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The story of how I saved money, quit my job, sold my possessions,
and set off to endlessly travel by bike around the world.
My Plan
My 3 Books
I write, self publish and sell
books about bicycle touring
(see
all 3 book)
HOME
Where am I?
Videos
Picture
Gallery
Journals
Travel Plan
Finances
Shopping
Equipment
My
Books
About
Me
Media/Press Room
Contact
Photo Use Info
Subscribe to Newsletter
Read Sample
Continue My Travels
Places I have been
(How can I
afford this?)
India and Neighbors
May 2010 to present
Alaska
/ Canada / USA
May 2008 to April 2010
New Zealand
Sept 2007 to May 2008
Australia
Sept 2006 to Sept 2007
SE Asia / China
Nov 2004 to Sept 2006
South
America
June 2003 to June 2004
AZ, Mexico, and
Central America
March 2002 to April 2003
How I started
The 5 years before I left
Sign up for my RoadNews Newsletter
Written on the road as I travel around the world on my bicycle
*Help
Support this Web Site and Continue My Travels.
Equipment Pages Index
Introduction
How Much to Bring and Weight
Some
Advice About Advice
A Note to Perspective Sponsors and Gear Suppliers
(See
more about Sponsorship)
START
HERE for Touring Bikes and Commuting Bicycles
Custom Touring Bicycles and Bike Upgrade Buyers Guide
Bicycle Touring Frames
The
Steel Repair Myth.
Steel
and Aluminum Derailleur Hanger Repair.
Bicycle Touring Wheels
Phil Wood: The Best Bicycle Hubs
Panniers / Bike Bags
Cargo Trailers Vs Panniers
Tires for Bike Tours..
Bicycle Touring Saddles.
Women's Specific Bike Touring Saddles
Brooks Leather Touring Bicycle Saddle Care and Conditioning
Bike Computer
Touring Handlebars, Bar Ends, Adjustable Stems, and Padded Grips.
Kickstands
Sealed Cartridge Headsets
How to prevent flat tires
Bike Route Trails and Maps
Camping
Buying Camping Equipment
Tent and Ground
Cloth
Sleeping
Bag
Sleeping
Pad
Camp Stove
Pots and Pans
Water
Filter
First
Aide Kits
Solar Power for Camp
Clothing
Bike Touring Shorts
Electrical
Short-wave
Radio
Computer
Internet
mp3
Bicycle touring lights
Books
Packing list
Pictures of Equipment Failures
Shopping
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DownTheRoad.org's
RoadNews Newsletter
Return to America and 50% Off Autographed Books
December 1st, 2008
Home =
http://DownTheRoad.org
Previous letters can be found at
http://www.downtheroad.org/LETTERS.htm
Blog
RSS =
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Bike-Tour
Video PodCast Feed =
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BicycleTouring
Ever
since we got back to the lower 48 we have been on a whirlwind tour of meeting a
nonstop stream of people. Riding down the west coast of the USA is popular and
along the way we met and camped with hundreds of people loaded up on bikes like
ourselves. We would make dinner together and talked late into the night about
every subject imaginable.
As we
got reacquainted with our country again, I realized just how friendly Americans
really are. After this many years abroad my perspective has changed, I can now
see the good and the bad with my homeland. Bottomless cups of coffee, Pop
Tarts, and an accent that I can understand every word of were refreshingly
familiar. We don’t need a tourist visa so there is no need to hurry through.
Oh yes, we are only a few time zones away from our families so calling is easier
not to mention we are going to be visiting many of them in the next 12 months.
On the
down side I was sad to see that America still uses miles and feet as
measurements. I just can not bring myself to switch back. Even my bike
computer is still in kilometers and I have to stop myself from quoting altitude
in meters. Cindie, who does most of the navigating, switched her computer to
miles as soon as the ferry landed in Washington State from Canada. The lack of
international news in the papers and a billion dollar election process that
looked like a circus also fell into the negative category.
We have
been using www.WarmShowers.org for
several years now to meet fellow touring cyclists all over the world and stay in
their homes. In the USA there was a high concentration of hosts on our trail.
In addition, we rendezvoused with people who have read our books and with other
travelers we met abroad. Staying with people, in our opinion, is the best way
to get to know the local culture. With our hosts, we have learned about
beekeeping, gone to festivals, eaten regional food, and loved every minute of
it.
An
unexpected opportunity came our way and at the last minute we threw our bikes on
a train near Los Angeles and arrived in Tucson at 2 am. We switched gears from
touring cyclists to book sellers. We were in Tucson for both the annual Bike
Swap meet (4,000 people), and
Tour de Tucson Bike and Fitness Expo and ride (around 9,000 cyclists). The
Swap Meet was the first opportunity we had to sell our books face to face. At
the open air street market, we set up a booth with a borrowed folding table next
to our friends at GABA Tucson. We printed
a few of our best full size colored photos from our web site, spread them out on
the table, parked our loaded touring bikes behind the booth, hand handed out
literally thousands of flyers. The experience was a mix of meeting a surprising
number of people who follow our web site and for the first time, telling our
story to a large group of curious cyclists. The best part was talking with old
friends we had not seen since we left Arizona in 2002. Thanks to Steve Wilson
for providing us with a place to stay and introducing us to the diverse bike
community in Tucson. All and all both events were a success.
We had
no idea how many books we would sell at these events and were a bit optimistic
when we ordered double the amount of books we needed. So, we have a few boxes of
books in our possession, much more than we can safely carry on our bikes.
Normally we would ship them back to our web order fulfillment warehouse but we
are currently taking a break from our travels and staying with friends in
Southern Arizona. So, we are offering personally autographed copies at a 50%
discount. Cindie says if we don’t lighten the load, I get to carry all the
remaining books with us when we get on the road again in April and I already
feel like an overloaded donkey.
Click on the link below to
go to our book sale.
http://downtheroad.org/Publishing/9_discount_on_sale.htm
Home =
http://DownTheRoad.org
Previous letters can be found at
http://www.downtheroad.org/LETTERS.htm
Blog
RSS =
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Bike-Tour
Video PodCast Feed =
http://feeds.feedburner.com/BicycleTouring
INDEX #6:
Alaska, Canada, and USA
5-3-08 to 4-30-10
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Bicycle Touring in the
Mid West: Iowa, Indiana, Ohio,
and Ontario (July
- August, 2009) |
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Best Place to see Pictures
Mid-West, USA
thumbnails
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Bicycle Touring
Tips & Advice
(see all Equipment
Pages)
Touring Bicycles
Panniers
Racks
Saddles
Tires
Lights
Tents
Sleeping
Bags
Camping
Mattress
Camp Stove
Water
Filter
Pots and Pans
First
Aide Kits
Solar Power for Camp
Much MORE
Gear Here!
Sponsors (how?)
Cycle Touring Racks: Why chromoly steel is best.
Heavy Duty Travel Tested
Sealed Cartridge Hubs.
Take a look at the strongest hubs built specifically for touring
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