Skip to main content

Day One Recap: Urgggg....

In the last two days I've had possibly the worst riding experiences of my life: Yesterday, riding into DC in extremely cold weather with solid rain and rush hour traffic (on roads that were so slippery I almost lost my balance every time I put my feet down and I constantly watched cars spinning their tires)... and today, riding 300 miles in the low 40's with constant wind and gusts of up to 50+MPH. Not cool.

Can't decide which was worse, the wind or the cold... either of them by themselves I could have handled no problem, but the combination was intense. I couldn't relax, couldn't get into a comfortable riding position, and couldn't shake my hands out to warm them up because a wind gust with no warning can easily cause Bad Things at 70MPH. The most annoying part about it all is that I was driving through some really pretty countryside but didn't really get to enjoy it!

As the sun started to go down, I decided to call it a day early and make sure I was holed up for the night in a warm bed before it started to chill quickly. Riding in the freezing cold with insane wind at night? As Larry said, "yeah, uhhh... NO." So I grabbed a comfort inn near the highway and took a nice warm shower. Yum.

Anyway... I never really got a chance to unwind and get mentally ready for my vacation. The whole moving thing was a ton of stress. Saying goodbye (just for a few weeks) to Christina sucked. Then my first day on the road was crap. Some people would be annoyed at this - not me! I'm stoked, because by my theory of "trip karma" this means I'm going to have a bloody good trip! Hope the good times start soon.

Some random thoughts for the day so far:

  • I'm definitely putting too much effort into strapping down my gear. That pack was a rock today. I think I'll stick with just the adjustable quick-release straps so that if I need quick access (like say for another layer of clothes), I don't have to unravel rope.
  • I thought it was pretty hard to work the clutch and brake with three gloves on, then I added a fourth pair of gloves. Talk about clown hands. Luckily you don't do either much on the interstate.
  • Who knew stopping for the sole purpose of holding a cup of coffee in your hands could be such a decadent pleasure?
  • Gadgets are cool! Even though it wasn't super up to date and super accurate, and I had to reconfigure the link on this page to make it update properly, the whole GPS tracking thing with the Blackberry worked! Plus with it hooked up to my bike battery it didn't run out of juice! Nifty!

Hrm, breakfast from 6:30-9AM tomorrow. Time to check the weather and see what's up...
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks for reconfiguring things, because it works now. We're just glad you're still safe.
October 28, 2008 at 8:42 PM
Unknown said…
4 gloves!!!! PETE THE FREAK! glad you are doing well
November 5, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Patagonia Beckons

Today I begin what may become one of the most difficult tests of long term mental and physical endurance and strength I have ever undertaken: for most of its remaining 2500km through Patagonia, Ruta 40 is considered one of the most desolate highways in the world. Over half of the remaining road is gravel, sand, and dirt. The number of towns listed on a map once I pass Perito Moreno can be counted on one hand, and there are many stretches of hundreds of miles without provisions, fuel, or places to stay.
Post a Comment
Read more

Gear Review: Sea to Summit Big River Dry Sacks

In the past couple months on the road I think I’ve spent more time riding my scooter through rain than I have in the dry – this is clearly reflected in the fact that as time has gone by I’ve invested more and more money in things to keep my stuff dry, since wet gear sucks. One of my favorite purchases for this trip is the pair of Sea to Summit Big River Dry Sacks I picked up just before leaving, in 13L and 20L sizes. They cost me around $20 each and are one of the best pieces of gear I’ve purchased in years – extremely durable, effective, and simple to use.
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Things that Suck about Traveling Solo

I find it telling that it seems a majority of the interesting travel blogs I run across are written by solo travelers, most often women. I think there’s a reason why we write more than people who travel with friends or in groups and that it’s pretty self evident: it’s an outlet for our loneliness. In the last year and a half, the vast majority of my time has been spent away from home, alone. As I write this, it’s been over a month since I’ve conversed with anyone in my native language, and I can remember every single conversation in English for the month before that. The truth is, I don’t think I could have done this without the internet – without a blog to share my thoughts, without Facebook to see what my friends are up to, without the occasional e-mail to provide a façade of normalcy… without these things I’d likely have driven myself insane with my internal dialogue. Now, I grant, there’s a reason I travel alone and I do love it, but lately it seems all I run across in the blogosp
Post a Comment
Read more