Friday, May 29, 2009

Day 7 –Jackson, MT to Ennis, MT 120.79 miles

I awoke in the morning yet again with my mouth hanging open without a drop of moisture. There must be a remedy for it. I hit the road at 9am with the intention of taking it slow to help the knees again. I was really worried the prior night that I wouldn’t make it to Denver. Images of me buying or renting a car entertained my mind. Fortunately, the knees were fine. I took more and longer rests while coasting longer down hills and it seemed to help. The pain is due to the rotation, not putting pressure on it.

I had 3 passes today. In Montana they don’t bother putting signage with altitude at the pass, I presume because they consider them hills at a paltry 7,000 +/- feet. I think the west to east route is an easier route to take, I probably coasted for about 40 miles today, which would have been a long day going the other way. The wind was with me today, and not a cloud in the sky.
I stopped for lunch in Dillon at a diner and picked the chili hamburger under the sandwich section. Unfortunately it came out looking kind of like a cheesy brown Salisbury steak without the gravy. It did the trick though, presentation aside I devoured every bit of it. From Dillon to Twin Bridges was actually mostly flat, for 28 miles. I finally saw this Beaver Head rock outcropping too, the namesake of so much national forest around the area. I’m never much good at making out our animal contrivances of nature’s rock formations but this thing actually looked like a beaver head.
The wind was with me again and 25 mph was the norm to Twin Bridges. Between Twin Bridges and Ennis I got my first finger from an oncoming motorcyclist. I laughed because he had work gloves on and his indignant motion was caught up in the glove fabric so it was awkward and took some time to get it done right. When it finally came to form the glove made the hand so big on such a little dude that it looked like Mickey Mouse. Why wear work gloves and no helmet? He must have pretty hands. The laugh from me was not the reaction he wanted I suppose…

Highway 278 is a road I’d like to spend more time on, there’s a lot of history here with some cool little towns. I got chased up the last pass into Ennis by a storm brewing so I couldn’t take a lot of pictures. Usually on a downhill my max speed with the load was 43 mph, the storm winds were 28 mph which pushed me to between 55 and 60 down the hill. Not cool with the occasional crosswind beating at the front wheel. It reminded me of the motions of recovering after hitting someone’s back wheel in a race.

Uneventful dinner at the sportsman lodge, I asked for an end piece of the special smoked prime rib. It tasted like a giant piece of jerky which was unique. $54 for a cabin was good too. If I planned this trip better I would have found more places to put up a tent, but getting mileage is the priority at the moment.

Early to bed this evening for an early start to beat the winds into Yellowstone. I can’t decide where I’m going to stay, since it’s Saturday I’m expecting that it’ll be tough for me to find something. Plus all the RVs on the road will make things interesting. It seems like the park caters to RVs. Randy from Hamilton told me to stop in West Yellowstone at a local shop there. Need some new bartape. I’m looking forward to the rest day with all the bison.
Calories today were 3 servings of Endurox, a whole lot of water, the chili burger and 2 fountain pepsis, 2 clif bars, the prime rib with clam chowder, side salad, and mashed taters. All good here.

Day 6 – Hamilton, MT to Jackson, MT 93.06 miles

I awoke in Hamilton’s Best Western with my mouth wide open and not a drop of moisture in it, a strange feeling. Kind of aggravating too because I know it’s bad for my teeth. My sinuses were completely clogged, I had noticed the pine trees were pollinating and I’m sure the grass was too. I decided it would be a slow day, kind of a rolling rest day of sorts. My typical averages are around 15 – 16 mph. Today I would do 12ish. I had one pass at 7,200ish feet to get over and the rest of the day would roll into Jackson. Weather was perfect again, wind was in my face the first 30 miles but I accepted my wind fate the prior night.

To start the day I went over to the bike shop and met Randy. I bought a couple water bottles and had them put on a new chain, the other one was about shot as I had suspected. I was also out of the wonder potion Endurox and unfortunately they didn’t have any single servings. I bought the 4.5 lb jug and slung it on top of all my other mess on the rack. Kind of silly looking. I never tried the lime flavor before, it was quite tasty. It has a sour twang which provides a nice distraction on the road. Everyone in the shop came outside to look at the setup on the bike, they said they had seen a race bike loaded before but the guy was using some wheels that kept blowing spokes. The Mavic ES wheels I have are holding up perfectly. Randy said he has a set and loves them too. I was nervous of the wheels and frame at first after seeing them twist whenever I’m shifting the bike around me.
Randy mentioned that the Big Hole area (Wisdom/Jackson) can be buggy in a month (June) with Montana sized mosquitoes. I wasn’t looking forward to it, if they decided to come early. Bugs haven't been an issue so far.
So, now fully in Montana and not feeling sorry myself anymore like yesterday, I headed south on US-93 eager for the pass at the Montana/Idaho border. It wasn’t too bad. The views along the way and at the top were amazing. At the top is a rest area and visitor center. A ski area was also close by and reportedly closed about 6 weeks ago. The gentleman in the visitor center was very helpful and confirmed my suspicion that my original route of heading north from Wisdom may be a bad idea due to a section of road going out of Melrose was dirt and possibly closed.
Leaving US-93 for MT-43 changed things a bit, I maybe saw a car every 15 minutes. I was hoping to see some moose on the way down, unfortunately there were no meeses to be found. I passed the Big Hole battleground at 5pm when it closed unfortunately, but the plateau there affords some amazing views of the mountains to the east.
Rolling into Wisdom reminded me of Randy’s warning of Montana sized mosquitoes. The runoff from the mountains flooded the plains and there was standing patches of water everywhere for miles, future mosquito cess pools. Everything seems to be falling into place with the ride, I left early enough for this trip to avoid the bugs…
I was happy to see Jackson, my left knee did not want to do another 50 feet. There is a hot springs lodge there, and I was going to be part of it. I walked into the lodge and immediately felt out of place. I was in brightly colored tights, the 3 or so ranchers at the large bar to the right of me having a beer were not. Every game animal around the world adorned the walls. A full mountain lion was the center piece of the room, I thought they were maybe 50 lbs or so. This thing was as big as a mastiff, maybe 150-200 lbs. It would definitely knock me off my bike and eat me. The bartender was an ex-Ranger who was knowledgeable about hunting in the area. It would be fun to hunt in the area but -30 degree temperatures to achieve such fun would surely negate the said fun factor. Since I was the only visitor to the lodge, the restaurant/maintenance folks treated me as a fly on the wall as they discussed their desires and I would chime in for clarification. Such as my belief that moose were aggressive. One of the employees had a pet moose when she was younger, and pointed to a picture hanging on the wall behind the bar of the moose eating from a kitchen table. Apparently this moose thought it was a dog.
The bartender told a story about getting chased by wolves to his house and how they run in packs to attack. The wolves in the area reportedly are taking down horses and cattle. At the time he was on horseback and on full gallop to get to the house as the horse understood the house was safety too. When they were almost to the house a second pack of wolves tried to flank them from another direction. He turned into them and split the attack to make it home. The moral of the story was he warned you should have some kind of firearm to protect yourself. He explained the 150 lb wolves in the area were not afraid of humans and the population was out of control. He said PETA was responsible for it, if you shoot a wolf you have to stay with it until the game warden arrives, maybe days later. If there’s evidence that you were hunting the wolf, you would be arrested. To cap the night off, the bartender shared a secret stash of local beef jerky. Quite tasty, folks around here are proud of their jerky.
Time got away from me and I didn’t have time to visit the hot springs in the lodge. I’d recommend the lodge, supposedly it’s already booked through August on the weekends.
Calories today were 4 servings of Endurox (trying to eat my way through that 4.5 lb jug), 2 bowls of Cheerios, 12 oz of OJ, 8 oz beef fillet, ice cream sundae, side salad, 80 oz of water, 60 oz of local brew, and a couple sticks of jerky.
Tomorrow I’m headed to Ennis, MT. 118 miles I believe. I like Montana, time is relative here, and no sales tax.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Day 5 Bitterroot Wilderness, ID to Hamilton, MT 124.01 miles
















The days seem to get harder, probably because I forget the actual feelings of prior days. But, no one should have to do two consecutive uphill days in a row. I misjudged my placement leading up to Lolo Pass by about 10 or so miles. I thought I had 40 to go. Adding extra insult the wind was in my face for the 50 miles up to the top. The views were great, but after 160 miles of going around the bend and around the bend again, I was ready to leave the mountains. Just as I was about to get to Lolo Pass at 5,200 +/- feet (not a lot of snow this time like Chinook) I met my first cross country cyclist headed to Florida, and later met a couple more at the top. They were supported and from Iowa/Illinois. They told stories of close calls and diving off the road to avoid getting hit. I didn’t have any to share. So far I had one car buzz me which was today, and 6 hecklers total for the entire ride, mostly all from the Seattle area. I don’t know what they’re doing different to draw the ire of drivers. For the equivalent 500 miles I get buzzed and heckled in Charlotte far more in that amount of space. US-12 has been great. One of the cyclists also said he was out of tubes, I offered one of mine since I only used one due to a bur imbedded into the front tire back at the hotel in Kennewick. He declined saying he had a patch kit. Personally I wouldn’t patch a tube when I would rely on it to keep me loaded upright on a downhill at 40 mph…
The downhill into Lolo, MT was easy, 25mph was the norm with the wind at my back. It was nice country with signs of moose crossings. I rolled into the intersection at US-93 and saw the wind in the 8 ft length US flags on the buildings indicating my southbound journey was going to be a hard one. I elected to stop and eat at the McDonald’s at the intersection. There was a casino there too along with a gas station and gift shop in the same building, so let me take a moment to vent: A casino has tables with dealers, a gaming hall has a bunch of electronic equipment that takes your money. There should be some kind of truth in labeling for gambling because I did not see humans. That’s my definition, probably not someone else’s.
So, of the 124 miles I rode today, maybe 35 were downhill. Like I said, no one should have to do two days of uphill. I did 125 miles yesterday, and about 90 today with a headwind. I should have done my homework a little more, southbound US-93 is all uphill, and where you can see the trees in the Carolinas to know the profile of the hills you are riding through, the Montana hill was just uphill with no profile to see if it was going to end. It just kept going. I would say to myself, “I’ll take a rest when I get to the top of that hill”, and when I did, there’s just more uphill. And, 15 mph wind in my face. I passed a woman loaded on a bike turning onto the highway, I think she said something to me but I kept pushing. I wanted to get somewhere with no wind. Plus, forget about the bike path provided if you’re loaded, you’ll also need a flotilla to get through the flooded parts. When I arrived in Hamilton an hour later than I thought I would, the desk attendant at the Days Inn (very nice) warned me of the hill I will face in the morning. Which is fine. I always love a good challenging hill like Chinook Pass, it was a pleasant surprise. Pointless uphills in the wind on broken tar patched pavement aggravates me.
Maybe what’s got me in a tiff is I went to the local brewery in town and it had closed at 8. I had tried to get in town by 7 but the wind and relentless uphill kept me from getting to Hamilton. The 10-12 hour days on the bike is tiring, I think I’m good for 100 miles or 6-8 hours. Anything after those parameters and I’m susceptible to sour moods brought on by environmental factors. I tried to sing my way through it with the blackberry but it was just through my teeth.
Twitter and Facebook folks have asked how I’m holding up. I apologize for not getting back to every inquiry individually, but here’s the overall basis of what I’ve done so far in concerns to my body:
On Day 1 I used the Chamois butt’r twice and it seemed to work. I neglected the second application on Day 2 and I’m still paying for it. I had a nickel sized blister burst a couple days ago and last night I awoke a couple times with some biting pains in the undercarriage. I went to Safe-Way today and bought some hydrogen peroxide, I’m a big fan of it and I know I’ll sit just right in the morning. As a reference for overall saddle time, I’m riding between 10-12 hours a day, so I think 3 applications of chamois butt’r should work.
When I get off the bike, the first thing I do is fill up the “dirty” water bottle (the water bottle with extra ingredients as opposed to the other one I never mix anything in) with Endurox for recovery. I haven’t had any muscle cramping or soreness to prevent performance. I have noticed an overall decrease in output though.
I typically do heavy carbs during the day with protein in the evening. I was thinking today that I haven’t had any cramps as I sometimes do, especially now that I’m swinging my leg over all my gear to mount the bike. If I did that after a race I would be on the ground in pain. I haven’t had any fruit in days, which I thought has been a big source of potassium to assuage any cramps. Maybe it doesn’t help.
During the ride I stretch the calves and also after the ride. I used to stretch the quads but I think it aggravates the tendons in my knees. I don’t stretch them anymore and I don’t have the knee problems (specific to that area in the knee, the problems I have now are due to gearing I believe)
My knees are my biggest problem right now which I assume is due to gearing. I’m running a 48 (I think, not a compact) on a 12/27. I could use some more teeth every now and then. My knees are reminding me of it each night.
Today’s calorie intake is a good one: 64 oz Powerade, ~120 oz of water, 1 clif bar, 1 McD’s Big-n-Tasty burger (x all the stuff added on it), Med Fry, a M&Ms McFlurry, a SafeWay ham & cheese sub, a chef salad x eggs, and 96 oz of beer.
Tomorrow’s trek is going to be very hard, all uphill and into the wind. I’m going to try for Jackson, MT at 91 miles. It’s 2 hours and 9 minutes according to Google. It’s a shorter day because of losing an hour in Mountain Time. I also want to hang out for a bit and visit a local bike shop next to the Best Western I’m staying in Hamilton. I think my chain’s lifespan is reaching a zenith. Let’s hope for the best.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Day 4 – Lewiston, ID 125.26 miles into the US-12 Wilderness of Idaho

Today was an amazing day, albeit painful. I am now nursing some burst blisters on the undercarriage. My large toes, pinkies, and ring fingers are losing feeling to the touch, making typing kind of difficult. The wind was mostly at my back again and the sunshine was a warm mid 70s to low 80s.
I awoke early, 5:00am, which put me on the road at 7am. I could feel my temperament change as I was taking even more pictures and stopping at various sites along US-12. Given I was looking forward to getting into the mountains and through the US-12 which is a fantastic scenic road for Lewis and Clark. I’ve driven part of the 12 in Utah and I’d like to bike it someday. From Lewiston the mile markers for US-12 started at zero so it was very easy to keep track of my progress, and it was all uphill following the Snake, Clearwater, and other rivers I can’t think of the names of right now. The road was in bad condition, which made speed difficult. US-12 is the Lewis and Clark trail which I felt it a privilege to ride along this part of American history. The waters along the way had to be at least 6-10 feet above normal, I took pictures of the river’s extreme violence and the rapids can only be described in pictures.
I met a hiker along the way who was trying to hitch through the long stretch of US-12 to Missoula. He had hiked the entire US-12 in some form or another. He was from Massachusetts and seemed to do this kind of thing a lot. He had been hitching rides for 20-30 mile intervals and was full of stories about his encounters. A nice fellow, I gave him my card which joined a zip lock bag full of other business cards, napkins, pieces of paper, and other items people bestowed upon him in the hopes of hearing from him again. He said he met someone while on the beginning of his hike cycling 50 miles a day from Latin America up to California. Not for me (Locked up Abroad TV)! We had a roadside conversation with my bike in the middle of a lane so we kept it brief. I took a picture of him and was on my way, on my third stroke down someone was already picking him up. Several miles later he and the (cute female with 2 mountain bikes) driver caught up with me, this time with more roadside conversation on the move. He quizzed me if I remembered where he was going, I said US-12. He explained he was heading back home to Massachusetts, and to “check out this girl’s license tag”… Sure enough, a tag I hadn’t seen in these parts… He asked if I raced in the MA area, maybe I will see him again.
There was considerable construction going on around the Lowell area. One stop at a single lane closure gave me the option of putting my bike in the back of one their escort "pilot" construction trucks or to follow it. I chose to follow and motordraft. It was nice, they were obviously oblivious to the danger of a bicyclist riding 2 feet off the back of a truck in a construction zone with loose gravel. I quickly learned to stay in the middle of the tracks. They asked me how fast I would like to go after they explained the last cyclist had to stop for a breather and I said 25mph, the driver looked incredulous, “you know it’s for 2.5 miles?” That's just an interval... She went 22 at first, then I started taking pictures... then sped up to 25 to keep my attention. Then after clearing the lane closure she went to 30. I wasn’t going to pass the opportunity for more easy mileage so I followed until she pulled off. I got some head nods from traffic and the construction workers, all for fun.
Continuing up the highway after 125 miles my knees would not support my cycling habit anymore, so I turned off at a campsite with many places for fires. There are a lot of kayakers here, and none seem too friendly.
Calories today were 96 oz of Powerade, a chicken/bean burrito and some chips/salsa from a Mexican restaurant, handful of beef jerky and trail mix, 60 oz of water, and a clif bar.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Day 3 - Kennewick, WA to Lewiston, ID 136.67 miles

Day 3 was much better than the first. The weather was cooler than yesterday, low to mid 80s I think rather than the 90s in the Yakima Valley. The wind was again at my back for the most part, which made uphills very easy. One section of a pass blew me up at 25mph that normally would keep me at 10mph. To start the ride my knees reminded me they would like some time off the bike, they would get none today. The ride down Canal Street in Kennewick was beautiful, the road is propped up about 100 feet or so above the river which gave tremendous views over Pasco. It's Memorial Day so they decorated the bridges with Old Glory.

My ride through Ice Harbor Road was anything but what the name suggests, kind of like Iceland. There were apple orchards that gave way to wineries which finally after 20 miles out or so gave to wheat fields... and more wheat fields. I took a picture of an area I thought closely resembles the green field with blue sky landscape on Windows XP's wallpaper. After arriving in Waitsburg via US-12 I ran across a sign saying "Brewery ahead", thinking of the humor I stopped to take a picture of the sign and kept riding. I was almost past the brewery before I thought it would be good to stop in and see what's... brewing. It was a local brewery, which of course I had to stop. I met some government workers who work consists of traveling cross country, one from Knoxville explained I had quite the hill to climb to Lewiston. Later I would find the hill to be a somewhat modest 2,200 feet. Another couple were locals who went shrooming up in the Blue mountains. The beer was good, a no nonsense proud to be here kind of place, I respect it and the beer! Even better, the ride was much easier and I was in good spirits. I had the expectation I would run into places like these along the way more often than I had.

US-12 is a fantastic road, everyone is very friendly and some are even encouraging, unless a thumbs up means something else. I can't wait to see what is to come.

I tried something new, listening to music while I was riding. At first I used an Ipod Shuffle and then switched to the Blackberry once the battery ran out on the Ipod. I think the battery in the BB lasts longer, but I'll get to test that theory in the next few days. I was in a better mood and took a lot more pictures. I did miss one picture though, it was a handpainted sign saying "No peddlers or salesman, shot on sight", with another sign next to it with a cartoonish bull taking a dump and a red X over it. I was wondering if by peddlers he also included my kind.

I think it may have taken me a couple days to settle in and get used to riding 8 - 10 hours a day though. I feel better, although my knees still suffer from pedaling to hard on day 1. I noticed today at the restaurant some peculiar veins at the bottom of my calf I had not seen before...

Today's calories consisted of 66 oz of Powerade, 128 oz of water. 1/2 a clif bar, a handful of beef jerky, a beef brisket sub and handful of chips, 72 oz of ale, and a 1 lb burger which was totally awesome - it was a full 1 lb patty on an oversized bun. No I didn't finish it, I am not man enough.

Day 4 sends me in to the wilderness, it will be a day or two before I return to civilization.

Day 2 - Chinook Pass to Kennewick, WA 138.51 miles







Today I thought was going to be an easy day since I would travel east off of the mountain on a downhill for miles. However 138 miles through the desert presented a whole set of new challenges than just pedaling up hill like yesterday. The calorie intake was noticeably different too. Yesterday's food was a turkey/ham sandwich and side salad, a handful of trail mix, 64 oz of Gatorade, 64 oz of water and 3.5 clif bars. Today was 96 oz of Gatorade, 96 oz of water, 1/3 lb of beef jerky, 3.5 clif bars, Red Robin's A1 burger, Red Robin's Sante Fe burger, 32 oz of light beer, and about 150 oz of water. And I was still dehydrated...

It was amazingly hot through the Yakima Valley. I noticed between the two days my body seems to give out after 6 hours on the bike, managing an average about 13mph. Two of my fingers are going numb, and I already have some killer tan lines. It's also allergy season in WA causing my head to feel like it's hit with a sledgehammer. The Zyrtec isn't helping much this time.

Angels are cyclists. I met one today west of Yakima. I explained where I was going (on 24 to Moxee) and he said we were going the same way. He had to make a call and said he would meet me later. After riding 20 miles through hops farms he finally caught me and we sat for a bit while I recounted my short time on the bike. He liked the mouse story, he explained their aggressiveness in the mountains. It was the first time I had looked back and I could still see Mt Ranier, probably 60 miles away. The cyclist explained his wife was going to pick him up to head to Kennewick for the evening. He looked at my gear and had a concern for the amount of water I was carrying, and the route I was taking via Othello. He explained there were military and nuclear installations (Google maps didn't show it) and security around the area were extremely anxious of visitors. He said there were signs along the way saying no one can stop on the roadside. We separated and rode for another 20 miles at which his wife drove by to pick him up. I stopped again and was down to my last water bottle. He had extra water in the car which I made good use of it! We discussed the route again which he said there would be no water for 70 or so miles, and not much for civilization. I decided to change the route and follow the Columbia river to Kennewick. Not much of a change in mileage, maybe 20 or so, it's just closer to water!

Day 1 - Seattle (Fremont) to 6 miles east of Chinook Pass, WA 106.9 miles







Rookie mistakes and wonderful weather 5/23/09

With a strong wind at my back I couldn't complain about a lot. Since this is my first overnighter I knew there would be some surprises along the way, I just wasn't prepared for the amount. Call them rookie mistakes. I know that I should try something new, be it gear, food, etc, without testing it before heading out on a 3,600 mile journey, that I was prepared for.

Seattle to Chinook Pass (5,243 ft) seemed for the most part to be uphill. Seattle had some amazing knee busters... and then came the rookie mistakes. I had attached the tire pump to the inside of the seatpost and it seemed there was enough clearance from the tire. After 9 miles in the pump had dropped onto the tire and made pedaling extremely difficult. Fortunately the plastic on the pump was softer than the tire causing the pump to receive most of the damage (inconsequential compared to a tire)

Rook mistake 2 came about 40 miles into the ride. I checked in April to make sure highway 410 would be open by the time I passed, which the website said it would. Later I would find out they had opened it the day before I came through. Unfortunately a large section of Hwy 169 was closed which caused me an extra 20 miles in detour. Thanks to Google maps for helping me around it while other cyclists were backtracking!

Rookie mistake 3 was a culmination of pounding out the Seattle hills and then trying to do the same on Mt Ranier. Grinding out 70 miles uphill murdered my knees, I should have gone a little easier and slowed down, 50 lbs of gear was something I wasn't used to carrying.

Rookie mistake 4 occurred in making camp at the American River just east of Chinook Pass. I awoke at 3 am to scratching around my head, I turned on my light and saw some holes in my trail mix. I noted my tent zipper was not completely closed, so I closed it and turned out the light. A minute later more scratching and to my surprise there were mice jumping on the mesh tent window and sliding down into where the hole used to be. I later learned from another cyclist that the mice were particularly aggressive on Mt Ranier.

It took me 3 hours to break camp the next morning, disappointing!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Item list for SEA to CLT







What's it take to go coast to coast on a bicycle? This is what I estimate:

CLOTHES
2 kits (bib/jersey), 1 winter bib, 2 sets of arm warmers, 1 set of leg warmers, 1 base layer, 1 "carbon" pants and jacket, 1 set of toe warmers, 1 balaclava, 1 bandanna, 1 set of winter gloves, 1 set of 3 season gloves, 2 cotton shirts, 3 pairs of socks, 2 nylon shorts, 1 pair sandals (for the Teva tan), 1 pair sunglasses, 1 pair of cycling shoes

CAMP
1 golf towel (as I was leaving I just grabbed it), 1 thermarest pad, 1 tadpole tent, 1 cats meow 20 degree sleeping bag, 3 varied sizes stuff bags, 50 ft paracord, 5 varied sizes bungees, 1 8x10 tarp, 1 6 pack collapsible cooler, 3 cups of grits, 3 cups Endurox, 3 cups Perpetuem, 2 1 qt bags, 2 1 gal bags, 1 Coleman 5 pc mess kit, 1 MSR superfly stove,, 1 variety spice, 1 hobo tool (knife spoon fork), 1 toothbrush, 5 floss picks, 2 caribeners, 1 rag, 1 travel pillow, 2 sets of ear plugs, 1 pen light keychain, 1 Petzl light, 1 96 oz Nalgene water canteen, 2 oz shampoo, .5 oz toothpaste, 6 AAA batteries, 1 battery for speedometer, 1 razor, 1 set of quick wipes, lighter, 1 camp fuel, 1 note pad and pen, 1 bottle o' ibuprofen, 1 bottle o' Zyrtec, bug spray/sunblock/chapstick

BIKE
2 water bottles, 1 patch kit, 4 tubes, 1 tire, 1 water bottle & filter (Katadyne), 12 spokes, 1 spoke wrench, 1 oz Dumonde bike lube, 1 cable lock, 1 helmet, 3 oz chamois butt'r, 1 set of allen wrenches, 1 leatherman, 1 multitool, 1.5 sets of cleats, 1 precut chain w/quick link, 1 derailleur and brake cable

ELECTRONICS
1 X61 Lenovo laptop, 1 AC adapter for Lenovo, 1 broadband card, 1 Blackberry Pearl, 1 Nikon D60 DSLR camera, 1 AC adapter for D60, 1 tripod, 1 Nikon Elph camera, 1 AC adapter for Elph, 1 USB cord, 1 extra battery for Pearl, ear phones, 1 Ipod shuffle


We weighed in 38 lbs of gear before I left excluding the electronics and some other items such as the food/consumables, so I expect to have close to 50 lbs.

Will attach a pic later.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Utility payments and late fees

With late fees and over the limit fees reaching $39 it pays to be on time. On top of paying interest rates at an average of 13.54% in 2008, the future value of your earnings diminishes with each passing month. Think of it as gambling with the credit card companies, you're wagering you'll have a job longer than they'll be in business to pay these future earnings.

Duke Energy is offering a fixed payment plan, they average your utility bill and round up, plus assess a convenience fee for the service. Why not just pay your own fixed payment through your online bill pay and avoid the fee and gross up? Simply round your payment up on a $50 increment. This way you have addressed late fees, interest, and sometimes you'll have enough paid in to skip a month.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Insurance

In preparation for my trip, today I secured a life insurance policy to provide for my wife and cover expenses for anything and everything from debts to living expenses.

Remember you should have insurances to address the risk in your life that will affect others, whether it be your health, covering home mortgages, the operations of your business, care for you in assisted living, and so on. It's a consideration for your loved ones.

Now, on to the several tasks at hand for this week.