Shakedown

Since we are flying to Seattle on Friday to start our trip, Lori and I figured we should actually get out for a shakedown ride (crazy, I know). This morning we got up early, loaded our panniers (saddlebags) and hit the road for 25 miles. Since neither of us has ridden a fully-loaded touring bike before, it was quite an eye-opener! The bikes felt lumbering - heavy and slow (could it be that the combined weight of my bike, my gear, and myself is pushing 270lbs?) The big picture is that things seem to work the way they are supposed to. Just as with our thru-hiking trips, the first few weeks will see us making (hopefully minor) changes to body position and gear choices. Little details will need to be dealt with along the way - a squeaky seat here, and loose bolt there - but overall we are pleased with our setups and will just have to get used to the different handling characteristics of these bikes. We rode the 25 miles in about two hours. If we can do that twice a day, we will have no problem getting down the coast.

The Unveiling

I know you've all been wondering when my bike will done and what it looks like. Well, the answer to the first is NOW and here's what she looks like:

moe. in Flagstaff 5/26/09

Birth of a Bicycle - Part III

Teaching English in China

Just wanted to give a shout out to my mom who will be traveling to China next week to teach English for six weeks. She has a blog here and will be documenting here experiences along the way. If you have ever wanted to visit China or teach English in a foreign country, this is the blog for you. BTW, my mom used to teach English in this country and is an incredible writer. Go Mom!

New route maps

Notice the new map to the right.  Right now there is nothing to see but once we start on our trip, it will allow you to follow our route.  Click on the link below the map to see a larger version that you can zoom in/out.

Are you nuts?

Acorns to be exact.  This weekend the local resident expert on all things acorn taught me how to process the fruit of the oak.  The nut is full of tannins and after shelling must be rinsed in several changes of water.  We roasted the nuts next and then ground them into meal.  With the meal we made a beautiful, sweet and wholesome loaf of bread.