Here's One I Made Earlier

To give rightful credit where its due it was actually Pete Smith who took the time and effort to write up this epic MTB trip we did a couple of years ago that I stumbled upon this evening - a thoroughly memorable four day circular route in the heart of Scotland taking in Fort William, Fort Augustus, Loch Laggan and Corrour.

http://www.offroadadventures-online.com/rr061.html

Worryingly though, is that reading through this account has just brought back memories to me of just how tired and hungry I was on that trip ..... and that was only a four day jaunt. Just what the heck have I just set myself up to do in these coming months?!

Quick Release....Too Quick

As with most cyclists who've ridden the same bike for a number of years, I'm fairly well tuned into how my bike is working, and in particular any potential/developing problems with it. Now sometimes the problems are blatantly obvious, such as the snapped chains, exploding rims and snapped handlebar to name a few of the more major problems I've had happen to me (believe me, the last one was an experience and a half when it happened in a race at ~25 mph). At other times it's less obvious but you just sense something isn't quite right.

Well I got that feeling this morning as I was spinning into town on today's training ride. Nothing looked wrong on the bike as I buzzed along so it did cross my mind that it might just have been the fact that I was tired having been up til 2.30am last light looking at Beaver on the web...it's a town on Highway 101, nine miles north of Forks, Washington, by the way, and has the marvelously named Stormin' Norman Road. Anyway, after 5 miles or so zipping through the busy traffic I was more convinced that something definitely was wrong so stopped to check out the bike. Upon lifting the the bike up onto the kerb, the back wheel promptly fell out the frame. Disturbing? Eh, very! What I reckon happened is that in taking it off the turbo-trainer this morning I must have undone the quick release. Still, I got away with it and am currently feeling very, very lucky to have done so.

Got this snap once I'd got into town.

5,015 Miles

The route. I'll post more details once it's all GPSed, but in the meantime, here goes.

Double Bagging it

Following on from my test run I've decided to purchase a set of these www.ortlieb.com/_pdf_en/sack-ps.pdf

While I'm sure the bags I've got are waterproof it's more for getting
the kit into the tent dry, and not in some sodden bike bag.

As an aside, trying to make this post via the iPhone so here's hoping
it works as that'll make posting while on the trip considerably easier.

Methil No More? Well One Can Hope.

So, I'm just back from my first fully-laden training ride - up to deepest Fife yesterday then back today. Good news and bad news - First, the good news is that my bike seems to handle considerably better than I thought it would given it had ~20kg of kit on it, actually quite serene. However, the bad news is that my legs don't handle the extra 20kg of kit quite so well - fecked!

However the over-riding feeling was relief at having survived the wilds of that part of the world with only one of the locals shouting abuse at me. To be honest, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the non-urban parts of the 'Kingdom' with some very pleasant sights such as this little waterfall somewhere near Aberlour.

I Wish I Could Fly

Well, I've finally got round to booking up flights - flying on 2nd April then pedalling out of Seattle on the 5th. As an aside, I've just realised that in the 13 or so hours it'll take me to fly there I'll travel around 5,000 miles ..... and it'll then take me 80 days to cover the next 5,000. Hmm, perhaps I should get me one of these to help me along.

http://dvice.com/archives/2008/05/jetpowered_bike.php

Anyway, I'm off to pack up the kit as I'm doing my first fully-laden overnight training ride tomorrow. Here's hoping I make it back in one piece as I'm venturing over the bridge into the 'kingdom', figured going there should help prepare me for the joys of the deep south. Scared.

Oh, and on a different topic, for those of you asking, no you can't sponsor the bears! But thanks for the thought Col.

Not a Fan

Well, the fan recharger turned out to be a lunatic purchase - broke on the first ride. Damn it.

Definitely a Fan

Just purchased what I have distinct feeling is going to turn out to be either the the best, or most ludicrous gadget yet for the trip - a mini wind turbine phone/battery charger to put on the bike. Awesome or awful, who knows which it'll be but definitely worth taking a chance. because if it does work :) !
However, for my own safety I suspect it'll be wise for me to take it off the bike for the stretch through a certain large oil-loving state in the south. I mean, just picture it; non-American, on a bike, with a wind turbine ..... I think I'd be lucky to last 2 miles.

There's more details on this kit at
http://www.gadgetsnews.co.uk/post/2008/12/29/Mini-Kin-Green-Power-Generator.aspx

Too Close for Comfort?

Well, if all goes to plan then 1 month from now I'll be rolling into Port Townsend, Washington at the end of day 1. Is it that soon? Having first started making plans for this adventure in late September, suddenly the start date is rushing up on me. Perhaps I'd better start taking this thing a bit more seriously now!

Bear Necessities

I've just been checking through on some more practicalities. Thankfully it looks like I'll be avoiding grizzly territory, though I'll still be camping in black bear territory for a good few nights. To make it worse it'll be around the time they'll be coming out of hibernation and hence be worryingly hungry. What I hadn't realised is the general view out there seems to be that its actually best to fight back if attacked by a black bear, whereas for a grizzly its best to play dead (and, as an aside, for a polar bear you basically are dead!)

This website is one of the most useful I've found on the basics of ursine encounters. Come to think of it, I really hope it's turns out not to be 'useful', but merely 'interesting'.

http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/safety/blackbearsafe.asp