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

The Kit List - Kitchen sinking it

Well, I've finally got round to putting this down on paper. Here's what I'm planning on taking (though I've still got to buy a fair few bits of the kit). 'Dry' weight for this lot (incl. bags, ex. food, water & fuel) is ~19kg.

Many thanks to Peter Smith for casting his more practical eye over this.

Biking gear
Helmet
Helmet mirror
Glasses (2x lenses - light & dark)
Buff x3
Cycle top - short sleeve x2
Cycle top - long sleeve
Lightweight goretex jacket
Fingerless gloves
Lining gloves
Watch
Dog tags
Livestrong band
Cycle shorts x2
Leggings
Mtb shoes
Neoprene overshoes
Socks x5
Camelback

Not biking gear
Down body warmer
Merino wool thermal top
Lightweight fleece top
Lightweight long sleeve top
Lightweight T-shirt x2
Silk boxers x3
Trousers
Shorts
Swimming trunks
Socks x3
Lightweight running shoes
Midge/mosquito hood

Tools
Multi tool (Small allen keys, screw drivers, spoke keys & chain splitter)
Tyre levers x2
Pedal spanner
Tyre valve adaptor
Tyre pressure gauge
Oil/Scotoiler
Pump

Camping kit
Tent (Laser competition)
Footprint for tent
Spare tent pegs
Sleeping bag (Rab Summit Alpine 300)
Silk sleeping bag liners x2
Inflatable pillow
3/4 length Thermarest
Thermarest chair kit
Earplugs
Elastic clothes line
Clothes pegs x6
Foil blanket

Cooking
Stove (multifuel)
Gas canisters x2 (delivered to Seattle hotel)
Cooking pot
1L Water flasks x2
Mug
Spork
Lighter
Foldable 5L bucket (Ortleib)

Bike gear
Panniers
Pannier bags (2x front & 2x rear)
Rackpack pannier bag
Mudgaurds
Lightweight nylon bike cover
Bell
Spare gear cable
Spare brake pads
Spare spokes (2x front, 3x rear)
2m heavyweight combination lock
Very lightweight cable locks x2
Foldable tyres x2
Spare foldable tyre
Tubes x2
Puncture kit (10 patches)
Leeches tyre patches x12
Kevlar tyre tape
Rear lights x2
Headtorch for front light?
Spare p clips (for pannier)

Gadgets & fun stuff
Mobile phone
US SIM card/phonecard?
Camera (Spare memory card)
GPS (with h/rate monitor)
Powermonkey solar charger
US phone/camera/gps charger
Kite (Prism Snapshot 1.9)

Bits & Bobs
Bic pen
Duct tape
Reusable cable ties x8
Compass
Whistle
Superglue
Small US and St Andrew's flags
Money belt
Passport/wallet/insurance docs

Keeping me clean
Travel bag
Travel mirror
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Shampoo/shower gel or soap
Antiperspirant
Facecloth
Travel towel
Beard trimmer (or more accurately stubble trimmer)

Keeping me healthy
First aid kit
Steroid cream
Antibiotics
Ibuprofen capsules
Ibuprofen gel
Bodyglide
Sudocream
Glucosamine, cod liver etc. capsules
Suntan lotion
Insect repellent
Nail clipper
...and finally, Bear Spray (delivered to Seattle hotel)

Seven hours in the saddle

Its been a good few years since I got the buzz from cycling I got from yesterday's ride. It's that high of stopping at the end of the ride and realising just how far away from home I was as I found myself in Blair Atholl - chalking up just shy of 100miles.

Bearing in mind how simple the design of a bicycle is, I'm still amazed by the ability it gives to travel these large distances under your own steam - a genius invention.

As an aside, I thought those of you in the Mhesa Golf Club might appreciate that I took a little detour in Pitlochry to get this snap. I sure it'll bring back nothing but happy memories to Team Linn/Withers.

Gone With the Wind

Good spin down to North Berwick and back today. However, I really should have realised that when I was crusing at 25+ mph on the way there, and couldn't feel a breath of wind, that it was going to be a tough ride back into the 'breeze' - and it definitely was.

It's all about the food

I've heard cycle touring being described as 'riding your bike between meals' and as my training mileage is starting to ramp up I'm beginning to really understand that that phrase isn't too far from the truth. As I sit here this morning munching on an energy bar ahead of today's training ride I thought I'd give a quick example. An average training ride of 50 miles will see me burn about 3,000 calories, which is equivalent to my normal daily intake. I'm currently riding every second day which means I currently need to eat about 50% more than normal. Looking ahead to the actual trip, I reckon I'll be looking at about 5,000-6,000 calories extra per day, so that means I'll need to eat getting on for three times what I'm used to. Now, as many of you know, I like my food, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous about having to find, carry and consume that sort of quantity of food every day for 3 months. Anyway, I'm off now to see if I can find a chippy that sells deep fried pizzas at 9am.

String theory - Knot a clue

Just how long is a piece of string? I was genuinely asking myself that question today as I was getting together more bits of kit. Specifically, how much to take for a drying line along with any pannier/tent emergencies? Well I settled for about 12 feet ... or should I take more? ... or is that too much? ... is it the right type of string? ........ arrgghh!

Low Winter Sun from Calton Hill

The recent 'warm' spell has rapidly made the battalions of snowmen from last week become a distant memory. As a result, I've been able to pick up the pace of training this week - which is just as well more as every time I sit down to tweak the route it seems to get longer (went through the 5,000 mile mark yesterday). Here's a shot from up Calton Hill on today's training run.