Muncie, IN

I made it home this afternoon pretty early. It was surreal. All of a sudden, after miles and miles and days of pedaling through places I had never seen, I came upon my parents' house. I think I could have gone on indefinitely across the country. However, the weather is starting to turn pretty miserable so I guess it was good to stop.

Everything always looks small when I get home. When I was a kid I always thought my street was kind of big. Now I realize that it's only about 12 feet wide. There were boulders at the end of the street, but now I see that they are just rocks.

My clothes are pretty filthy so I put on some of my dad's sweats. They barely hang around me. I weighed myself for fun and thought the scale was broken. It said 163 pounds. I haven't weighed that much since about my freshman year of high school.

I learned a few things on this trip, although I can't think of too many now.



Evil dogs



Chilly donut






Barn for Jane



Smile!



Eastern Indiana sunrise



Where's Linus?



Wow, I'm really here.






Taking the flag off for the last time in the snow.

Frankfort, IN

Today was a fine day. I had some hills in between Danville and
Attica, but made up for lost time when it flattened out. I had the
wind at my back and rolled into Frankfort in no time. I listened to
some Prairie Home Companion followed by the Colts. Even the dogs gave
me a pass today, for the most part.

I found the library and hooked up to an internet terminal, but once
again the computer wouldn't read my camera. I have some photos, but
they will have to wait.

Frankfort has a Pizza King, a Village Pantry, and a Marsh supermarket
with a girl wearing a Manning jersey at the checkout. Seems like
home. Only 60 miles and I ought to be there tomorrow night. I might
miss this, actually. I really enjoy this bike. It's also nice to
order a sundae in a five-gallon bucket and not have to worry about it.

danville, il

Today wasn't that much fun. It was cold and my feet were numb most of
the time. Maybe one day I'll design some bike booties that work. I
pedaled and pedaled under the featureless gray sky. It's impossible
to tell what time it is by the sun because it's all gray and dark.

It was a bad day for dogs. I must have been chased by twenty of them.
Mostly I'm going fast enough that I can escape, or I yell at them and
they stop. There seem to be many more here than out in the country.

As I felt more emboldened, I thought I would push it by taking a video
of the next dog encounter. Sure enough, as I crested the next hill, a
couple of medium sized dogs came at me. I fumbled with my camera and
started recording. As soon as I started, about five more dogs came
running out from behind this house. I pedaled as fast as I could but
I was still in low gear from the hill, and I couldn't shift because I
was holding the camera. I shouted at them and almost crashed.

These weren't even regular farm dogs. This shack was out in the woods
and the guy was probably brewing meth. So these were foaming tweaker
dogs who probably hadn't been fed in a week. I was legitimately
scared for quite awhile after I escaped.

I got a motel room tonight on a commercial strip north of town. There
was a Wal-Mart about a mile up the road. I had to get some new socks
and some food, so I walked up there. As usual, there were no
sidewalks, just a curb with cars whizzing by. I've noticed this in so
many cities that I've passed through. If I want to walk down the
street, I have to walk through yards, car dealerships, and cemetaries.
By walking, I feel like a trespasser or something. Walking a little
more might be a good idea for some of the folks I see. But it's
dangerous and unpleasant to walk, so I guess I wouldn't recommend it.

farmer city, il

today was good. made it almost 80 miles. found some nice back roads.
winds at my back and flat terrain. may make it to IN tomorrow if i
don't freeze. supposed to get nasty. went to eat at imo's family
restaurant for their friday buffet. i had beef soup, beef lasagna,
chicken and vegetables, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and apple
cobbler. i also stopped to get a Dove bar on the way home.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Havana, IL

More hills and a headwind today meant that I had to stop in Havana,
which is the only town for the next 60 miles with lodging. It's a
small river town that probably used to be more of a port. There are a
couple of ancient sorry-looking barges on the Illinois Riverjust next
to town. There is a library here which I used to add some pictures to
the last few days's entries. Scroll down to see them.

Since it was evident that I wasn't going to make it to the farther
town, I cruised and took my time today. I watched the farmers take in
the last of the corn. I also got chased by dogs, as usual. It's very
green and smells good here. My favorite smell is oats or something...
Something they grow that smells really sweet. I don't know, but I
like it.

Macomb, IL

Elation



Crossing the Mississippi




What's up, donkey?

I biked all around this town looking for the library so I could upload some pictures, and when I finally found it, the computer wouldn't let me connect my camera. Drat. I took some entertaining pictures of donkeys. Anyhow, coming over the Mississippi was awesome. I felt so good crossing into Illinois. Some Amish guys (or maybe it was ZZ Top) waved at me. Perhaps they thought my bicycle was cool.

After a few hills by the river, it got pancake flat. Everything much greener this far east. With calm wind and flat roads I cruised right along. I got to Macomb a bit earlier than I thought. Just like all these towns, it has a town square with a courthouse. It has a lot of ornate old two- or three- story buildings in the downtown. However, they are mostly dilapidated as the commerce goes to the outskirts of town. I see that a lot.

Tomorrow I will try to make it to McLean, which is 83 miles. I'll have to get up early for that but I think it's do-able if the roads remain flat. My butt will get sore, no doubt.

donnellson, ia

Who said it was flat in Iowa?



Rainy farm







Des Moines River -- crossed four times



made it 50 miles to this settlement today. it's about all i had in me.
it was like being in the spin cycle. lots of wind and rain and hills.
i stayed pretty warm but damp. learned that wool really does insulate
even when wet. i saw another guy on a bicycle today. he was old and
toothless and looked like he probably slept in barns. it's getting
greener here. some pretty woods and old buildings. it's only 15 miles
to the mississippi and illinois. supposed to be better weather the
next few days.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile mobile.google.com

bloomfield, ia

Fancy footwear. 2 socks inside, 1 sock outside, duct tape, neoprene, and swapped footbeds from hiking shoes.



Clowder of cats


good ride today. found good roads and winds were calm. pretty chilly
though. i'm ok except my feet get a little numb. i'll try to modify my
shoes a little tonight. i think it's getting a little flatter.
otherwise no big surprises as far as scenery. dogs still chase me,
people either wave or just stare with their mouth open. i got to a
motel this evening and stood in the shower for about 20 minutes to
warm up. then i ate about 3000 calories. not quite full yet.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile mobile.google.com

osceola, ia

pace getting down to 55 miles or so per day. daylight waning. roads
today were a c minus at best. same stuff to see. i try to look for
things that stand out of the ordinary but am pretty unsuccessful.
farm, cattle, buick, buick. i really enjoy riding when the roads are
good but it's frustrating when they're not. the worst is when i'm
struggling up a hill and eddie money (or as the dj says, "the money
man") comes on the radio. i can't stop moving so i have to suffer.
eddie money, i curse thy name.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Creston, IA

Made it to Creston, IA today. I finally got a map that showed which
roads are paved. That would have helped earlier (oops). So I found
some good roads, paved, without much traffic. It's definitely not
Indian summer anymore. It's blustery and chilly with a few snowflakes
here and there. I bundled up and was OK, although I probably looked
even more ridiculous to the farmers.

I saw a lot of the same. Farms, a few houses every mile or so.
Hills, lots of them. Some cattle. It's kind of strange being
completely by yourself and then realizing that 50 animals are all
looking at you. A couple of dogs chased me (they seem to love me). I
just yell at them as loud as I can and they stop in their tracks. I
saw a guy driving at 50 mph sitting in the passenger seat, reaching
over to steer. Don't know what that was about. Maybe he was the
mailman.

There's a town in about 50 miles and one in 75. If I'm ambitious and
stay warm I can make the further one.

pics and a video from the last few days

Pit stop at the Walters home in Lincoln.











Toll bridge over the Missouri, south of Omaha. 50 cents.






Outside of Omaha. I guess it's hard to tell, but it was so windy here that I could hardly ride the bike. I made the following video, sorry you have to look at my face but that's the only way I could get the mic to pick up anything:














This is my pad for a couple days in Atlantic. My storage/bedroom has seven oil lamps, nine mirrors, a set of golf clubs, five chairs, boxes of old dried flowers, and a nice cool breeze.


I think I will try to ride tomorrow. It's supposed to be NW winds of 20-30 and a high of 34. Hmmm. Winds at my back, sounds OK.

busy-ness

i've noticed on this trip is that america is a very busy place. there
is industry everywhere. from the endless farmland to the towns,
people are working. all the land is spoken for and being worked. the
roads are alive with commerce. people aren't lazy around here. there
aren't many people just hanging around in the park. america works
hard.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Atlantic, IA

The last couple of days have been slow going. I started off from the south Omaha suburbs into high winds and heavy traffic. I wouldn't say that area is a biker's paradise. No sidewalks, only the big road with fast cars. I crossed over the Missouri on a toll bridge. 50 cents. Once I got into Iowa the traffic lessened, but the winds got worse. I got onto Hwy 92 which had no shoulders and an abrupt dropoff on the side into loose gravel. The winds were so ferocious that I was being blown out into the lane out of control.

This wasn't working, so I switched over to the gravel side roads. It was slow but safer. The roads were better than the county roads in Nebraska, but still highly variable. It's very hilly here and I ended up pushing my bike up most of them. I couldn't make up any time on the way down because the winds were howling so bad that my tires couldn't keep me from going sideways; I had to slowly ski down through the gravel with my feet as outriggers and the handlebars whipping wildly. This was exhausting and unrelenting. I finally made it into Griswold, IA after dark under lightning and a tornado warning.

The storm that passed over the Rockies is headed this way, so I think I need to hole up for a few days. This morning I cruised up to Atlantic, IA which has a movie theater. Sold! I need to work on my bike as the seat back has torn from pushing against the pedals so hard. This leaves my spine pressed against the seat bars.

In Atlantic, I am staying at a huge old mansion that is pretty cool. It's filled with pianos and gas lamps and National Geographics from 1977. It may be a good candidate for a haunting; I'll find out tonight. I will probably be here until Saturday morning, when the snow is past.

special thanks

I had an excellent stay with Mr. Walters in Lincoln. I ate and slept
well. It's wonderful to receive such hospitality.

Multimedia message

"charlie's fixin his van with the left arm tan"

Papillon, NE -- a few miles from IA

I had hoped to get into Iowa today but couldn't quite make it. I
started out in Lincoln during morning traffic. Lincoln, despite being
a college town, is not a very bicycle-friendly city. Or so it seems
to an uneducated tourist. I think maybe if you knew where you were
going it would be easier.

Found the "MoPac" rail-trail, which was nice, but surfaced in crushed
limestone which is a little slower than pavement. After that I got
stuck on some roads that got progressively busier and louder and
faster as I neared Omaha. Finally I was in five o'clock traffic in
the outskirts of Omaha on a 4-lane and I had to call it a night. It's
always a toss-up out here whether to pick the paved busy road or the
lonely but gravelly side road. Not too much in between sometimes. I
think as I get into Iowa on highway 92 it should get nicer. It's a
lot easier to pay attention to my surroundings when I don't have
traffic breathing down my neck.

My good fortune with weather seems to be ending too, with colder and
wetter conditions in store. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I have
the gear for it but it's probably unavoidable that I'll endure some
discomfort.

sandy vid

This video is from Saturday. Things got better, of course. And Kearney is pronounced "car-ney." What a sorry, spandex-wearing, out-of-towner I am.

Lincoln, NE

Standard Seward, NE driver

Lake I saw near sunset -- going as fast as I can toward Aurora to beat the sun. I lost.

Last of the corn being harvested

Went from Seward to Lincoln today. There was a very stiff crosswind from the south. I could barely keep the bike on the road at times. It didn't really slow down my forward progress, but it was a little tiresome concentrating on keeping my balance.

I got into Lincoln with time to spare, so I looked for the bike path network to try to get to the University of Nebraska. I thought I'd find a bike shop, get some tubes, and poke around. I don't know if it was my maps or my ignorance, but I was lost from here on out. I pedaled around until I finally found a bike path. Although unmarked, it led sort of in the direction I wanted to go. I finally found the university, fought through unfriendly traffic, and found a bike shop. They didn't have the tubes.

I got completely lost again, this time out by a freeway, and finally had to ask for help as the sun was going down. Mr. Walters came and picked me up, took me out to Mexican, and it was happily ever after. Tomorrow evening I should be in Iowa.

Seward, NE - smooth 50 miles.

Had an easy spin into Seward today. It seems to be a picture-perfect
little town. It's perched on a hill and has a nice town square with a
clock tower. I went over to the library but I wasn't able to get the
computer to read my camera. So pictures will have to wait. Now I'm
settling in to watch the Broncos, then the Colts. Not bad at all.

I had a pretty decent crosswind from the south for the last half of
the day. According to the weather, more wind is in store. As long as
it isn't a headwind, it'll be OK. Riding in a crosswind isn't the
greatest, though. It's unpredictable and can blow you around when you
don't expect it.

Tomorrow I'll head to Lincoln, which is only 25 miles. I guess I can
take it slow. I need to visit a bike shop to get some more tubes.

aurora, ne.... sand traps

Today was supposed to be an easy day, but it didn't end up that way.
I thought I'd travel to Aurora, NE, about 60 miles from Kearney.
That's "as the crow flies". Since highway 30 was getting much too
busy for me, I thought I'd try out the back roads.

I started off heading south into a stiff headwind. After about 10
miles, I looked for the road on my map that I was planning to take.
It was dirt, which wasn't so bad. But after about a mile, it turned
into sand. Deep sand. I tried to ride my bike but to no avail. I
had to walk. This repeated itself the entire morning, as I got lost
and tired trying to pedal through sand roads. Finally I looked at the
clock and it was 2pm and I was still 40 miles from Aurora. Once I
found pavement, I pedaled as fast as I could, trying to get to town
before nightfall. It didn't happen. I ended up getting to town about
an hour after dark. Riding at night isn't very reassuring even though
my bike is wrapped in reflective tape and lit up like a Christmas
tree. There are just too many old ladies in Buicks out there.
Seriously, half the cars out here are 1996 Buick Roadmasters driven by
old folks.

I can't overemphasize the importance of Husker football here. There
are Husker banners on all the houses and cars. I tuned into the
pregame show at about 2pm. The game didn't start until 7. I guess
there's enough abou the Huskers to talk about for five hours. When I
checked into my hotel, there was a sweet old lady sitting behind the
desk. As I walked in, she began screaming at the television "NO!!!
GOD DAMN IT!!!". Oklahoma had just scored on the Huskers.

I was hungry enough to eat a horse, and luckily there's a Runza across
the street from my motel. I had heard about Runza, and was eager to
order everything on the menu. It's German fast food, very filling. I
got a Runza mushroom/cheese/beef sandwich, a cherry Coke, fries, a
bowl of chili, French onion dip, and a sundae. I just can't eat
enough.

Lincoln is 75 miles from here, but I think I'm going to take it a
little easy and split it up. I need a bit of a rest. No more
gravel/sand roads, I hope.

Kearney, NE

I made it to Kearney, Nebraska today, a distance of 93 miles. It's
the longest I've ever pedaled a bike. It wasn't all that brutal, it
was just long. Special thanks to Sirius satellite radio, especially
Classic Rewind and NPR. My butt and back and legs and feet are sore.
I'm not completely spent though. It wasn't as bad as the legendarily
awful Downieville, California 5000 foot hill climb I did with Michael
in 2001, although that was particularly tough as I was sweating Jack
Daniels the whole time.

I took US 30 all the way. The American Discovery Trail maps suggest
taking backwoods country roads, but I've found that they often don't
go in the direction you want to go, nor are they paved. Riding
through crushed gravel or dirt/sand is tedious and tough on the tires.
However, US 30 has become a lot busier the further east I travel. I
was fairly miserable most of the day, concentrating more on my
rearview mirror than the view around me. Tonight I'm going to look at
the map and see if there are any alternate routes. I may trade some
speed for a more relaxing ride. I would have to give up riding next
to the Union Pacific, which has been fun. I think all the train
conductors along this stretch must know me by now as they all wave and
sometimes give me a short blast of their horn.

Kearney seems all right. It smells of cattle, has wide streets, and
has the requisite grain elevator by the railroad. It also is the home
of a particularly mangy hotel where I happen to be staying at the
moment. The blanket seemed to be woven of other people's hair, so I
managed to locate another from the office. I don't think any
trick-or-treaters will be showing up here. At least there is a
Mexican restaurant nearby that is OK. I thought about taking a taxi
to the movie theater to see Appaloosa but that's a lot of effort.
I'll just study my maps and watch a creature feature on the TV.

I guess I'm only about 130 miles from Lincoln so I ought to be there
in two days. Jared's family and friends live there so I'll stay with
somebody. It was promised that I would be taken to eat some beef.
Thankfully they taste better than they smell.

north platte, ne

i made it to north platte, ne today, a distance of 83 miles. saw a
lot of the same. farms. grain elevator every 15 miles or so.
following the union pacific rr which is pretty busy. so that's cool
to look at. it was warm out and the winds were friendly. can't
believe this weather. in vail this time of year warm temps are a
drag. but i couldn't ask for better. my legs are pretty torched
tonight. kearney is 93 miles down the road but i can't guarantee
making it that far. we'll see.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Old sugar beet factory

Wed/Thurs pics

Bike TV - PB & J

I dunno if this vid will work, but in it, I eat a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Riveting.

laissez les bons temps rouler

Made it to Julesberg, CO this afternoon. It was about 60 miles and
felt great. Finally I had tires that held air and were properly
inflated. The road was smooth and the winds were friendly. Followed
the Union Pacific railroad tracks, although there wasn't much train
traffic. I passed a lot of farms with cattle and various crops. Lots
of trucks went by with beets. I guess the beets go to a sugar
factory.

I stopped to buy a can of chew at a tiny store in Iliff, CO
(population approx. 12). When I told the folks there what I was up
to, they just nodded like that was normal. I'm pretty sure they were
hiding disbelief. A lot of drivers pass by staring out the window
like I came from Mars. Kids are plastered to the back window of vans,
checking me out.

I've been really glad about everybody's traffic manners. People
always give me plenty of room even when there's not much shoulder. I
got a couple friendly honks from truckers. The best by far was the
wave I got from some Harley guys. They gave me the down-low
outstreched arm biker wave. I smiled about that for awhile.

Tomorrow I'm going to try for a good 90 miler, which is do-able if I
can get out of here decently early and have good roads and wind.

holding

thanks for the well wishes all. amazing what a few words will do to
morale. i'll depart sterling as soon as i get my replacement gear out
here. can say i've seen most of this town. lots of trains carrying
coal. some cool old buildings from railroad days gone by. an
enormous post office that must've been built with the idea that this
town would be the next denver. eager to get back on the road. looks
pretty desolate out to the east. hopefully there's a radio station.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

ok i recant

OK, scratch all that. I mean, what self-respecting intrepid tourer would quit because of a lost wallet? Maybe a broken leg, but not a lost driver's license. As I was thinking the preceding thought, a good Samaritan farmer type dude called. Said he found my wallet in the street. I guess I owe karma now.

last straw

More woe has befallen me. I have now lost my wallet. I thought I'd cruise around town today to see the sights of Sterling. I went to the museum, the community college, and generally just rode around to see what was up. I stopped to get some food at the grocery, reached in my pocket...and nothing. I figure I didn't zip my pocket and it fell out while riding my bike. Easy to do since I'm all reclined while riding.

I rode around town trying to retrace my route, until it got dark. I looked in all the gutters and asked at the library. Nothing. So... I'm stuck with no ID and no cash. I guess I could get the bank to reissue a card and send it to me. But not having an ID really cramps things. If I need to get a hotel or something... Ugh. Really despairing.

So I think I'm going to have to cancel this thing. I've asked Jane to come pick me up from Denver. After planning this thing for months, I am now kind of up against the wall. I guess I'll go back home and find something else to do. Curses, literally.

Well, things have turned a little... slow. Tried to get out of town this morning but was unable. First, I my tires have thorns in them. I try to pull them out with pliers but they break off in the rubber. I need new tires; I have some old dried up ones but they are backups only. I also need a Presta valve adapter as I seem to have lost mine while changing a flat. So I am running at half pressure, which is slow and hard on the rim. My hand pump only inflates to 35psi, and the handle broke off that attaches it to the valve. There is no bike shop in Sterling. So I went to Wal Mart this morning. I bought a hand pump and some tubes. I took the hand pump outside to use it and it immediately exploded.

I have now ordered all the parts via mail. Due to the parts being esoteric and Sterling being a small town, it will take 2 days to get here. I won't be able to leave... until Thursday morning.

At first I was pretty depressed about it, but then I realized that it's all part of travel and I should just take it as a learning experience. It's not as if I have a job to go back to right now. The only thing bumming me out is that this nice weather is ticking past. When the bad weather comes, I have a feeling it's pretty extreme out in the plains.

There isn't a ton to do in Sterling, but it's not all bad. I already checked out the Overland Trail Museum. It's suprisingly pretty amazing. Then I came over to the community college where the grumpy librarian (aren't they all?) grudgingly let me use the Internet terminal. I haven't seen a movie in awhile so I guess I'll do that tonight and tomorrow night. Then maybe over to the rec center to go swimming or something.

So I'm basically trying to turn this from feeling like I'm in the Donner Party to taking a minor detour on the route. One thing is for sure, I did need a bit of a rest after yesterday.

relaxing

Finally decided to send a note via keyboard to send another note. Was
typing on my phone to send the other blog entries. It's difficult.
But now I guess I don't have much more to say except that I'm basking
in the luxurious glory of the Colonial Motel in Sterling. After a
long day, it's wonderful. Beats hanging out in the tent. I'll camp
tomorrow night. Gets down to the 20s so it's a little chilly in the
morning.

Can't say that I observed a whole bunch today, seeing as I was
concentrating on keeping the bike on the road. There's not too much
time for stopping since daylight is short and I have to get somewhere.
I did see lots of cows, farms, and, umm, farm related things like
horses and trucks. Hopefully tomorrow will bring friendly winds and
easier travel.

Sterling - windy day

well i regret once again the lack of pictures. long brutal day today,
esp the last 35 miles or so which had me going into a fierce headwind.
could hardly keep the bike upright. hard to wax philosophical in such
conditions but i thought a bit about why i wanted to do this trip. i
wanted to see the plains, experience a little of what oregon trail
emigrants must have seen. -continued


i guess what i learned today is that it gets windy out here. i
suppose today's landscape is a lot different than theirs. no barb
wire, gas wells, or cattle back then. tomorrow i'm going to get to
julesberg. need a bike shop desperately. 5 flats in 2 days. my
tires are shredded from thorns. fixing flats is tedious on this bike.
physically tired-ish but ought to be ok if i can keep pumping in
calories and water. 60 miles to julesberg tomorrow. daylight is
precious, gotta start early. fingers crossed, tailwind and no flats!

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Multimedia message

Multimedia message

jackson lake state park

made it here after a long day. had to go into greeley to get tubes.
they're a little small but i hope they work. may mail order some to
be picked up at a post office en route. staying at a deserted state
park campground in the middle of nowhere. kind of surreal.
everything's pretty brown in preparation for winter. guess i could
have done this in the spring. aside from aesthetics, another downside
is that the days are short. on a positive note'.. continued

as i was saying, and in the meantime spilling tea on my pillow, was
that everyone is very nice around here, if a little befuddled by my
rig. lots of waves, lots of room on the road. i hope to make it to
at least Sterling tomorrow if not beyond. the Neb border will have to
wait until another day. lots of land out here. wow. am i really
going to do this? i promise more pics tomorrow. i'll stop by a
library or find some wireless.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Ft. Lupton

made it to ft lupton this evening. no wireless. slow start due to
getting lost in denver suburbs. also i double flatted while
bushwhacking through thorn patch. need to stop by bike shop in greeley
to get more tubes for w nebraska where they may not have any 20
inchers. bike rides like a dream and i feel good. type more when i
have a real keyboard.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

All set!

I'm finally headed out. Sunny skies and temps up into the 70s in the plains this weekend. Driving down to Denver tonight then hitting the bike path in the morning. I hope to spend tomorrow night outside Greeley.

Bike tv

If you're interested in what I'm bringing along on this trip, here is a list. I'd like to shave weight, but I can't think of anything to leave out right now. I'll probably be at the post office soon, mailing stuff home.

Bike
Rans Stratus
Windwrap fairing
Schwalbe Marathon tires
Angletech/Planet Bike fenders
Angletech Techwind seat bag and side panniers
Arkel RT-60 underseat panniers
Dinotte taillight -- super duper bright
Cateye taillight -- hey, gotta be seen
BeSeenWear flag -- ditto
Trek LED front light
ClimMitts
Liberally applied reflective tape
2 bladder bags, 2 water bottles (with duct tape and electrical tape wrapped around them)

Shelter
Sierra Designs Sirius 2 tent
Pacific Outdoor Insul-Mat
Mountain Hard Wear Clouds Rest 5 degree down sleeping bag
Small emergency space blanket
Slumberjack camp pillow

Food
Jetboil stove
4 deheydrated pouch meals -- hope to find a grocery
Peanut butter (Jif Extra Crunchy) & jelly (Grape) & bread
Tea (chamomile and blueberry), coffee (Folger's crystals), Splenda
Plastic fork and knife
Iodine tablets
Fold-up sink
Lighter

Tools
Spare brake and derailleur cables
Pump & patch kit
3 innertubes
2 tires (different sizes)
Chain break tool
Gerber multitool
Allen wrench multitool
Some twine
3 Hefty bags
Headlamp
Chain oil

Personal
Sunblock and lip balm
Toilet paper
Deodorant/toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
Small towel
Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap
Copenhagen Long Cut
First aid: tape, pads, gauze, Aleve, moleskin, Band-Aids
Hand sanitizer

Entertainment
Sirius Stiletto satellite radio + extra batteries and charger
HP iPaq Pocket PC w/ GPS / wireless + batteries + charger
Think Outside foldable bluetooth keyboard
Digital camera

audiobooks on sim cards:
Patrick O'Brien, Aubrey-Maturin (Master & Commander) complete series
Martin Dugard, Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
Stephen Ambrose, Undaunted Courage
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy complete series
Mortenson and Relin, Three Cups of Tea

Clothes
Sidi Dominator bike shoes
Lightweight walking around hiking shoes
3 pairs ski socks
Neoprene booties
Pearl Izumi thermal bike tights
Alpine Designs convertible zip-off pants
Synthetic base layer tights and shirt
Arm warmers / knee warmers
Synthetic North Face button-up shirt
Windstopper softshell jacket
Windstopper vest
Mountain Hard Wear shell
Sherpa hat
Balaclava
Helmet w/ cover
Winter work gloves
Glove liners
Sunglasses
2 cotton t-shirts, several boxers
Baseball cap

Maps
DeLorme Gazetteer sections from Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana
City bike maps of Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities

man, that's a lot of crap.

A lot of people have been asking me if I'm bringing a weapon on this trip. No joke. The bicycle forums are full of people who say that they never leave home without their machete/Taser/Glock/Mace. Thinking about it, I can't really see myself getting into a knife/gun fight. And I'm hoping that reports of roving meth-heads in Iowa are exaggerated. Hopefully I won't get overrun like in a zombie movie.

Me trying to get my fenders to line up right -- notice my roomy work/cook/sleep/shower space --

Well, I've come up with a departure date. I'm thinking about Monday, Oct. 27. I'll miss the last couple of days of my summer firefighting job but it's been pretty dull lately anyway. Plus, the sooner I take off, the sooner I can get back to start working on the ski mountain.

Hopefully the weather will be OK. I'm ignoring all the doom-filled predictions people are giving me about the weather. It's been nice here and I'm hoping reasonably cool fall temps will prevail. Better to ride across Nebraska when it's cold rather than when it's sweltering.

I got the bike a few days ago. I took it around the parking lot a few times and it was fun, although I couldn't really steer it very well. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can learn to ride it. It's raining and snowing this weekend in Vail though, so I probably won't take it out for a few more days.

Preparations continue. This weekend I was camping up in the mountains and found that my ThermaRest was pretty inadequate to insulate me from the ground. I'm going to try out one of those low tech egg-crate foam pads from Wal Mart. Today I'm going to get my maps in order. Finally got gazetteers from each state in the mail and am going to copy and then laminate the pages I need. Also, I haven't yet set up my tent to see if it works.