Ortlieb panniers ordered!

I am leaving for Scotland on October 1 with the bike and some luggage.  Today I ordered my Ortlieb rear panniers and the handlebar pannier.  I don't have the Ortlieb front panniers yet or the rack pack but I will order them once I get to Scotland or if a big cookie order comes in I will order them then.

I am planning on riding the Prince's Trust Palace to Palace Ride on Oct. 5 in London which is a 45-mile ride from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle.  Should be loads of fun and I'll be with lots of other cyclists.  At the end of the ride everyone gets a medal, and that will be lovely.  I haven't officially signed up for it yet, but I'm waiting until after August 1.

There's a chance on Oct. 8 that I will be walking the red carpet at the Leicester Square world premier of the film, The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, but I have to wait until my current houseguest, with whom I am staying in Scotland, makes arrangements.  He's a member of BFI, and he can get us in.  Just needs to be back home to do it.

So basically I will be leaving LAX on Oct. 1, arriving Glasgow Oct. 2, taking the train back to London on Oct. 4 and doing the ride on Oct. 5.  That ride starts at 7:00 a.m., which will be like 11:00 PM to me... oy! Jet lag!!!!  Then after the ride I will hang out in the London area somehow until the event on Oct 8, if that gets arranged.  So between Oct. 5 and Oct. 8 I will be riding my bike in London and visiting some of the SHERLOCK locations.  Woo hoo!  So excited to do that.  Will be going to Speedy's Cafe for sure at some point.  Then on Oct. 9 it's back to Scotland where I will hole up and write and ride for a few months.  Sometime in January I will be leaving Scotland and will tour Wales before setting off to either Ireland for touring or mainland Europe.

I can spend 180 days in any country, pretty much, on my passport, and I want to spend 180 days in Britain but need to break it up because I will be wanting to tour from north to south and meander through the land meeting as many people as I can, experiencing the culture and breathing the air.  I want to visit the places I have written of, also visit the CHITTY locations, well, the ones that I know.  Plus I want to be back for late summer 2015 to see Cumberbatch in HAMLET, if I can get a ticket.  I suspect they will all be sold out almost instantly when they go on sale early August of 2014.  All the fangirls will snatch them up.  If I miss it, I miss it.

The car, "the beast," is gone now.  God provided a simple and clean solution for it, and it bought the rear panniers for the bike.  Now to pretty much get rid of everything else I own.  A few things will be sent to my sister in Texas for storage, but I honestly don't expect to see them again because I don't have any plans to set up house again for a long time.

From October 1, I consider the rest of my life to be a grand adventure on the bicycle.

The Imitation Game - Official UK Teaser Trailer

About the whip pole...

Saturday was a challenging ride from West Hollywood to Long Beach, and one of the challenges was constantly mounting or dismounting the bike with the whip pole.  Even with the top part disconnected, the lower part still was several inches above my saddle and I was having to contort my leg to avoid hitting it.  This was especially difficult when I had shaking legs.

Well, I want to leave the whip pole connected to the bike, at least the lower part, but I don't want to have to fight with it all the time, so I have cut off about 15" of the lower part so that it is no longer above the height of my saddle.  I still have plenty of room for the upper part to be flapping noticeably in the breeze behind me.

1st bike overnight - sort of

Basic setup but also took a trunk bag.

On Saturday, May 17, I set out at 5:00 A.M. with the goal of riding from West Hollywood to Long Beach.  I left that early to #1 be there before a 10:00 gathering of Youtube friends and #2 to avoid traffic on both the PCH and Anaheim boulevards.

It was dark when I left, but I had on 3 tail lights and my headlight, and I noticed within a couple of blocks that my odometer was not working.  There was battery power but it wasn't registering any mileage.  I checked the magnet at some point in the ride but it never registered any mileage.  This was a major bummer to me as I wanted to know how many miles I rode.  Overall I think it was about 40 but I'll have to do it again to be sure.

6:08 A.M. at the Ballona Creek Bridge

The southern bike path begins below the Ballona Creek Bridge

My route went as follows:  La Cienega Blvd south about 5 miles to Venice Blvd.  Right on Venice and get in the bike lane several miles down into Venice and turn left on Lincoln Blvd/PCH.  Rode a few blocks and turned right on Washington Blvd.  Went down a few blocks to Mildred Ave. where the Martin Braude Bike Path picks up, crossed left on Washington to the other side of the street and got onto the bike path.  The path takes you alongside Admiralty Way and eventually crosses the street and winds its way through the marina parking lots. The path stops at Fiji Way and you turn right and take the bike lane around to just past the Coast Guard station to where the bike path picks up again.  After about 70 feet, you come to the Ballona (pronounced BYE-YOH-NAH) Creek/Channel path and you turn right and go down to the bridge.  Crossing the bridge takes one to the beach bike path where the markers read 11.75 miles to the end - the end being at Redondo Beach.  So off I went down the path.

Manhattan Beach Pier

Hermosa Beach Pier

The temperature was in the 60's and it was misting in places.  At the end of the bike path in Redondo Beach (there is a definite end, and you are forced to go left), I went left and turned right onto Harbor Blvd where there was a bike lane.  Part of my goal of getting to Long Beach was to take as make bike friendly streets as possible.  I had been at sea level on the bike path, but now I began to climb out of the area towards an area that was on top of the cliffs.  So up Harbor Blvd. about to Beryl Street and turn left at the Crown Plaza Hotel.  Take the first right on Catalina, catch the bike lane and climb up again.  About 3/4 of a mile later, take a left on Esplanade.  I knew there were a couple of blocks of hills but the reward at the top is breathtaking.  A cliffside bike lane with a fantastic view.  It's a slight downhill.

From the beauty of Esplande, I took a left on Avenue H and connected with the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway or the ONE) after 2 blocks and turned right.  Immediately more hills, and at this point, which was about 7:15 and perhaps 25 or so miles into the journey, I had not taken a true break.  I had only stopped for quick pictures and a swig or two of water.  Although I had made 4 scrambled eggs before leaving and although I wasn't hungry, I hadn't refueled either.  Not one bite.  The exertion and lack of sleep were starting to wear heavily on me, especially with the hills.  And PCH is rolling with hills with its close proximity to Palos Verdes which is nothing BUT hills.  Also, although there is a bike lane marked, the bike lane isn't much wider than the cars parked in it. A little further on it is devoid of cars. Thankfully the traffic was very light and just taking the far right lane wasn't a problem.  In fact, with the whip pole on the bike, traffic was very good at avoiding me the whole time I was on surface streets.  

I had only done about 2 miles of rolling hills on PCH and I felt myself starting to bonk.  I pulled into a church parking lot to take an official sit down break and refuel and drink, but at first I felt too shaky to even get off my bike.  I was still also nervous about dismounting and catching my leg on the whip pole again and taking a fall.  Yeah, that happened a few days ago.  I wasn't hurt, just annoyed.  Catching my leg at this point, when my legs were starting to shake, however, would not have been a good thing. I noticed that the front doors of the church were open and that they seemed to be having some sort of garage sale/fund raiser.  When I finally felt confident enough to dismount the bike, I walked it to the front door and asked if I could use the bathroom.  No problem!

Coast Christian Fellowship

The church, Coast Christian Fellowship, was very welcoming to me.  After using the bathroom (and bringing the bike INTO the building), I mentioned to the gal who helped me (whose name I did not get, regrettably) that I was also a sister in the Lord and that I attended Core Church.  She had not heard of Core, but if I'd had enough wits about me to mention that my pastor had been an associate pastor under Greg Laurie at Harvest, she would have surely known.  She prayed over me which I gratefully accepted, I ate one peanut butter cup (which gave me stomach cramps), and I was on my way again... for more hills.  Now, I was starting to feel spent - with the realization that I had 10-15 more miles to go.  Would I ever find flat streets?

Just past the Torrance Airport, the PCH bends, and I was looking for a cross street called Eshelman.  Why get off PCH and not take it directly into Long Beach?  I felt that to take another street, Anaheim, would be less traffic, which proved to be true.  Eshelman showed a bike lane for two blocks at which point I would turn left onto 262nd Street and take that a few blocks until it ended at Anaheim.  Oh, I thought I had planned that well.  However, although there was a bike lane on the very quiet little street, the second half of it was a steep incline, and I could not do it.  Really, my legs were giving out.  So I walked it up, then turned left and got down onto Anaheim.  Finally things started to level out but not before I turned too early onto what I thought was Ahaheim but turned out to be Western... and I found myself going up another steep incline.  So I had to walk up that, turn around and come back down.  Thankfully I only went one block wrong.  I went back down to 262nd street and turned right, then a few blocks later turned right onto Anaheim.

After going under the 110 Freeway, I went 1 block to Mar Vista Street and turned south (right) to G Street, then turned left.  G Street is parallel to Anaheim and very flat and quiet, and I needed a traffic break.  I followed it right to the end where it curves around to the left and puts you back onto Anaheim... and a bike lane!  Now a new kind of "hill" came up - the arched bridges.  There are three of them between where the bike lane picked up and Long Beach, and they come at about 1/2 mile intervals.  I knew I did not have the strength to cycle up them, so I got off the bike each time and walked it to the top, then rode it down the other side.  About the time of the 2nd bridge, my left leg began cramping to the point that I almost couldn't pedal, even going downhill, even just coasting.  This has never happened to me before.  

Walking to the top of the bridge over the 710 and Los Angeles River.  Downtown Long Beach in the distance.

Riding down the backside of the third bridge, you might think I'd be sailing down with glee, but I was shaking with exhaustion and going cautiously.  After a couple of blocks I turned right on Daisy, a nice quiet street, then turned left on 4th Street another quiet street and took it to Atlantic Ave., my approximate destination.  I should mention that I was probably going only about 8 mph at this point. It felt like I was barely moving.

When I arrived at the home of my host at about 9:30, my shirt was completely soaked over the whole back and also the back of my pants in the lower back area.  So I changed, and then my host, Liz, and I walked down to the beach to some little shops and restaurants on Shoreline Drive to meet up with the others.  In all, there were 5 of us.  We ate at a restaurant called the Yard House.  I started to rehydrate with some lemonade.  I hadn't peed since the church, and 3 glasses of lemonade weren't prompting anything either.  And that was on top of the glass of water I consumed immediately upon arriving at Liz's house.  Of course, I was practically falling asleep too.  I ordered onion rings and they came in a stack on a 12" pole with two little containers of ranch dressing.  Eh... bring the ketchup, please!

One of the gals drove Liz and I back to her place, and it wasn't long before I had to excuse myself for a nap.  I probably only slept 15-20 minutes, but it sure did help!  And finally I was hydrated enough to pee again!  That may not seem like the most pleasant thing to read about, but it's important to know how your body responds when you are dehydrated.  It wasn't for lack of water on the bike that I was dehydrated.  I probably had close to a gallon of water.  I was a little sparing with it, however, because I was nervous about having a place to pee if I needed to.  The church came in very handy, but what if I couldn't find another place?  So that was in my mind.  Then there were the unexpected amounts of hills causing a lot of extra unplanned exertion.  

Liz's son made us individual shepherd's pie for dinner, and then Liz and I relaxed and chatted until about 10:00 at which point it was time for me to go to bed.  Liz was my unofficial Warm Showers host and put me up in her office which had a fold out sofa bed.  I went to sleep with an open window and a fan blowing on me, and I woke up about 5:00.  I tried to force myself back to sleep and partially succeeded, but I finally rolled out of bed at 7:30.  My stiffness from the day before was pretty much gone, but I was still feeling the effects of lack of sleep and dehydration.  We had a wonderful breakfast of omelette, artisan bread toast and watermellon.  As Liz and her hubby were off to a Tai Chi class at 9:00, that's when I also departed.

I had originally thought I would ride home today, but after yesterday's exertion and the need to still recover from the lack of sleep, I decided affirmatively to take the MetroLink train from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles, then change trains and get off in Hollywood and ride the three miles home from there.  The total cost to get to Hollywood was only $5.

In Long Beach on the MetroLink Blue Line.

I am such a dunce when it comes to taking the train.  To me the ticketing and which is the right train is confusing.  So I have to look like a moron and just ask, "Is this the train that goes to downtown LA?"  Then when I changed trains, I had to ask, "Is this the train going to Hollywood?"  Really, I just don't get it, but I got to Hollywood!

Hollywood!

After arriving in Hollywood, I rode the 3 miles back to home, arriving about 11:30 A.M.  I was still feeling shaky and weak and found my confidence a little wavering.  A couple days of recovery and I'll be over that!

And strangely, as soon as I arrived in Hollywood, the odometer began working again.  Arrghhh.

So although I am still processing my journey, here's what I would for certain do differently next time.

1.  Get more sleep before the trip.

2.  Take a break every 10 miles to drink at least 8 ounces and to eat a bite of something.  I didn't take Gatorade or Powerade.  I did have some electrolyte water, but it was in the panniers, not the water bottles.  Wrong place!
3.  Don't forget to take reading glasses.

Things I did right:  not trying to force my body to do things I knew it couldn't - like going up the steep inclines or bridges.  There is nothing shameful about having to get off and walk at some points.It gives your legs a little rest to walk as well.

I have a touring bike!

My bike is finally framed out the way I want it for touring, thanks again to I. Martin Cycles for their help in putting it together for me (and at no charge - but I did pay for the parts!).  The things they did on this last  bit of work was to add fenders, install the Surly front rack, and to put on the foam grips.  This is their second bit of sponsorship of me, and I am so very grateful for their support.  Ryan said it was a very strong bike.  I will take it back in later during the summer to have it looked at for getting the cogs replaced, the chain replaced and whatever else they think needs replacing, because these parts are 15 years old and need to be replaced before I hit the road.  Greg Valenzuela of www.thestarvingcyclist.org  also suggested they should look at the rear rim.  Definitely don't want that cracking on me, and the rims are also 15 years old.

So the bike is part Surly, part Bontrager, and the main frame is Gary Fisher which I think was bought out by Trek.

Right now we are in a heat bubble of weather in Los Angeles.  Today I forgot to load my water bottles on the bike.  So I had to grab some bottled water from work to make it home without the dry hot air choking me.

I'm planning a bike overnight on Saturday by riding down to Long Beach.  It will be interesting and challenging. Although it's only about 36-40 miles, and although I've ridden that far and more before, I've never ridden that far in one direction.  Whether I ride it back the next day or take the train to DTLA, I don't know.  I am sort of thinking I will ride just to do it and push myself.  Wish I had a GoPro camera to capture the journey.

Different types of touring cyclists

One size does not fit all, and this is especially true of touring cyclists.  Some travel the country as fast as they can because they've got to get back to work.  They self-fund their trip or have raised funds. Some have private sponsors, some have corporate sponsors.  Some raise money for charity, some don't. Some go for longer tours by saving up, maybe renting their house or subletting. Others may give up all they own, get on the bike with few resources, and just go and live a lifestyle of being on the road.  Some camp, some stay in hotels or hostels, some eat out every night, some cook at their campsite every night.  One guy I followed on Facebook last year even raided dumpsters behind grocery stores for all his meals just to highlight how much waste there is in this country (and he ate like a king, btw).

So when the question was posed recently in a Facebook group about financing a trip, well the answers were as varied as the types of cyclists who make those trips.  I have yet to start my big journey but no matter how you make the journey, you always have to have some preparation.  Some cyclists recommend travelling very light.  Some cyclists travel heavier.  There's no right or wrong way.  It is a minimalist lifestyle but you still have to be prepared.  If you're traveling in the summer, no need to have a heavy sleeping bag that goes down to 20 degrees.  If you're traveling in the winter, you need to have warm clothing to protect you, and you may need different gear.

I am starting my journey in the winter, but I am starting in southern California where the weather is moderate pretty much year round.  Nevertheless, I will be getting into higher elevations before Spring officially begins, and I may run into some cold temperatures and even very cold temperatures.  So I have to be prepared for that. Then as I head more towards summer and the country begins to warm up, I will store some of my warmer clothing and gear with a family member and have lighter gear.  Because for me it's going become more of a lifestyle.

So it's hard to tell anyone how to prepare for a journey because there are so many things to factor in.  However, I do recommend 2 things:

1.  Have a Paypal debit card.  That way people can put money into your Paypal account and you can access it instantly. INSTANTLY.  And sending money Paypal to Paypal as a personal thing does not get any fee charges.

2.  Send re-supplies ahead.  You may need them, you may not.  But to send yourself care packages to friends or family you will be visiting will help you.  If you don't need them, send them to another station.  I plan to travel with about 4 days worth of food, and that will get me through any patches where I might not have a host family, but I will also have food gift cards, maybe even some common grocery store gift cards. I even bought a little credit card wallet thing to hold gift cards.  Now I just have to stock it.

I am not expecting to leave California with any kind of real bankroll behind me that will fund me.  My "bankroll" is in being prepared up front and using Warm Showers and churches as much as possible.

God will provide.

Elusive sleep and alternate routes

Sleep has been elusive for days, so much so that I've had to indulge in some Advil PM to force myself to sleep.  One pill and I'm off in dreamland.  Last night's dreams centered on finding an alternate route from Pueblo, CO, up to the northside of Colorado Springs, a route I will be taking.  Having lived in Colorado Springs and the area until 1989, I know that area, and originally routed myself through some heavily congested parts of traffic.  My dreams kept telling me there is another way to the east, but even when I woke up at 6:30 and looked at Google Maps on my Iphone, I could not find that way.  It was only when I got onto a much larger computer screen that I found the path.  But it adds 14 extra miles on my route, and from Pueblo to Colorado Springs, at least the part I am going to, is an elevation increase of about 3800 ft.  Yes, it's all uphill from Pueblo... Still, traffic slows you down, so putting in extra miles on quiet country roads may get me there faster because I'll be able to maintain a good, constant speed. On the flipside, when I leave this area on my cross country trek next year, it is all downhill to the TransAm.  About 100 miles of pure downhill.  That will be one heck of a ride.  If I were going to be in Colorado longer than 4 days in June (and two of those are flying days), I would be seriously tempted to ride that route, but if I were going to be there longer, I'd also take my own bike on the plane.

The interesting thing is that in two months I'll be visiting that northern part of Colorado Springs, and I am going to do a bit of exploring via a borrowed bike.  How wonderful it will be to be on long, empty roads.  I hope to even ride for a bit on Hwy 24 going east towards Limon, but I won't go further than Calhan, because it's 33 miles just to get there, and Limon is 71 miles from my start place.  I'd gladly ride to Limon (it's all downhill!!!) if someone would pick me up but I don't want to put anyone out, so that's not going to happen.  At least, however, I will get just a taste of what I long for - to be on the open road.

In the meantime, my fenders have come in to at I. Martin Bicycles, and I need to pick them up, even though I won't have them installed until I also get the Surly front rack.

And in other big news... I have had overtures of a potential job in Scotland. It would be a private job, so I would only be able to work the max time my passport would allow me to be in the country - which is 180 days per calendar year.  So the possibility is to work the winter months there, like Oct-March, then use Britain as a springboard for touring in Europe or returning to the USA for some cross-country touring for the other months.  Might even be great to do the TransAm, then the Pacific coast, and by that time I might be looking at heading back to Britain.  I'd still like to do Nova Scotia to the Florida Keys, and I'd love to do the Mississippi River Trail.  Anyhow, the Scotland thing is a ways off.  We'll see.