Day 5: Camden State Park to Addison (90 miles)

Once the sun came up, I did not linger long at the park. Breaking camp is becoming much more routine and, without rushing, I can take care of all morning activities and have my bicycle ready to go in under and hour. Once on the road, my legs felt good after yesterday's easy pace and, best of all, there was a strong tailwind. I don't eat a large breakfast at camp and so usually stop for a bite not too far down the road, but today I covered quite a bit of distance before stopping.

Above is the site of one of the United State's worst defeats in the Revolutionary War. In what was the largest joint Navy/Army offenses, the American armies failed to capture a British fort and were utterly routed. You wouldn't guess it though, as the area is quite pleasant and hosts an attractive bridge. Approaching Ellsworth (last city before Hwy 3 turns South toward Bar Harbor and Acadia), Maine turns into a giant parking lot. Ample services are available, and one of the last things you'll see before exiting toward the National Park is a giant Wal Mart. I took a wrong turn (well, missed a turn to be more accurate) and had the pleasure of cutting across the Wal Mart parking lot to get back on course.

Once past Ellsworth, traffic almost disappears and distance between buildings dramatically increases. I turn off of Route 1 and take a course that, according to one of my maps, will bring me to some public reserve land where camping is allowed. I've not yet camped outside of a designated/fee-required campground yet, nor have I seen (and been in a good place to stop) a good place to stealth camp, so I am hoping that I can find a compromise between the two tonight. I stop for lunch by the Franklin Town Hall/Community Center. As I'm eating, a rafter of turkeys walk by the edge of the lake. I counted about twenty, but that's approximate.

It's getting to be later in the afternoon, but I'm making great progress and am contemplating going farther today than the reserve land. I haven't yet seen the turn off, and my maps/mileage say that I should have. I stop at what I later to find out to be Tunk Lake and talk to a guy who is just coming in from wind-surfing. Apparently I've already passed the lake I was looking for, and access to it is off of Route 1, any way. So that settled it for certain, and I decide to add more miles instead of camping.

I made getting to Addison my goal, which would put me under 60 miles from Quoddy Head and allow me a fairly easy day tomorrow. Winds continued to blow favorably, and I made it to the town before 5. There was a campground about 3 miles off of the highway, so I pedaled to it. Despite being an RV/Camper-only site, it was one of the nicest I had been to yet. It was owned by a delightful couple who not only let me hang my hammock despite the "No Tenting" sign, but also wheeled a picnic table up by where I was and brought me some tomatoes and cucumbers from their garden. So, if you're ever up in the area consider dropping Pleasant River RV Park, because they're good people. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful - talked with a few other people staying at the site, and star gazed for a short period of time. This was the first time I encountered mosquitoes in any quantity though, so I retreated into the protection of my hammock before too long.

Day 4: Pemaquid Point to Camden State Park (60 miles)

There was a small leak somewhere (I think due to how I set up my hammock rather than there being an actual leak) that allowed water to find my face every now and then. However, it was an intermittent disturbance and the storm passed without much fuss. 

I hung around in my hammock until the rain had mostly stopped, which wasn't much later than 8am. After breaking camp, I rode down to the lighthouse to watch the waves when the sun was out.

After the last night's spectacular showing, it was rather disappointing returning in the morning. My mood was slightly dampened by a $2 entry fee (I opted to view from outside the park instead), but there were also considerably more people and the ocean was subdued. 

It's a pretty neat spot, regardless...

Anticipating that I might start a little later to let the storm pass, my route for the day wasn't terribly ambitious. I took the scenic route from the Pemaquid peninsula back to Rt. 1 and stopped in Rockland to picnic.

The towns of Rockport and Camden weren't too much further up the road, and my goal for the day - Camden State Park - was just past them. I arrived early enough that I had time to take a quick hike up Mount Megunticook (in flip flops) after setting up camp.

Despite riding next to it for the past few days, this was one of the first times I really had an opportunity to see the ocean in a scenic setting. The summit also offered pleasant views of the surrounding countryside.

Later that night, after packing up for the night and crawling into bed, I forgot to bring a water bottle into my hammock with me. I tried to forget about it and fall asleep a little parched rather than go through the fuss of crawling out of sleeping bag and hammock, but finally capitulated to my thirst. Upon leaving the confines of my hammock, I was treated to the most abundantly starry sky I had seen since moving East. I tried to take a picture, but it looked like the camera went off in my pocket.

Day 3: Scarborough to Pemaquid Point (75 miles)

The campground I stayed at was the furthest inland I had yet been in Maine, but it put in a good position to go through Portland. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there, and I was a little concerned biking through an unfamiliar city with no clear directions (besides north), but I figured I'd play it by ear. The first bit, 22 and 9, was pretty typical suburb riding - 4 lane road, fast cars, something of a shoulder, massive sprawl. Once I got into the city it became lite-urban riding; lots of stuff crammed together, not much traffic, roads wide enough that cars can pass you, but with enough stop lights that you usually end up passing cars.

By the time I got into the heart of the city, I was on a street I didn't recognize heading in a direction that seemed northward (at least, the ocean was on my right).

Fortunately, Portland is a pretty awesome place to own a bike. Once I got down to the coast, there's a nice path that runs next to the water and eventually crosses under and over a bridge, bringing me north of Portland. From there, I picked up route 1 again (nicely marked by bike route signs) and continued north. At some point, unbeknownst to me, 1 turns into a restricted highway. Of course it does this without giving any indication that it is doing so until you're stuck on it. But, the shoulder was plenty wide and mostly clear of debris, so I kept going because there wasn't really any alternative. At some point a sheriff passed me without incident, so I figured it was OK.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who had made the mistake, because I met this guy hanging out in the ditch by the side of the road. He was out doing a century, and encountered a malicious acorn that punctured his rear tube. Without the gear to fix it, he was stranded for the moment. I stopped, seeing an excellent opportunity to lighten my load a little bit. I gave him a tube and showed him how to change a flat (it was a good thing I stopped the other day to pick up the schrader/presta converter, because the valve stem wouldn't have been long enough to fill otherwise). Once the problem was fixed, we were both able to continue. I left him by the side of the road trying to call off the rescue, but later saw him fly by when I was stopped further up.

I made a few more stops along the way, including at the rest area seen above. But, a tropical storm was supposed to hit the coast pretty hard that evening, so I tried to keep moving on. Once I reached Damariscotta I called the campground at Pemaquid to see if they were going to stay open for the storm. They were, so I boogied down the peninsula so that I could get set up before it hit. I would have liked to save money by stealth camping but, at least off the route where I was, there was too much development to be particularly inconspicuous and I figured it would be better to be somewhere established during the storm. I also met a really creepy guy at the rest area, so a campground seemed like the best choice.

Once I got to the campsite, it was starting to get foggy. But, the rain wasn't supposed to hit until a little later in the evening so I decided to take a walk to the lighthouse. I'm glad I did, because watching the waves crash upon the rocks and the sea in tumult was quite spectacular. I was unable to capture it with photos, but it made traveling 200 miles through city and suburb and RV campground worth it. Later that night I made my first blog entry from the road while hanging out in the barn where the campground owners said I could keep my bike during the storm.

Day 2: Dover to Scarborough (50 miles)

As it turns out, Bicycle Bob has had his share of adventures (including numerous bike tours and sailing across the Atlantic) and, in addition to a bed and food, provided me with a wealth of knowledge regarding touring in general and potential routes/destinations for my tour specifically. After a quick breakfast, we both prepared our bikes and headed out.

We rode together for about 10 or 15 miles, and parted ways at a DD in Maine. Thanks for the hospitality and guidance, Bob! I proceeded to toward the farm that Anahita WWOOFed at this summer, located in Kennebunk and where I figured I would spend my second night. I arrived shortly after noon, and idled by their swimming pond and conversed with Stacy, the owner of the farm. However, I had barely put in 30 miles and, as nice as throwing sticks for dogs and watching ducks waddle around fields is, I felt that I ought to put in more work for the day. So I again set off and headed north on Route 1.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon at the farm, so it was already late afternoon by the time I was back on the road. I was hoping to find somewhere to camp, but the sites I passed by Old Orchard Beach weren't particularly appealing (RV Campgrounds off the highway, beach resorts) and as I approached Portland more of the area was developed. I stopped briefly in Rodgers Ski & Sport to pick up a part I forgot (schrader/presta adapter, so I could potentially fill up tires at gas station air pumps) and see if the staff had any recommendations for accommodations. They suggested a campground about 8 miles away, a bit more inland, that would be a bit more bike friendly than Old Orchard Beach. They also gave me my adapter for free!

After getting lost a few times, I finally arrived at the campground. It was, regrettably, an RV Campground, but I was assigned a site without neighbors and had access to shower, water, and electricity... so I guess there's not too much I can complain about (except for, perhaps, the fee). In the above two pictures you can see my camp set-up to be used for the first time. It was hot and the sky was clear, so I removed the hammock's rain-fly.

Day 1: Cambridge to Dover (about 75 miles)

Kennebunk is about 90 miles away from my Boston. While it is possible to ride that far in a day, I was wary to do so because of how my body reacted to the 104 mile day down to the Cape. So, I thought I'd split the ride into two to make the mileage manageable and to have a go at stealth camping, knowing that the next night I would have a guaranteed place to stay. I left my house about 10am - both to avoid morning commuters and because I wasn't planning on going all that far.

The ride to Revere Beach, where I picked up 1A (which I followed most of the day), went smoothly. Although, like I did so many times this summer, I still managed to get myself lost. Once on 1A, the ride was pretty easy-going. The road went through numerous residential, park and business areas so traffic wasn't a major issue, and scenery was typical Massachusetts suburbia.

I took the day easy, taking time to stop at the numerous parks (Hamilton above, Newburyport below). 

And by the time I crossed into New Hampshire, I was making pretty good time.

I had put on my desired mileage for the day and a little bit more, so I was starting to keep an eye out for potential places to camp out for the night. However, this part of New Hampshire is very developed and very touristy. But, there were a few state parks not too far ahead that I had mapped out, so I wasn't too concerned.

By the time I got to Rye Harbor State Park, I was around 60 miles and it was starting to get late. Rye Harbor State Park is very tiny. Probably smaller than a football field. It has a small peninsula of rocks that juts out into the sea and helps shelter a nearby harbor, and is otherwise a small field with picnic tables. Nowhere do I see "No Camping" signs posted, but nowhere do I really see anywhere one could camp unnoticed, either. There's another state park about 10 miles up the road, but if I decide to go there and it's worse, I won't have enough light to come back here, and I'll be approaching Portsmouth going further North. So, as best I can I try to start hiding my gear.

Pretending that I just want my photo taken by the water, I get my bike to a more secluded part of the park where I can later hide it in the rocks behind some tall grass. I figure I'll wait until the park clears out (although as it's getting dark more people - probably from the resorts and hotels a little down the road - are showing up) and then camp in the open by the sea and, hopefully, out of view.

However, as I hover near my partially hidden bicycle, a group of cyclists arrive by the park entrance. I go over to chat with them, and ask if they know of any good camping spots nearby. They state what I've figured out - there's nothing in the area very conducive for camping. Additionally, they say the police are pretty vigilant about checking areas due to drunks. One of the cyclists however, probably sensing my predicament, offers to put me up for the night. So, I go to retrieve my gear from behind the bushes and join up with the group. We ride to Portsmouth (at a 23mph pace, for a good chunk of the way) and have beer and tacos at a Mexican restaurant. Afterward I toss my bike in the back of Bicycle Bob's truck, and we drive to his home in Dover.

There and Back Again

Well, I've been back in Boston for a few days now. And I've been awfully lazy about updating, but I'll try to get on top of that right away.

Trip Summary:

Day 1: Boston to Dover (75)

Day 2: Dover to Scarborough (50)

Day 3: Scarborough to Pemaquid Point (75)

Day 4: Pemaquid Point to Camden (60)

Day 5: Camden to Addison (90)

Day 6: Addison to Campobello Island (Canada) (60)

Day 7: Campobello Island to Sullivan (80)

Day 8: Sullivan to Bass Harbor (50)

Day 9: Bass Harbor to Camden (75)

Day 10: Camden to Brunswick (70)

Day 11: Brunswick to Kennebunk (70)

Day 12: Kennebunk to Boston (112)

Eating while on a bike

Since most people like food, I thought I'd write an entry on what I eat on a typical day.

The first time I eat is in the morning after I've packed up, right before I leave. Most days I do something quick- bottle of gatorade and a clif bar.

I'll then hop on the bike and ride until I'm hungry. Some days that's 20 miles, other days it's 50. Today it was about 6. So for my second meal I had a pb&j sandwich. I finished up the jam, so the second sandwich I made was a peanut butter and fudge-dipped chocolate chip granola bar sandwich. I finished off the last of the gatorade too.

About 50 miles into the ride I stopped for another light snack: 2 more pb&f-dccgb sandwiches and half a roll of snack crackers with peanut butter.

The last meal I've taken, as of writing this at about 5pm, consisted of three peanut butter & peanut m&m sandwiches, a peach (gotta get some fruits in there) and a few bottles of raspberry-flavored sugar water.

There are farmer stands selling fresh vegetables, so I'll sometimes stop along the way at those, but otherwise the above is fairly typical. I'm guessing peanuts are on the menu for later tonight too!

Phone post 2

I am sitting at a picnic table in acadia national park. Two days prior I picnicked at quoddy head state park and was, momentarily, the eastern most person in the country. But then I went to canada, and then I turned around. Which brings me to my current location, acadia's sea wall. Tomorrow will be spent mostly retracing steps pedaled earlier, and I may even revisit camden hills state park for the night. Friday I intend to rendezvous with grandparents friends in brunswick and by sunday I should be rolling back into boston. For better or for worse, mount washington will not be ascended on this journey; new hampshire will be neglected mostly, vermont completely. Hope all is well in the rest of the world.

I'Attempted update from the phone

This isn't going to work very well I can already tell. I am writing in a barn. There is supposedly a tropical storm nearby but I am skeptical. Today I saw a light house. the ocean is beautiful. So far the east coast, at least what portion I get to see from the highway, is nice but nothing too special. The seacoast by the light house is the first thing that has moved me and I look forward to go back when it's light out. I hope once I get past bar harbor and it isn't as developed I get a different sense of things. Should make it to quoddy head in 3 or 4 days barring any major setbacks. From there I can head to nova scotia, inland maine or back track down the coast. I have heard good things about canada. I intend to study maps tonight. Hope all is well with every one.

The Plan

Excluding unforeseen circumstances, I'll be heading North tomorrow (Sept 1).

The route is a little less ambitious than before... Rather than Acadia to Quoddy Head to Quebec to Montreal to Burlington to Mount Washington to Brattleboro to Boston, I'm scaling back. It'll be more like Acadia to Quoddy Head to Mount Washington to Brattleboro to Boston.

Either way, I hope to be on the road in less than 12 hours... I'll do my best to update this on the road, but if my best is less than I might hope, look for a post in a couple of weeks, and check the photo album for a picture every now and then!

... and beyond

I arrived at Karen's doorstep a little before 8. She had neighbors over, and they had (quite understandably) already eaten dinner. But they (graciously) allowed me to shower before sitting down and joining them. Since it was already so late, I went out back and attempted to set up camp after her neighbors left. I wasn't able to do it in under 3 minutes, but I was able to get the hammock hung and all of my things straightened out. I had a restful sleep, and I'm confident the more I use the hammock the more proficient I'll become with it, both in regards to set-up and sleep.

I think I slept for a good nine hours and in the morning we visited the bakery and I received a short tour of the neighborhood and beach.

Luckily it was low tide, so I was actually able to see the beach.

When I first came down, I had intended to ride back to Boston the next day. However, the night before that seemed like an awfully daunting task and I made the (correct) decision to instead bike to Provincetown and catch a ferry back. To catch the afternoon ferry I had to leave relatively early, so I bid Karen fare well and hopped back on my bicycle.

Cape Cod has a few nice trails, and I followed the rail trail for most of the way to P-town. After that I followed 6 all the way to the ferry.

Although a little pricey, the ferry was a nice way to wrap up the trip. I shared stories and talked bicycling with a family of three who were returning from a tour of the Cape, ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and enjoyed the ride. The ride home in Boston was nice - I felt much more comfortable riding a loaded bike through the city coming back than I did leaving. Plus, it's always gratifying riding faster than hipsters, but especially so when your bike weighs more than them.

Brewster...

Last Thursday I took my bike out for the first time with a full load. As mentioned earlier, I decided to push back leaving for New England in favor of a quick test-run down to the Cape. And what better way to test out one's gear than immediately riding 104 miles on it?


Mostly following the Claire Saltonstall Bikeway (some intentional liberties were taken leaving Boston and approaching Brewster, while some unintentional liberties were taken getting confused in one or two places), I departed Thursday morning. I set my alarm for 6:00am so that I could be on the road about 7:00am; however, when I got out of bed at 7:30am to check the time I noticed the alarm going off but not making any noise. Oh well, that would still give me plenty of time to make it down to the Cape.


I had packed all of my gear the previous night, so after a morning shower and oatmeal breakfast, I went down to the basement to get the bike. The way I've been packing, it's impossible to remove the rear panniers without un-bungeeing the rear rack (the panniers are locked to the bike, and the lock is underneath the luggage on the back). So, rather than fussing with unloading/reloading, I thought I'd just carry the fully loaded bike out. While doable, it's very challenging. The bicycle is very heavy when loaded - I'd like to think I'm relatively strong, but I need to be well-positioned in order to lift it; I need to put it on a scale but I'd guess it's over 100lbs right now. Either way, I'm going to need to figure out a good way to move it if I ever encounter stairs or other obstacles on my journey.


I remember when I first got my road bike (an Allez) in 2008 how, after riding mountain bikes all my life, different it felt. It was so light! So smooth! Balancing was a little tricky at first and you had to be careful not to take turns too quickly, but it was amazing how different of a feel such similar machines could have. A loaded bicycle is similar: the principles are all similar, but the feel is completely different. All the agility and acceleration one enjoys with a road bike is gone. In its place you get stability (after this trip when I first got on my road bike again, I had to check the tires because it felt so wobbly). As long as I was moving, falling over or holding my line (going straight) was never a real concern for me.


Keeping moving however, was more of a concern. On my Allez, 18mph is an easy pace, 22mph is a focused but sustainable pace. 30mph can be maintained for shorter distances when properly motivated. Going up hills you just stand up and sprint up - probably not dropping below 16mph; long hills you sit down and spin a comfortable 14mph. On a road bike, 12mph is an easy pace. 16mph is a focused but sustainable pace. I could probably maintain 22mph or so for a shorter distance, but I was never properly motivated. Going up hills - any hills - you spin for your life and are happy to maintain 9mph. Anything steep you're at 6mph. Another thing: with a road bike you can usually preserve momentum for a downhill and use that speed to help power up the next uphill. With a loaded bike, not only is the amount of speed you get disappointing (I never topped 30mph, 24mph was good for going downhill... plus you're reluctant to shift into high gears because...), almost as soon as you start to level out you rapidly lose momentum and it's long gone by the time you're pedaling up the next hill. Overall, you need to keep a high cadence (as one always should), but it's much more challenging because so much more energy is needed to move the bicycle. Never before (not even running the marathon) have my legs protested so much!


Enough about all of that, though. Here's a quick summary of the trip:


Overall, relatively uneventful. Being a Thursday morning, I saw very few other cyclists on the road. The route took me mostly through back roads, so traffic wasn't much of an issue either. The torrential downpours of yesterdays had dissipated and given way to blue skies and abundant sunshine - sunshine that bested my sunscreen (which, apparently, expired December of last year... note to self, purchase more sunscreen).

I took my lunch about 35 miles into the ride (pictured below) in East Bridgewater (pictured above).

I pushed myself pretty hard to get to the next place I stopped - the route follows a single road for quite a ways, and even though I wanted to stop I didn't let myself until I got to the end of the road. Luckily there was a CVS there, and I picked up a cold gatorade to drink with some of my food. It was after 3pm at this point and my trip meter said I had traveled just under 70 miles. Judging by maps I knew I had 30 or so miles left and, since at the moment a nap sounded much more appealing than a bike ride, I didn't think I'd be able to cover them fast enough to make my 5pm ETA. So I called Karen to let her know I'd probably be a little later - 6-7pm. After a feeling adequately refueled, I hopped on my bike and proceeded to get lost. I asked directions at the fire station (which was on my map, but not where I thought it should be) and, while I'm certain they gave me accurate directions, I don't think I executed them correctly. Regardless, after talking to two other locals I eventually found my way to the Sagamore Bridge (below), which was terrible.

The route advises all riders to walk their bikes on the sidewalk. This is excellent advice, as I'd be nervous biking across this on an unloaded bike (and I've biked across some sketchy bridges before). What the route fails to advise however, is that there is a sidewalk on only one side. And, as luck would dictate, it was on the opposite side. But once you're close enough to find this out there's no turning back (unless you want to go the wrong way on an entrance ramp). So you're forced with two options: ride with traffic or play frogger. While crossing a busy highway with a loaded bike may seem like a bad choice, it unfortunately seemed like the better choice. It took a long time, a lot of cursing, and a few perturbed/confused motorists, but I did make safely across and was able to walk my bike over the bridge and get back on the route. And once you're safely on the sidewalk, the bridge is sort of nice.

The rest of the ride was predominately on 6A. I stopped once more to refuel about 20 miles out. I had to stop rather quickly after that to finish off my water because my legs were cramping up beyond functionality - it was a hot ride and I didn't drink enough fluids; there were numerous stores that I could have stopped at to re-fill water bottles or purchase drinks, but I opted to tough it out. Rule #5. The last 18 miles were characterized by this attitude and I basically put my head down and made myself keep pedaling. It was getting dark and the sooner I finished, the sooner I could eat a meal and rest.


The hospitality I received at Karen's deserves its own post, so I'll end this here. Suffice it to say, about 11 hours and 104 miles later, I arrived in Brewster safely (and eventually made it back home to type this, too).

Breakdown

I think I told just about everybody I talked to that I was planning on leaving no later than Thursday of this week. That still holds true (hopefully). However, I'll be leaving for Cape Cod rather than Maine. Tomorrow morning I intend to wake up early and bike down to Brewster to meet up with my former coworker Karen. It will be my first time on the Cape and, although it won't be as hardcore of a testing ground as three weeks in New England wilderness, it's probably a smarter way to go about things. Assuming no major set-backs, I will be departing for Maine and beyond on Monday morning. And, thanks to Anahita, I'll even have a host my first night!

As promised yesterday, here's a bag-by-bag, item-by-item breakdown of all my gear:

The Handlebar Bag

This bag is easily removed from the bike, so I can take it with me pretty much everywhere I go, no matter how long, without much inconvenience. It needs to be kept light because of its position on the bike - too much weight will make balancing difficult. If all of my other gear were to spontaneously combust, I could theoretically use what's in here to rescue myself.

• Snacks
• charger/usb cables
• ID/important documents
• flashlight + headlamp (not pictured)
• leatherman
• prescriptions
• camera
• phone
• pack towel (small)
• winter hat
• emergency charger
• nail clippers
• cue sheet + binder clips

Seat Bag

This is another small bag, attached to the seat post. I'm using it as a quick repair kit. Right now it's pretty empty... One or two things might migrate here from elsewhere.

• Tire levers
• 5mm allen wrench (I need a longer one than what is on the multi-tool to adjust my brake levers)
• multi-tool
• spare tube
• electrical tape

Rear Pannier #1

This is the camping gear bag. It only has a few things in it, but they're important (and pretty big) things. Except on days with lots of rain, the thermarest will probably ride on the rack.

• Sleeping bag
• Thermarest
• Hammock
• 2x stakes
• nylon rope (not pictured)

Rear Pannier #2

This is the clothing/toiletries bag. It has a lot of small things in it - all the clothes in a big plastic bag, warm clothes in a stuff sack inside that plastic bag, toiletries in their own plastic bag and a few free floating items. This is a bag that will definitely get opened every day... I'm sure I'll change how everything is packed once I've used it a few days.

• stuff sack (for warm clothes)
• winter gloves
• pull over
• long underwear
• underarmour
• wool socks
• arm warmers
• plastic bag (for all clothes)
• 3x underwear
• 2x in-town socks
• pair of nylon convertible pants
• cotton undershirt/tank-top
• long-sleeve technical shirt
• short-sleeve technical shirt
• 3x biking shorts (one will be worn while riding)
• cycling jersey (will be worn while riding, sometimes alternated with a technical shirt)
• pair of compression shorts (not pictured)
• rain jacket
• pack towel (large)
• soap
• hand sanitizer
• toothpaste/brush/floss/mouth wash
• razor
• deodorant (not pictured)
• disinfectant wipes 

Front Pannier #1

This has a bunch of random stuff in it. Mostly things that are good to have, but don't need to be immediately accessible. A lot of this stuff will probably get moved to other bags, depending on what works best.

• Extra tubes (4!)
• First aid kit
• adjustable wrench
• ibuprofen
• plastic bags
• duct tape
• toilet paper
• super glue
• zip-ties
• sewing kit
• shoe laces
• sunscreen
• bug repellent
• wash cloth
• rope (moved to camping bag)
• disinfectant wipes (more)

Front Pannier #2

Not pictured because there's nothing in it at the moment. After I post this I'm going to go to the grocery store and load up on junk food. Loads of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, crackers, gatorade powder and other deliciousness. Perishable items will be purchased on the road.

On the Bike/Person

The rest of this stuff will end up on the bike or myself...

In the Camelbak (which I think I'm going to start off using this like it's supposed to be used - as a backpack. In a few days I'm certain it'll start getting strapped on to the back):

• U-Lock (probably will end up leaving this behind for New England)
• Pump
• Chain lube
• clothes pins
• Spoke wrenches
• Extra bolts/nuts/chain links/etc
• 100oz water bladder.

On me:

• gloves
• headband
• helmet
• shoes

On the bike

• water bottles
• cycling computer
• tarp
• lights (2 rear lights, 1 head lamp)
• 2x cable locks (one for the rear panniers, one probably to fill-in for U-Lock duties)
• bungee
• cargo net
• watch (I didn't put it last!)
• Cowboy hat

I think that's about everything. It will be interesting (for me, at least) to compare this "before" setup to whatever makes it back. If you've made it down here don't you think you should leave a comment?

Is that everything?

To the left is... Just about everything I'll (hopefully) need to live off of a bicycle indefinitely. The picture is missing a few things I forgot to bring down, but otherwise I think I have just about everything.

And below is what it looks like when it's (mostly) all packed. Everything not in a bag will either be worn (there are clothes underneath that yellow vest), secured (e.g. tarp) or securing (e.g. bungees). Those with a keen eye will notice that there is a pannier completely empty! I plan on filling that with food.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to pack things. I have about eight places to put things: 2 large (large being a relative term) panniers in the back, 2 small panniers in the front, a handlebar bag on the handlebar, a seat bag on the seat-post, camelback backpack, bungeed on the rear rack. The panniers are basically big bags, as they don't have any real compartments (an unfortunate sacrifice, but one that allows them to be nearly 100% waterproof). I'm still working on a system to optimize storage/accessibility, and tomorrow I'm going to try to go through each bag and photograph its contents/further contemplate the best way to pack things.

A quick teaser...

It's been raining all day in Boston, so I wimped out and put off running errands. Hopefully tomorrow the weather won't be as cold and wet, and I'll pick up the last few items and experiment packing everything up. Until then, I took a few pictures (all pictures I take will go to my photobucket album, linked on the right)... I just hope the reflectors work as well with headlights as they do with a camera flash!

Well the first posts are the hardest posts...

One week from today and I will be reaping the harvest that I have been sowing for some time now. While no deliberate or concrete steps had been taken toward this end until recently, the idea was planted long ago. But I am hardly unique - who hasn't contemplated a similar course? I'm only lucky in that I have the means to partake such a journey and the good (poor?) sense to recognize and seize such opportunity.

Regardless, the past few months I have been acquiring things to aid me on the journey (new bike! equipment! pictures to come...) and attempting to lose things that would hinder me (jobs! leases!). In the coming weeks I'll be doing my best to sell all of my frivolous worldly possessions and/or burdening close friends with them. So... if you're nearby and want any of my crap, let me know!

Also in the coming weeks I will be taking a brief foray from the hospitality of Boston to do a sort of test run of all my gear. I've been playing around with google maps, and this is a rough idea of where I'll be going:


View Larger Map

Of course the route is tentative - I am very receptive to recommendations and will absolutely detour if it means a free meal and/or shower. Plus, more often than not I expect I'll be on different roads than are indicated on this map. I might try to post single-day maps for the first few days? But for the most part I'm hoping to play it by ear.

When I return, assuming living off a bicycle is every bit as romantic and wonderful as it seems while sitting behind a computer, I intend to leave Boston more permanently and embark on a longer and less well-planned (if that's possible) trip. So if I call, even though you know I'm just begging for a couch (yard space to set up camp!) and maybe even some food, please return my messages. And if you want me to visit, call me and I'll try to make it to you eventually! (West Coasters and Northerners might have to wait a minute, I think I'm heading south for the winter)

I'll do my best to keep this updated - do your part and leave lots of comments.