Ok there is no way my luck can get any worse. I am going to start off with where I am right now. I am currently at a laundry mat in Akin. The reason I say that is as I was pulling up the laundry mat wouldn’t you guess it my front tire is flat. Now I simply thought that my patch had blown but when I took the tube out there it was another small puncture. I can’t explain it either because the tire itself is perfectly clean. Really what the heck is going on here every day it is something else I just want to get out and ride. Instead im spending more time working on my bike, doing chores and catching up on just day to day stuff. Now I know that needs to be done it is just starting to get frustrating because now instead of going back and relaxing I have to make a 5 mile detour to go pick up tubes… again.
The day’s ride started off nice. It was dark and the brisk morning air was a pleasant change. Thinking I was smart I put on my big headlamp, but of course it was dead. Then thinking I was smart again I stopped for batteries for my rear light. Then I found out the read light was broken. Really a great way to start off the morning.
That in the back of my head I kept riding down the road and got into Columbia with no problems. In Columbia I fallowed where the arrows pointed me and two times they led me down roads that did not go anywhere. Thankfully I wised up and looked at a few maps and got some directions from a couple which meant I got out of dodge in pretty good time
At this point I was fighting with my front end again. Great my tube was giving me issues again. This one was not another flat just a busted patch so I threw in my other patched tube.
At lunch I got to talking with some locals which is normal. What was not normal was having to explain where Vancouver was to everyone. Each person went you’re from Washington, and then I had to go into the discussion about how it was in Canada. Even when I talked about the Olympics one gentleman said, “ain’t those events in Athens”. To which I had a little chuckle.
That brings us to the rest stop and the laundry mat. After completing my laundry my bike started to act up even more. The brakes were squealing like a beaver, and this annoying tick arose again. That tick only arises when the bike is screaming for help. I am a firm believer that bikes have feelings that need to be looked after. The past few days I am going to chalk up to my bike saying, “Evan why aren’t you helping me my wheel is f’ed and you did nothing”. To appease the bike gods I got a new front tire, replaced the tube, replaced the brakes, and lubed everything. It did not go smooth though because when I was taking off the pedals I was reefing on my little tool to get them off when it slipped and my knuckles went right into cranks. So after getting a bit of blood and nail matter on my cranks I was about ready to throw my bike out the door.
Luckily I didn’t because I realized this bike has got me over 10000km with no maintence so a couple days of the bike acting up is not all that bad. In all honesty it is probably my fault for not getting that new tire after the first 2 flats. Instead I thought that it was just bad luck.
Trip Distance: 172km
Ride Time: 8:11hr
Avg. Speed: 21.04km/h
Total Distance: 10739km
Total Ride Time: 503hr
Destination: Akin, South Carolina (almost as good as Dildo, Newfoundland)
To all PGA fans I will be going through Augusta tomorrow. I am not sure if I will see the golf course or not.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Tour Day 72 A Mixed Bag Of Luck Sept 5 2010
I get up this morning and get all my junk ready to roll when I realize that my front tire is flat. In my mind I knew that I would have to change it, but I was looking for the easy way and just inflated it. I was shocked when it did not immediately go flat so I was in business.
5km down the road while it was still dark I felt the front tire and it was lower then it started. This time I was not going to half-ass it so I just threw in my only other tube. Because it was dark I could not fully inspect the tire so I simply felt the tire and rim, and shook it so that whatever it was would fall out. After inflating I was set to go. Immediately I felt it was going to be one of those days.
My negative mindset was quickly changed by a beautiful road. This road was amazing constant rolling hills that were never straight. I think the fact I had a tailwind is what helped made it so amazing. With a headwind it would have blown.
I was just entering what was supposed to be my snack spot when I started fighting with my front end. Because I was pretty metaly spent I could not figure out what it was. It was getting to the point where I was nearly going over. It was at that point I looked down and saw that my front tire was flat again. Great now I had no spare tube and I had to hope my patches would work. This time I had daylight and found this sliver of the rock I ran over the other day that was causing my headaches. I patched the tube inflated and I was set. This time I was not loosing any pressure but I did put my wheel on backwards which meant my computer was not reading. When I realized this I let out a collection of curse words and had to stop again to flip the wheel around on my little patch of shoulder on the road.
I was about 10kms down the road when I head the thing that no cyclist ever wants to hear. POP! POP! The two crack had spread and ripped two chunks out of my rim. Again I cannot praise Mavic enough because the wheel was still true and did not have a hop in it. When I was truing the wheel the other night I saw where the cracks were so I took the tension off a few key spokes which really saved my butt today.
At that point I was not a happy camper. It seemed as if anything that could go wrong was, then I got to thinking. I have a tailwind. My tube it holding air, and my wheel is still rolling. When it went bad it did not go all that bad.
After reflecting on it I started to laugh at it because I was getting upset at things that have no emotions. Things that were just doing there jobs, and there I was getting mad at them. It is strange the metal games you play on yourself when you reflect on them
I was 13 miles away from my lunch stop and 47 miles away from my stopping point. 30 mins down the road I had completed 12km and saw a sign that said my lunch stop was 10 miles away and 44 miles from my stop point. I did not know which to believe so I just dug deeper and deeper. I was not going to be on the road all day, and I was not going to waste a good wind.
Luckily the first sign was right and I was on track to complete in good time. Because of he heat though my appetite was low. I knew I had to eat but my body did not want to. It was odd having to push myself to eat.
The last miles were actually enjoyable. I kept pushing harder and harder. Going faster. I didn’t care about distance or time I was zoned out and focused on my legs. The only time that metal zone was broken was when I noticed a men at work sign put up by the state that used “em” in it. I had a good chuckle at that. As well I at my lunch stop I had to ask the man what he was asking me three times. It was similar to the situation back in Newfoundland. I wonder what they thought when I speak because they must have the same questions.
Tonight I was going to camp but the state park was as expensive as the cheap motel so it was the motel I would be stupid to say no to that. As long as I don’t get bed bugs I am happy.
Trip Distance: 173km
Ride Time: 7:51hr
Avg. Speed: 22.15km/h
Total Distance: 10567km
Total Ride Time: 495hr
Destination: Camden, South Carolina
5km down the road while it was still dark I felt the front tire and it was lower then it started. This time I was not going to half-ass it so I just threw in my only other tube. Because it was dark I could not fully inspect the tire so I simply felt the tire and rim, and shook it so that whatever it was would fall out. After inflating I was set to go. Immediately I felt it was going to be one of those days.
My negative mindset was quickly changed by a beautiful road. This road was amazing constant rolling hills that were never straight. I think the fact I had a tailwind is what helped made it so amazing. With a headwind it would have blown.
I was just entering what was supposed to be my snack spot when I started fighting with my front end. Because I was pretty metaly spent I could not figure out what it was. It was getting to the point where I was nearly going over. It was at that point I looked down and saw that my front tire was flat again. Great now I had no spare tube and I had to hope my patches would work. This time I had daylight and found this sliver of the rock I ran over the other day that was causing my headaches. I patched the tube inflated and I was set. This time I was not loosing any pressure but I did put my wheel on backwards which meant my computer was not reading. When I realized this I let out a collection of curse words and had to stop again to flip the wheel around on my little patch of shoulder on the road.
I was about 10kms down the road when I head the thing that no cyclist ever wants to hear. POP! POP! The two crack had spread and ripped two chunks out of my rim. Again I cannot praise Mavic enough because the wheel was still true and did not have a hop in it. When I was truing the wheel the other night I saw where the cracks were so I took the tension off a few key spokes which really saved my butt today.
At that point I was not a happy camper. It seemed as if anything that could go wrong was, then I got to thinking. I have a tailwind. My tube it holding air, and my wheel is still rolling. When it went bad it did not go all that bad.
After reflecting on it I started to laugh at it because I was getting upset at things that have no emotions. Things that were just doing there jobs, and there I was getting mad at them. It is strange the metal games you play on yourself when you reflect on them
I was 13 miles away from my lunch stop and 47 miles away from my stopping point. 30 mins down the road I had completed 12km and saw a sign that said my lunch stop was 10 miles away and 44 miles from my stop point. I did not know which to believe so I just dug deeper and deeper. I was not going to be on the road all day, and I was not going to waste a good wind.
Luckily the first sign was right and I was on track to complete in good time. Because of he heat though my appetite was low. I knew I had to eat but my body did not want to. It was odd having to push myself to eat.
The last miles were actually enjoyable. I kept pushing harder and harder. Going faster. I didn’t care about distance or time I was zoned out and focused on my legs. The only time that metal zone was broken was when I noticed a men at work sign put up by the state that used “em” in it. I had a good chuckle at that. As well I at my lunch stop I had to ask the man what he was asking me three times. It was similar to the situation back in Newfoundland. I wonder what they thought when I speak because they must have the same questions.
Tonight I was going to camp but the state park was as expensive as the cheap motel so it was the motel I would be stupid to say no to that. As long as I don’t get bed bugs I am happy.
Trip Distance: 173km
Ride Time: 7:51hr
Avg. Speed: 22.15km/h
Total Distance: 10567km
Total Ride Time: 495hr
Destination: Camden, South Carolina
Tour Day 71 I Choose AC Sept 4 2010
I have made a choice. Because it is so hot here it just will not work camping. I mean 96 degree outside in the shade means that my tent is over 100. What this means is that I will be moteling it more as I head south. I realize this will limit my time on the road, but I this trip is also about enjoying each day. It is hard to enjoy each day when you don’t get any sleep because you are sweating so much, and then on top of that you start your day dehydrated because you have been sweating all night.
The days ride today actually really enjoyable. For the first time I did not have any hiccups. Infact I was hauling down the road. I made it to my lunch stop in Raleigh by 11 am. Because it was only 11 I did not feel like stopping so I kept riding through Raleigh. Much like the bike brand Raleigh did not have much going for it. There was not much of anything in the town, and what was there was ratty and tatty.
The other thing that was kind of a tick off was the interstate merged with route 1 for a good 15km’s. This means that I have to take back roads which with my horrid map always lead to me going further then I have to, and or get lost. Today was no exception. After going past my turn that was not market I asked for help. The two cyclists that I asked said “fallow us”. So I did and they led me right to where I needed to be. After thanking them for saving me 30minutes of trying to navigate I was off on my route again.
At first I was a little nervous because this part of route 1 was 3 lanes divided. It was a prefect time for me to ignore my mind and listen to some music. After the rap Chinese food joint yesterday and seeing roughly 15 mid 90’s beige cars rollin on dubs I was in the mood for some gangster music. Today’s choice was a possible the worst song in the world called lemonade by Gucci mane. Any man who raps about everything being yellow has to be gangster.
Lunch was in the back of my mind but when 120km came around I was starting to get hungry. Unfortunately the next town was 20 miles away. Luckily I had a tailwind and my legs were just starting to come into their own. It must have been the donouts I had for a snack because I was a man on fire.
Lunch came at 149km’s. It was actually very rewarding because I was still good to go. I simply stopped because I knew it was the smart thing to do.
Unfortunately it was not the smart thing to do because as soon as I finished lunch and got back on the road I encountered sore legs, and a wicked headwind. The funny irony is that the head wind started to kick up as soon as I entered Moore County.
The end of the day came in Aberdeen and I was cooked. The last 3 miles took so long that my mind was playing ticks on me. I kept thinking it was around the next corner, but when I went around each corner and did not find a town my moral dropped further and further. The only thing that brought it up was knowing that I was going to be enjoying some ice cream in about 2 hours. All in all a very satisfying day.
Trip Distance: 196km
Ride Time: 8:56hr
Avg. Speed: 21.99km/h
Total Distance: 10393km
Total Ride Time: 487hr
Destination: Aberdeen, North Carolina
The days ride today actually really enjoyable. For the first time I did not have any hiccups. Infact I was hauling down the road. I made it to my lunch stop in Raleigh by 11 am. Because it was only 11 I did not feel like stopping so I kept riding through Raleigh. Much like the bike brand Raleigh did not have much going for it. There was not much of anything in the town, and what was there was ratty and tatty.
The other thing that was kind of a tick off was the interstate merged with route 1 for a good 15km’s. This means that I have to take back roads which with my horrid map always lead to me going further then I have to, and or get lost. Today was no exception. After going past my turn that was not market I asked for help. The two cyclists that I asked said “fallow us”. So I did and they led me right to where I needed to be. After thanking them for saving me 30minutes of trying to navigate I was off on my route again.
At first I was a little nervous because this part of route 1 was 3 lanes divided. It was a prefect time for me to ignore my mind and listen to some music. After the rap Chinese food joint yesterday and seeing roughly 15 mid 90’s beige cars rollin on dubs I was in the mood for some gangster music. Today’s choice was a possible the worst song in the world called lemonade by Gucci mane. Any man who raps about everything being yellow has to be gangster.
Lunch was in the back of my mind but when 120km came around I was starting to get hungry. Unfortunately the next town was 20 miles away. Luckily I had a tailwind and my legs were just starting to come into their own. It must have been the donouts I had for a snack because I was a man on fire.
Lunch came at 149km’s. It was actually very rewarding because I was still good to go. I simply stopped because I knew it was the smart thing to do.
Unfortunately it was not the smart thing to do because as soon as I finished lunch and got back on the road I encountered sore legs, and a wicked headwind. The funny irony is that the head wind started to kick up as soon as I entered Moore County.
The end of the day came in Aberdeen and I was cooked. The last 3 miles took so long that my mind was playing ticks on me. I kept thinking it was around the next corner, but when I went around each corner and did not find a town my moral dropped further and further. The only thing that brought it up was knowing that I was going to be enjoying some ice cream in about 2 hours. All in all a very satisfying day.
Trip Distance: 196km
Ride Time: 8:56hr
Avg. Speed: 21.99km/h
Total Distance: 10393km
Total Ride Time: 487hr
Destination: Aberdeen, North Carolina
Friday, September 3, 2010
Tour Day 70 A New State and a New Language Sept 3 2010
One quote has rung through my head this entire trip. It is from a little known film called 180 south, “You learn that what is important how you got there not what you have accomplished”. I know it is not the time to reflect yet but it is hard not to when how I got to this point has been so amazing.
Anyways back to the day. Today was the first day in 3 days that my shoulder has not hurt. You might ask “Evan why was you shoulder hurting”? Well stranger that asks the questions that I was think I crashed back in Washington. It was another brain not communicating with body move. I was at a stoplight slowing down to a crawl. The light then turned green so I should have started moving. Well I didn’t and right there in front of a crowd of strangers I fall over with the bike in the middle of the road. It was not bad it was just embarrassing as all heck. It also put the last nail into my handlebar tape.
So today when I was just starting my ride at 6:20 it was still dark because of the black clouds. Thinking I was smart I turned on all my lights and rode on the shoulder. Well the should had a nice sharp rock that was unavoidable. I hit it and think no hissing great start to the day. I get 300 feet up the road and it then starts to leak. There I am its already 78 degrees outside, it is raining, and I now have a flat. Luckily there was a patio near by that served as my shelter while I changed the flat. Even better it was a front flat so it was easy. The only tick off was when I was working on the wheel the bike fell over and my new bar tape got all mangled. It was so comfy, nice raised edges in a perfect spiral. It is the simple things that make me happy. Now that bar tape had to be fixed with none other then electricians tape.
So I was back on the road and still somehow on time. I had no idea where I was going to end up today, or what the weather was going to be like because as it turned out the hurricane was super lame. The weather for the morning was nice it hovered around 86 with an overcast sky. Finally a climate similar to my igloo back in Canada.
After stopping at a gas station to look at a better map to make sure highway 1 did not merge into the interstate as my map showed the weather changed… again. The clouds all disappeared and it started to get hot. I could feel I was slowing down. It was not the heat but rather the humidity that killed me today. Because it rained last night as soon as the clouds disappeared everything blew up.
Lunch came in a small town called south hill just before you go into North Carolina. I asked an officer where a good place to eat was. He gave me an answer that I could not understand. It was as if some home had turned of the accent switch today. Thinking it was bad luck I asked someone else and it was more of the same. The second I knew that I was in the south was when I heard my first “y’all” at a local gas bar.
Lunch was the best Chinese buffet ever. For 6 buck it was all you can eat, and this place had it all. From bacon covered scallops, to various sushi rolls (even though that’s Japanese ill let it slide), and even a desert line to die for. Even better was the music selection. The manager was this young Asian guy with a passion for rap so the entire lunch was filled with uncensored rap music. I found it all right but I can only imagine what the other patron where thinking as multiple f bombs in a row were dropped.
After using the smallest bathroom ever I was back on the road. When I say small I mean my knees were hitting the sink, and the sink was so close I had to lean at a 28-degree angle just to get by.
Welcome to North Carolina. The land of hot weather and peaceful roads. Today was the first day in roughly 1.5 weeks that I have had a chance to take up some space on the road and not have white knuckle the bike every minute. It was also the first time in about that same time that I got some honks which is always a good indication of the type of people you are going to be dealing with. These facts have me excited for the south.
Because it was another 100 degree plus day with humidity I was moteling it because there was not way I was going to be able to sleep in that heat without sweating like a beaver. In Henderson I stopped. I had three motels to choose from. The first had no space. The second was more expensive for a single then the other was for a double. The third and final one was the last choice because it looked by far the worst. It had space and it was cheap. That ticked pretty much my only two criteria. I must say my expectations were low for this place… until I opened my door. For 40 bucks a night I get a queen sized bed, a huge space that I will never use, a full bath, and counter that has two sinks covered in some rock of a sort. I want to say its marble but it probably is not because lets face it, it is a motel in Henderson.
Trip Distance: 168km
Ride Time: 8:14hr
Avg. Speed: 20.39km/h
Total Distance: 10196km
Total Ride Time: 478hr
Destination: Henderson, North Carolina
Anyways back to the day. Today was the first day in 3 days that my shoulder has not hurt. You might ask “Evan why was you shoulder hurting”? Well stranger that asks the questions that I was think I crashed back in Washington. It was another brain not communicating with body move. I was at a stoplight slowing down to a crawl. The light then turned green so I should have started moving. Well I didn’t and right there in front of a crowd of strangers I fall over with the bike in the middle of the road. It was not bad it was just embarrassing as all heck. It also put the last nail into my handlebar tape.
So today when I was just starting my ride at 6:20 it was still dark because of the black clouds. Thinking I was smart I turned on all my lights and rode on the shoulder. Well the should had a nice sharp rock that was unavoidable. I hit it and think no hissing great start to the day. I get 300 feet up the road and it then starts to leak. There I am its already 78 degrees outside, it is raining, and I now have a flat. Luckily there was a patio near by that served as my shelter while I changed the flat. Even better it was a front flat so it was easy. The only tick off was when I was working on the wheel the bike fell over and my new bar tape got all mangled. It was so comfy, nice raised edges in a perfect spiral. It is the simple things that make me happy. Now that bar tape had to be fixed with none other then electricians tape.
So I was back on the road and still somehow on time. I had no idea where I was going to end up today, or what the weather was going to be like because as it turned out the hurricane was super lame. The weather for the morning was nice it hovered around 86 with an overcast sky. Finally a climate similar to my igloo back in Canada.
After stopping at a gas station to look at a better map to make sure highway 1 did not merge into the interstate as my map showed the weather changed… again. The clouds all disappeared and it started to get hot. I could feel I was slowing down. It was not the heat but rather the humidity that killed me today. Because it rained last night as soon as the clouds disappeared everything blew up.
Lunch came in a small town called south hill just before you go into North Carolina. I asked an officer where a good place to eat was. He gave me an answer that I could not understand. It was as if some home had turned of the accent switch today. Thinking it was bad luck I asked someone else and it was more of the same. The second I knew that I was in the south was when I heard my first “y’all” at a local gas bar.
Lunch was the best Chinese buffet ever. For 6 buck it was all you can eat, and this place had it all. From bacon covered scallops, to various sushi rolls (even though that’s Japanese ill let it slide), and even a desert line to die for. Even better was the music selection. The manager was this young Asian guy with a passion for rap so the entire lunch was filled with uncensored rap music. I found it all right but I can only imagine what the other patron where thinking as multiple f bombs in a row were dropped.
After using the smallest bathroom ever I was back on the road. When I say small I mean my knees were hitting the sink, and the sink was so close I had to lean at a 28-degree angle just to get by.
Welcome to North Carolina. The land of hot weather and peaceful roads. Today was the first day in roughly 1.5 weeks that I have had a chance to take up some space on the road and not have white knuckle the bike every minute. It was also the first time in about that same time that I got some honks which is always a good indication of the type of people you are going to be dealing with. These facts have me excited for the south.
Because it was another 100 degree plus day with humidity I was moteling it because there was not way I was going to be able to sleep in that heat without sweating like a beaver. In Henderson I stopped. I had three motels to choose from. The first had no space. The second was more expensive for a single then the other was for a double. The third and final one was the last choice because it looked by far the worst. It had space and it was cheap. That ticked pretty much my only two criteria. I must say my expectations were low for this place… until I opened my door. For 40 bucks a night I get a queen sized bed, a huge space that I will never use, a full bath, and counter that has two sinks covered in some rock of a sort. I want to say its marble but it probably is not because lets face it, it is a motel in Henderson.
Trip Distance: 168km
Ride Time: 8:14hr
Avg. Speed: 20.39km/h
Total Distance: 10196km
Total Ride Time: 478hr
Destination: Henderson, North Carolina
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Tour Day 69 A Broken Wheel Over 10000km Sept 2 2010
This morning’s ride was fairly uneventful. I was turning over the pedals and was right on track for a good day even with the hurricanes winds building. About the only hiccup came when I was 10km down the road when I realized that I forgot to reset my computer. Just as I was resetting the computer I hit another hug pothole. Thinking nothing of it I kept riding.
At the pit stop before lunch I went to pay for my ticket over the phone. After being on hold for 40 mins I finally got fed up and hung up the phone. This ticket is really becoming a pain in my neck. The only option I have now is to mail it in. In order to do so I have to get a money order? I have never done that before so I must hunt down a place to get one.
When I got back on the road I noticed my rear brake was rubbing. I loosen my barrel adjuster but still it was rubbing. I then realized that that pothole had really done some damage to my rear wheel. So that I did not continue to slow myself down I simply unhooked my rear brake and kept on riding.
Right away I felt better. The bike was running light because I had 0 food, and only the water in my bottles (when I usually carry 3 litres of backup). I saw my speed jump up almost as quickly as the heat did. Speaking of the heat it was a little better today because of the upcoming hurricane. Fortunately it pushed some clouds my way. As well as a nice headwind but I will take that over scorching heat any day.
With everything going strangely well I made my way into Richmond. In Richmond I promptly got lost. I asked a police officer which way to go. He surprised me when he said that he would give me a police escort to where I needed to go.
Richmond is a strange place. The only non sketchy part of the town was at the nascar race track. I will describe the rest of it with one statement. You know you are in Richmond when the pizza delivery car is a Cadillac rolling on dubs. For some reason I don’t think he is just delivering pizzas.
When I got into my motel (because of the hurricane) the first thing I did was check my rear wheel. Before I go any further let me just say mavic wheels are by a country mile the best wheels and rims you can ride. In my case I have a cracked rim in 2 places but after truing my rear wheel and tensioning it up (which should not be able to happen when you have that damaged of a rim). But it still is working. I am not sure for how much longer but we will see.
Trip Distance: 163km
Ride Time: 8:01hr
Avg. Speed: 20.35km/h
Total Distance: 10028km
Total Ride Time: 470hr
Destination: Chester, Virginia
At the pit stop before lunch I went to pay for my ticket over the phone. After being on hold for 40 mins I finally got fed up and hung up the phone. This ticket is really becoming a pain in my neck. The only option I have now is to mail it in. In order to do so I have to get a money order? I have never done that before so I must hunt down a place to get one.
When I got back on the road I noticed my rear brake was rubbing. I loosen my barrel adjuster but still it was rubbing. I then realized that that pothole had really done some damage to my rear wheel. So that I did not continue to slow myself down I simply unhooked my rear brake and kept on riding.
Right away I felt better. The bike was running light because I had 0 food, and only the water in my bottles (when I usually carry 3 litres of backup). I saw my speed jump up almost as quickly as the heat did. Speaking of the heat it was a little better today because of the upcoming hurricane. Fortunately it pushed some clouds my way. As well as a nice headwind but I will take that over scorching heat any day.
With everything going strangely well I made my way into Richmond. In Richmond I promptly got lost. I asked a police officer which way to go. He surprised me when he said that he would give me a police escort to where I needed to go.
Richmond is a strange place. The only non sketchy part of the town was at the nascar race track. I will describe the rest of it with one statement. You know you are in Richmond when the pizza delivery car is a Cadillac rolling on dubs. For some reason I don’t think he is just delivering pizzas.
When I got into my motel (because of the hurricane) the first thing I did was check my rear wheel. Before I go any further let me just say mavic wheels are by a country mile the best wheels and rims you can ride. In my case I have a cracked rim in 2 places but after truing my rear wheel and tensioning it up (which should not be able to happen when you have that damaged of a rim). But it still is working. I am not sure for how much longer but we will see.
Trip Distance: 163km
Ride Time: 8:01hr
Avg. Speed: 20.35km/h
Total Distance: 10028km
Total Ride Time: 470hr
Destination: Chester, Virginia
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tour Day 68 Hot Weather and a Big Choice Sept 1 2010
I am going to talk about the motel I stayed at last night for a second. When I asked people where the cheapest place to stay was they all had the same answer. The bestway motel, which was right along my route. Now the lady who I dealt with was very kind but as soon as I walked into my room I felt as if someone was going to come in and stab me in the chest. Maybe it was the all-wood décor that was aged in a deep red, maybe it was the red (almost blood looking) stains in the sink, or maybe it was just my mind acting up. In the end I slept and woke up that’s all that counts.
My feelings in the morning were only reinforced by the sign that had a single flickering letter in that classic 80’s style neon. It really summarized Baltimore in one building.
I was going down the road and was enjoying the nice warm morning air when 4km into the ride I hear “pshhhhhhhhhhhh”. Great a flat. Even better a rear flat so I have to take everything off to fix it. So I take the tube out check the rim and time. Nothing was in them so I inflated the new tube. Wouldn’t you guess it another flat. So I find this super tiny piece of something and pull it out while I install my other new tube. The tire would not go on so I had to reef on it to get the bead to lock. Inflate and nothing. Pinched tube. Awesome so I am on my last tube and am praying that it goes well. Thankfully it was all-good and I was back on the road. I kept the two tubes because I wanted to patch them, but when I tried to patch the glue would not hold. So note to self specialized tube blow, axiom tube are tough.
When I got back to riding I was 30mins behind so it was my goal to make up that time before Washington. I constantly checked my times and was closing the gap. Finally I hit my goal right as I got into traffic. It was the morning rush entering the city so I was screwed. Luckily Washington is beautiful. It was the first U.S. city that I wanted to explore more of, which I did. After finding a bike shop to get some new tubes and bar tape (because mine smells like an old mans house I went off to see what the city had to offer. I didn’t look at my map or ever ask where attractions were they just popped up everywhere.
I saw everything by accident by we will still count it. I think the coolest experience was right after walking out of a huge military graveyard seeing the presidential motorcade come out of the Whitehouse. It gave me Goosebumps and chills as I stood there knowing the world’s most powerful man was 100feet away.
The other funny thing was at the pentagon they have these gated parking lots but within this gated parking lot that is guarded a vehicle had a boot on it. So that means that they ran the plate it popped up they then called for permission to get in. The booted it. Now getting a tow truck is going to suck for that guy because he is screwed.
It was at this point that it was nearing 100 degrees again and my body started to shut down. I have to say the unrelenting heat is as bad to ride in as the rain. It just zaps your body. I decided to shut the ride down early because my tourist times had put me behind schedule majorly and I had some personal stuff to catch up on anyways.
It has been a nice relaxing night that is well needed. I got to talk with some friends and family while doing my day-to-day chores. One thing I have said to everyone I meet is that I thought this whole thing would be so freeing but really I am more anal about chores, and timing here then I ever was at home.
In other news I have come to a conclusion about life when I get home. I am 100% going to join the military in some way when I get back. It is a great life choice, and will teach me a lot of transferable skills. I believe I will start off in the reserves and get my basic training out of the way so that when if I do decided to join I will not have to jump the extra hurdle. What pushed me to this conclusion is the trip itself. As much as it’s nice to be a free sprit and do what I want on my own time. It is equally as nice to have someone tell you what to do.
Trip Distance: 105km
Ride Time: 5:30hr
Avg. Speed: 19.17km/h
Total Distance: 9861km
Total Ride Time: 462hr
Destination: Woodbridge, Virginia
My feelings in the morning were only reinforced by the sign that had a single flickering letter in that classic 80’s style neon. It really summarized Baltimore in one building.
I was going down the road and was enjoying the nice warm morning air when 4km into the ride I hear “pshhhhhhhhhhhh”. Great a flat. Even better a rear flat so I have to take everything off to fix it. So I take the tube out check the rim and time. Nothing was in them so I inflated the new tube. Wouldn’t you guess it another flat. So I find this super tiny piece of something and pull it out while I install my other new tube. The tire would not go on so I had to reef on it to get the bead to lock. Inflate and nothing. Pinched tube. Awesome so I am on my last tube and am praying that it goes well. Thankfully it was all-good and I was back on the road. I kept the two tubes because I wanted to patch them, but when I tried to patch the glue would not hold. So note to self specialized tube blow, axiom tube are tough.
When I got back to riding I was 30mins behind so it was my goal to make up that time before Washington. I constantly checked my times and was closing the gap. Finally I hit my goal right as I got into traffic. It was the morning rush entering the city so I was screwed. Luckily Washington is beautiful. It was the first U.S. city that I wanted to explore more of, which I did. After finding a bike shop to get some new tubes and bar tape (because mine smells like an old mans house I went off to see what the city had to offer. I didn’t look at my map or ever ask where attractions were they just popped up everywhere.
I saw everything by accident by we will still count it. I think the coolest experience was right after walking out of a huge military graveyard seeing the presidential motorcade come out of the Whitehouse. It gave me Goosebumps and chills as I stood there knowing the world’s most powerful man was 100feet away.
The other funny thing was at the pentagon they have these gated parking lots but within this gated parking lot that is guarded a vehicle had a boot on it. So that means that they ran the plate it popped up they then called for permission to get in. The booted it. Now getting a tow truck is going to suck for that guy because he is screwed.
It was at this point that it was nearing 100 degrees again and my body started to shut down. I have to say the unrelenting heat is as bad to ride in as the rain. It just zaps your body. I decided to shut the ride down early because my tourist times had put me behind schedule majorly and I had some personal stuff to catch up on anyways.
It has been a nice relaxing night that is well needed. I got to talk with some friends and family while doing my day-to-day chores. One thing I have said to everyone I meet is that I thought this whole thing would be so freeing but really I am more anal about chores, and timing here then I ever was at home.
In other news I have come to a conclusion about life when I get home. I am 100% going to join the military in some way when I get back. It is a great life choice, and will teach me a lot of transferable skills. I believe I will start off in the reserves and get my basic training out of the way so that when if I do decided to join I will not have to jump the extra hurdle. What pushed me to this conclusion is the trip itself. As much as it’s nice to be a free sprit and do what I want on my own time. It is equally as nice to have someone tell you what to do.
Trip Distance: 105km
Ride Time: 5:30hr
Avg. Speed: 19.17km/h
Total Distance: 9861km
Total Ride Time: 462hr
Destination: Woodbridge, Virginia
Tour Day 67 Baltimore the Shanty Town With A Brewery Aug 31 2010
I usually start my day off with my jacket on until I warm up. Today that was not needed because as soon as I got out the door at 6 am it was already warm. To the point that on the first of many hills I was already sweating.
Thinking back to yesterday I was smarter with my hydration. Instead of cramming once I was thirsty I drank consistently.
It was hard to focus on anything else except the heat. When I was not thinking about how lubricated my skin was I was thinking about scaling back my effort level so that I did not sweat any more.
Trying to distract myself I plugged in my single ear bud. This did not help much because I was only hearing half the song. In the case of the temptations song papa was a rolling stone I only heard the back up singer and I was forced to fill in as lead. It was at that moment I realized my singing voice is like that of an elderly cat throwing up a hairball after eating some tuna. If you have never heard that before just ask me to sing next time you see me.
Before lunch I decided to bite the bullet and get some new headphones at radio shack. Now radio shack has ties with trek bikes. At first I did not realize why trek partnered with radio shack because I always though of radio shack as that crummy store in the bottom of our local mall that no one went into. Now that I am in the states I realize why this bond formed. They treated me very well, gave me good information, and the great quality product where presented in a way that was very easy to shop. Those are three things that trek really focuses on as a company.
Speaking of bikes I was thinking about a few amazing ideas for the past few days. The first is of my dream to own a U.S. postal truck. It would make the perfect support truck. I mean it has lots of space for its small size, good gas mileage, and it has shelves in it already for spare parts or hooks to hang bikes. Now you are asking yourself “a plain white us postal truck”? No! Lower it 1 or 2 inches, do a plus 1 on the wheels and tires with some simple steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps. The truck itself would be flat black with green accent pieces and green steel wheels. The other mod would be take the ugly square headlights out and put in some headlights off a vw bus or something that has large round headlights.
That aside my other idea is actually a serious one. Through my trip I have run into a bunch of other bike tourists. Most of which bought old road bikes and converted them over to touring bikes. Now the usual price of this is around $500 and at the end of it you are left with a bike you will never touch again, or you have thrown out because it has caused so many flats or had to many broken parts. What I was thinking was start about rentals. Everyone rents cruisers for the seawall but not one store offers a rental-touring bike. Think about it you rent it out for lets say $100 a month plus parts. Most tour for 2 months so boom you are set. Touring bikes don’t change for year so your rental bikes never get outdated you just have to make sure that they are kept up to snuff.
Back to the riding today. After lunch I felt like Popeye because I ate a whole lot of beans for lunch. That was un till I stepped outside and was hit by a wave of heat. I have never experienced a wave of heat before in this manner. It was a gross feeling that made me want to pedal more because at least I would keep the warm air moving.
After 12 litres of water I was in Baltimore. I don’t know how I do this but somehow in every big city I manage to go through the projects. Baltimore was no exception. In fact it was the worst I have seen yet. In one case an entire city block of building was boarded up. It was a very moving thing actually. I can’t explain what feelings were I could simply say it was a picturesque moment. The projects are also a thrill because there is always crazy stuff going on. In today’s case I saw a guy pulling a huge wheelie down the highway fallowed by a kids playing a game of basketball in the middle of the road with no hoop.
By this point it was 5pm and I was not willing to risk my bike in the backyard of a sketch home. So I stopped to ask an officer about camping and again I get laughed at and told that there is nothing for about 50miles. So again I was forced to check into a sketch motel. I don’t like this. I like tent. I like meeting new people. Most of all I like living the simple life. I have grown to enjoy natural light not one that flick on.
Trip Distance: 168km
Ride Time: 8:54hr
Avg. Speed: 18.86km/h
Total Distance: 9755km
Total Ride Time: 456hr
Destination: Baltimore, Mayfield
Thinking back to yesterday I was smarter with my hydration. Instead of cramming once I was thirsty I drank consistently.
It was hard to focus on anything else except the heat. When I was not thinking about how lubricated my skin was I was thinking about scaling back my effort level so that I did not sweat any more.
Trying to distract myself I plugged in my single ear bud. This did not help much because I was only hearing half the song. In the case of the temptations song papa was a rolling stone I only heard the back up singer and I was forced to fill in as lead. It was at that moment I realized my singing voice is like that of an elderly cat throwing up a hairball after eating some tuna. If you have never heard that before just ask me to sing next time you see me.
Before lunch I decided to bite the bullet and get some new headphones at radio shack. Now radio shack has ties with trek bikes. At first I did not realize why trek partnered with radio shack because I always though of radio shack as that crummy store in the bottom of our local mall that no one went into. Now that I am in the states I realize why this bond formed. They treated me very well, gave me good information, and the great quality product where presented in a way that was very easy to shop. Those are three things that trek really focuses on as a company.
Speaking of bikes I was thinking about a few amazing ideas for the past few days. The first is of my dream to own a U.S. postal truck. It would make the perfect support truck. I mean it has lots of space for its small size, good gas mileage, and it has shelves in it already for spare parts or hooks to hang bikes. Now you are asking yourself “a plain white us postal truck”? No! Lower it 1 or 2 inches, do a plus 1 on the wheels and tires with some simple steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps. The truck itself would be flat black with green accent pieces and green steel wheels. The other mod would be take the ugly square headlights out and put in some headlights off a vw bus or something that has large round headlights.
That aside my other idea is actually a serious one. Through my trip I have run into a bunch of other bike tourists. Most of which bought old road bikes and converted them over to touring bikes. Now the usual price of this is around $500 and at the end of it you are left with a bike you will never touch again, or you have thrown out because it has caused so many flats or had to many broken parts. What I was thinking was start about rentals. Everyone rents cruisers for the seawall but not one store offers a rental-touring bike. Think about it you rent it out for lets say $100 a month plus parts. Most tour for 2 months so boom you are set. Touring bikes don’t change for year so your rental bikes never get outdated you just have to make sure that they are kept up to snuff.
Back to the riding today. After lunch I felt like Popeye because I ate a whole lot of beans for lunch. That was un till I stepped outside and was hit by a wave of heat. I have never experienced a wave of heat before in this manner. It was a gross feeling that made me want to pedal more because at least I would keep the warm air moving.
After 12 litres of water I was in Baltimore. I don’t know how I do this but somehow in every big city I manage to go through the projects. Baltimore was no exception. In fact it was the worst I have seen yet. In one case an entire city block of building was boarded up. It was a very moving thing actually. I can’t explain what feelings were I could simply say it was a picturesque moment. The projects are also a thrill because there is always crazy stuff going on. In today’s case I saw a guy pulling a huge wheelie down the highway fallowed by a kids playing a game of basketball in the middle of the road with no hoop.
By this point it was 5pm and I was not willing to risk my bike in the backyard of a sketch home. So I stopped to ask an officer about camping and again I get laughed at and told that there is nothing for about 50miles. So again I was forced to check into a sketch motel. I don’t like this. I like tent. I like meeting new people. Most of all I like living the simple life. I have grown to enjoy natural light not one that flick on.
Trip Distance: 168km
Ride Time: 8:54hr
Avg. Speed: 18.86km/h
Total Distance: 9755km
Total Ride Time: 456hr
Destination: Baltimore, Mayfield
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