Have Card, Will Travel

With less than 2 weeks to go before departure, we're putting the final touches on our trip prepartions. It's like Christmas Eve around the house in that we've completed our tasks, made our final preperations, and now all we can do is anxiously await for the arrival of the big day. It's lonely without BOB and Olga. Last we checked, they were somewhere east of Chicago enroute to Maine. If everything works according to plan (fingers crossed) they'll arrive safe and sound in Bar Harbor on Friday the 25th, reassembled, and we'll be reunited the following week.

We've been spending our time visiting with friends, putting up garden produce and getting the house ready for our "sitter". A friend of a friend will be living in our home for the months we are away, and it works out perfectly for all involved.

We've had so many people ask us about our journey and the blog that we decided to make a business card to hand out to folks we meet along the way. A copy of the card is below. Don't know if it's a good idea or not, but we'll see how it goes.

The View from Taiwan

Our dear friend Mei Mei who lives in Taipei sent this as a tribute to our trip. You can click on the picture to see a larger view. We like the 3 wheeled tandem, as well as the vegetables and fish hanging out the back. We hope that we have as much fun as the characters in her drawing.

Route Overview-Richmond VA to Boca Raton FLA

Riding Conditions

This section of the route is full of contrasts. We’ll be passing through forest and swamps, Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields, seacoast and villages. There are numerous wildlife refuges to see and hike through. Yet we’ll also be riding through some highly developed areas in Florida to which throngs of tourists flock and where many people have retired. This route can be ridden year-round, but the northern part can be quite cool in the winter, so we plan on getting to the Florida border no later than the first week of November.. Temperatures should be moderate, though beach riding will be tempered by ocean breezes. Due to changing local conditions, it is difficult to predict any major wind patterns. While there is some hill climbing upon leaving Richmond, Virginia, generally the terrain is either rolling or flat.

Route

Leaving Richmond, we'll head south through the farmlands of Virginia and encounter some swamps when crossing into North Carolina. There are two route options available for us in North Carolina. Weather permitting (after all, it will be hurricane season) we’ll ride the Outer Banks Alternate, giving us the special treat of biking along the sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. The winds can be strong (that's why the Wright Brothers flew their first plane there), and sand may blow onto the road. In the Outer Banks, there are two ferry rides, one of which is 2-1/4 hours long. After the Outer Banks, we'll ride through Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, biking by the "Tank Xing" signs. Heading southward, we'll cycle through the busy city of Wilmington, North Carolina, and take another ferry ride into Southport. From there, we'll pass through farmlands and swamps of South Carolina’s “low country”. We plan on taking the 34-mile spur into historic Charleston, SC for a few days of sightseeing and relaxation.

Heading into Georgia, we’ll encounter more farms and swamps. Another spur will take us into charming Savannah, which has one of the largest national historic landmark districts in the United States. The best swamp of all, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, is four miles off route. It is one of the largest and most primitive swamps remaining in the nation. There we should be able to see numerous alligators of all sizes, stroll on boardwalks over the marshes, and take a boat ride through the swamp. Crossing into Florida, we’ll ride by some timber plantations with signs indicating when the trees were harvested, replanted, and expect to be harvested again.

As we pedal further south, we'll skirt around the northeast corner of Jacksonville, Florida, and begin to see the waterfront homes of retirees. From there it's beach riding along the Atlantic Ocean to St. Augustine, the oldest European settlement in the United States, which displays distinctive Spanish architecture. Starting in St. Augustine, the route alternates between urban and suburban conditions most of the way down the coast to our destination in Boca Raton. Florida has an extensive though sometimes confusing network of bicycling facilities ranging from 2 foot bike lanes or shoulders to separated bike paths and sidewalks. For some stretches it will probably be better for us to use the sidewalk rather than the road. The approach to often nearly invisible short bridges are usually marked with "frogs", "buttons", "turtles", "slugs" or rumble strips.

We plan to take advantage of the opportunities to enjoy the numerous beach accesses. County parks often include such amenities as picnic tables, cold water, showers and toilets and are inexpensive or free to cyclists. State Highway A1A will change names many times on its journey along the coast. This is especially true as it nears Miami. Often it is located adjacent to an aquatic preserve or wildlife refuge offering bird watching as well. South of Jupiter, campgrounds for tenting are almost nonexistent so we will probably be staying at one of the numerous hotels along the route.

Because of the flat terrain, we probably will be upping our daily mileage as we get closer to our destination. Rainbow’s end will be Mom’s house in Boca Raton (near Fort Lauderdale), where we can regale her with stories and share the adventures we had along the trail.

Memorandum of Articles in Preparedness

Preparing for a 70 day bike trip is no different than a seven day tour. The gear list is nearly identical. Matt has spent the last two years researching different types of equipment, pouring through catalogs, doing Google searches on the internet until the wee hours of the morning, searching for the perfect balance of durability, lightweight, and functionality in all our equipment. It’s been his quest, not unlike what Meriwether Lewis went through a little over 200 years ago in preparing for the expedition to find a Northwest Passage to the Pacific. Once he was named by President Thomas Jefferson to head the Corps of Discovery, Captain Lewis began preparations for the long trip ahead.

Lewis spent nearly two years accumulating all the supplies that the expedition was going to need. In his "Memorandum of Articles in Readiness" (1803) he compiled list after list of provisions, which included guns, ammunition, medical supplies and scientific instruments. While still on the East Coast, Lewis accumulated almost two tons of goods using the $2,500 Congress had allocated for the expedition.

Our “Voyage of Discover” is no where near as complicated, but nearly as expensive. Unlike Lewis and Clark, we know where we're going, and have ample opportunity to replenish supplies “along the trail”. Also, the internet and specialty shops like REI certainly make the acquisition of provisions a much simpler process. Following tips from Adventure Cycling and drawing on our own real life experiences, we’ve come up with our provision list. As we travel, we’ll undoubtedly find that certain items are missing, or that some things are never being used. This is something we won’t know until we’re underway. Presented below is our own “Memorandum of Articles in Readiness” for your consideration:

Clothing (per person)
Cycling shorts, synthetic chamois lining (2 pair)
Leg and arm warmers or tights for riding
Short-sleeved shirts (3)
Light, long-sleeved shirt for sun protection and off-bike wear (1)
Light weight jacket-windbreaker
Rain/wind gear (jacket and pants) made of Gore-Tex (waterproof, breathable fabric)
Fleece vest
Long pants (1 pair)
Zip-off pants for off-bike wear (1 pair )
Underwear (2 pair)
Socks (3 pair)
Touring shoes, good for walking as well as riding (2 pair.)
Cycling gloves, helmet and headsweat band
Flip flops (for wearing around camp site, public showers, etc.)
Sleeping clothes (long underwear top and bottom, doubles as cold weather clothing)
Waterproof shoe covers, gloves
Beanie cap
Swim suit

Miscellaneous
Toiletries and medicine (excluding performance enhancing drugs)
Towel (lightweight to enhance quick drying)
Lightweight lock and cable
Water bottles and Camel-Backs (2)
Fuel bottles (2)
Basic first-aid kit
Bandanna
Sunglasses
Flashlight
Sewing kit
Insect repellent
Sun lotion/chap stick
Clothes line
Bungie cords
Collapsable insulated cooler
Miniature AM/FM radio with alarm
Cell phone and battery charger
Camera and battery charger
Writing journal
Books

Maps, Tools and Spare Parts
Tire levers/patch kit
Spare tubes and BOB tire
Pump
Blue Loctite
Duct tape
Multi-purpose bike tool (Alien 2-21 different tools)
Emergency spoke (fiber)
Small vise grips
Small crescent wrench
Brake and derailleur cable
Extra nuts and bolts (particularly for racks)
Assorted plastic zip ties
Chain links and pins
Chain cleaner and brush
Chain lube
Bicycle lights
Spare BOB QR skewer and trailer hitch pins (4)
Rearview mirror

Camping
Sleeping bags (Big Agnes Cross Mountain)
Sleeping pads, air pillows and camp seat
Tent- REI Taj 3
Personal eating utensils. Fork, spoon, cup, bowl, thermal mugs.
Cook kit-Utensils, herbs, spices, knife, cutting board, cleaning supplies
Stove-MSR Whisperlite (gas) and Snow Peak Giga Power (propane)
Cooking equipment- GSR Anodized non-stick Extreme cookset

BOB and Olga ready to roll
All told, we will be hauling about 100 pounds of gear, including the weight of BOB and the packs. Roughly speaking, 20 pounds will be carried in the front panniers, 20 in the rear panniers, and 47 on BOB. Clothing, tent, sleeping bags and rain gear will be stowed in compressible waterproof sacks. Other items will be packed in mesh bags to try and keep them somewhat organized. There will be about 5 to 8 pounds in the handlebar bag for things that we need to get at easily (wallet, camera, suntan lotion, bug spray, etc). We’ll start our trip with extra space in the panniers for items of interest picked up along the way. The extra room will also make it easier to pack quickly. Our all purpose bike tool, tire levers, spare tubes and patch kit for fixing flats will go in a small seat bag, for easy access. Other tools, spare parts and all cook gear will be packed in the front panniers. We’ll experiment with load distribution and packing permutations once we get rolling. Even with such an extensive gear list, we’ve had to make a number of compromises on what to take and what to leave behind. Our feeling is that we’ll probably be sending items home as we move along.

Confucius is noted for saying that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. We agree, but imagine that his gear list was a lot simpler than ours.

Shakedown Cruise

With less than a month to go before our trip, we’ve been finalizing preparations at a feverish pace. One of the key elements has been to load up BOB and Olga with all our gear and hit the road. Its one thing to get comfortable as a tandem team, but it’s a whole ‘nother ball game when you pack the bike with 70 pounds of gear. The bike handles quite differently, and all of a sudden the lessons you should have learned in high school physics come into play.

For instance, on our first camping trip, we rode about 30 miles to Vigilante campground outside of Helena. It was pretty uneventful, which is a good thing. Matt did notice that the front end of the bike was rather “light”…meaning that when we were pedaling up a hill, he found himself exerting far more effort than normal in keeping the bike going in a straight line. He was constantly correcting the steering…resulting in overcorrecting from one direction to the other. Since the longest hill only took us 10 minutes to climb, we didn’t think much of it. Boy, was that a mistake!

A few weekends ago we decided to leave town early and climb McDonald Pass, which lies atop the Continental Divide. Montana was in the midst of an unrelenting heat wave, and we knew we had to get our riding in before 1 PM or else end up fried to a crisp. The McDonald Pass climb is about 20 miles total, with an elevation gain of 2000+ feet. The majority of the climbing occurs in the last 6 miles, with an average grade of 8%. If this was the Tour de France, it would be rated as a “beyond category” climb. We loaded up BOB and Olga and blithely headed out on the road, not anticipating the drama that would unfold. After an hour, we took our first break at the base of the mountain. One thing we’ve learned about riding is that every hour or so we need to take a snack or “seat” break to replenish body and soul. It was already approaching 90 degrees and it was only 10:30, so we knew we made the right choice in leaving early. 6 miles…we figured it would take a little over an hour, climbing at a slow but steady pace. But then reality took hold.

We started up the mountain and within a minute Matt knew that this was not going to be any ordinary climb. The gearing on the bike was fine; in fact we always had 2 or 3 lower gears available if needed. The challenge was keeping the bike on the road! With all our weight located aft of Mary Ellen, the front end was barely touching the pavement. The shoulder going up to the Pass gets very narrow, especially when there is a guard rail, and with cars/trucks whizzing by, there was no margin for error. We climbed at a steady snails pace, averaging between 3-4 MPH. The slower the bike went, the harder it was to handle. We took a break after 40 minutes, not so much to rest our legs or lungs, but because Matt’s arms ached from trying to keep the bike going in a straight line. Then and there Matt had an epiphany. He finally understood why serious touring cyclist ride with front panniers. They rebalance the load, resulting in more weight up front and more stability and control. Suffice it to say, we finished the climb about one hour later…tired, but wiser. Olga is now equipped with a beautiful set of Ortlieb front panniers that match the ones in the rear. With the extra space, we’ve lightened BOB’s load by about 20 pounds, and it makes all the difference in the world. The lesson in all of this is never go on a long bike trip without first testing your equipment and capabilities.

One more thing about the McDonald Pass trip…we camped that night at the Cromwell Dixon campground. We had a beautiful site, nestled in the pines and shaded from the suns rays. We lounged around the campsite, reading, napping, and taking a few short walks. Before cooking dinner, Matt took BOB and Olga up a nearby dirt road to gather firewood. It’s amazing what you can carry on a BOB.

Returning to camp, he heard the sound of honking car horn behind him. Lo and behold, it was our friends John and Jan Wilson who were coming for a visit, and then some. We had seen them a few nights before and mentioned we would be out camping, making vague references that if they wanted to get out of town and the heat, they should stop by. And stop by they did…replete with a cooler full of ice, world famous Wilson top loaded gin and tonics (lots of lime to fight off scurvy!), lounge chairs, and a complete 4 course Chinese take out dinner. Now that’s what we call roughing it! A most memorable evening was had by all. We viewed it as a harbinger of the good things to come.