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!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
... 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.
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.
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.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
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).
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 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).
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Is that 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. |  |
Monday, August 23, 2010
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!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
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.
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.
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