Eating and spending on a two month biking spree

[dougstetson]

Here's a link to the Dirt Rag article. Pretty interesting. Very encouraging.
http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=859&category=features

Doug Stetson
San Francisco bound

[Stalls]

Naysayers? - Honest folk just giving honest opinions from what I read?

[StephanieP]

Thank you so much for the link to that article. I found it really encouraging! Hoorah, and onward! =)

[jl_longstaff]

Go ahead....take your bicycle tour vacation...do it your way! YOU need a good dose of reality to shake you out of whatever ideology your a currently confused in.

[cara2u]

Hey Steph, Another interesting org. is Servas,
They are 'An International Host & Traveler Network of Peace Builders"
http://www.usservas.org/
James

[ride29]

Steph...

Here are a couple other groups you might check out:

www.globalfreeloaders.com

www.couchsurfing.com



Daryl Bernard

This message was edited by ride29 on 4-9-07 @ 8:58 AM

[tofubicycle]

jl_longstaff:
YOU need a good dose of reality to shake you out of whatever ideology your a currently confused in.

Comments like this are really quite unnecessary. There is absolutely no need to criticize people on this forum for their lifestyle choices, particularly in such an non-constructive manner.

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i'd rather be biking.

[ride29]

I agree with tofu...who is anyone to say his or her "reality" is any more valid than someone else's reality. Hell - my reality now is far different than it was 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago...and who am I to say that it won't be different 5, 10, 20, 30 years from now?

Judge not, lest ye be judged!

Daryl Bernard

[closer]

Hi Stephanie,

Congratulations on the trip plan! It is said that travelling is a state of mind and I believe that you have the right state of mind for this endeavour. Being young surely helps, as well!
I too, although not particularly young, enjoy "rough travel" and as this is an "ADVENTURE cycling" website, feel that your trip surely counts as an adventure!
Hmmm, going to be tough to maintain a vegan diet while on the road. It's that whole protein thing...
Well, pack soft coolers and load up on the tofu. If you're finding that your performance is suffering from an incomplete vegan diet, don't sweat it, the trip is more impotant than the food you are eating. If you have to, canned tuna and eggs are pretty cheap to buy.
When you finish the trip, go back a vegan diet, don't feel guilty about the diet change and LOVE how you are going to be changed by this trip and the great stories that you will be telling friends and loved ones, for a long, long time.

Best regards,

Art

Closer to Free

[John Nettles]

Well this has been an interesting discussion.

Not being a vegan, I can't realistically comment on cost/ease/etc. of obtaining food/etc. except that in the southwest (SW Missouri thru central NM), people do like their meat.  A lot of the small towns you will be going thru will not look kindly on people dumster diving (not judging, just giving the local mentality) and you may very well be hassled out of town by the local PD if found out.  They in turn will probably notify the next town to look out for you.  Again, while not judging, you WILL be looked on as a vagrant/bum, not as someone chosing to spend their money differently.

As anyone who is toured long distance, you will be asked the same questions over and over.  One will be how/waht do you eat.  In this (southwest) part of the country, it would be in your interest to avoid talking about dumstering.

As far as camping, if you ask the local PD/church/park dept. you can usually camp for free or a couple of bucks IF there is not a commercial campground nearby.  There are not that many places in the country to hide during daylight hours and do not be suprised to be awoken by someone pointing a shotgun at you telling you to get off their land NOW.  Asking for permission is usually better here than asking for forgiveness when dealing with someone's land in theis part of the country.  Cattle rustling is still very active and occasionally people are shot while passing thru on someone's land so be careful.

As someone mentioned earlier, stopping and asking someone if there is anywhere nearby to camp inexpensively may result in an invitation to stay at their house.  The problem is that if you have not showered recently and look a bit scruffy those invitations will be much harder to come by.

I know this sounds negative but it is meant to give a fairly realistic outlook of what you can expect in this part of the country.  I wish you the best of times to you on your journey!


Happy trails and may the wind be at your back!

TulsaJohn

[jl_longstaff]

Would you rather see her injured, molested, or even dead? Been in the world awhile, lost a relative who did pretty much the same thing.

[tofubicycle]

Would you rather see her injured, molested, or even dead? Been in the world awhile, lost a relative who did pretty much the same thing.

Your original post contained no expression of concern nor offered any advice. My point was simply that such a post is unnecessary and possibly inappropriate.  

--
......... __ o
.........-\<,
......(O) (O)...........
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i'd rather be biking.

[Dan_E_Boye]

Enough with the sensitivity nazi crap already.  If someone says they're planning to ride across the country and live on garbage you have to expect people are going to think it's a bad idea.  

This message was edited by Dan_E_Boye on 4-15-07 @ 1:02 PM

[jl_longstaff]

tofu....I think your point is unnecessary and inappropiate!  

[ride29]

jl...just curious...how do you make the leap from this:

"Go ahead....take your bicycle tour vacation...do it your way! YOU need a good dose of reality to shake you out of whatever ideology your a currently confused in."

to this:

"Would you rather see her injured, molested, or even dead?"

I guess I don't see the connection between your two comments. Now she might end up molested or dead? So females shouldn't do bike tours? I not sure what your point is.