Day Six, Statesboro, GA to Yemassee, SC – 78.84 miles, average speed 12.1 mph. Total miles, 482

Statesboro was a nice place and the Mexican restaurant where I ate, El Sombrero, was outstanding. Mole Ranchero! $8.50! Salsa obviously prepared on-site. Nice way to end a long day.

As appealing as Statesboro was it contrasted greatly to the endless piney woods and verdant fields. I did cross the Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers. Southern rivers have an aura about them; dark, slow moving, tree draped banks, perfect places to idle away time fishing. Another contrast, too. Southern rivers versus Interstate 95.

 

Entering South Carolina brought one very significant change. Roads. Many of the rural roads in both Florida and Georgia were rough, but rough was the apparent standard as soon as I crossed the Savannah River. Paved edges, defined by white lines, when they exist are often very narrow.

There was no rain and very little to talk about. I am still on pace, still sore, still tired at the end of each day. I am also thrilled by being able to do this thing. I ebb from wondering why I am doing it then flow with the joy of doing it.

Can I make it all the way?

More Miscellaneous Stuff

About the B-17

After almost 11 months the unthinkable happened; my Brooks saddle broke. The friendly people at Bikes and More said they’d never seen a Brooks break quite like it did. One of the rails snapped while clamped in place. Since my FNBS sells more Brooks saddles than anyone else in Florida it wasn’t surprising that they had a replacement. It also wasn’t a surprise when Paul handed me a replacement. They know their customers and asking for a proof of purchase would have been redundant. It is my misfortune to have to break in another saddle before leaving in a month. The saddle had performed as advertised, conforming to me in all the right places. While using a more modern saddle for a day I realized how much hotter other seats can be. The Brooks simply felt right.

Preparing a Brooks saddle is a lengthy ritual involving applying special dressing (oils) to the saddle to soften it so your hard parts can stretch and form little refuges for your sit bones. Stuff on. Stuff off. Repeat. It had worked well for the first one, but I wanted to hasten the process after a 50 mile ride proved that initially they’re awfully damn hard. It had occurred to me that heating the dressing might hasten it’s absorption, but heating a metal can of the stuff seemed equally tedious or messy or both. With ambient temperatures in the low 90s and a blazing sun about to appear over the trees I realized modern technology (like using a microwave) would not do the entire job as efficiently as the sun. With the dressing, the saddle and the application rag all hot, the dressing went from being a greasy surface slick to gone without a trace. Multiple applications took moments. Now, it’s all about getting miles on it.

The Brooks had about 4500 miles on it when it began squeaking. Leather squeaks as I learned years ago when I drove MGBs. The squeaking started about a week before I finally began tugging at the saddle to replicate the sound. The sound I produced was a soft ping when the broken end slipped out of the seat mounting bracket. Brooks provides a 2 year warranty, but I doubt I will ever have to invoke the warranty again.

About Body Glide

My verdict is in. It works and to ride without Body Glide became unlikely. No mess and no irritation. What more can someone say about a product after saying “it works.” Do I talk about how, when and how often to apply? Read directions and follow manufacturer’s advice.

It’s a lot like finding a tire that works well and reduces flats to almost nonexistent. Why would you not use them if you wanted to avoid flats? Any "Cons"? Their website is Flash. Tedious.

About Tent Sites in an RV World

I telephoned several campgrounds listed on the Adventure Cycling maps. Most expect to fewer guests in August, except “don’t show up on Labor Day.” One offers “no hook ups” for $10 and $15 with. Another is $19 and has water and electricity. They only have one tent site. One state park said it was best to avoid weekends. They charge $17.93. I didn’t ask whether the fee had some numerological significance. Another state park cost $20 and there were no amenities other than a bath house. The most expensive was $25 and $27.50. It was private and the person on the phone was not the kind of campground keeper I wanted. In the alternative, the man who answered the phone for Hughes Family Campground near Calabash, NC, said they’d make room for a tent and that water and electricity were available at all the sites. He also said if he wasn’t around to get comfortable and he’d be “around eventually.”

Physical, Psychological and Spiritual Update

Trying to keep the trip from becoming The Trip, or worse, THE TRIP!!! is the other part of  . . . the trip. Failure would amount to a real drag. Managing the balance between being serious and too serious is a daily thing.

First Aid: A Not Definitive List

• When I broke my hip in a bike crash in ’05 and spent several days in the hospital I acquired a large collection of patches designed to cover abrasions typical of bicycle accident. Packaged sturdily already, they fit perfectly into my growing kit.
• What hikers call Monkey Butt is common to bicycling, too. Saddle soreness is our version. Zinc oxide is the consensus treatment and is available as an ointment or as a deodorant stick-style named BodyGlide. Adding good hygiene, triple antibiotics and some peroxide probably takes care of chafing and most wounds.

Food: For The Times When There’s No Other Choice

• Freeze dried and dehydrated food is big business for hikers. Maybe it’s dumping boiling water into a foil bag and waiting 20 minutes is the problem I have with hiker food. I feel much more satisfied by adding something to boiling water and having to “stir occasionally” for 10 or fewer minutes. So, I have these assorted 4 serving packets made by Bear Creek that I divided (by weight) into 2 servings and repackaged that will easily stir into my 4 cup titanium cup/pot. The taste is acceptable and the composition sufficient to take care of carbohydrate, protein and fat needs.
• Larabars. No added sugar. In fact, nothing but what they claim to be, cashews and dates; dates, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut; dates, cashews, almonds lemon juice concentrate. Larabars have about half the calories (190 to 230) of Probars (350 – 400), but are very similar in carbs and fiber (22-23gm/4 to 6gm).
• No Man’s Land Beef Jerky is the best I have ever eaten. Mostly, I find jerky to be offensively salty and inordinately stiff.. Stiff I could tolerate if saltiness was less pronounced, otherwise, sucking on a piece as a diversion results in curing a portion of your inner cheek or lips.

Shoes: What About Those Very Large Feet?

• I found another pair of Skecher Safari Sandals and have worn them only enough to be sure they fit without causing any irritations. What I haven’t solved is how to carry a more substantial show to use as an alternative, especially if the weather turns cold.

Georgia: Is There Nothing In Coastal Georgia?

• Much of the trip can be made easily from campground to campground and an occasional motel, except in Georgia. <sigh>.

Goals and Reality

I have cycled more than 5000 miles since acquiring my Safari in April 2011. None of it has been in touring mode and the longest distance I have covered was 55 miles. There’s no doubt the Safari can make the tour. I am the weakest element.

A week ago I loaded front and rear panniers with about 25 pounds worth of 24 ounce water bottles, all of it unsprung weight. This part of Florida lacks significant hills, but the few short, moderate climbs hinted at the effort that will be required on the Skyline Drive. I was easily able to keep pace with the road bike riders I accompanied on rolling terrain at 15 to 20 mph. For the whole trip or 45 miles I averaged 14+ which is better than I anticipated.

While studying individual segments of the Adventure Cycling East Coast Route I began to accept that 100 miles per day might be unreasonable. Mileage is going to be dependent upon the logistics of finding food, water and shelter. It’s probably more logical to aim at smaller chunks of distance during the first week then increasing the mileage as I become more physically able. Highly relevant in this reasoning is Coastal Georgia’s lack of towns and the towns I will encounter are usually small and lacking significant resources. This changes as the route eases into South Carolina.

Estimates of my ability to handle 75 to 100 mile days may change as I work at extending my range locally. Cedar Key is 55 miles away. If I’m unable to make it a one day round trip at least I’ll be in a place I enjoy.

Loading my front panniers reminded me that I won’t be on a grocery run when they’re loaded for touring. Steering response is slower, but I soon adapted to it, in part, I’m sure, because of the Safari’s geometry. It’s further evidence that the bike can handle the trip. The rest is up to me.

If you think about it . . .

Someone recently said, "If you think about it, it's pretty weird to want to ride that far on a bicycle." I suppose such and adventure could seem unusual. It didn't come about without a lot of thinking about it. If I were significantly younger I might approach it as an escapade. With most of the logistical and route planning completed it is easier to consider all those things that make it "pretty weird."

Self-doubt slides up and half wheels me frequently. It's that age thing. Aches? Pains? Falls? Illness? Can I do it in 14 days? And what about the mountains when south bound? A lot of things have fallen out of my lists bucket. It's taken time. I wanted to backpack parts of the Appalachian Trail. Drive around Nova Scotia. Hang out around the Finger Lakes. Never did the App Trail nor Nova Scotia. Did the Finger Lakes. There are other things that return fond memories and mostly they balance the things. Age becomes relevant. If I don't try it now, when?

A few things remain sources of doubt

• Coastal Georgia seems to have the fewest and most widely separated resources; camping, lodging and bike shops
• Planning the best schedule transiting through and around for DC and Baltimore
• Best route to Front Front Royal
• Handling the Skyline Drive (fortunately, the Skyline Drive is more accessible than the Blue Ridge Parkway)
• Getting from Roanoke to the SC coast (OK . . . that means more than half the trip is tentative)

I was given a T Shirt with the following inscription;

Who Dares

Wins

Pretty much says it. If not now, when?

Reached the ability to maintain 15 mph. When I can do that with the bike fully loaded I will be fully prepared for the trip. Until then I guess self-doubt will be dogging me. My best hope is to turn the dog into a wingman by acknowledging the challenge and potential problems while embracing Who Dares.

Planning

I have all the Adventure Cycling maps needed to travel north as far as Baltimore. They are comprehensive and leave few ques tions except the pragmatic ones. Where will I sleep? Eat? Shower? Even these questions are answered by the thorough descriptions of the routes showing bike shops, campgrounds, motels and more. The questions are generated by personal uncertainties. How many hours can I remain in the saddle? How far can I ride?

For the next few months I will learn about my personal limitations by doing increasingly long day and overnight trips. Refining my camping skills will make it easier to anticipate were and how to do some stealth or guerilla camping. This seems to be a larger issue across southeastern Georgia than anywhere else.

One necessary adjustment has too be made to my intended route. The cost to cross from "mainland" Virginia to the Eastern Shore is too high at about $50 by private ferry. Getting to the Outer Banks remains on the schedule since the public ferries will set me back about $3. As a result, I no longer have to plot my own course from OBX.

North of Baltimore I will leave the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast route and head due north into Pennsylvania on the Maryland North Central Trail near Monkton.. The North Central Trail, a rail-to-trail path becomes a section of PA's J Route which eventually follows US 15 along the Susquehanna River. Currently, I am losing interest in daring the narrow roads leading to Pottsville and will consider my trip successful if I reach the confluence of the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna.

The return route remains uncertain. reading Bicycling the Blue Ridge has given me a good idea of the challenge I will face there. I am less concerned about my ability and stamina than I am about where to turn south. Do I cross all of Georgia? Or do I head toward the coast again somewhere in North Carolina? No matter what route I choose it will be without good map support, a daunting prospect. Yet, if I have succeeded in reaching my northbound goal I will probably be able to cope with a less structured journey.

None of my concerns causes me to waiver in my desire to set-off. I see the concerns as reasonable and the solutions just part of planning and doing.

How it grows

I knew when I decided to buy the Safari that there were things to be adjusted, replaced, added and changed. Reviewers disliked the seat. The handlebars were too low. Handlebar tape was inadequate. But there was no criticism of the basic bike, except for the lingering argument; aluminum or steel? For me there is one question. Does everyone become so immersed in thinking about their bike and riding somewhere?

I recall how I enjoyed looking at my '67 MGB. Forty years later, I look at my bike with the same appreciation and joy. The biggest difference between the two, other than the obvious, is that Novara makes more dependable bikes than British Leyland did cars. Of course, just as with the MG, I also get wet when it rains.

If you have followed the links to REI for an image of the Safari, you might compare it to the way my everyday transportation looks now.

 

 

Soon, I will add a Tubus Tara Low Rider front rack and suitable front panniers, probably Ortlieb Front Rollers. My research suggests I will need the space to remain as self-sufficient as possible when I tour. I anticipate using a tent 5 of every 7 nights, at least. REI offered a deal on a Big Agnes Lynx 3 and because of my size I opted for it, knowing there would be times when I would be tent-bound. Following some suggestions, I looked for an alternative to the standard foot print and stumbled upon Gossamer Gear, a source for minimalist camping equipment. Their Polycyro ground cloth seems good as a footprint alternative and waterproof wrap while traveling.

It seems likely that I will encounter numerous others when venturing north. As odd as I seem to some, I am no more than fellow traveller to the touring community. I have a Bikes and More as my link with equipment and the local Cycling Society for cognitive consciousness. It's been a long time since I have felt I was doing something useful to myself and the world. Every turn of the crank is a statement in favor of making the world little greener.

Anticipation is a significant part of the pleasure

Two of the five sets of maps created by Adventure Cycling, arrived today. St. Augustine to Statesboro, GA, (287.5 miles)and Statesboro to Wilmington, NC (349.5 miles). Always enthralled by maps, looking at these task-specific documents serves only to stimulate my desire to be off!

The Safari is now equipped with SKS P45 fenders, Ortlieb BackRoller Plus panniers and a Topeak Road G pump. I've chosen to become intimately familiar with the gear that will keep me moving northward and I wonder how I must appear to casual observers. Cyclists I encounter riding the local Hawthorne Trail routinely acknowledge my tourist equipped bike. I regularly fill the panniers with more weight than I am likely to carry when I go grocery shopping and the bike handles well. Front panniers are probably a necessary addition since I intend to be as self-sufficient as possible. Having that additional mass on the front wheels is a little daunting. How does a bike handle then?

Thirty years ago I'd anticipate making Gonzo runs from Atlanta to PA. Where would I stop? How few stops would be enough? Would I have mechanical problems? Now, not only am I anticipating going northbound, but returning south via the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. Deja vu sans internal combustion?

With more than 1000 miles on the Safari I know I it will do whatever I ask of it. I hope to answer the question "What's someone your age doing planning a thousand mile bicycle trip?" "Uh. two thousand. I have to come back."

It's Taken This Long . . .

How long has it taken to finally add words to an empty Blog? Too long.

I intended to memorialize my efforts to become a bicycle tourist, then life interfered. Funny how that happens more (or so it seems) as I get older. Validates the Blog's title, I guess. Recovering from my too recent detached retina (more about that later) I can see well enough to us my PC, so now is the time to start.

Contributing to making a start was my ride with one of the slower Cycling Club groups. Twenty-two miles of pleasant back roads was my first ride with people I did not know. As with many interest groups, I know little about the others except what comes from their choice of equipment and the way in which they perform. In general; nice bike and decent people, all.

The ride was easy and met the group's standards. Their name is Hokey Pokeys and the overall pace lived up (or down) to the name. What wasn't so easy was getting home from the starting/ending point. Having given up automobiles as regular transportation, I had to cycle to there and back. Had to? Yeah, it is all a part of the challenge of doing something from which it is difficult to walk away unless I finish it.

I cycled 53 miles, total. The final ten were difficult, but not burdensome. The whole episode was exactly what it should have been' tough but something I can do. Not that I will be doing 50 plus miles regularly . . . OK, maybe I will. You see, this all leads up to the goal of touring by bicycle with the first long distance effort planned for the East Coast; Oldest City to Oldest Brewery, by way of the Outer Banks. A month of 12 miles an hour. Some nights in motels, some in a tent and some where ever I happen to be.

Often, I thought about hiking the App Trail, but the time and effort investment was more than I could ever make. No, I am simply not interested in sticking my arthritic toes into hiking shoes and abusing myself that way. Driving was a driving force in my life for, well, most of my life. Reaction times and vision issues (more about that later) made that less likely. After all, who wants to drive slowly anywhere? Or, maybe it became a lack of interest? The right car?

This is a bike tolerant community. University towns are like that I suppose. Students on bike. Professors on bikes. There are bike lanes and bike routes and the majority of drivers are at worst tolerant of bicycles. Intermittently, over the past several years I commuted by bicycle, an eleven mile trip one-way. Two summers ago I began doing it full-time. The Escort blew a head gasket and seemed not worth trying to repair. So, ride four miles to put my bike on the front of a mass-transit bus (all are equipped with a two-place bike rack), then cycle the eleven miles home. "What do you do when it rains?" "Get wet." "What do you do when it's cold?" "Get cold."

"What's someone your age doing riding a bike everywhere?" That was the underlying question. And the only answer, ultimately, is, "Because I really like to ride." And I do. For all this time I rode my '86 Schwinn High Sierra, Mountain Bike, which I'd turned into a nice commuter; bar ends, road tires, rack, panniers, lights. I could easily do the eleven miles in less than an hour. The Head Mechanic, Dave, at Bikes and More, my favored shop, doubted the Schwinn would make the trip, or maybe more accurately, that I would make it riding the Schwinn. Of course, I WANTED a different bike, but . . .

Six hundred miles and a month later, I can now talk about my new ride. The High Sierra has return to its off-road preference and I manage the much different mood created by a Novara Safari. I used to say that my High Sierra was a pick-up compared to more modern commuters and touring bikes. SpUtes (sport utility vehicles) and and sports cars is what most people rode. I was envious, but only moderately because I KNEW what I wanted. Only one other bike had sirred my interest, but at $1600 the Salsa Fargo was more money that I wanted to spend, when half that much bought what I had determined was perfect? Perfect once I raised the handle bars and changed seats.

Will I actually cycle the East Coast? Probably. Will it be in the Spring 2012? Possibly. There are a lot of things to acquire first; tent, cooking equipment, additional tools, maybe even sponsorship.With the bike and a refurbished Wind Netbook in-hand I can focus on the life style and living items I will need. Yeah, it'll happen. Fifty-three miles proved I can do it.

Vision issues. Had cataract surgery in November and December 2010. Went from 20/40 and 20/30 right and left eye to 20/20 and 20/15. Needed magnifiers for reading, but who doesn't after 40? One of the possible problems with cataract surgery is that detached retinas are not uncommon following the surgery. I scored. Slowly I began to see something creeping upward across my vision, then 70% was gone, just like that! "You need to have this done now!" said the retina specialist to which the VA people sent me. Soon after, he was sticking pokey things behind my eye repairing the retina's tear. After two and a half weeks the right eye is back to 20/40. There is fogginess that will dissipate over time. Optical debris, the doctor called it, that'll be "gobbled up like Pacman" according to the doctor.

What's someone your age doing planing to ride the East Coast? Refusing to give-in to the passage of time, is all.