Looking For Frodo (A Search for Long Ago Ancestors) Prologue

 After a very long and trying Wisconsin Winter, dealing with surgery, COVID, and other "Complaints", I recently decided to shake off the cobwebs and get back out On The Road.

So, I'm heading off to Ireland, Starting Next Week.  

The pretext for this trip is to do some family history explorations.  The place I am initially focused on is in County Carlow, around a hamlet named St. Mullins.  I found a map of the area that looks like something out of The Hobbit.

St. Mullins is on the east bank of the Barrow River and west of the Blackstairs Mountains.  The area was once part of the ancient kingdom of Osraige.  According to Wikipedia, this small kingdom was originally founded around the time of Christ and lasted for well over a millennium but was eventually absorbed during the medieval times by the adjacent larger Kingdoms of Munster and Leinster.  

Map of the Old Kingdoms

For centuries, my family area was in County Carlow. They departed in the 1830s, nearly 15 years prior to the Potato Famine of 1846-47.  So They probably were not in a horrible state as were the refugees who fled the island during those terrible years.

Of course, Ireland was terribly poor, even without a famine.  It was difficult for the native population of the country to own or transfer property as a result of the "Penal Laws" imposed by Britain.  So many opportunities lay overseas and many Irish were emigrating  to North America starting in the 1700s.  

Cold Case Investigation

I think nothing is a "Colder Case" that using the old files of previous genealogical investigations.  These are all multi-generational searches.  With the ability to pull together records via the internet, DNA testing, and the ability to fly back to localities, it's possible to gradually build a file of facts, documents, oral histories, and 'hints' for future researchers.

The effort reminds me of trout or salmon trying to make their way back up old 'familiar' streams and tributaries, fighting against the current, looking for bends in the river.  It is a funny little itch that beckons occasional scratching.  

Back to a Lovely Wisconsin Summer

Back from the Bicycle Tour

I'm now in Transition back to Life In Wisconsin after a nearly six week effort on the attempted Cross-Country Bike Tour.   I arrived back home on Thursday, June 16.

Rain or Shine?

I had started from Boston Common on May 1st and decided on June 12th to end the ride at Casper, Wyoming.  I had gone 2250 miles on my loaded touring bicycle and had the prospect of over 1300 miles to go.  Up to this point I had covered nearly 2/3rds of the trip in about 45 days.  I figured that if I continued I would probably have at least 25 days to go before I would be able to get back home to Wisconsin (after shipping home bike and gear and arranging for car rental or air flight). 

I anticipated that if I had continued, I would face 3+ weeks of hard traveling against strong headwinds in Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon.  The prospect of that was not inviting. Although I felt reasonable strong at Casper, I doubted that I would be in great shape by the end of the trip.   So I stopped.  I didn't feel any sense of 'failure' nor angst as a result of this decision.  It was a rational choice that I reached after a fairly cool weighing of the circumstances.  It was a good time to stop.

The bike tour was an interesting project and a long stretch of effort for me to look back and reflect on.  

Ultimately, the trip was about building a personal benchmark, rather than the specific end-goal of the Pacific Ocean.  Starting back in 2021, my motivations as to why I was undertaking the project were a bit confused. Why do the project?            It was a Challenge and that always draws me.  I started with the idea of a trans-continental concept because it was very clear and tangible.  Two Oceans as beginning and end-points presented a simple, tangible image.   I added to the trip some historical items/themes such as Herodias Gardner (my ancestor from the 1650's) as well as my Irish ancestors; these in order to make the ride a bit more interesting.  But the main challenge was the mathematics of the distance and the underlying physical realities and problems to be faced and solved on a day-to-day basis.  

But on reflection,  I think that my underlying motivation was to set an Updated Benchmark and experience what a longer ride would be like as a day-to-day experience. Also, this benchmarking would  help me determine what were my current physical capacities.   Both questions have been answered.  

Conclusion: I'm still capable of long distance rides.  I can do 1000+ mile distances at this point as long as I pace myself (3+ weeks).  I can sleep on the ground in a tent on an air mattress without any negative effects.  But I also know that I don't have as much capacity for handling the higher levels of stress (constant wind!) over multiple days.  My recovery times are gradually diminishing. No doubt.  I'm not as strong as I was at age 55!  After a long day in the saddle I sleep longer and harder and I fade faster than in the past.  Good information to know.

The Horse is still strong, but he's no longer a youngster!  A little less bounce....

Also, I've concluded that long linear solo rides are, for me, pretty boring.  Not a source of "Self-Discovery".  Just long, repetitive grinds.  On this ride I did not have much opportunity for interaction with other people.  And the task-at-hand of covering miles and keeping my average mileage up precluded taking side excursions.  The vastness of the distance to be covered (the 'goal') overshadowed my normal sense of whimsy.  Not much energy or time to indulge my natural curiosity.  I began to periodically ask myself, "What's the Point?"  It was hard to come up with a cogent or convincing answer. 

Looking forward, I will probably revert back to bicycle touring projects with more interesting themes.  

[In the autumn I may also go back to Casper with my truck/camper and explore some of route not ridden by bike. I think I would like to look at some of the old wagon train trails.]

A Pair and a Spare

2007 Silverado (2001 Camper), 2004 Toyota Sienna Van, 2004 Pontiac Vibe (Toyota)

1976 Honda CB360, 2005 Honda Rebel 250, Nishiki Frame w/ Bafang eBike Conversion

2012 Surly Long Haul Trucker, 1990s Trek 520 Tourer, and a 2010  Airnimal Folding Bike

After getting back from the bike tour, I was fussing around with vehicles.  Taking cars and trucks off battery chargers, taking care of some delayed maintenance items, etc.  I'd sold my old Vibe to the grandson but then he found another car and so sold the Vibe back to me and I had to get it re-registered with the State of Wisconsin.  Minor Repairs.  Fuss.  

Also, while recuperating from the bike trip, I was letting my legs rest and so was using  Motorcycles and my ebike for the next 10 days. Riding over the beautiful Wisconsin landscape.  (I'm now back on my regular pedal bikes.)

As I was fiddling with all the vehicles. I thought about how I like "Optionality" and to have a continuum of choices and alternatives.  I looked at my vehicles and thought about how I like to have "A Pair and a Spare" within each category.  One as to use, one for a backup, and one to be able to lend. This has been sort of taken to an extreme.  Over the last couple decades, this principal has made some sense within my family. I often have lend out vehicles to family members when they have a car in the shop for repair.  

The motorcycles are really just cargo bikes.  I don't like to go at speed on motorcycles but rather, I tootle at slow speeds on the plentiful paved sideroads.  I use them to run errands, especially for getting groceries.  I can jump on the Rebel and go 28 miles roundtrip to/from New Richmond's Walmart and back and get that done on less than an hour and expend very little on gas.  From the above photos you can see that I have "Milk Crates" on the back of of the motorcycles and the ebike.  Little Pickup Trucks.

While I can go on the motorcycle up to 60 mph if I have to, I prefer a maximum speed of around 42 mph which works fine on those lightly trafficked township roads.  I think about taking tumbles.  Deer and other creatures are out on the road and a motorcycle at speed is really just a prescription for death or injury.  But at more moderate speeds, it can make some sense.  Plus they're another fun way to see the neighborhood.  

Now that I'm back home I've reverted to riding my green Trek 520 touring bike (with thinner700cm x 28cm tires) which I use for day rides; this, rather than the blue, dedicated touring blue bike (Surly Long Haul Trucker with wider 26 x 1.5" tires).  I also have an interesting yellow British Airnimal folding bike (thin tire, 24" wheels) which I don't use much but has a lot of potential for overseas rides.  It can be shipped as luggage in it's own case. A significant cost savings, especially for overseas trips such as in Western Europe.  

The blue Long Haul Trucker is set up for fully loaded bicycle touring and can carry 65-70 pounds of gear without any problems.  It's a comfortable pack animal that can be ridden.  The green Trek is set up with the relatively skinny tires and can move fast enough for daily rides of 30-50 miles.  But I don't put heavy loads on it.  It's my day rider for fun and fitness.

My focus is not on buying new equipment.  But over the years I accumulate items based on different functions and capabilities.  The red bike (Nishiki) is very old (35 years?) and was my hardtail mountain bike until I recently (2021) added a Bafang electric motor/battery/controller package and now have a very powerful ebike.  The Nishiki has lost some of it's mountain biking capability but I was never that interested into technical mountain-biking activity.  It's nice to be able to take the ebike out for mild off-road or rough trail riding and probe into areas where neither a bicycle or road-oriented motorcycle makes sense.  Think of the ebike as a blend of of scooter and dirt bike. 

The Trek is close to 30 years old and has an older style drive train with just 7 cogs on the back wheel axle.  But it is a fun ride for me.  The Long Haul Trucker is the only bike I bought brand new.  And now it's at least 12 years old.  So, everything I ride and drive is "Seasoned".  Like the rider/driver, they all have plenty of years and miles on them. But if equipment is kept clean, lubricated and maintained, it's amazing how it just keeps going.....

The main takeaway of this ramble is that I like having options at a fairly economical cost.  I never have sought status in terms of the latest/greatest equipment.   Rather I ask myself, what can it do?  How is it different from something else in the same category?  A wider range of experience and capability is what I am seeking.

A Momentary Glance at The Scale of Things

In the 1990s, I used to teach folks basic rock climbing.  I would bring students to the local crags at Taylors Falls on the St. Croix River which separates Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Often, the students, in harness, roped and completely safe, would get about 10 or more feet up off the ground.  They'd pause before reaching for the next handhold and look down. Then, their legs would start to shake.  I would always have a firm hand on the rope which reached up above to a pulley and back down to their harness. They were completely safe. Should they slip and fall, they'd be caught and the climbing rope would not let them drop more than a couple feet. The climbing rope was rated for over 10,000 pounds of weight. It might stretch a little bit but no harm was to come from the fall and the climber was perfectly safe.  But the body was not willing to believe it!

Weekend Climbing On Local Crags

Nevertheless, the students often would start to shutter and get the "Yips".  It became hard for them to focus on the next move;  they could not keep their attention off the distance from where they were to the ground.

I'd counsel students to not think about the heights but rather to focus their concentration only on the next handhold and the next step up.  Sometimes the student would be able to refocus on the task at hand. Or not.  If not, I'd have them let go of the rock and then slowly lower them back down to the ground. Learn to trust the rope.  Time to let them take a breath and allow the adrenaline to clear out of their system. After a 'time out' usually they would retry and succeed in completing the climb.

The same principal holds true for big bike touring projects. Don't thinking about total distances.   Yet, this evening, I violated my own rules.  I looked at the map and contemplated on the scale of the distance to travel. 

I'd been fiddling on Google Maps this afternoon, drawing up some general corridors for my upcoming  trip.  I happened to lay out the route from Morris, Illinois to O'Neill, Nebraska.  After copying down some way-points, I panned back on the map to look at this section of the continent. The section is, a little over 600 miles, but when laid out against the entire continent it looked like Small Potatoes....  Yikes!

On The Edge of the "Big Empty"

It provides a daunting aspect. O'Neill, Nebraska is on the edge of the High Plains that stretch off into the distant west.  The Green, Moist Midwest is back behind the Missouri River and the winds and scarcity of the vast Great American Desert lies ahead. It's another 1600 miles of pedaling to the Pacific (Newport, Oregon). The Rocky Mountains lie between. On reaching the ocean, it not the end of the trip. From there, I'll have another 160 miles to get up to Portland, climbing back over the Cascade Mountains........    It's enough to make me momentarily shudder!!  

So, I give myself the same sort counsel I used to give new climbers: Focus on each step and not on the big picture.  Don't shake yourself up with imaginings and 'What If's? Be Tactical.  Each day is it's own package...

Commitment

 

Lining Up Ducklings in Boston

I've continued to line up my ducklings.  This week I've attended to these items:

1.  Bought a Used Microsoft Windows Based Computer.  This is an older Dell unit.  At first glance it looks like a laptop but it has detachable keyboard. It has a number of features of the earlier Microsoft "Surface" touchpads.  The main feature is that it has a very small form factor. If I want, I can bring the detachable keypad or not. I'd save a pound of weight dropping the keypad. I'll think about it.  

Besides the laptop, I'll have several other electronic devices including a 5 year-old Kindle which is my library with a number of books to keep me company in the evenings in my tent.   Flip phone as well as smart phone. I prefer having a camera that can take batteries (AA) so I never have to worry about not having juice.  Besides electronics, paper and pen are still my 'go to' technology....

2. I've laid out a planning calendar in a spiral notebook to set some sort of potential pace.  I used post-it yellow pad slips and can reposition them on the calendar as I move along.  This will give me some conceptual elasticity and I can adjust the calendar (and specific plot points) as I get into a rhythm.  As plans run up against reality, I'll be able to adjust it and move the post-its. I'm guessing that this is very optimistic and that my actual results will run me into early July.

Adjustable Calendar

3. Going to the website, BikeFlight.com, I've come up with a clear idea of cost and time factors for shipping the bike to Massachusetts.  The boxed bike, panniers, clothing, camping gear, tools, etc., will ship as a single unit. The bike weights around 30 pounds. Assuming a packed weight of 95 pounds, that gives me 65 pounds of stuff I can pack in alongside the bike.  65 pounds is pretty close to what I usually haul on a loaded bike tour.  When I fly to Boston, I'll have my daypack carry-on with a couple pieces of clothing and computer. 

BikeFlights.com Estimation

BikeFlight estimates the shipping time (via UPS) at around a week. So, since I'm flying out on April 28, I'll ship on April 12. That gives me over two weeks lead time on shipping.  Hopefully that will work.

4.  I've taken care of medical and dental items. Last Monday I had my annual eye-exam with my ophthalmologist. I only use cheaters which seem to work fine for me. But I  Also I visited my dentist twice to make sure there are no ticking time  bombs in my mouth waiting to go off while out on the road. He ran an X-ray and came up with a could items which needed attention.  All is now good.       Last Monday I had blood draws at a Quest diagnostic laboratory in anticipation of  my annual medical physical which comes up on April 14. 

5. While I'm gone, I need to have my home looked over. I've made arrangements for neighbors to keep an eye on the place as well as for someone to regularly mow the lawn.  Also, I've bought several 'trickle chargers' for vehicles, motorcycles, etc., so that batteries are maintained over my two month absence.  

6. My grandson, Isaiah, lives in Madison, Wisconsin where he works at Morgan Stanley. He'll be able to drive down south ~150 miles to the vicinity of Peru, Illinois when I'm passing through the area.  He can bring me items that I might not be able to easily purchase on line.  If  there is  anything I want to sent back home, this will also be an opportunity.  In addition, It would be good to see the lad!

                                                                                 [

This morning I woke up and looked out the window at a fresh 4" cover of wet snow!  I hadn't expected this.  Yikes!  I laughed at it but this reminds me that you can get some cold wet weather even in early May.  There can be a range of weather going into spring and early summer.  I also remind myself that I'll be going over the high plains and over the shoulders of the Wind and Teton mountains in Wyoming sometime in mid June.  At higher altitudes there will still likely be snow covers and cold rains.  

April 4, Morning in Wisconsin

Prepping For the Trans-Continental Bike Trip

I've been anticipating the Cross-Country Bike Tour.  This solo ride is set to begin on May 1st.

I have been studying maps both physical as well as online. My preference during preliminary planning is to come up with my own route as opposed to more established corridors such as those laid out by organizations such as Adventure Bicycling. 

My intent is to start from Boston Common. There is a Historical Family Connection to that spot which I'll return to at a later point in my commentaries.  For now, my main concern is to get out of the high population density of the East Coast as quickly as possible.  The first thing population density is that with it comes traffic volume.  Also, in New England, there are often narrower roads on corridors that are 250+ years old.  Houses and buildings often crowd toward the roadway and so in many cases there can be little space for generous road shoulders for cyclists. 

Also, as a bike tourist, I prefer to set up a tent at the end of the 'work day' when ever possible and not worry about making it to a specific destination each evening.  To me, having a daily destination and potential reservation at a motel, Airbnb or campground is a tedious detail I prefer to avoid.  But so much of the countryside in the east coast is taken up with homes and business properties.  I've found that people are not laid back about a tent suddenly appearing on the outskirts of their property.  So that's another challenge.  I might be forced to use motels. I hope not, but I'll have my credit card if need be.  My hope is that once I'm out of Massachusetts and Eastern New York State, this will be less of a problem.  So, traffic volume and camping are my two main pre-occupations for the first week of the journey.

A Generalized Corridor for My Ride

Over the last two weeks I've been piling panniers and gear on the living room floor. Sorting, weighing and contemplating the heap, laying there on the floor.

I also have started a specific bike touring blog on Crazyguyonabike.  I'll try to keep most of my bike ride info there. But some of it will probably leak over to this side of the ledger as well.  The link for the Crazyguy blog is this:  http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/MyFirstCross-CountryTour2022  

Pivot to Another Project

I Arrived Back in Wisconsin On Late Sunday Afternoon, March 6.  I started from Quartzsite Arizona the previous Friday morning and drove thru New Mexico, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma Panhandle, Kansas and Missouri.  The last bit in Iowa and Minnesota is familiar turf.  Here in Wisconsin the snow depth looked to be on average over 10" and the temps were down to -7° the next morning.  Back to the Tundra &#$*!  Rumor is that next week the temps will be going up and a lot of the snow will be burned off.  That's my hope.

Back to the Frozen Tundra of Northern Wisconsin!

The next couple days entailed catching up on client matters, unloading the truck and doing laundry.  I've topped off all the 'house' batteries from the camper and now have them on the trickle chargers, awaiting future excursions.

This weekend I got out on the bike to try to maintain my legs and butt for the next project. As long as the sun is out and the winds are light, this is very doable. The trick is to not push so hard that I work up a sweat.  I don't like to get wet when out in the cold.

On Quiet and Clear Township Roads....

I have pivoted my attention to a planned Solo Trans-Continental Bike Tour starting at the beginning of May.  My short-term goals over the next couple weeks are to pack up the touring bike and panniers and associated gear and get this lot shipped out to Boston. Also, I need to book a flight to Logan Airport.  I've arranged for family members and neighbors to keep my home attended to during the duration of the trip which will probably take a little over two months.  As my departure date approaches, I'll set up a travelogue site for the ride on my Crazyguyonabike website. When on the road, I'm not always able to maintain these sites.  So I may have to come back to the site after the trip is over to fill in the gaps...   I'll probably drop some items on this site as well.

One problem that I anticipate for the bike tour is I don't expect to have a lot of opportunities for charging up devices such as phone, computer, etc.  I'm currently fiddling around with a portable solar panel I may be able to attach to the rear luggage so to charge batteries as I roll over the landscape..  But I've got serious doubts about the capacity of the system for seriously pumping up batteries.  I may get another digital camera that takes AA Batteries. I've used these cameras for the last 20 years, long before smart phones and they're great.. The batteries are usually easy to find at convenience stores and Walmarts.

I've My Doubts But I'll Give This Solar Charger a Shot....

Anyway, I'll keep this blog updated as I line up my ducks.

Eight Days on Plomosa Road, Quartzsite Arizona

Two years Ago in mid January, 2020, I came to the Quartzsite area of southwest Arizona for the first time. 

Over the previous two years of 2018-19 I have been watching a YouTube channel titled CheapRVliving by a fellow named Bob Wells. It’s been a very interesting series of interviews of folks who would done their own DYI designs or modifications of vans, old RVs, U-Haul trucks and even ambulances. Many 100s of interviews With each conversation and tour of the vehicle or trailer, there was some sort of backstory about the person who ended up living a nomadic life. These stories and the little homes on wheels were very interesting to me.

Bob Well's Youtube Channel

As I’ve written before, I’ve used minivans for several decades as tools for exploration and a means of economical travel. So this whole subculture of DYI projects appealed to me. Most of the interviews that Bob made were done in Southwest Arizona  and especially in the Quartzsite area. 

Why Quartzsite? The main draw is the weather during the depths of winter. In the southwestern desert, it is  relatively warm and stable and offers an economical alternative to the average experience of winter up north. Also, it has seemingly unlimited federal land on which people could Linger in their portable homes.

Average Temperatures in January (Note Southwest Arizona!)

I developed the impression that large groups of people accumulated in this vicinity and that it became a sort of scene for January February and March. So, besides my typical Texas trip, I thought I would add an additional 600 mile jump from my usual Fredericksburg, Texas destination and continue on to explore Arizona.

When I arrived back in 2020 January, I was amazed by the large number of people scattered across the desert floor. I am told that in January Quartzsite can easily attract up to 200,000 people, living in their various vehicles and RVs . So, I wanted to see it and I was most impressed. Almost aghast.

One Escapee Group's Announcement Board

I parked my minivan north of Quartzsite on Plomosa Road BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area and then spent the next 10 days exploring the area. I discovered a specific RV group called The Escapees which is very interesting because it has  many many tens of thousands of members and within the organization are scores of different interest groups. These people self organize and gather based on these interests and affiliations. When I visited at the height of the season in mid January, there were many large circles and groups of these types of folks out in the desert.  Various presentations and programs were being put on. Also breakfasts, etc.These groupings may be centered around such things as astronomy, religious affiliations, activity such as bicycling, rockhounds.  I had never realized!  had never thought about people getting together like this. It reminds me of migratory birds whether they be geese swans or starlings. Periodically migratory birds will gather into large flocks.

January in the Desert....

Using cell phones, and email these groups migrate about the United States and Canada, and periodically gather in various locations depending on the weather. In January, they might be in Quartzsite. As the seasons change, they may relocate further north and meet on other BLM or Forest Service lands. Or they go north of the border into Canada. In 2020 I saw many Canadian license plates.  They want to escape the long winters!

Plomosa BLM Camping Area in Quieter Times

From all the time I spent watching a DYI channels about RV tight camping, along with Bob Wells, and all the different types of equipment that I saw when out in the Quartzsite area, I came to the conclusion that I would probably want to go with the pop-up type camper that sits on a half-ton pickup truck. In the Autumn of 2020 I purchased my Silverado (V8 4x4) and then my camper and spent another two months integrating them together. I upgraded the truck to stiffer 10-ply tires and beefed up the suspension with adjustable air-shocks. This to handle the extra load of the camper and all my 'stuff'. I also added about 2" of "lift" to the frame so that I have a little more clearance.  I definitely have to climb up into the truck!  

My main idea was to have a vehicle that I could take up rougher gravel roads such as on BLM land as well as US Forest Service logging roads.  The lower center of gravity of the pop-up lends itself to this sort of sketchier exploration.  This is definitely NOT an "Off-Roader" rig. Those are way too much for my needs.  But I'd like to be able to get deeper into back country.  T

Exploring High and Desolate Country

In February 2021 I came back into the Quartzsite and Salome area of southwest Arizona and put this combination Truck/Camper to the test. Below are a couple photos from a drive up a long, steep and challenging mountain road. This turned out OK and I learned that the truck was capable although I alternately found that I had overstressed the water pump and soul back on the highways the truck started to overheat and ultimately I was towed back to  the Phoenix area and had a water pump installed. But all in all, I found the experiment very interesting and look forward to using this combination periodically over the next 3 to 4 years.  I also concluded that the January volume of campers was too much for me.  After a big RV show in January, the numbers diminish some.  And I found that numbers were also much less in a subsequent visit in 2021 during the height of the COVID epidemic.  

Anyway, the above puts in context my current February 2022 visit.

After leaving Tucson, I stopped in Gilbert, Arizona, Southeast of Phoenix. There is located a firm named Santan Solar  where I purchased a solar panel to complement one that I had bought the previous year. After making that transaction that I continued West on I-10 and arrived at Quartzsite around sunset. As of this writing (March 3rd) I have now been out on the same BLM spot off Plomosa Road for the last 8 1/2 days.

February2022 Plomosa Campsite

From here, I have gone out on 40 mile rides from my camp to the town of Bouse, and back each day. The road is paved and the traffic is light and lower speeds.  I wear my yellow vest, helmet and rear view mirror mounted on my sun glasses.  I apply sunblock prior to each days departure. 

There is a small range (Plomosa Mountains) and I go over Quinn Pass at just under 900' of elevation.  Plenty of long, gradual climbing.  My goal has been to continue to build up my cycling capacity for the anticipated cross-country trip which I expect to start from the Boston area in early May. My thoughts are that if I can do 40 miles each day here, and strengthen my legs, heart. lungs and toughen up my butt, I should be in good shape for the big bike tour. From October through early January I spent too much time sitting in the La-Z-Boy, so it’s always good to get back in the saddle, shake off the cobwebs, and re-introduce my body to gradually increasing physical stress.  Aclimate back to day-to-day work.

Climbing Over the Plomosa 'Mountains'

When I started bike riding here eight days ago, the temperature high for the day was only 60°. But generally the temperatures have been increasing, climaxing today at 91°. As a result I’ve been getting up and bicycling a little earlier each day as the sun and heat have become more intense. Tomorrow, the temperatures are supposed to drop dramatically, and the winds to increase. As I’ve done before, weather changes usually trigger my getting back in the truck and moving on. So this evening I disassembled my bike and camp. In the morning I'll get up, have breakfast, do my final packing and then lower the camper and clamp it down and then spend the next three days driving back to Wisconsin.

Anticipated Routing Home

I expect to be home by around 8 March. I will not be pausing to explore the countryside.  Just put down around 600+ miles/day and get my butt home.  This timing is over two weeks earlier that I would normally return.  But I want to be back in Wisconsin earlier since I have to arrange to ship my touring bike out east as well as book flights and make arrangements for taking care of my home while I am away on the tour, etc. 

Arriving back in Wisconsin I will experience an abrupt change in temperatures of close to a 50° ! Yikes!  But hopefully I will be able to get on the bike (with studded tires) through the balance of March and most of April and maintain my level of fitness so that when I start the bicycle tour in early May, I’ll be in good shape. Anyway that’s my goal . In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted….