Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: The Southern tier. East to west.

« on: February 28, 2026, 11:55:05 pm »

Incredible..... Sorry to hear. Some of us have had similar experiences - but over the course of years, not hours. Can only hope the culprits both times were one and the same.

Should probably get back on the road just have the reassuring experience of getting to a more civilized (less crowded) area of the country.

Nonetheless - I compliment you on your start date - plenty of time, and then some, before the higher altitudes out west.

Age 70, Souther Tier next spring is on the list of possibilities..., but we'll see.

It was a wake-up call that--not all is well and good. The first missile in Stuart could have been lethal if it had struck the neck or an artery in the leg.  The black jeep in Fort Pierce got outsmarted. Had it been successful it would have been death there on the spot. The facts are the first one missed me, and I expected the second attempt. There was only (1) place they could make their next move. When I came pedaling up to that sort of place, I out-maneuvered them.  I completely deliberately changed my pattern of motion, and it worked.

One thing about bicycle touring. It does make you vulnerable. Bicycling roadways  across a continent brings you to the attention of thousands of people in cars. These people would not know you existed at all if you traveled by automobile. In the deranged minds of criminals, a lone person on a bicycle might seem like an easy target. Reports of gruesome crimes are in the media constantly. The first one took me by complete surprise. The second one I out-maneuvered.  I deserve a Darwin award for that one in Fort Pierce, and for the train derailment in Ireland. I survived both. I survived because I knew what was going to happen before it happened. I conducted myself according to my fore-knowledge of these events in a deliberate act for the express purpose of surviving whole and functional. Surviving these attempts was not a matter of chance, luck, timing or mere happenstance. They were foreseen and heeded.

2

General Discussion / Re: Why did you go coast-to-coast? Research for a book.

« on: February 09, 2026, 12:05:28 am »

When you first write it is just to get the ideas and descriptions on paper. After you have eliminated large and other bits of information not central to the main points, you can start on sentences. You can rewrite sentences using stronger verbs and more descriptive vocabulary. You cannot always think about things like that when you are writing in the field. When you're at home revising a manuscript and using a thesaurus you can come up with all kinds of flashy descriptive articulate vocabulary that make the reading more engaging. If there are too many long sentences, make some of them shorter. They say having long sentences in some parts and going from that to shorter sentences engages the eyes and mind more than all long or all short sentences.

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General Discussion / Re: Why did you go coast-to-coast? Research for a book.

« on: February 07, 2026, 10:19:58 pm »

If you wrote long hand field notes, you used stream of consciousness. After it is written you might have to change the sequence of sentences and paragraphs to keep Central ideas flowing and unbroken.

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General Discussion / Re: Why did you go coast-to-coast? Research for a book.

« on: February 07, 2026, 12:05:23 am »

I have several journals of my bicycling tours around the world. One of them is about 180,000 words. I revise, and reread, and revise, and reread and I keep finding grammatical errors and misspellings. For editing you eliminate first large bits of information that are not necessary for the central meaning. Then smaller bits of information. Then paragraphs and sentences. It's really easy to make and miss grammatical errors.

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General Discussion / Re: Why Adventure Cycling Is at This Juncture

« on: February 05, 2026, 03:16:17 pm »

I do not know anything about it. I got emails to vote for the sale of it. I voted for the sale. I got emails saying the boat was canceled. They said I should vote to save the building. I voted to save the building. I don't know why they contact me. I do not know anything about it at all.

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General Discussion / Re: Why did you go coast-to-coast? Research for a book.

« on: February 04, 2026, 11:00:45 pm »

A belated thank you to everyone who replied.  Your responses were fantastic.  What's interesting is I shared many of your motivations for going cross country.  After 3+ years, the book is finally written.  I'm in the process of editing the beast now and will start to figure out a publishing strategy/option shortly.

I have written at least 2 million words, taught writing for academic purposes, and studied editing and revision. If you need any assistance, or some proof-reading, I might be able to help.

7

General Discussion / Re: The Southern tier. East to west.

« on: January 31, 2026, 11:58:22 am »

There were problems that were not standard parts of a bicycle tour. I was bicycling on the bike path next to Monterey Road in Stuart Florida. An object came flying through the air at high speed, hit the pavement right in front of me, and bounced off into the grass. I went back to see what it was. It was a piece of stiff hard plastic, square, about 18 inches on each side. All four edges were as sharp as a razor. You could shave with it. I called the police. They went and picked it up. I think they were going to try to get fingerprints off of it.

There was another incident in Fort Pierce florida, about 18 miles north of Stuart. There was a black jeep. It was obviously deliberate. The SOB tried to t-bone me. I was ready for it and vigilant and expected it. I was watching for it. I made a concerted deliberate effort to avoid their being able to do anything like that. My vigilance and foresight are the only reasons I am alive right now, or at least the only reason why I am not laid up severely damaged in a hospital or worse.

This state is grossly overcrowded. There are people cruising the streets from all over the world and the country. Most are simply visitors, winter residents, tourists. Many others, as the statistics show, are traveling criminals with bad intentions.

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General Discussion / Re: The Southern tier. East to west.

« on: January 31, 2026, 11:51:24 am »

I thought  you were starting a bit later! I am still wrestling with starting around March 1st heading west out of St Augustine. But I have an "adventure (camping) van" and its call is strong! A warm, dry, comfy place to sleep with a 4" memory foam mattress is pretty appealing to my backside.

That is the way to do it. Faster and much more comfortable.

9

General Discussion / Re: The Southern tier. East to west.

« on: January 22, 2026, 07:20:04 pm »

As usual, I overpacked. I could have eliminated half the baggage and not missed it. The bike rode well. I cannot say the same for myself. I did about 250 miles. Then things went south figuratively and literally, in the cardinal direction. I went back. I could not stand hanging around apartment doing nothing. I began a motor vehicle vacation. I can always start again.

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General Discussion / Re: Why did you go coast-to-coast? Research for a book.

« on: January 22, 2026, 07:12:38 pm »

I did Oregon to Indiana 2226 miles in 22 days to visit my sister and sign some legal documents. Then did Indiana to Ohio and down to Georgia. About 3000 miles. I think coast to coast is a stunt. I generally have a destination in mind when I tour.

That is some hard pedaling. I did Stuart Florida to Bangor Maine in 22 days of cycling, with actually 20 days of pedaling and two days off because of inclement weather. I think it was about 1800 miles. I bicycled southeast coastal Florida to San Diego California in 54 days total, with 44 days of cycling and 10 days resting and recuperating in motels. I did 2600 miles of the Northern tier in 40 days or was it 35? ⁸

11

Gear Talk / Re: Upgrade for my touring packing set up

« on: January 01, 2026, 06:30:27 pm »

Adjusting the weight of food and water you must carry is another method for reducing weight. It is probably common sense to anyone. I would imagine most people are not cognizant of adjusting the amount of food and water they carry with them. Most people drive. People on bicycles usually do not cross continents.

Determine distances between locations where you can obtain food and water. Or just water, only water. Determine how long the trips will be from location to location. Calculate how much food and water you will need to traverse each distance. The shorter the distances between locations where services are available, the less food and water you will have to carry. For example, it is unnecessary to carry a gallon of water and 3 pounds of food where the next waypoint is 10 miles down the road. In that situation you might need only 32 ounces of water and a can of beans at most. If the next service location is 30 miles away, of course, there would be a need to carry more food and water. And so on and so forth. If you are mindful of that way of reducing weight, you should move on a bit more easily at times.

The question of reducing weight for cycling and long distance bicycle touring was raised on other forums. One of the answers to the question was this. Lose body weight! Many people in western civilization are overweight. Some fall into the category called obese. Not grossly obese but just far too overweight and the extra weight is not healthy weight. It is usually a product of inactivity and over consumption of processed foods and highly refined carbohydrates, refined sugar, which are toxins. If there is any issue with being overweight, follow instructions for losing a few pounds.

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General Discussion / Re: Touring with Alpha Gal syndrome

« on: December 29, 2025, 10:01:55 pm »

On the Southern tier route, I would say food and water are not a big concern. One thing is sure. You must plan ahead. You have to get rid of that mentality that you will be 60 miles away in an hour. It is possible to be in places separated by 35 or 40 miles where there are no services, no cafes, zero grocery stores, no Walmart supercenters, no truck stops, no Wells, nothing. So it does make sense to consider your mileage, estimate how long it will take to cover that mileage from waypoint to waypoint, and pack food and water accordingly, according to how much you know you will consume in that length of time.

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General Discussion / Re: Why did you go coast-to-coast? Research for a book.

« on: December 29, 2025, 09:57:10 pm »

Trail cycling and gravel roads and single tracks such as you find on The Great divide bicycle route has never interested me. All my cycling was over the road. And as we all know, some roads are better than others. It is a fact that is multiplied many times on a bicycle. The impression is your crossing beginning around Anacortes Washington was well planned and organized. One thing I learned about long distance bicycle touring. Plans for the day might not reach fruition. They might exceed themselves, and then again fail. There are variables that force us to change our plans. Extreme weather is one variable.

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General Discussion / Re: The Southern tier. East to west.

« on: December 29, 2025, 09:43:28 pm »

@westinghouse Any updates on your trip planning?

I have been packing, slowly, carefully.

15

General Discussion / Re: Free camping, stealth camping on a transcontinental bicycling tour.

« on: December 15, 2025, 10:22:15 pm »

There was one event I asked police to suggest a place to free-camp for one night. It was a couple of years ago if I remember exactly which I do not. I did 1400 miles. I was cycling on highway 27 through the town of Mayo in Florida. I had left the town of Perry that morning. I was not feeling well at all. The Chinese buffet next to the motel served me a plate of dysentery. It was getting dark and I got lost in this large dark field. It was so large with so many twists and turns I could not go back and locate my bicycle after looking for a good place to sleep. I called the police department. They came out and found me. I found my bike. One officer gave me directions on where to go so that I could set up the tent and get some sleep. It was right next to a chain link fence. There was a little rain that night. I picked up the next morning. Stopped in a laundromat on the way out of town. Had a conversation with a local. After that I carried on to Fort Lauderdale Florida.