Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Fishing across the continental US

« on: May 28, 2011, 09:53:24 am »

Hi folks,

I mentioned some time ago that I'd post our blog addy in this spot once we were up and running...here 'tis:

http://bikego.wordpress.com

No fishing info yet...we set out in less than two weeks. 

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Gear Talk / Re: lightweight, waterproof gloves

« on: May 20, 2011, 09:35:22 pm »

LOVE this idea, David--thanks.  Sometimes the simplest solution is the easiest to overlook!!!

PS whoever reads this, I just started our blog...www.bikego.wordpress.com

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Gear Talk / Re: lightweight, waterproof gloves

« on: May 09, 2011, 12:56:34 pm »

Thanks guys.  I bought a pair of Endura gloves from my lbs--they were having a 50% off sale.  They are waterproof but not too bulky...I think they are the "Strike" model. 

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Routes / Re: Southern MN through Southern SD

« on: May 06, 2011, 09:48:29 am »

Awesome, thanks Jim. Great blog--this really helps quite a bit!  My wife is doing a lot of the legwork on the routing since I'm still working full time...we'll let you know if we have any questions as we look into it further.  I mentioned the Spam museum to her (excitedly) and she gave me a funny look.   

And litespeed, we're going to take your suggestion and forego the trip down to Pueblo.  We've got a lot of friends along Northern 101 that we're now planning on seeing.  So thanks for that!

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Gear Talk / lightweight, waterproof gloves

« on: May 02, 2011, 12:31:01 pm »

Anyone know of any?  I liked the looks of Sealskinz's Unltra Grips but then I read a bunch of reviews that said they weren't waterproof at all.  Thanks

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Routes / Re: Southern MN through Southern SD

« on: May 01, 2011, 08:30:29 pm »

Hmm, this sounds interesting, litespeed...we were going to make a stop to see some folks in Denver, but it's not all that important.  It seems like the route you're suggesting might be a little less hilly (or mountain-y).  What do you think?

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Routes / Southern MN through Southern SD

« on: May 01, 2011, 09:39:48 am »

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

My wife and I are doing some of our own routing for our East-West cross-country trip this summer.  We're pretty set to get from NYC to La Crosse, Wisconsin.  Now we're working on getting from La Crosse through Southern Minnesota and South Dakota.  When we get to the Badlands or so we will be heading South to Pueblo, CO, to catch the Western Express to San Francisco.

Anyone have any experience with touring this or a similar route??  Any and all advice is welcome.  Thanks! 

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General Discussion / Re: Need advice from you! (the pros)

« on: April 24, 2011, 06:52:43 pm »

As far as camping stoves go, I'm not a fan of the ones that take a purchased fuel tank.  Mine runs on gas-station unleaded and that is pretty easy to come by where ever you travel.

GOOD point.  We def. have to work around this issue, though it's becoming less of an issue as propane becomes more popular.  It works on camping trips where you take whatever you need and that's it...eg. packing along 5 cans of propane.  But we'll see how it goes this summer when we tour for 3 months.  I suppose if it's an issue we'll have several cans shipped to meet us somewhere close-ish.  And eat sandwiches/restaurant food in the meantime.

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General Discussion / Re: Need advice from you! (the pros)

« on: April 21, 2011, 10:34:48 pm »

We got the jetboil sol.  I've borrowed them from others and used them and they're great.  Compact and easy, boils almost a liter of H2O in 80 seconds.  The burner part screws into the bottom of the cup you boil water in, and the flame is so distinctly and powerfully directed upward that wind is absolutely no issue.  One small canister of propane costs I think 6 bucks and provides one hour of full flame.  The whole set up, including the propane, packs into the cup that you boil the water in. 

You can also buy a frying pan (we did) and a larger pot (we didn't).  We had them both on the last camping trip we did (Lost Coast, Northern CA, it was gorgeous) but found we only used the pot as a large bowl.

Costs about a hundred bucks.     

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General Discussion / Re: Need advice from you! (the pros)

« on: April 21, 2011, 09:37:21 am »

Yah, no kidding.  We've got the backup motel all scoped out just in case.

11

General Discussion / Re: Need advice from you! (the pros)

« on: April 21, 2011, 09:18:27 am »

If you attach the backpack to a rack, then OK. A backpack on your back places pressure on points where you do not need anymore pressure than you already have. When I was planning my first long tour I tied weights from a barbell onto the rack and rode around like that. If you have panniers, you can fill two one-gallon milk jugs with water, place one in each pannier on the back, and two more in the front if you want, and get the feel of it that way.

Yah, I agree, a backpack is not such a good idea.  I also agree that maintaining a FUN ride is important.  When I'm training (right now!) and I have a day where I really resent being on my bike, I take the next day off.

Another good idea is to do a weekend trip to really test out your gear.  We're loading up the panniers tomorrow with all of our stuff for our x-country trip this summer and taking it out for a weekend of camping.  This way we can experiment with different ways to pack and we can try out some new gear we bought, including a tent and stove.  It would suck to head out on tour and discover that there's a flaw with your gear on your first night.

I'm having mixed feelings about the fact that we'll also be testing our rain gear this weekend.

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General Discussion / Re: Need advice from you! (the pros)

« on: April 17, 2011, 06:43:48 am »

Cool!  My wife and I are going cross-country too this summer.  We're going NY-San Francisco on a mostly northern route. Perhaps we'll run into each other.

My wife has a lightweight vinyl backpack it's kind of like this:

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-lightweight-travel-pack?p=48817-0-247

but it's less fancy.  Empty, we can easily stuff it into a space about the size of a softball.  We're bringing it along to use for hiking day-trips.

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General Discussion / Re: Fishing across the continental US

« on: April 15, 2011, 01:12:26 pm »

Yup, I definitely will update you guys--we're blogging the trip.  Not sure of the website yet but I will post it here.

14

General Discussion / Re: Fishing across the continental US

« on: April 15, 2011, 09:18:56 am »

Ha.  I don't think I'm going to go quite THAT far.  But look, it's really not that much weight/space.  My rod weighs 3.5 ounces and breaks down into four 1.5 foot sections.  I could strap that to my top tube if I want, but will probably nest it in the pump pocket between the tent roll tube and main bag of my Arkel GT 54 pannier.  That's such a great pocket.  The reel is just a bit bigger than my fist and weighs 7.1 ounces.  Tackle is negligible too--everything I need can fit in a small, flat plastic box.  We're bringing cooking stuff anyway.

The cooler I will have to think about.  Maybe I can strap it to my thigh. 

15

General Discussion / Re: Fishing across the continental US

« on: April 14, 2011, 10:59:55 pm »

Actually many states allow you to purchase licenses online or on the phone these days, you can be 100% legal within a matter of minutes.  You never actually receive any piece of paper or anything.  I'm willing to spend the money on a license in certain states. And, truth be told, I've done a fair amount of fishing without a license in my time, depending on where I was and if I thought I could get away with it.

Driftlessregion, I grew up in Milwaukee and got my undergrad in Madison.  While I doubt I'll be hitting up Lake Monona or Mendota, I'd definitely be interested in hearing about any off-the-beaten-path trout streams, if you're willing to share.