Day 40

Picked up the bike today from the repair shop and all is well.  I have enjoyed Austin but am looking forward to hitting the road tomorrow.  It feels like forever since I rode, even though it was only a 10 day rest.  I have to admit, that is the longest rest period I have taken on a trip, and a bit too long by about 7 days.  Hopping on the bike today it felt like a complete stranger, especially because I rode without the trailer.  It was like a totally new machine, not only because of the repairs, but simply not having a 40 pound trailer waggling behind you.

Luckily the weather is clearing and the forecast is for a nice warming trend.  Heading out into hill country and then into West Texas should be a real challenge.  I have camped in may places, but never the dessert.  While dealing with water is something I am used to, the totally new array of critters, including scorpions, has me a bit on edge.  I don't know how it will affect my camp routine, but I will be sure and pay extra attention to what is around me, especially in the mornings after a long cool night. 

I am stoked and ready to roll, so let the journey continue.....

Day 39

I am now 10 days into my brief, and somewhat unexpected down time in Texas, and I must admit to now going a bit stir crazy.  It has been awesome to visit with family, and equally nice to finally see and explore Austin, but now, well now, I am ready to roll.

It is  hard to describe how things get a little twisted up when you are used to being on the go and then suddenly must stop.  I have been struggling for a couple of days now trying to come up with the words to describe it, but I am still at a bit of a loss.  I think that is primarily because all of those crazy emotions of loneliness and emptiness manifest themselves when I stop, as apposed to when I am in motion.  When in motion, the days are full of energy, discovery, and the mission.  Somehow, stopping for a prolonged period of time sort of twists things around.

These emotions don't present themselves on the much needed rest days or even discovery days when you have reached a destination and are now going to explore for a day or two.  Instead, it is that prolonged downtime that must allow the mind way to much time to think about things like friends, relationships and possessions.  When I enter a city for some period of time, these are the things that I see, they are everywhere I look, and I think because of that I can't help but become hyper-sensitive about them. 

On the trail, these are less apparent, and thuse more easily pushed into the background noise of the over clocked brain.  On the trail, I become so preoccupied with the mission of the day -- scenery, miles, weather, food, shelter and the performance of my body, that those other things just are not what the brain spends its time thinking about.  I don't mean to imply that it is better to be alone, just that if you are alone and travelling that way for an extended period of time, then a prolonged down time in a city turns from being a rest stop to a bit of an angsty one.  If you are in a city where you don't have friends, I think things get amplified even more. 

One of the questions I get asked most often is if I get lonely, travelling like I do.  My answer has always been no, and I don't think that will change right now.  But it is definitely harder to stay in that place of peace; that place I call my 'Center' when the down-time days begin to stack up.  I was reading another blog last night, that of two long distance travellers, who like me have given up their home for the journey of the trail.  They talked about their current downtime in a new city and how it presents challenges not found on the trail.  It was interesting to read and gave me some comfort that I am not alone in how I feel.

This is definitely what happens to me and the position I currently find myself in.

Sorry for the rambling but I needed to write and just let this one flow as it came out.  A tinge of sadness has been with me for a few days and writing and expressing myeslf always seems to help.

Day 28-35

As many of you know, I detoured up to North Texas to visit family.  My intention had been to spend 3-4 days and relax, eat a ton of food, and catch up with loved ones.  Much to my surprise, by day 3, the impending arctic blast was being predicted and by day 4 of my stay, the frigid temperatures were upon me, along with sleet and rain.  It was a mess and only predicted to get worse.  By mid week, Texas got up to 6 inches where I am staying and that insured that I was not getting back on the trail any time soon.  Heck, I don't even have shoes or pants, just shorts and crocs, definitely not the appropriate clothing for single digit temps and 6 inches of wet snow.

Updates to the Daily Trail have been infrequent due to lack of internet and sparse cell phone coverage.  I must also admit that because of the weather, I have not done much other than eat, sleep, and be a bum.  Happily, the visit has been great and I am now preparing to head south and get back on the trail, just south and west of Austin.

On Monday I will hop a ride down to Austin, get some repairs done to the bike and then rejoin the southern tier route.  My body is definitely ready, because going from 65 miles a day, to nothing is just plain hard.  The first few days of rest are enjoyable and I think important to your long term success.  However, after a few days the body seems to get terribly confused and nothing feels right.  Now, compound that with being confined  in a house and not even being able to go outside, and well, you have a recipe for pure restlessness.

I am axious to get back on the road, and move into west Texas and then New Mexico and Arizona.  In a couple of weeks I will be at a point where I will detour north again, this time to visit the Grand Canyon and some other places that I have always wanted to see.  If you are interested in joining me for this segement of the trip, please drop me a note.  The detour from Tempe AZ to the southern rim of the Grand Canyon is about 250 miles, or a week of biking.  I am confident that if you are simply interested in a one way route that we can arrange for some form of transport back to Tempe. 

My current plan is to continue to the North Rim and some of the upper canyons surrounding Page AZ.  From there I will decide if I am biking back down to join the route or if I will look for transport to get me back on route.  I believe that I will be in position to meet up with folks in Tempe around the 10th of March, so if you are interested, just shoot me an email and we can discuss options.

One more day now of rest and then back on the bike, this time with a 1x9 setup.  I chose this because it was the most affordable option out of the multitude of choices.  I am really looking forward to not having to stand up on each and every incline and certainly for the more mountainous regions, it will be a huge benefit to my body.  By adding gears I also think my overall performance, both distance and speed, should increase slightly since I won't be expending myself as much on those inclines.

The daily trail will officially pick back up on the 7th of February!

Day 27

Today was a very short one. I woke, had breakfast and hit the road withmoderate temperatures and sunny skies. While I had a great camp site, I hadthe misfortune of choosing one at the bottom of a hill. This meant thestart of my day was a long extended climb. This is definitely something tobe avoided at all costs in the future.

A few more hills and I entered the town of Rusk Texas. There sat a coffeeshop and I was done for the day. Family came and picked me up fir what willbe a 3-5 day rest, largely depending on the weather

It has been a great month of biking and the Salsa Fargo has done awesome. Iam also really glad that I chose the BOB trailer, it has been great.

While I have managed ok with the single speed, I must admit that I amlooking forward to a few more options going up hills. Strangely however, Iam not excited about adding a level of complexity to the bike. Youdefinitely can't beat the simplicity of a single speed.

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Day 25

Second day in Texas was fairly uneventful. I have detoured up US 69 andwhile it has a good size shoulder , the road is very busy. Lots of highspeed semis and pickups, makes for a bit of a nerve racking peddle.

I had nice weather and thus squeezed in about 64 miles. I managed to find agreat campsite tucked back into the woods. As soon as the sun set thetemperature dropped into the low 30s and the stars were beautiful.

Today the winner of the 'What did we see most on the side of the road game',was.... Banana peals. Don't ask me why, but suddenly there are a ton ofpeals lying on the road, some fresh, some not so fresh. Now I know I amcontributing to this situation, but I am not counting my own peals. Whoknows why, I am just telling it like I see it.Sent from my Windows Phone

Day 24

The night in the fire station was just what I needed. A warm place tosleep where I could just relax. I got up early to make sure my stuff wascleaned up and out of the way by the time the Chief got in. When hw didarrive it was still to dark to leave so we had an enjoyable conversation.

He has been chief fir over 14 years; married fir 45; and his grandchildrenare what makes it all worthwhile. It is such a great experience when youget to meet someone like that -- I was very grateful for the gift.

When it was time to leave he notices that I did not have a vest so hepromptly went into one of the fire engines and gave me a fire departmentorange vest. It is awesome and I am honored to wear it. During the day itopened up all manner if conversation with folks I met along the way.

The skies cleared and the day was bright as I crossed into Texas. Everyonehas warned me about how bad Texas can be , we shall see. For now I amdeviating off route, heading north to visit family. It is a big push to getup close enough for a pickup, but in the end it will be well worth theeffort.

After a few days of rest I will be back on the Southern Tier pushing west insearch of warmer weather.Sent from my Windows Phone

Day 23

I woke from my make shift road side camp, one of the more visible places Ihave stayed, to the sound of rain. It was early so I quickly broke camp andtucked into the woods for my coffee and oatmeal.

By the time I finished eating it was light enough to get on the road but theskies looked very threatening. Within a matter of miles the rain started,the very cold and chilly kind, and I quickly took cover under the trees.After a brief period it had slowed and I was off.

Having done a week of big and very long days, I was not feeling the love inany part of my body. I made it 20 miles to Oberlin where I took refuge inthe library. As I sat editing images and the site, the skies grew darkerand the rain picked up intensity. I swear it even got colder inside.

With the way I was feeling and the weather situation I just did not feellime doing any more miles at all. A brief conversation with the librarianand the next thing you know I am on my way to meet the fire chief at thefire station.

He clearly took pity on me and instead of having me camp on the grounds, heopened the fire house and let me in. Yep, had the place all to myself. Me,the radios, computers, a couch and two big engines. Needles to say this wasexactly what I needed and promptly recognized it as another amazing giftreceived on my travels.

The day went by quickly as the rain and wind intensified outside. I knew itwas getting colder because the heater inside was running almostcontinuously. I slept well and got some much needed rest as I get ready formy detour into NE Texas.

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Day 21

The day started extremely cold with temps right at 17 degrees .  Needless to say I took my time getting going.  Everything had a hard frost on it and the tent fly was frozen solid.  As the sun came up it was really a beautiful sight.

The day warmed up nicely and I began cranking the miles.  It had been my intent to di a short day, but before I knew it, 60 miles had rolled by and it was getting dark.  Finding camp sites has been difficult the last several days and tonight was proving no exception.

At the point where I was preparing to turn on my front light I saw a volunteer fire station, a place I knew I could safely camp.  However as I pulled into the lot, Larry, the guy who lived next door invited me to his place fot the night.  The offer of a little gathering with local food, a hot shower, laundry, and a warm bed could just nit be turned down.

As the people began to arrive it was clear this would be an interesting evening.  Food was cooking and the beers were being downed at a rapid pace.  Dinner, well nothing other than some Cajun pork back gravy and all the fixins.

I quickly be and known as bike guy and had to answer the same questions each time I was introduced to folks.  The night wore on, guns came out and were shot into the darkness.  At this point i realized it was somewhat safer inside than out.  I don't know if that was true, but it did make me feel better.

I realized later that the tip three questions of the night were:  Where you from?  You hunt?  How fast that bike go?  I got a kick out of this and did my best to answer the same way each and every time.

All in all it was another awesome experience on the trail, especially when you get the chance to interact with the local fills.  Definitely a night i won't soon forget.

Day 20

Sometime in the middle of the night i noticed things getting cool, nothingto bad just a sense that the skies must have cleared and the temperaturedropped. Morning came and i went through my ritual:, coffee, oatmeal, thenbreak camp.

As I walked my bike the qtr of a mile back to the road I was suddenly unsureof which direction I came fro or more importantly, which direction I wasgoing. I went with my gut and pedaled off. Suddenly I realized that it wascold. It was then that I noticed the temperature was 28. I guess the goodpart is that I am adjusting to the temps, while the bad part is 28 whileriding is darn cold.

The first 5 miles were filled with pain from the cold a d angst over mychoice if directions. I still believed that I was going the right way, butdoubt was creeping in with each mile I pedaled. Finally the town of Norwoodarrived and I could stop worrying about direction and instead focus on mynumb ties.

The rest of the day turned pleasant and the ride was great. The town ofFrancisville was quite charming with son gorgeous churches. I the crossedthe Mississippi and began my search for camp. Something that would take meuntil almost dark to achieve. The temps are dropping rapidly and itpromises to be a very cold night.

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Day 19

Up and down hills ALL day long with way to many freshly killed skunks. Onthe trail, road kill is a huge part of the visual experience, but let metell you this, anything more than one dead skunk a day is just too muchskunk for me!

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Day 18

Well, today I crossed off some new milestones.  First I finished Mississippi, a really beautiful state.  Second, I entered another state, Louisiana.  Third I crossed over the 800 mile mark, all on a single speed!

I managed to survive yesterdays torrential rains and get everything dried off by mid afternoon.  The day started with sun, shifted to cool clouds and by the time I came out of McDonald's the temps were in the 70's.  You could say that layering is the mode of dress because you just don't know what is going to show up.

I managed to get some pictures up and posted on Facebook.  If you don't have access to them be sure and send me a friend request.  I am at my image limit on Flickr so general posting of images will have to wait a bit.  I should have a gallery up and running here on my site soon, so keep checking back. 

The country side is really something else and being on a bike just allows fir such intimacy with both the land and the people.  In the rural sections it is generally just me, the horses, donkeys,dogs blue jays, cardinals and all the other assorted critters.

Entering towns provides you with a very unique opportunity to meet some very interesting characters.  These are all things that I really did not get a chance to experience at length in the kayak, which makes this trip all the more special.

The Fargo is doing great as are the Schwalbe tires.  They really soak up the rough stuff.  I am loving the new Snow Peak cook kit and only need to craft a windscreen to make it perfect.  Soon I will post my thoughts on the use of a BOB trailer because I know when I was researching the choices I really enjoyed reading about the experiences of others.

Keep on rolling...

Day 17

The morning came early after a day of rest. Like a dummy I had left myshorts out on a line to dry, but overnight the fog set un and got the. Niceand damp for me. Yuck, cold damp shorts. I should have recognized it forthe sign that it was.

The morning ride was pleasant with warm temps and PC skies. However by noonthe skies to the North were turning dark and threatening. I found avolunteer fire dept to have lunch at. They had picnic tables set up undera shelter with electivity. Perfect, a place to eat protected from the rainif it came and a place to charge my phone.

By 1:00 it looked safe to head out, but no sooner had I gotten a mile awaywhen the skies opened up. It poured and poured. I found shelter at achurch and waited out the storm. When I thought it had passed I hrades out,and like before, the heavens opened up on me again. This cycle continuedtwo more times before I made camp.

Then, just as I got my tent set up, well yes, it poured again. So here Isit, or lie, damp and chilled, trying to cook under the fly without torchingthe tent.

So you see, those damp shorts were a sign of what was to come.

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Day 16

It was a nice day of rest at the POW camp. Yes, that is correct, POWcamp. Apparently German soldiers were held there back during WW II. It isa beautiful park now with a fresh water lake and nice hiking trails allmanaged by the USFS and it is free!

The sun came out and got up into the upper 60s, which made for greatlounging weather. All in all a perfect day of rest.

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Day 15

The rolling hills of Mississippi are quite beautiful with the roads themselves leaving something to be desired.  My big discovery today was that Dollar General stores actually carry 95% of the food I shop for, and thy carry it at a discounted price.  This was very exciting news to me.

The weather has turned slightly upbeat at least on the temperature side.  I was actually able to eliminate my tights and one of my upper layers which made for  much more enjoyable riding. The day time temps reached 61 and the night time only got down to 44, a far cry from the 19 degree low a few days ago.

I made it to one of the USFS camps and now have a nice place to relax and take a rest day.  It is a lovely spot with a fresh water lake, hiking trails and green forest.  The sounds of hound dogs outweigh the sounds of birds, but that seems to be a small price to pay.

The only negative news is the failing, once again, of my bottom bracket.  I have Surly Whirlybird cranks, which I love, but the BB has developed about 3mm of lateral play.  This is a brand new BB that was replaced by my LBS a few weeks before I departed. I fear that this play is going to destroy the bearings in a similar way as before.  This may all lead me down the path of expediting the move to at least a 1x8 or 1x9 geared setup. 

In a perfect world I would just switch over to a 2x10 setup but doing so will require replacing the rear wheel, along with adding all of the shifting components....  Who knows, I do pass a lot of scrap yards so it is possible I may be able to scavenge some of the bits and pieces.


Day 14

I wanted a rest day but did not get it. Slogged my way for about 50miles. I just could not get comfortable on the bike and just abouteverything aches. I need to find some place where I can take a hole dayoff. I am not sure why this is so difficult but it is.

I ran into fellow cyclist Anthony Munoz today, late in the evening. Anthonyset out from LA almost 5 months ago. In his words he has been exploring.His bike had 4 full paniers, with gray on his rack, a fairly good sizehandlebar bag, a BlackBerry clipped to his jacket and a guitar on his back.Wow, dude, that is a lot if stuff :-). He looked in good spirits and wastrying to make it to Daughin island, a mere 35 miles away. This encounterwas at about 4:30

It was warmer today which helped mitigate some of the misery I was feeling.

Off to bed under a beautiful moon tucked under some lovely pines.Sent from my Windows Phone

Day 13

The bubble always has to burst at the beginning of every trip and todaywas just such a day. After three nights of sub freezing temperatures and atotal of 5 if you count the two nights in the mid thirties, I am just plainexhausted.

The last three nights have been near sleepless as I toss and turn trying tostay warm. It is a miracle that I have managed to put in 60 plus miles eachday, but as I said, today I crashed.

The morning temp was a sweltering 19 degrees with a hard frost thrown in forgood measure, you know, just in case there was any doubt about how cold itgot. I was up at dawn and everything was frozen, including the tent andfly. It was a good thing I emptied my water bottles or they would have beenfrozen solid as well.

As a consolation for my misery I thought a Waffle House breakfast was inorder and so it was, the massive Big Slam. I ate it all and would havelicked the plate if other folks had not been around to witness my feasting.The pace at which I inhaled two eggs, hash browns, two pieces of toast, twosausage patties, and one large waffle with three extra things of butter, wasenough to frighten any innocent bystander.

Thinking that this would set me straight I was back on the trail, the scenicroute down the last bit of Florida coast, into Alabama. While I managed toget some miles in it was a complete struggle. Nothing felt good; my arms,back, neck, and left knee were all complaining loudly. I just needed tomake the Mobile ferry and all would be good-- rest awaited me on the otherside.

The ferry was uneventful and I made it with little energy to spare.Unfortunately I was going to have to violate my paying for camping rulebecause I just wanted to be done for the day. And so I forked over a big$22 for a night of camping. It just kills me, but at least I was going toget something in return.

I took the longest hot shower of my life in an attempt to warm my core. Itworked and so I am warmer, but still exhausted. I have not had a full dayoff yet and am not sure what I will do tomorrow because there is no way Ican pay for two nights.

For now I am in a warm pavillion typing this note before heading off toanother cold night. Tomorrow's concerns will be solved tomorrow just likethey always are.

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Day 12

Really I am totally ok with the weather, but still, if needs to be talkedabout. Last night I knew the temps were at a trip low when the inside of mysleeping bag no longer felt warm to the touch. That along with my numbright foot ( a continuing problem) and my shiverring body were signs enoughthat it was I feed very cold.

I woke to a temp of 26 degrees, cold enough that my water bottles werefrozen and a point at which canister fuel stoves cease to functionproperly. All of that combines with my still numb foot meant that the daydid not start very quickly.

After I managed to make coffee and use my stove to warm my feet I finallybroke camp well after 9:00, a late start for me. The route into Pensacolawound its way through some beautiful back roads, a welcome break from themadness of highway 90. Eventually all good things come to an end and I wasforced to join up with the highway for the last 10 or so miles into town.

The goal for the day was to make the post office in time to pick up my SnowPeak stove and to once again try and eliminate kit. I was hoping to dump 10pounds of gear and I got close with the package back to base weighing 9pounds.

With the sun setting quickly I now had less than two hours to get out oftown and make camp. Given the lateness of the day and the miles I had putin I opted for the State Park. I arrived as the sun was setting a pastelshade of orange and blue over the gulf.

Temps are already at 26 so it is going to be another frigid night. TonightI am wearing every piece of clothing that I have in an attempt to staywarm. We shall see...

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Day 11

Brrrr, 26.5 degrees this morning. I knew it was cold first when my toeswere numb all night long; secondly when the water froze in the opening of mySigh bottle as I tried pouring it out. Don't get me wrong, I am ok with thecold, but I did not expect it to be this cold. I guess based on last yearsAtlantic Odyssey, I should have known better.

The day started out well but then my legs left me around mile 30. Afterfood and a stop in BK for water and WiFi I was able to eak out another 20before dark set in. The winds are picking up tonight and it is anothercloudless night, beautiful moon and stars but also cold temps again.

The Fargo is doing great as is the BOB trailer. The only issue so far isfood and that us simply because I can't eat enough ;-)

Tomorrow I hit the Post Office and get my Snow Peak stove kit and hope toship back another 10 pounds if gear. Tough decisions to be made, butwithout gears I need to seriously lighten the load.

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Day 10

Late update because my cell phone ran out of power. The day was anothergray, drizzly, and cold day. I had to turn on the tunes, some Taylor Swift,Tracy Chapman, and Keith Urban in order to make it through the day.

The Tracy Chapman songs from the late 80's are definitely haunting. Theissues that she so passionately sings about more than two decades ago seemas relevant today as they were back then.

Late in the day the skies began to clear and I saw the brief outline of thesun for the first tome in 3 days. Of course the clearing skies don't bodewell for the night time temps.

As I make camp along the highway, tucked back into the woods, I can alreadyfeel the winds freshening and the temps dropping. I have a nice littlepiece of forest carved out. Surrounded by pines on three sides and pastureland on the fourth, the site is perfect other than the wizzing sound of carsand trucks cruising by less than 40 yards away.

The crescent moon is shining down through the tops of the pines. It casts awarm glow over what I am now certain is going to be a very cold night. Istand and rest against one of the pines that is gently swaying from thewind. I think to myself, wow, what a beautiful day it has been. I smile,say my thanks and go tuck myself in for some much needed rest.

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Day 9

Today was way too rough. I set out with temps in the 30s and a lightdrizzle. Between the cold and lack of energy in my legs I struggled allmorning.

By early afternoon the temps had hit 40 but then quickly receded back downto where they started. I tried eating some different food including aGatorade and by around 3:00 I found some semblance of pace.

Crossing the time line bought me another hour but the weather wasdeteriorating quickly thus eliminating my extra hour of light. Running outof daylight I finally found some woods that were not posted and quicklypushed the bike in.

A big pot of food a d fresh veggies and i a. Done for the night. I hope mylegs come back tomorrow.

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