Messages

121

General Discussion / Cell Phones

« on: March 14, 2005, 11:09:28 pm »

Great tip about carrying a phone card... my home long distance calling card is way too expensive to keep using in those situations.
Also, it's good to make sure that you know how to retrieve your voice mail from your cell phone from a pay phone.  With my Verizon phone it's simply a matter of calling my own cell phone and then entering the password when I hear my greeting.
Speaking of the greeting, when I do my half-a-Northern-Tier this summer, I'm planning to update my voice mail greeting as a short progress report so that people who want to know where I am can hear a quick update by calling my cell phone! (which will be turned off almost all of the time)

122

General Discussion / Cell Phones

« on: June 27, 2004, 06:10:32 pm »

On a recent Adventure Cycling ride in Wisconsin, those of us with Verizon phones were sometimes the only people connected.  Folks with all-digital phones were the most unhappy, they often had no signal.  I've been happy with my "tri-mode" analog/digital phone from Verizon.

123

General Discussion / Uphill

« on: June 25, 2004, 02:54:20 pm »

Last summer I did a few mountain ascents in the rockies for the first time, and found it a very different experience than the sharp bluff climbs we get here in Minnesota.  I like your question, because for me it was mostly a mental challenge, and much less about leg muscles (although they are pretty important).  
One thing that helps me is to use the same thought that helps me shovel out from a heavy Minnesota spring snowstorm: every little shovel full is one step closer to being done, so just think about what's in the shovel now, and not worry about how much is left to shovel.
On a pass climb, I tried to avoid looking too far ahead, and worked on a sustainable pace, even if it was only 3 or 4 miles an hour.  Eventually I got to the top, and then I looked down to the valley, and just like a shovelled driveway, said to myself, "I did that?"

124

General Discussion / What really is Adventure?

« on: June 12, 2004, 04:26:42 pm »

Nice question!  I suspect that many people are pondering what they might say in response.
For me, it's not primarily about danger and discomfort, although I can appreciate how risk can be alluring for some folks.  Me, I don't even like roller coasters...  
When I think about adventures, I remember hiking out onto a point in Newfoundland following an old cart track- coming upon a beached iceberg bigger than a house, of biking up WA-20 in the early morning with no idea of how far up the pass was, of walking into a high school classroom full of 9th graders at age 46 on my first day on the job as a teacher, of waking up this morning and wondering what's going to happen today.
For me, adventure is a sense of openness, a willingness to be fully connected to life, an invitation to be surprised by what comes next.
And somehow, adventure seems to always be part of every ride, every time I get on my bike!

125

General Discussion / Road Food

« on: May 27, 2004, 10:24:40 pm »

So you pedal through a small town in the middle of America and walk into the Conoco or whatever the local flavor is, looking for a few items to combine into a healthy and happy supper in camp.  
Anybody have shopping/cooking stories about experiences eating well when the nearest food coop is a century or two away and canned ravioli wasn't where you wanted to be?

126

General Discussion / Summer Plans

« on: May 20, 2004, 10:23:05 pm »

Nice topic!  It's fun to share our daydreams.  

This will be my first summer getting into self-contained touring.  In June I'm taking the Adventure Cycling Intro to Road Touring workshop in Wisconsin.  My solo shakedown ride will be about 200 miles of the Northern Tier heading south (east) from St. Paul, MN to the Effigy Mounds in Iowa.  In July I'll be riding the MS-TRAM again (great annual event in Minnesota) and am contemplating ignoring the luggage trucks and  riding self-contained as part of my training.

All this is preparation for my bigger daydreams of riding Astoria to St. Paul in 2005, and St. Paul to Bar Harbor in 2006.

As a young guy of 51 it's great to hear about some other mature individuals like jimmcw planning long rides.

127

General Discussion / Malaria in South-East Asia

« on: April 09, 2004, 06:09:04 pm »

When I went to South Africa I chose to take anti-malarials even though I was there in August when the risk was low.  It's better to avoid getting malaria than to try to get rid of it later.

I would caution anyone to resist the commonly prescribed drug "Lariam"... there are significant reports of psychological reactions including a risk of suicide with its use.

There is an excellent alternative, Malarone, which does not have the same controversy about side effects.  You need to take one pill a day, as opposed to one pill a week with Lariam, but that was a small price to pay for me for peace of mind.

If you put "Larium" into google, you'll be inundated with sources on the controversy.

Hope you have a great trip!