Two Wheel Journal

Bismarck ND: Rain and Rollers

Posted on July 12, 2010December 5, 2014 by Rich

We both awoke fairly early to the spit of a light rain. Randy and I had always pitched our tents a reasonable distance from each other, but last night we’d pitched them a mere 8 feet apart or so. Randy was in a decidedly grumpy mood, stating that he was still really tired and that I had snored. I normally don’t snore, but I have no doubt that I did here, what with my cold and the extra fatigue from riding. I apologized and he said there was no need. He declined my offer of foam earplugs, stating that they

Don Steckel Boat Landing ND: The Long Way Around

Posted on July 11, 2010December 5, 2014 by Rich

Some patter of rain again last night but the Nemo tent performed nicely. The state park had been sufficiently quiet for a good sleep, but not a very good camping value. Besides the high cost, the restrooms were distant, the trash bins were distant, and the RVs (and their occasional accompanying nitwits) were not welcome campmates. At least the park had a nearby siphon water tap. I approached the tap with toothbrush in hand, lifted the handle and started pumping. To my dismay, I got no water, and trudged back to our breakfast table. Randy informed me that one simply

Pick City ND: Middle Chainring Day

Posted on July 10, 2010December 5, 2014 by Rich

We were both up very early and out of the park as promised. It was an easy choice to head back to Ebeneezer’s for breakfast. I again tried to recreate my beloved 2x2x2, this time with eggs, a slab of ham, and another humongous pancake. Good food here and great fuel for riding. Later, in the restroom, I took a lovely paper towel bath. Wasn’t so bad – I felt like I was starting to get the hang of this semi-hobo thing. We headed south on Broadway, and had to climb a big hill up and out of Minot. We

Minot ND: Camping OK or Not?

Posted on July 9, 2010December 4, 2014 by Rich

The earplugs worked great. I sort of heard the train whistles last night but wasn’t bothered at all by them. Randy mentioned that they were pretty bad. Many of the cyclists camping around us were up very early and bustling about, packing up tents and getting ready for the road. Randy and I were much more leisurely, and started simply by boiling up some water and making some tea, oatmeal, and Cream of Wheat, and kicking back. I found my instant Cream of Wheat not bad, but sort of gruel-like, even with sugar added. Needed butter, salt, something to make

Stanley ND: First Real Touring Day

Posted on July 8, 2010December 4, 2014 by Rich

My very first night camping in a very long time was actually quite nice. The Thermarest pad held tight and I was surprisingly comfortable on it. If there was any undue noise in the park at night, my ear plugs wiped them out properly. I had started out the night on top of my Marmot sleeping bag, but temperatures dropped to something around 50F, and I crawled inside the bag to find it really comfy and warm. A very brief rain hit us in the middle of the night, which woke me up. After securing the rain flaps, I sort

Williston ND: Redemption

Posted on July 7, 2010December 4, 2014 by Rich

Four hours later I was up and getting ready for breakfast, hoping to get over to the airport before they gave this seat away. Round 3 at the airport! I arrived at 7:30am, ran the (always insulting) gauntlet through security, and arrived at the gate around 8am. I was hoping that 3 hours would be sufficient to secure my seat aboard a Great Lakes flight. The gate agents were astonished that I’d gotten through security with my flight voucher alone (no boarding pass). One of the gate agents called me “sweetie” so I asked if it was OK if I

Limbo: Travel Day

Posted on July 6, 2010September 7, 2010 by Rich

Up at 4AM this morning in order to catch my 6:30am flight to Denver. Johnny and Colin were just deciding to go to sleep, so I decided to tap a sleepy Linda for the drive to the airport. I unexpectedly met my friend Rob Zienkewicz in the airport, and talked briefly about happenings at Viasat AMP. The delayed flight to Denver was cramped but uneventful. Although the plane landed late I still had 40 minutes to make my connection, and I already had a boarding pass and seat assignment, printed out the night before. Arriving at the gate to Williston,

Getting Ready: Training

Posted on July 2, 2010November 18, 2010 by Rich

In early May, my new Surly arrived, and I spent the next few weeks riding it with tools in hand, adjusting as best I could for optimal comfort. The horizontal tube distance on these Long Haul Truckers is unusually long for a given frame size, and I found it a bit difficult to strike a proper balance. In the end, my handlebar stem looked like the neck of an African tribal wife, but was comfortable for me. Met Jesse repeatedly for weekly breakfast rides, and also started doing all my errands on the Surly. I began to notice that the

Getting Ready: Gear

Posted on May 3, 2010December 4, 2014 by Rich

When my friend Jesse asked me in January to go with him on the annual Ragbrai ride, the answer came out easily and without hesitation, “Sure I’ll go with ya!” I had heard about the granddaddy of all annual event rides for decades, and had always wanted to see what it was about. The prospect of going to this event with Jesse defined my riding plans for the summer, and really psyched me up. When my friend Randy asked me in April to join him for a few weeks on his cross-country tour, my adrenaline started to flow faster still.

J&P 10: Florence to Mesa

Posted on February 15, 2010December 4, 2014 by Rich

Phil was again up before me, no surprise. This Holiday Inn had a much more decent continental breakfast. I sat with Jan and Annette at first, and when they finished I joined into a nice conversation with Geni. Randy was scheduled to drive the RV for the first segment, and so he stationed himself in the parking lot collecting riders’ bags. Sally, Phil, me, Darlene, Tom, and one other rider (guy with grey curly hair) rode though Florence, and stopped at the Blue Mist to see what was happening. Tom decided to wait for Paul, and suggested we take off