Still planning

I'm still planning on leaving Los Angeles mid-February 2015, but there are so many things to do.  It's weird how disconnected I already feel from material possessions - well, to a point.  I've been wondering what to do with my semi-vast collection of DVDs.  Now, I know logically that they just sit there collecting dust and that I rarely take them out to watch.  I can't figure out how to load them permanently onto my computer like I do with my CDs through iTunes, and even if I could do that, they would take up so much space that I likely don't even have room for but a few.  My laptop's hard drive doesn't have terabytes. I'm still in the world of gigabytes measured in the low hundreds.

So I really need to look at what DVDs I have that I really don't have a strong preference to keep forever, and those that I don't want to part with.  Then comes the question of what to do with that bulk that remains.  Solution:  get rid of the clamshell cases and put them in one of these:

This little beauty came off of eBay and sells for $3.99 with   free shipping - and it holds 40 CD/DVDs in the space of less than 3 clam shell cases.  That means parting with the cases and the artwork and just having the DVDs.  But that's all that's needed anyhow, right?  Sure the clam shells are nice and the artwork is great, but what space wasters.  I certainly don't have space for them on the bike, nor do I care to put them into storage.  However, I do have space on the bike for a few of these cases!  I'm sure I can find someone on Freecycle to take all the clam shell cases.  Now I just have to go through my collection and see what is really worth saving.  For sure all the Star Wars, Matrix and Lord of the Rings movies - plus all the bonus CDs.  However, I will not be taking any of my ST:TNG since every episode is available on Netflix, as are all the episodes of ST:Voyager.  All those will be sold off.  I could never, however, leave my cycling movies behind - Bicycle Dreams, Race Across America, Ride the Divide, The Flying Scotsman, and the like.  I'll take the best to me and the rest I will give away  I don't think I will need more than 2-3 of these.

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Every day is prep for 2015 bike journey

So it seems like every time I go to the grocery store, a good portion of what I spend is going towards my 2015 trip, and every large cookie order I make, I wonder what large ticket item I can tick off my list of things to buy.

Yesterday on Ebay I bought a couple of small ticket items, including a camp mess kit and also a rain cover that goes over the rear and top panniers.  Then when I went to the grocery store I picked up Chapstick (2) that's SPF 30.  I saw these in the store and almost picked them up until I noticed the expiration date was too soon.   However, I may pick them up closer to the time.  I like them because of the pouch design which means less weight than a can.  I really don't want to take canned things.  Talk about weight on the bike!!!  Uncle Bens also makes some ready rice packages, and anything that will help with saving time on cooking after a long day on the open road will be greatly appreciated. 

I've heard the recommendation of making tortilla rolls filled with peanut butter and honey.  I don't have the honey (yet but will get raw organic) but I have picked up some of the Jif-to-go individual servings (come 8 to a pack for about $3), and I found one called Chocolate Silk - a blend of peanut butter and chocolate flavoring.  So I spread that on a tortilla, and it was tasty for sure, more like a dessert.  Definitely will be using those Jif-to-go/tortillas on the road for snacks and quick fuel.

I will also be making my own granola-type bars.  Thankfully working in a Christian camp kitchen for two years led me to collaborate with the head cook on a camp book that included all the recipes (this book is not available for purchase - only a few copies were ever made).  I am very happy to share these recipes and maybe even make a video or two on them.  There is absolutely no reason to ever purchase any type of energy bar or granola bar thingie.  Very easy to make even for the person who is certain they can't cook.

Feasibility of taking bike and dog overseas

So I'm trying to figure out the feasibility issue of taking the bike and the dog overseas.  I am thinking of flying from the east coast, possibly Raleigh, to Paris with the bike.  If the dog is alive, that means I take her trailer as well so that means packing that up, packing up the bike PLUS all the panniers and their contents.  Well, I could ship an empty suitcase ahead for the panniers and stuff.  Then I have to have something for the dog as well, and she's small enough that she could probably ride in the plane with me, if I give her something to make her sleep the whole time.  It's all very complicated.  I'm not saying it can't be done, but it's complicated.  Even without the dog, however, I would still have a trailer of some sort.  Although I don't see a need for the trailer in Europe, I have to take it because if everything goes according to the dream wish trip, I won't be returning to Raleigh but to Halifax, and I'll need it as I'm touring down.

Everything would be a little bit easier if the dog weren't still living, but she's 14-16 years old and still thriving with no physical signs of slowing down except her blindness.

When I was looking at the maps today, I was thinking maybe I could take a few days while in France to cycle up to Belgium and the Netherlands.  I mean, heck, they're right there and within easy reach!!!  Since I am hoping to get to the east coast around May 1, I could easily spend 2 weeks in France before crossing the Channel and heading to Scotland and the big bike adventure there.

I'll need to go to my bike shop and talk to them about disassembling and reassembling the bike for transport.  I'll need training to feel VERY confident in that.  I can remove the wheels but that's about it.  It's the derailleur that has me the most concerned.  I also need to make sure I have the correct tools for disassembling the bike.  I know I don't have the right tool for removing the pedals.  Plus the bike will have racks in the front and back that will have to be removed.  I will have to send the bike shipping case ahead too, and it will have to stay with someone in London, as will the suitcase once I have traveled there.  Once I reach Halifax, I guess I will just ship the suitcase and the bike case to someone in my family since carrying them with me on my bike will not be possible.  It's a lot to think about for sure.

Just thinking out loud.

The dream just gets bigger....

So here's my crazy thinking on my bike tour in 2015.  Keep in mind, I may choose not to come back to Los Angeles ever.  So, Los Angeles to North Carolina via a southern route.  Should take 2-3 months.  Then fly with bike to Paris, France to visit friend.  I don't have a desire specifically to bike France although I would do a little there, but my time there will be short.  I'll visit with my friend, then go by train to the south of France near Saint Tropez to visit a little place, and then back to Paris.  From there I'll either fly to Scotland or take a train.  I'll take the ferries to the Shetlands and the Orkneys, bike them, then head south from the northern coast of Scotland and bike to the southern coast of England, weaving through Wales a little too.  I hope to connect with some of my Youtube friends there as well as do some Breeze rides on the weekends, meeting up with other women cyclists.  From London I'll fly back to the USA maybe - or perhaps I'll fly to Nova Scotia, bike that, then head south.  By the time I get done with Britain it should be mid-summer, so if I go to Nova Scotia and start working my way south, I should have time to get far enough south that I miss any early winter weather.  I will be heading to the Florida Keys where I will probably be wintering.  Yes, I know it'll be hurricane season much of the way down Florida, but quite frankly, that's something I've always wanted to experience too.  I would like to cycle Cuba.  Perhaps that would be a possibility for the winter months.  I'd have to fly there from Miami as there is an embargo against sea travel to Cuba.

I don't know how my bike will pack.  I have to talk to my guys at I Martin Imports about it, and I'll have to figure out what that expense will be.

The biggest wildcard will be my dog.  If she is still living, I will take her with me across the USA but then European stuff is out of the question for me. 

Thinking the impossible

How strange it is for me to be so consumed with the thought of getting on my bike and not looking back.  I almost can't sleep at night.  Even last night at about 3:00 a.m. I did research on my iphone on how to approach corporate sponsors.  I've stayed up late looking at maps, getting down to the street level to see what exactly the situation is for a bike.  Sometimes I don't like what I find, but most of the time everything seems fine.  I study the towns.  How far can I go when towing a trailer?  Can I do an 87+ mile day with a trailer over some stretches of desert?  Can I then get up the next day, especially if I have been camping, and do it again?  I'm hoping not to camp too often, but when I do, how difficult will it be for my body to get back on the bike?

Stupid little thoughts nag me - like what do I do when I need to pee and I'm in the middle of nowhere?  The only thing I can sort of think of is to have a tarp somewhat handy to give me a little privacy.  When I rode to the beach with a friend recently on a 30-mile outing, she didn't pee the whole time.  She wouldn't use a public restroom.  My bladder doesn't give me that option.  I have to pee every few hours period, and I can't afford to be too choosy.

I was reading over Steve Garufi's log of his 2011 cross country trip, and I'll probably follow part of it, but the Alamagordo to Cloudcroft section has me nervous.  It's 22 miles up uphill only and an altitude gain of 5000 feet.  I guess if worse came to worse I'd just stop as often as I needed to in order to catch my breath.  After all, I'll be towing a trailer which will be constantly wanting me to go backwards!  I think I'll be all right.  That may for sure be one night when I opt for a hotel room to give myself some recovery time.  Because I am not very good with hills even without a trailer.  My lungs just give out pretty quick.  Maybe it's just that L.A. has such steep hills if you want to do hills at all.  So I'll just do it as best as I can because I'll have to get over the ridge somehow.  From there I'll follow his trail to Snyder, TX, but after that I will head a different direction since I'll stop to visit my sister in Granbury.  Then I'll head down to San Antonio and New Braunfels before turning north and then to the east.

Today on the way home from work I came to a 4-way stop and was signalling that I would turn left.  I didn't feel good about signalling because for some reason I didn't feel balanced, and when I let go to signal, I indeed lost my balance.  I was coming to a stop anyhow, and I try to step out of the fall, but my pants were catching on the pedal, and I was tangled, so down I went.  It was a soft fall.  I didn't even lose skin although I think both knees have some bruising.  Try as I might I couldn't get up for being tangled, and that's when I felt helping hands.  The woman in the van behind me got out and was helping me up, and by the time I did get up another man had pulled his car over and had come to offer help.  I was only slightly shaken by it.  That's my 2nd fall at a stop, but I have had a couple of close calls. Nothing like getting your heart pumping!

My new bike pump came today.  It will be so much better that the skinny little hand pumps and the large floor pump I currently have.  It weighs no more than 2 lbs, and I know that every pound counts, but I'd rather have a really good pump that will get me going faster than to have a dinky hand pump that won't help me.  Either that or I just had the worst hand pump ever. 

Gathering info

Thursday on the way home from work I stopped by I. Martin Imports to speak with my favorite bike mechanic, Ryan, about what modifications can be made to my bike.  First off I wanted to know if I could have a front pannier rack put on the bike.  He said that because I have a front suspension fork, it isn't likely but that he was going to check around and see what was out there.  He said if I had a stiff fork it wouldn't be a problem.  I'm not sure I want to change out forks, and having a front pannier rack isn't critical to me anyhow because I don't like extra weight on the front tire.  For example, when I have hung groceries off the handlebars, I never liked how heavy that made the front of the bike.  So, it isn't a deal breaker for me one way or the other.

I'm sort of wondering if I bought the right sized tent or if it's too small.  It hasn't even arrived yet and I'm having doubts.  Why?  Because even though I bought a 2-person tent, and it's 5x7, that may be fine for sleeping but not for living, and I may want more living space, a little a home, since it may be a home.  Yes, extra weight on the bike or in the trailer is an issue, but so is comfortable living space. Yes, I'll be touring a lot and staying some with other folks, at least whenever I can, but for those times when I might just want to hunker down in a tent for a few days and rest or camp, I don't want to feel like I am in a coffin.  I suppose that if i decide it's too small, I'll just resell on on Ebay and order another one.

Here's the new pump I got  It will do up to 100 psi, and since I only need 80, it's more than plenty.  It will also fit nicely in my top pannier - and I'll feel so much better on the road with it than one of those cheesy hand pumps.  Seriously, I don't know if I bought my hand pump from a store or it came off of Ebay, but it's completely worthless.  That's why I had to find something more sturdy and reliable.  Plus this is a foot pump, so the upper body won't get exhausted trying to get the pressure right - and it will be faster!  Leg muscles are so much stronger than arm muscles.

This is another thing I bought for my trip.  It might seem ridiculous, but I do like having eggs, and if I'm going to be camping, I need to have a way to keep them from getting smashed.  I actually hope to find some fresh fresh fresh eggs along the way, maybe some farmers markets or roadside stands, but I guess I'm not expecting to find many of those in the desert.  Perhaps once I get more into farm country.  However, I hope to get fresh veggies and fruits as often as I can.  4-6 eggs in the morning, however, can really start my stomach off right - fills me up and I don't get hungry for a long, long time.  I don't plan to keep it filled, but I do plan to have it.

I've got so many things marked on Ebay to watch right now, things that will be useful on the journey.  I still haven't decided on a proper camp stove.  I don't want something totally flimsy but I also don't want something that requires pressurized fuel.  So I've been thinking more of a sterno stove.  Easy fuel source that isn't highly combustible.  Can be easily replaced, and from my experience with sterno, the little cans last quite a long time.

PLANNING FOR THE TRIP

I'm thinking of starting the trip in mid-February but certainly no later than March 1, so that's now less than two years away.  My mind is on it every moment... studying my routes already, working it out, looking at Google street views, looking at terrain and altitudes and how much climbing I have to do.

Another cyclist has suggested that I make my own MREs for the road.  It's different what I need to carry because I am camping vs. someone who stays in hotels each night.  That will not be in my budget at all.  Steve Garufi traveled light.  I don't want to travel heavy, but I do have all my camping gear to take plus some food.  I will try to get some fresh fruit down me every day.

Today while I was grocery shopping I looked with a keener eye towards some products that I could use to make MREs, so I picked up my first 4 packets of Starkist tuna.  Tuna combined with rice at night could be a good meal.  If I see a farmer's market or any little farm roadside stand, I will pick up a few things.  How cool it would be to get truly fresh eggs now and then.

I also picked up some pot scrubbers, and I have one set aside for eventual use.  I'll just get a small travel bottle and fill it with dish detergent.

I've been thinking that I might make some MREs and send them ahead to my sister in TX when the time comes.  That way i don't have to carry too much.  I'll make sure I have breakfast and dinner in the MREs and then fresher foods during the day for constant energy.

I plan on purchasing a Camelbak 100oz but don't plan on wearing it all the time.  Definitely will wear it on the very long days and long stretches of desert.  Otherwise not.  I will also carry a gallon of water besides what is in my water bottles, and it will be a priority to make sure that they are topped off at every opportunity.