FAQ: June 1

 It's hot in Portland and summer is finally here. I'm leaving tomorrow. 

Mother of God. What am I getting myself into. 

Jokes aside, I feel ready to go. Shout out to my mom who will drop me off in Montesano, WA tomorrow afternoon, June 2. I'll spend my first night camped at Lake Sylvia State Park and then begin heading up the far side of the Olympic Peninsula. 

Here's an FAQ for those who are interested. As always, comment or bother me on social media if you have a question I haven't answered. Shit-posts are also encouraged -- shout out to Tube Creamer on Twitter. You know who you are. 

Am I vaccinated? 

Sure am. I got my first dose in a mosque and a second dose in a country/western bar.

Where am I going? 

I've patched together a very long route of various Adventure Cycling Association maps. For those who don't know, the ACA is based out of Missoula. It is the most fantastic resource I've discovered for travel of any kind. The Association diligently routes bike tours based on scenery but more importantly safety. Click on over to their website and see their cross-country-spanning network of routes. 

So, all on ACA routes, I'm going:

In WA: From Montesano to Sedro-Woolley, WA on the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island. Then through North Cascades National Park, down to Yakima and to Mt. Rainier National Park. Proceeding south then between Mts. St. Helens and Adams to Bridge of the Gods. 

In Oregon: Cascade Locks to Hood River, then Parkdale, then over Mt. Hood, then Bend and down to Crater Lake. I'll meet my mom -- you're the best Mom! -- at Crater Lake and hang there for a few days. Then she'll drop me off in Sisters and I'll point east to Baker City. 

In Idaho: I cross through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest to Missoula.

In Montana: Hang in Missoula and then head SE to Yellowstone. 

In Wyoming: Yellowstone to Jackson to the Tetons. After looping briefly north into Cody I head east and the Rockies end. I pass through the Bighorn National Forest and the mountain range there in the middle of the state. Then back to plains. 

In SD: Black Hills National Forest and Rapid City. Then...whatever is on the route after that. I'm actually stoked for SD based on Explorer Duck's dispatches. (See "Howdy.")

In MN, WI and MI: After this I'm not familiar with the region at all and landmarks are fewer and far between. I eventually pedal to Minneapolis a gazillion miles away and then from there into Wisconsin and up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I have family and friends in Detroit and hope to see them up there. I'll either hitch from there to Detroit or ride down Lake Michigan for a while after that. Another note on this portion: Depending on how crappy these sections are, I'll either hitch or throw in the towel in Minneapolis. Who knows. It's a long way and I can do whatever I want.

How do I know where I'm going? 

It's all on ACA routes. I'm using their paper maps, which are excellent. I also use Ride With GPS on my phone.

What kind of bike do I have? 

A used Surly Long Haul Trucker I've had for about a year now. I put Jones H-Loop Bars on it, which I can't say enough good about. I bought those used. I found a used Velo Orange back rack. On the front I have the Tubus Tara. I have Ortlieb panniers and Marathon Plus tires.

Happy to answer any specific gear questions you might have and, if something new fails, you'll be the first to hear about it.

A note on the Surly: It's a cushy setup that altogether was not cheap. I went a little bit nuts during the pandemic planning this excursion and bought a lot of gear. But let me say this: The cost of gear does not have to preclude someone from bike touring or backpacking or generally getting into the outdoors. There are always excellent resources and, if you're savvy, you can make it work touring on an old mountain bike with cat litter panniers and used tents and sleeping bags that work just as well. Much of my stuff is still used -- I really enjoy hunting for used gear. Shoutout to the Outdoor Gear Recycler in Boulder, CO, where I was living for a time this spring, and Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. And shoutout to Foster Outdoor in Portland. Go there instead of Next Adventure, it's way cheaper.

Am I camping? 

Yup. I've done a fair amount of backpacking over the years and am very comfortable camping. In the Midwest I may get motel rooms more often depending on how miserable I am.

Will I be alone? 

Mostly. A friend of mine may opt to slog up Highway 35 near Mt. Hood with me. And my Dad, who is in his 60s, will ride with me from Missoula to the Tetons and possibly after that depending on our paces. Other than that I plan to slam beers with strangers in state parks from here to Michigan.

What's my plan for dealing with cars?

High-visibility clothing and a light. But more importantly, spatial awareness. I have an enormous mirror, the West Bike Mirror, that fits well on the Jones bars. This allows me to keep an eye on not only whether there's traffic but also what kind of traffic it is. I've quickly developed an eye for asshole drivers, and it's clear whether someone doesn't intend to give you any room as they approach. The worst offenders I've noticed so far are F-150 drivers and drivers of similar passenger trucks. Industrial and hauling trucks are also aggressive. I'll keep a log updated of the worst of the worst. 

What about bears? 

I have bear mace and paracord to haul my food out of reach away from camp. And I have a really sharp knife if it really gets down to it.

What if my bike breaks? 

I have a decent knowledge of bike mechanics. I can change a tire, patch a tube, fix a broken chain, replace cables and adjust my derailleurs. For any bigger issues that arise I can likely pop into a bike shop somewhere on the way. They're more abundant than you think and marked on ACA maps. If things go really south I'll hitchhike or ritualistically offer myself to the bears.  

What about sketchy people? 

Eh. I'm much more worried about being misted by a logging truck. 

And mosquitos? 

I have DEET, but I'll probably just suffer through it.

Why am I doing this? 

At the risk of writing an essay about bike touring from my mom's couch, I'll just say that it's a standout way to travel. International travel remains iffy and people are still suffering and dying globally from the coronavirus. I'd thought about through-hiking the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail and I've decided those probably aren't for me. It took me a long time to save money and I knew after I was vaccinated it was time to leave Colorado, where I'd lived for eight years and worked at the fantastic Sentinel Colorado.

I was also raised with tales of my own father's bike tour when he was also 25, in 1983. He cycled a predecessor of the current-day ACA Northern Tier route from Oregon and made it as far as Vermont. I was always fascinated with this, and I'm blessed that he'll be able to join me for a stretch this year. Our relationship has been rocky because of family issues and this trip has already given us much to connect on. 

Two of my close friends also became deranged bike tourists in recent years and ultimately capped off a ride in 2019 through Alaska and Canada to Montana. Just outrageous. One of them got me stoned during a subsequent backpacking trip in the North Cascades and I decided then and there I'd get myself on two wheels. I began touring on a used mountain bike in the Rockies while I lived in Denver. During the pandemic my man Andrew and I cycled up Mt. Evans above 14,000 feet, which is the tallest road in North America. I also did several short tours around a location in Wyoming that is a gem and at risk of being ruined by Coloradans like my former self. Recently I did overnights around Mt. Adams and into Oregon's Coast Range from Hillsboro. Both were incredible. I also rode from Parkdale to Zig Zag, OR in a daytrip with my lovely auntie Carol via Lolo Pass. 

There's a bigger reason I'm going. I'm a journalist and more importantly an American curious about his own country. I was raised in cities and I've spent much of my time in gentrified or gentrifying areas. It's clear in my own experiences and in the broader political discourse that urbanites generally do not understand what it's like to live in rural America, and there's a fair amount of undue condescension and willful ignorance in this regard. I'm personally very curious to see how the other half lives. I'll endeavor to educate myself along the way about worker's issues, land disputes, histories of indigenous tribes, the roots of political grievances and how climate change is shaping the West and Midwest. All are important issues to me. I'll likely benefit tremendously from being a white person during this tour as I hope to meet and learn from people.

I also hope to use this free time to write either journalism or fiction. The latter is looking more likely as I'll be on the move. I'll post any stories I've written here to weird all of you out.