and go camping was now. after a long ride home in traffic, a trip to the bank, and a trip to pay my mechanic to get my car back left me with little daylight left. i came home and in a fury stuffed some panniers full of stuff for the night and after a few false starts i was off.<br />
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i knew roughly where i was going to camp for the night but that was about it. i rode for a bit and found an area that looked suitable enough and went to work. i had barely enough time to set up a tarp and hammock before a headlamp was necessary. i was going to be an early night, indeed. i made a quick bowl of chili and settled into the hammock with a graphic novel for some light reading before i dozed off. i pulled my bike under the tarp in case it rained during the night and every few minutes gave a tug on the pedal to get the hammock swaying. soon enough i was fast asleep.</div>
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morning came and with no agenda today i stayed in the hammock for a bit and continued to decompress for a while. no gadgets buzzing with notifications, no tv, no internet, no sounds of the neighbors' kids screaming, no landscapers, no traffic and no work. this was something that i needed desperately. i got up and got to the things that really matter... coffee. while i waited for the moka pot to gurgle i sat and practiced a few new knots i've recently learned. i felt accomplished and totally bad-ass. </div>
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with the coffee ready i sat and watched the last of the alcohol burn off in the stove and then it was time to pack up. feeling a bit dirty and greasy and tossed a leg over my bike and started pedaling home. i passed a few people on horseback coming the other direction and bid them a good morning. it's unfortunate that my life schedule these days rarely allows for time enough to do something as relaxing as this in spite of how short it was. i suppose i'll take what i can get but i'm not happy about it. </div>
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i had a blast all the same, just me and my bike.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-62491466925243747352013-08-22T22:16:00.004-04:002015-12-01T01:37:48.098-05:00wheel revelations.miles: 9.8<br />
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i get it now.<br />
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i finally understand my relationship with bikes.<br />
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back when i first got into biking, seriously, it was strictly for fun. mountain biking with friends every saturday and sunday without fail, donuts and scabby shins. i couldn't wait for the weekend. while in college i found trails that lead from campus all the way down to a state park with a <i>ton</i> of trails and, when my schedule allowed, would spend hours riding them, by myself, just exploring and enjoying the activity. i couldn't wait for tuesdays and thursdays. biking equaled fun.<br />
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fast forward several years. i began getting more "serious" about biking. i started logging big miles, started working intervals into rides, bought a heart rate monitor, became interested in my lactic threshold, raced, lost, if i even finished, i knew how much my stem weighed and and the exact angle of my saddle. i lived bikes.<br />
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enter the conundrum of the bike shop owner... too busy selling and repairing bikes to ride bikes himself. my fitness vanished. i gained weight. i became envious of my friends that had the time to continue riding to their hearts' content. i loved bikes. i hated the shitty Huffy's that were the bulk of my repair business. i became resentful of bikes. i depended on them for a living.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />when i would get the chance to go out for a ride it was a rarity. my rides were short and slow. i was out of shape and couldn't hang on anymore. i became depressed and angry. i was still holding myself to a standard that was unachievable. i would go home and ditch the bike, proud that i rode but utterly depressed at how awful i had become. i hope it's not too tacky to quote myself, but, in a past post from <a href="http://parlabicyclette.blogspot.com/2011/02/21211.html">2.12.11</a> i had said, "i'll ride some but it's never quite as good as i remember or as good as i had hoped it would be" and it breaks my heart to remember how i felt about bikes at that time in my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />but i get it now. once i let go of the past it became so clear to me that i should enjoy bikes and the rides i go on for what they are not what i think they should be based on an old measuring stick. a ride to the store is fantastic. a leisurely cruise down to the town beach at night is superb. a mountain ride in which i have to stop every 10 minutes to stop being dizzy is just a great time for a photo shoot. a ride doesn't have to be 30 miles at a pace of 17mph to "count". i don't have to ride the entire trail system without stopping in order for it to be a "real" ride. i don't need to spend 15 minutes getting dressed and looking for a particular pair of arm warmers that match my booties. sure, i'll still do those things from time-to-time but they do no define, nor are they necessary for me to enjoy my time in the saddle.</span></div>
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i get it now. hey bike, i think you and me are gonna be alright...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1770314848195105904.post-18120027384951790312013-08-09T20:26:00.001-04:002015-12-01T01:39:06.973-05:00smug. just, smug.miles: 1.6<br />
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i live about 0.8 miles from the local super market so i often ride my bike there. the hardest part about the whole trip is getting the bike out of the front doors, which close automatically, and there are some tight corners. today i left later than i normally do, or it's just getting noticeably darker earlier, and it's a bit rainy so i brought my blinky light. well, at the first light i came to a woman rolled up next to me congratulating me on having such a bright light... by this point i was beginning to feel like a responsible adult and replied that it was "common sense". a few more words about how good it was that ride to the store instead of driving such a short distance and she was off. honestly, sometimes i make my self sick with smugness. strangers don't help that at all.<br />
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at the store, as is normal routine, i ran into some friends' parents. after some light chatting, as i am known to do, i was off to collect my food for the evening. yes, i forgot to get a Brita water filter again. i loaded up my pannier and headed home.<br />
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my 1.6 mile ride is short but it's still time in the saddle. it goes by quick but i enjoy it while it lasts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0