Yesterdaay, I had planned on taking it easy and only doing 20 or so miles.  It seems like so long ago now.  There was rain, hills, blackberries, a booze cruise, Northeastern State University, and a pizza motel.  Oh, and a total of 60 miles!

Started off with a waffle with peanut butter and a shower and clean clothes and cool temperatures and then rain.  I don’t ride in the rain.  Well, I don’t ride in THAT rain!  Light mist to drizzle is fine.  Heavy wind and needles is not.  I could see the storm brewing in the West, but the cars coming towards me were dry.  I passed up many good places to take cover.  When the bottom finally fell out I pulled into the first yard with a big tree. Behind the big tree was a barn.  It was very tempting to hang the hammock from the posts, but I did not want to give the farmer any more reasons to shoot at me.

I stayed there for about an hour which gave me time to rest and start a new book.  The rain had not completely stopped, but it was in my comfort zone.  Another 10 miles down the road and I was looking for another place to hide.  This place looks like an old store of some sort.  It looks small, but had probably three levels in the back.  I stopped there for another hour and had a snack of some almonds and some blackberries I found around back.  

 I made it to Tahlequah by probably 1 and was thinking that a bowl of soup would be nice after the cold and rain. (Soup still sounds good as I am writing this.)  But, I got distracted by this giant waterslide.  Once closer I noticed they were renting kayaks and tubes for floating.  The girls there about had me talked into going but I was too hungry to sit on a tube for 3 hours.

In hindsight I should have gotten on the tube.  The soup options in town were limited and nothing else was worth what the stores were asking.  Bagel and peanut butter again.  Walking around town looking for food was a welcomed rest from being on the bike.  Afterwards, I did the historic trail around town, which led me to Northeastern State University.  Strung the hammock up there for an hour deciding to move on or make camp for the night.

I made it to the Sequoiah State Park by 7 and started searching for a place to clean up, eat, and camp for the night.  I get asked all the time where do I shower.  I live in a state park so this is an everyday occurence.

Camping was more of a challenge.  I rode an extra 10 miles around the park looking for a place to hammock.  Everyone kept telling me the park rangers are diligent and will charge me $14.  That’s a lot of food!  So I left out with just enough light to get to to the next town.  I stopped in at the first place with two trees close enough for hammocking and it happened to be Pizza Port.  Plan was to take the morning off and eat a couple of pizzas for lunch.

Last night I stayed at the Cedarville High School football field.  This morning I woke up to the grounds creew standing on the hill discussing the guy that slept on the football field, so I packed up and got on my way as quickly as possible. 

I went to a nearby park and contemplated the day.  Should I keep riding north? How far should I ride? Should I take a day off?  I mapped out all the different routes trying to find the one with the least amount of climbing.  I did not set off until nearly 10. The only real reason I chose to go north out of Fort Smith was to see the waterfall at Natural Dam.  More accurately, to shower in it.  

It did not take long to get to the site.  I stripped off the riding gear and into my modest shorts (for when I am with people that don’t like spandex).  As soon as I chose which waterfall to shower under, these 5 teenage girls come bopping down the trail.  I couldn’t very well shower with them watching, so I pretended to play in it until they were upstream.  

The shower and rest did my legs good.  On the way out I filled up the water bottles at a nearby diner and got to talking to an older fella.  He informed me that there was only one hill between there and the next town.  This lifted my spirits, but I did not completely trust what he had said.

There was a hill, and I climbed it!  It felt great going down the other side knowing that I beat the only hill on the ride.  That wasn’t the hill… It was a hill, but to him it must only have been a speed bump.  The next hill seemed more like a mountain. 

It was an eventful day. At the bottom of this hill is Evansville. I stopped at the diner there for a lat lunch. My nurse tells me that I should hydrate and eat more, so this was for you Stuart!

I asked a couple nearby for route advice and they strongly suggested going west then north. So, that is what i will do. I didn’t catch their names, but thank you. They were nice enough to buy my lunch.

Heading west means crossing the Oklahoma border! I almost missed my photo-op because I was going down hill and was not stopping. Now I am in Stillwell. And this is the first thing I did.

And, my dad met me with my beard trimmer! I think I will keep going for a while. My brother said that if Forrest Gump did it then I should too. I left my Specialized bib and Eddie Bauer shorts with my dad. He got me dinner and a hotel, so I’m living easy tonight. Thanks!

Started not so early this morning.  Jason and Bryon joined me for the first 30 miles. It was very nice having someone to talk to and draft off.   It was overcast and cool most of the way, which made for a pleasant ride. I learned real quick that hills are not as easy when fully loaded. Weighed the bike this morning and it was 30 lbs. That plus the 20 lbs of gear, bags, water, and food and i would guess the whole rig weighs 60-65 lbs.  

We rode non-stop the first 30 before reaching Paris. There we stopped at the Grapevine Restaurant for lunch. Bryon and Jason made the comment that they would ride that route again just for lunch.  

I guess my blistering 12 mph pace was not enough to wear the guys out so they took off up Mt. Magazine, while I continued west. My pace died quickly with a full stomach and the Sun popping out.  I stopped for rest about 10 miles down the road. Schools, parks, and cemeteries are my go to for places to rest. This cemetery had a pavilion and electricty. I took a good hour nap before moving on.

The last 10 miles were slow, very slow.  I spotted the clock tower in the city square from 2 miles off which lifted my spirit some. I had planned to stay at the High School in Charleston, like I had in the past. The city park came first and I needed a break.  I have been here ever since. Took a shower in the bathroom sink and ate dinner under the pavilion. Now, I’m back in the hammock waiting for nightfall.

Everything is layed out and ready to go. I spent yesterday working on the boat. New opening ports and solar vents installed, everything stowed, pumped out, and locked up.

All that is left to do is pack. I layed out all of the gear to make sure I am not missing anything. And, I left my beard trimmer on the boat.  I can get by a week or two without it.  I’ll also need to grab a patch kit on the way out. 

Meeting a friend and leaving from Wal-Mart in a little over an hour.  Shower, breakfast, pack, and I’m off.

Not a big surprise, but I am postponing my trip until after the holiday.  This gives me more time to get everything together (lay around in the A/C).  Since my last update, I have ridden a total of 0 miles.  I have, however, gotten a lot done.

First, I have insurance! Or rather I am ready to select an insurance plan after much looking around.  Many people in the touring and adventure communities suggested different travel insurance companies such as InsureandGo and World Nomads.  I found it interesting that there are a ton more insurance companies willing to work with cyclists in Europe than here.  These types of insurance plans are more for vacations.  I was looking for health insurance.  Since leaving my job, my health insurance was discontinued.  I could have stayed on for a whopping $500/month.  So, I am jumping back on ObamaCare.

Friday was my last day at work.  My coworkers even attempted a vegan going away party.  They did pretty good too.  I know a lot of thought and effort went into making it special, and I am thankful.  Friday was also my last day in the mini-storage.  I have way too much stuff! Instead of trying to figure out where on the boat to put everything, I chose the easy way out and moved most everything to my parents storage building.  Cheating, I know.  One day I hope to have everything I use on the boat and everything I don’t use to be rid of.  

For the trip I am sorting my route, finding people to ride and stay with, organizing my stuff, making plans, and checking my finances.  Let’s start with the bad news.  My immediate finances are not great without selling more bikes and boats.  Down to 3 each.  My plan all along was to spend $5/day on food and zero on lodging.  This should get me to the East coast and most of the way back.  A more realistic budget would be $10/day.  At $10/day I should be able to make it to the East coast and then…well yea.  So, $5/day is the goal.  It is doable, it has to be. 

The route was fairly simple to plan.  I asked Google the best way and it mapped it for me.  Google has cooperated with different biking non-profits to make cycling routes available.  From there, I just made a few tweaks until I got something I liked.  This route is not set in stone.  I am open to suggestions and will go out of my way for a free shower and food.  

I have had many people say they would love to go with me, but can not.  Last week I had a couple say they are game!  So, I will be leaving town with some support.  Thank you Bryon!  And, also some on the way.  Again, If you or someone you know wants to jump on, you are welcome.  I will do my best to keep my map updated during the trip.  

Ok, for the fun stuff.  Tonight I weighed most of my gear, excluding the bike and bags.  Right now I am weighing in at 337.6 oz or 21.1 lbs.  The goal was 15 lbs of gear.  I will spend the next couple of days trying to get that weight down.  I currently have a rear and front rack.  Neither were factored into the weight.  I may be ditching one along the way.  I already decided to ditch the galley.  I like cold food better anyway.  

I activated my Warm Showers account thinking it might be useful while on the road. Warm Showers is a website designed to connect bicycle tourists with safe places to stay. I never thought someone would want to stay with me. Enter Bill.

Bill contacted me early last week and asked to stay a night. He said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet a liveaboard. This gave me the boost i needed to clean up the boat before the trip. He was in his first week of touring on his way to the gulf coast.  He ate dinner with my family and hopefully put them a little at ease about my cross country trip. It was nice to talk with someone that could understand the want and need to travel in this manner. Saturday morning we rode 50 miles down the road to the top of Petit Jean Mountain, camped out, and then parted ways the next morning.

Getting to talk touring and to see someone else’s setup and gear prior to me taking off was treat.

Notes from the trip:

First, i feel much more comfortable using Warm Showers. I did facebook and internet stalk Bill prior to agreeing to host.

Through Bill, I am no longer worried about running out of water. I have a Sawyer Mini filter that he taught me to use. Me being prone do dehydration was a major concern.

I have been debating which hammock to take, and after trying to sleep in my Grand Trunk Ultralight I have decided to go with the ENO Doublenest. The Ultalight is just too small. I felt like i was about to fall out everytime i shifted positions.

I have also been debating which sleeping bag to use. It got cold last night and I am glad to have had my 900 fill down sleeping bag. Much better than the 600 fill down blanket i had planned to take. My butt and shoulders got cold, but I was too tired and lazy to grab my sleeping pad. Next time i will know better.

Few updates to the bike. I got the fender intalled, webbing sewn for tie downs, and a couple of fanny packs to make into saddlebags.

It was a good weekend. I got the boat cleaned up, go to meet and ride with another “crazy” person, logged 50 miles on Saturday (up a mountain), and 30 miles on Sunday. And had time to do my laundry!

It has been a busy couple of weeks.  I am still trying to leave on July 3rd, but am considering staying an extra week to take care of some tasks before leaving.  This will most likely be a last-minute decision.  What have I been doing to get ready for a 2500 mile trip?  Most of my day is spent at work, but the hours between work and dark are my time to check things off the list.

First, I sold the Roubaix.  This takes my bike count down to two.  Although, I think I might have a couple more hidden away somewhere.  I bought the Roubaix new in 2010 and we did centuries, triathlons, crits, and tours together.  It was not an easy decision, but I am happy that John, the new owner, found me and hope the Roubaix takes as good of care of him as it did me.

Most of my free time has been spent working on the boat.  I got the AC installed a couple of weeks ago, just in time to close the boat up for the summer.  I have also been working on installing a fridge.  You can see in the photo that I just about have the cabinet ready for the fridge to drop in.  You can also see the drawer that I added.  I have had a storage unit for the last year to house all of my sailing gear and bikes and am trying to get everything moved out, consolidated, and stored on the boat.  If you could see the cabin now, you would wonder how it is possible to live in such disarray.

The third photo is of the top tube saddle bags I made for my tour to Tulsa.  I could not find a bag I liked on the web so I made my own.  For this trip I am looking for something a little sturdier and water proof.  I still can not find one I like, so I will be modifying one to meet my requirements (more photos to come).

Today, I picked up my Biketripping decals to go on the bike.  I will be adding them tonight and can’t wait to see how it looks and functions!

Oh! I am also, hopefully, getting to host a cyclist from Warmshowers.org.  This will be my first time hosting.  Need to do some boat-keeping before he arrives.  If you are interested in hosting or being a part of the touring community, check out their website.

 

When going on a long voyage it is wise to do a test run.  This weekend was the first of my test runs.  If you have seen my pack list you know that I have a lot of stuff that need testing.  Some of the gear, I have had for years and I am confident in their abilities.  Other gear, I literally just opened out of the box.  For example, today, I got socks, underwear (testing now), pedals, a fuel tank, silk sheets, and fenders.  This weekend I took everything except the galley and external battery.  The galley is useless without the fuel tank and the brand new battery stopped working after a day of use.

The Plan

• Ride 30 miles east Friday after work
• Camp somewhere?
• Ride 40 miles east Saturday morning, and chill at friends’ pool
• Ride 20 miles west Saturday evening back towards home
• Camp somewhere?
• Ride 30 miles west Sunday Morning
• Ride last 20 miles to home

What Happened

• Rode 30 miles east Friday night
• Camped at a school!!
• Rode 30 miles west Saturday morning
• Took a long nap

And that is why we test.  Good news: the bike and most of the gear worked perfectly.  Bad news: the motor needs more miles before properly tuned.  My longest tour was a 4 day, 200 mile ride and that was 3 years ago.  Two of those nights were camped out at schools.  During the summer months schools are vacant, especially during sleeping hours, which make them a great target for urban, stealth camping. 

Pad Update:  In one of my previous posts I talked about my sleeping pad.  It is growing on me.  I slept a solid 6 hours on it.  

My two biggest problems on the trip were my legs and food.  This is what I get for not training like I should.  I was struggling those last few miles after finding a camp spot and food.  This is when I decided to alter my plan and head home.  To my surprise, I felt great this morning and I did the 30 miles back home in 30 minutes less than the night before.  My mom informed me that it is all down hill coming from the east, thanks mom!  I will log another 30 tomorrow, giving me 90 for the weekend.  

Back to the food.  Even as an adult with a job and a car I spend a lot of time in the grocery store, usually once or twice a day.  If a person could only be described by a few characteristics, food would be one of mine.  Eating out can be difficult for me due to the restrictions I place on my diet, and also the quality of the food.  I GUARANTEE that if we go out to eat together, something on my order will be wrong.  So I forage for food in the grocery store.  For two years I lived without refrigeration.  This makes cooking challenging, so I learned to only purchase what I could eat in a day or two.  Canned and raw foods are my friends.  

At the store, I got a can of beans and rice for dinner and a can of sweet potatoes for breakfast.  One of the items I meant to test on the trip was a military style p38 can opener, but forgot it at home.  My substitute was a Swiss Army knife knock off, which broke after about 10 minutes of me struggling to get the can open enough to get my spoon through.  Now, I will be adding a real can opener to my packing list.  

Conclusion

This whole ordeal with the can opener got me thinking about whether or not I even need to take a galley.  That would change my whole packing scheme.  I still have yet to get my front rack.  I used the panniers on the rear rack and they rode well.  I will need to test them on the front rack and decide which I prefer.  That will be on test run #2.  Almost forgot!  I have a mirror, and it works!  No more straining my neck.  

A lot of people have seen my plans and have said, “I would LOVE to go with you, BUT…”  My job, my fitness, my back, my WIFE won’t allow me to go.  All perfectly good excuses, especially the wife.  As I said before, this is probably the worst shape I have ever been.  In fact, I should be riding at least 20 miles a day and 50 or 60 on the weekend to get ready, but life keeps getting in the way.  So, I understand.  I have a plan to get more time in the saddle next week, but that is for next week.

Life is never going to stop getting in the way, so I decided to go for it.  I am at a place where my only excuses are work and family.  I am single and my family is taking me leaving well.  I have been thinking and talking about this for years, so they had to have known it was coming.  My work has been surprisingly supportive.  In my interview for my job, I was asked what my 5 year plan was and my answer was, “to be living on a 36 ft boat in the Caribbean”.  At the time I was on a MacGregor 25 and am now on a Morgan 28.  At 3 ft a year, I should be in a 40 ft by then.

When I was working in physical therapy about half of my patients were 60+ and most of them advised me to go on adventures, to make memories, and to wait to make a family and career.  All of the people my age ask me how I have time or money to do the things I do, and the answer is to make time and spend less.  “Live Small to Live Large”