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May 12. At home, wrapping up business and domestic matters while assembling clothes, camping gear, cameras, Pocket PC, etc. for two months on the road. Toughest choice for me (Craig) has been to decide which one other pair of shoes to bring beside my special bike shoes ... that are not meant for walking much. I've settled on an old pair of river runner sandals. Unless it snows in the Rockies, the open toes should be fine. I go barefoot most of the time anyway. I've opted to take 3 riding shirts, 2 riding shorts, a t-shirt and my favored Hawaiian shirt for off cycle wear, 3 pairs of socks and no longsleeve shirt or top other than windbreaker and raincoat. Sharon and I each purchased our own pair of exOfficio underwear...meant for travelers. They claim they will withstand 18 countries, 30 days without changing. We'll field test them thru 10 states, 4,000 + miles and nearly 60 days. Our cycling odyssey begins in Newport News, Virginia on Wednesday, May 16. We shipped our bikes ahead to Bike Beat (bike shop) for pre-assembly. The head mechanic there, Rod, advises they arrived without any visible signs of damage. Bike mechanic, Rod, said he just sent off a tandem team couple 5 days ahead of us ... but seemingly ill prepared for their 4 months following our same route. So we now have a quest ... to chase them down. From the bike shop, it is about a 15 mile ride to the Atlantic coast and our official westbound starting line at Yorktown, VA . We'll catch an all night flight from Seattle on Tuesday, 15th, so we don't waste daylight in the air ... and assures that we begin our 4,200 mile cycling journey already exhausted!
From East to West. A common question posed regards our reason for choosing to start on the east coast. Since everyone who flies across the country knows strong winds are blowing from the west. That may be true at 30,000 feet in the jetstream. But on the surface, it seems the wind will be in a bicyclist's face no matter which direction you travel. We have read many guide books and accounts of others. There doesn't seem to be enough of an advantage either way. It just depends on local conditions of the day. One important reason for going westward makes sense to us. It's easy to plan our one way flight arrangements to begin our journey, rather than at the end. Since we can not be sure how long it will take us. We just know we need to be home by July 11 so Sharon can fly out the next day to a family reunion in California...while Craig stays home to weed the garden! When we ride into our driveway, we are done...no need to hassle with airport transfers, boxing up our bikes, etc. Another reason is purely psychological. We want to bike to the barn. Saving wide open wild west til the end. Most of our 120,000 feet of climbing will be done in the first 3 weeks as we go through the rugged Appalachians. Not big mountains, just lots of steep ups and downs. It's not the hills that concern us. The onery dogs of eastern Kentucky humble even the bravest cycler, we've been told. Our route takes us through mostly rural roads...far away from any large cities. The largest town once we leave the east coast (Richmond, VA) will be Missoula, Montana. Training. Rod has been working hard to be cycling fit. Craig has maintained a steady routine, yet less rigorous. Sharon plans to get fit on the road. So we'll start out at an easy 60-70 miles per day pace. We know from past rides that Sharon will be very steady. She even savors steep hills, exclaiming at the top, "that was fun, I like it." Our Bikes Sharon and Craig have relatively new Trek 520 touring bikes. Rod has a new Cannondale touring model. Our bikes are beefy, not dainty racing machines. Ours are meant for rugged use and big loads ... not meant for speed. I expect my bike (Craig) to weigh about 70 pounds fully loaded with 4 panniers and handlebar bag, water bottles, etc. Then putting my arse aboard, my legs will be called on for heroic duty. We are taking tools and spare parts for repairs. Lodging We are carrying camping gear on our bikes. Most nights we will retire to tents, relying on a "lightweight" sleeping pad to buffer us from cold and protrusions. I'm betting the patch on my old sleeping pad will hold for 55 nights. If not, I'll be sharing Sharon's! Communications Craig & Sharon each have business obligations to track. Rod has just retired, so he comes on the journey relatively carefree. Craig is self-employed in a start-up enterprise, while Sharon is a salesperson who doesn't get paid without new orders. Craig purchased a Pocket PC that will be web/internet enabled ... IF he can get a signal. Sharon has a Blackberry. Otherwise we will look for libraries, phone booths, hospitality of new friends along the way to keep in-touch. It could be a hassle ... but essential. A Fund Raiser For Sudan. Please consider joining us in spirit by making a tax-deductible donation, entrusted to our local Rotary club. Next Report is From the Road!
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