The video of images for

Friday, February 5, 2010

The video of images for

The video of images for Leg 2 Part 1 - Ft Worth to Lake Mineral Wells State Park - is on the blog and YouTube now.

3 comments:

AnonymousFebruary 5, 2010 at 11:27 PM
Finally, I've gotten through all your blog entries! Interesting read, nice photos, and I admire your attitude! I also agree with a lot of your politics, but that's another story.

So, your video says you're in love with your bike. OK. But seriously, I'm curious why did you chose this particular setup? Why not a decent touring bike with panniers to drop the center of gravity of your load, get the pack off your back, and reduce your wind resistance and the increased risk of accidents from top-heavy/crosswind experiences you described? I know--you used what you had on hand and you are proving that one can take relatively inexpensive gear and have a good time. I agree. But you've already broken a rim, seem to have a lot of flats (are they pinches or punctures?), and I just wonder if your little project has suffered from "scope creep" as you've expanded your vision from LJ-->DFW to the world. Given that reality, should you think a bit more about your gear?

Look at some of the minimalist backpacking sites, for instance, or read Ray Jardine's "Trail Life" to see how they can do the AP or PCT with puny packs and only a few pounds of gear. Do you REALLY enjoy hauling all that stuff around in an awkward manner, or are you just bullheaded enough to do it because you want to prove you can use what you already had on hand and still have a good time? (I did pick up from your blogs that you are bullheaded, or at least stubborn, or should I say persistent?!). Shoot--you've already bought a second tent, bag, etc., but they were far from optimal quality/compactness/weight. Why not invest in some good gear and then when you hit the Rockies you won't be complaining about riding in 1st gear at 3 mph with 60 lbs of gear?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing you. I admire what you are doing! Just thinking that with a little more research and refinement, you could enjoy this a lot more. But as you say, each of us is different and maybe that's just how I see it. And, besides, you are DOING it while I'm still just dreaming (haven't retired yet from the big D). All the best, and hope to see you on the road before you leave the area for good. (Ever ride with the BBC? Join us at the Angleton Buccees 288/35 at 8 am Sunday for 50 miles at about 18 mph pace). --RJ
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Wills on WheelsFebruary 6, 2010 at 12:49 AM
RJ
First - thanks for taking the time to write. And let me just say if you've read through all my blog entries then you may also be classified as stubborn, bull-headed or just a glutton for punishment.... of course I'm kidding... I am sincerely flattered and honored that you took the time to read through them all.
Your analysis of my "process" and "my equipment" is pretty accurate on most counts - 1) I did use what I had on hand... I already had my Trek 3700 and was familiar with it. I already had my Coleman 15deg Mummy bag and Thermarest mat. I didn't take a tent....used an 8x10 tarp and created a 45 degree lean to when I camped out in Texas... in New Mexico, all the state parks had 3-sided adobe structures w/ a roof so all I needed was a mat and bag.
2) I did what I did because I decided to use what I had on hand... I didn't want to go spend $2grand to get outfitted with the latest and greatest and lightest. My busted rim was likely a result of underinflation... I was running 40 - 42# when I should've been running 52 - 58#. I had 6 flats in 1250 miles and at least one of those was because I likely installed the tube incorrectly.

Will continue in another comment....
Would a touring bike w/ panniers and ultralight gear have helped me? Probably some... but when I was doing the 3 - 5 mph days I was going against literally 24 - 28 mph direct headwinds and the worst of those days I was on a caliche road so I had some increased rolling resistance.... when I had no headwinds (like the day I did the Llano Estacado)... I could do a sustained 16 mph on a Mountain Bike....basically from the time I got on 84 in Snyder Tx I was pedaling against a continuous head on wind of at least 15 mph 90% of the time..it was relentless and it always showed up about noon and I got a lot of late starts....most of the time my backpack wasn't fully loaded... I mailed my camping gear ahead of me when I wouldn't be using it for the next couple of days.
Most of my weight (especially in the Action Packer) was from stuff not related to camping out or eating.... I had an extra tire, various bike tools, 3 tubes, hand pump, CO2 cartridges and air inflation attachment, my Gateway Netbook and cables for the Netbook, cell phone, Canon Powershot camera, etc.

Will follow up with an additional comment...

William Miller
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Wills on WheelsFebruary 6, 2010 at 12:51 AM
RJ - cont'd

I was also carrying cold weather gear and accessories - hand warmers, extra gloves, hoods, etc. I learned as I went - what I actually needed...how many clothes I needed (a lot less than I thought when I rode and a lot more than I thought when I slept)....

I can't remember a single morning on the 2nd leg when I was camping out that I didn't wake up to below freezing temps.... and several times it was below 20 deg.

Best case scenario - I go buy a Touring Bike w/ Panniers, an Ultralight sleeping bag, an ultralight tent, ultralight (adventure type) clothing.... I'm sure it would make things somewhat easier....how much I don't know....

I found that the single biggest discomfort.... the single biggest factor on how far I rode on any given day was the wind... You gotta realize there's nobody breaking the wind for me - I'm riding by myself all day long.... and you can get on a High Dollar Road Bike hauling nothing but you and you put your nose into a 25 mph headwind and you're gonna have problems.

Did this little adventure suffer from Scope Creep? (you gotta be an engineer or project person - they're the only ones that talk about scope creep... don't worry I'm one of them!) When I started out to ride from LJ to FW, did I think I was gonna be trying to do what I'm doing now? No but that's how things get started.... you get a taste of it... you like it.... you take another taste.... you like that.... you learn some more stuff.... you get different equipment... it's a process... things like this usually don't happen by design.

Would I recommend someone doing what I did the way I did it? Of course not. But it does show that you can take < $750 worth of gear and go have a great once in a lifetime adventure and you can do it safely...

The bottom line was that I had a blast.... I got back in shape.... something I would never had done otherwise.... I saw beautiful country I had never seen before.... ate great food...met literally dozens of the nicest people I've ever met.... heard a lot of different open-minded perspectives... made several job contacts that I'm currently following up on.... and was out in it nearly every day... what other people might consider pain and discomfort I consider pleasure.... did I get frustrated riding against the wind at 5 mph? Yes.... but some of my best days.... the days I remember the most.... the ones that were the most rewarding.... were the days that I made the least number of miles or had to ride the longest to make the miles.... cause I never gave up.... not one time.... I did what I had to do to get to the next town or state park.

Our world is full of people trying to do it the easy way.... to find the latest and greatest.... and we need that.... it'a a good thing.... but sometimes the best solution is to just put your head down and grind it out... I guarantee you if I had all the latest gear I wouldn't have come back 23 lbs lighter and in the best shape I've been in in 10 years.

If I end up turning this into some sort of paying vocation, I will likely do as you suggest and go the road more traveled by...i.e. purchase the latest and greatest- but I'll be doing Leg 3 - Santa Fe NM to Los Angeles CA - with the setup I have now with some efforts to reduce weight where I can.

I haven't ridden with the BBC but would like to before I leave.... probably need to get my road bike out and check it over.... I haven't ridden it since the HH100 in 2007.

Don't wait till you retire to do your adventure....that was the "breakthrough" that I made.... do it a little at a time if you have to... but do it now!

It was the best decision I ever made.

I hope to meet you some time...give me a call on my cell @ 979-285-7219 and we'll go grab a beer or a plate of fajitas or something.

Look forward to talking or typing with you again.

William Miller
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