Time Wasters and a General Update

So the other day I'm sitting there in front of the TV watching the Tour de France and thinking, "Gee, I'm wasting so much time just sitting here."  I'm on summer vacation so I don't have to work.  At the beginning of vacation I kept telling myself I'd do something productive, like write every day on my blog (at least semi-productive) and here I am, the third week into the summer break and I've written nothing.  I should do something about this, I thought.

Lo and behold, the next day, a quick but powerful wind storm passed through and knocked the power out.  We usually don't lose power for that long, if at all, but this time it was out for at least a solid day and then some.  Now I really have nothing to do!  So during the day, I went outside and read the latest copy of Outside magazine.  The copy before that one (and probably the one before that one) I didn't read because I was too busy (watching the Tour de France and playing Minecraft on my phone), now in just an hour of solitude with no power I was able to knock out the entire magazine.

Still plenty of daylight left, since it seems time has stopped along with the power, I start doing the "extra" yard work that I hate, like pulling weeds in the flower beds.  I was able to knock out two flower beds and pull up a couple of tiny maple saplings that I'm going to try to use for bonsai trees.

A day later and the power is back on.  Hopefully that little episode will serve as the catalyst I need to get me away from the screens and doing something productive (like writing in this blog, because that's productive, right?).

Now that I'm back, here's an update on the hiking trip I wrote about earlier.

The plan was to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail with a friend of mine who was later planning to hike a much longer part this summer.  April, spring break, 4-5 day hike, that was the plan.  Spring break for me was whittled away by snow days during the winter so I could only commit 2-3 days.  My friend, however, decided, "April! Are you kidding me? It's too cold to hike!"

OK, so how about July when I'm out of school?  "No, I have to push back the hike" for various family reasons.  Now it's looking like an August start.  But then, "August is probably going to be too hot!"  So, no long distance hike for me just yet.

In the meantime, to occupy my time and spend more time on the Internet wasting that precious time, I've been researching another future project: the sailboat.

If I could, I would live on a sailboat, work odd jobs and write to make money, and drift from port to port around the world.  Of course, with a wife who is a little more practical than I, that is not possible.  So I've been planning to buy a sailboat at least to have to take on weekend and summer trips.

Freeing the money to make such a purchase and maintain a boat has proven difficult.  I've been taking every spare $20 I get and putting it in an AmeriTrade account I have dedicated as my sailboat fund, but that isn't growing very quickly.  Then a thought occurred... I own a small half acre wooded lot in a "resort" (using the term loosely) and we've been trying to sell it for the past year or so.  What if I could trade that for a boat?  How I can I convince the wife?

My question goes; "So, here's an idea... what do you think of trading that lot for a sailboat, you know, just so we can get rid of it?"  Shocking reply, "Yes, just get rid of it, I don't want to keep paying the taxes and HOA fees.  You can trade it, sell it, whatever, the proceeds can go to your boat fund."  Score!

Now I have to check with the Realtor to see when our contract is up and so I would be able to trade the lot.  I search Realtor.com to get the details on the lot and what do you know, it's not there.  I emailed the Realtor, "Hey, what's up with that?"  Her response; "The listing on your lot expired Aug 30 of last year when extension agreement was not returned."  That's it, nothing more.  Really?  I know we returned the agreement.  Wouldn't a good Realtor follow up on something like that, maybe give us a call and ask about it?  Bottom line, we don't have a contract (and the lot hasn't been listed for almost a year, unbeknownst to us) and I can sell or trade the lot as I see fit.  It's now listed on Craigslist.  Hopefully that will give a boost to my sailboat plan.

So that's the update.  I'm going to try to come back every day and write something new.  See you tomorrow!

Merrell Barefoot Shoe Review 2

About a year ago (11 months to be exact), I posted a review of the Merrell Tough Glove Barefoot shoe.  It's been one of my most popular posts in recent memory, so I thought I would post an update/long-term review.

In summary, I read the book "Born to Run" and decided I wanted to try "barefoot running."  Before jumping into it, I thought I should get some daily work shoes with the zero heel drop so I could test them out and strengthen my feet in preparation for running in barefoot shoes.

I bought the Merrell Tough Glove, one of the few decent looking barefoot shoes that I could wear to work and still look respectable.  It's been a year now and I'm still wearing the Tough Glove.  I even started wearing the Merrell Flux Glove for running and casual wear.

First for the Tough Glove - awesome shoe.  It's a shame that Merrell stopped making them.  I have worn them every day to work for the past year.  They have held up incredibly well.  Occasionally the leather will start to show some wear and look less brown, but I hit them with some Kiwi Outdoor Wet Pruf (water repellent leather protection) and it makes the leather look almost new again.

In terms of comfort, these shoes are tops.  It took some getting used to, but after my feet strengthened up a bit, walking all day in these shoes is a breeze.

I liked them so much, I bought my second pair of Merrell Barefoot shoes earlier this year.  I got the Merrell Flux Glove for running and general casual wear.  So basically, I'm wearing Merrell Barefoot shoes all the time.

I put a good number of miles on the Flux Gloves, running 3-6 miles a day, a few times per week.  At first, running in them really worked my calves.  The first couple times I ran in them, my calves were sore for days.  Now I can run long distances with no problems, sort of...

After running in the Flux Gloves for a while, I started getting some pain in my left heel.  It was only light pain while running, but after resting for a while, it was somewhat painful to get moving again.  The back of my heel was also sensitive to touch.  I think maybe it's Achilles tendinitis.  I don't think it's entirely from the shoes, probably more from just running too much, because my running partner started to get them same pain and he wears regular running shoes.

I've scaled back on running and started doing stretches and exercises to focus on my calves and Achilles tendon.  The pain has gotten better but I'm still not at 100 percent.

The only other thing that was uncomfortable when running in the Flux Gloves was running on or near gravel.  I do most of my running in grass but sometimes next to gravel roads or on blacktop roads.  When you land on a piece of gravel in the Flux Glove, you feel it.  The sole provides some protection, but you still feel the road under your feet.  To compensate, I just be careful where I'm running and look out for lone chunks of gravel sticking up in the way.

Other than the heel thing, the Merrell shoes are awesome and I still wear them every day.  I've been looking at buying new pairs to replace the ones I have, but Merrell's current lineup is a little weak.  For casual shoes, they have nothing that looks as "formal" as the Tough Glove.  They have the Jungle Glove, Tour Glove, Reach Glove and Radius Glove, but I don't think any of these look as good as the Tough Glove.

I think the best option for work wear might be the Jungle Glove, but the suede looks a little too casual.  I used to have a pair of Jungle Mocs though, and these were my most favorite shoe ever back then.  For that reason alone I'd like to try the Jungle Glove.

For running, they no longer make the Flux Glove, but the Trail Glove looks like the same shoe.

So I'd like to get two new pairs sometime in the future.  My current pairs still have lots of life left in them though, so I may have to wait a while.  Most of the Merrell Barefoot shoes cost around $100 a pair, so that makes buying new ones a little hard to swallow.

A Home Away From Home

I'm looking at options for shelter while on the AT hiking trip and here's what I have.  I own a Eureka Zephyr one-person tent (right) that I have had for at least 10 years and change.  It doesn't get that much use, but when I have used it, it has always worked out quite nicely.

It's free-standing, easy to set up, roomy, relatively waterproof, and durable.  The one thing I don't like about it is it's somewhat heavy.  I have always used it for bike touring and other types of camping where I wasn't actually lugging the thing around over long distances.  It weighs in at 4 lbs with all the parts.  That's about twice what a modern lightweight one-man tent would weigh.  So I think I'm going for another option.

I also have an Outdoor Research Basic Bivy.  I have used it before on a bike trip and it seems to work OK.  For those who don't know, a bivy is basically a waterproof sack that you put yourself and your sleeping bag into and zip it closed (think fancy body bag).  The OR bivy gives you the option of just zipping the bug screen if you want to breathe a little, or zipping the whole thing closed if it's pouring rain and breathing becomes less important.

I liked using the bivy, but the time I used it, it was pouring rain and you can't store gear in there and there's no room to sit up and stay dry at the same time.  So I purchased an Equinox Egret 8x10 tarp that I will carry along with the bivy.  That way I can set up the tarp in any number of configurations (see video below for an entertaining demo) and use the bivy inside the tarp if I need bug protection or extra warmth.

I got the tarp in the mail today.  It looks pretty nice, ripstop material of some sort that looks coated and waterproof.  The 8x10 version weighs 1 lb 11 oz, a lot lighter than my tent.  The bivy weighs 1 lb 3 oz, so together I'm still lighter than the tent option.  I still have to add the weight of some stakes and 550 cord but I think I'll still be about a pound below the tent.

I plan on setting up the tarp sometime this weekend.  I'll take some pictures and let you all know how it turns out.

Dueter ACT Lite 65+10 Initial Impressions

I swear I think I'm the last person on my UPS driver's route.  I won this Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 backpack on eBay on Thursday.  The guy finally shipped it on Monday and lucky me, it arrived today, Tuesday.  But it was not until after 6 pm.  That was a killer wait, especially while checking the tracking number every 10 minutes to see that it was still on the truck, ready for delivery.

First a little background on the auction.  It was up for sale by a guy who had zero feedback.  The pictures, on the left and at the bottom, were fuzzy and difficult to read.  The description was "Lightly used for a season, fully functional, and clean."  That's it.  It was a "Buy It Now" auction for $82 plus $9 shipping.  The pack retails for $200.  So I was a little afraid to buy it.  No feedback, fuzzy pictures, "thin" description.  But what the heck, for $82 I thought I'd give it a shot.

I contacted the guy as soon as I bought it just so I could make sure he would respond and give me some peace of mind for the wait.  He responded right away and said he's ship it that day, and oh, by the way, he found a small hole in the mesh pocket on the side.  Oh great, here it goes.

The pack arrived today, packed very nicely, as if he'd had the UPS store box it (he didn't make money on shipping, that's for sure).  It definitely looks well used for a long season, some abrasions, scuffs, a couple of cosmetic stitches loose, and of course, the small hole in the side mesh pocket, but not just one, both side pockets, same hole, same location.  I wouldn't call it "clean" though.  It's a little grubby, some grime visible.  I had to wash my hands after messing with it.  Also had some dirt inside that I shook out.  But hey, it's been used so I'm OK with it.  I want to wash it really well when I get a chance though.

After inspecting all the zippers and buckles and finding everything was indeed functional, I loaded it up with some gear and paraded around the basement.  It surely is big enough for everything I want to take for a long hike.  The pack itself is pretty light.  I like the pockets and compression straps, and the like.  Pretty simple pack, sleeping bag storage that can open into the main compartment, lid that has three pockets, two mesh side pockets, one hip belt pocket, plus bungee straps across the back.  Overall, a very decent pack.

The Air Contact Lite harness is also very nice.  I had to adjust the "Vari-Quick" shoulder harness adjuster to

fit my torso, but once I got it set, the pack felt very nice with a light load.  I was a little worried about the Vari-Quick shoulder strap attachment after seeing it in action on YouTube videos.  I thought maybe the load would pivot or sway too much around the centrally located attachment point, but it doesn't.  Once you have everything buckled and the straps cinched, the load feels very secure and the pack like an extension of your torso.

Overall, my first impressions of the pack are positive.  This one just needs a little cleaning and light mending and it should be ready to hit the trail.  I'm half hoping for a snow-day at school tomorrow so I have time to run up the mountain behind the house and try it out (even if it means running around in sleet and freezing rain).

Tomorrow I'm expecting another package.  A new Equinox Egret 8x10 tarp that will become part of my shelter system.  My next post will be a summary of my shelter plans.  Until then, cheers!


  

AT Hike Details

OK, so I mentioned my Appalachian Trail hiking  trip in my last post but didn't get into any of the details.  Here they are...

My friend, we'll call him "Max," decided he wants to hike the AT.  He's not going to hike the whole thing, but half of it, which is still a heck of a long way.

He's planning to start in Harpers Ferry, WV and start walking north to Maine, 1,165 miles.  He'll start in June 2014.

I once planned to hike the full length of the AT, but as so often happens, my plans were put on hold by family responsibilities.  It's hard to take five or six months off when you've got a wife and kid.  Max, on the other hand, has kids who are graduating soon from high school and as for the wife... well, that's the catalyst for the sudden urge to drop everything and walk 1,000 miles.

As much as I'd like to accompany him on his trip, I still have a few years before my child finishes high school and as a result, my wife still has a lot of sway in my life decisions.  While I can't do the whole thing with him, I agreed to hike some part of it and/or go with him on a warm-up hike of sorts.

We decided to start with the warm-up hike over spring break in April.  I have five days off from work and he will be available as well.  My first thought was to hike the AT through Maryland, our current state of residence.  It's only about 40 miles, easily obtainable in about four days.  The trip would take us from Penmar, PA south to Harpers Ferry, WV.  Max didn't like this idea though, because his long trip will start in Harpers Ferry and go north, covering the Maryland section again.  He didn't want to do one section twice, so we decided to start in Harpers Ferry and go south for the warm-up hike.

A four day trip from Harpers Ferry south, averaging a little more than 10 miles per day, would take you about to Virginia Route 55 just outside Front Royal.  The actual distance is 45.7 miles.  I think it's doable.

And so the planning begins.  As I mentioned previously I am awaiting my new pack.  I also spent some time today making a beer can alcohol stove.  I have another stove so I'll post something on stove selection later.  I'm also looking at shelter options so that post will follow as well.  Stay tuned!

New Quest, Pack Search

The ol' blog has been gathering dust again.  Time to revive it.

I have a new quest, a new challenge to conquer.  Previously I have  posted here about my long-distance bike travel.  Now I'm ramping up for some long-distance foot travel.

A very dear friend of mine has decided to hike a large portion of the Appalachian Trail.  He is conquering some personal challenges and has decided that the AT will help with that.  I don't have the time to commit to a "large portion," but I have agreed to accompany my friend on at least one warm-up hike to prepare him for the longer trip.

We have decided to hike 45 miles of the AT in April as preparation for his long hike starting in June.  So that means I am ramping up for the April hike.

I am a gear nerd.  I admit it.  No matter the hobby or interest, I love the gear.  So the first thing I did when the mention of a hike came up was to dig out my hiking and camping gear and take inventory.  Then came the countless hours of Internet research to learn that much of my gear is barely suitable and that I need to get new gear.  Let's start with my pack.

I had a Gregory Whitney (pictured above) that I purchased new from REI sometime in 2003 or 2004.  It is a HUGE pack.  It's 90 liters in volume and more than seven pounds in weight.  I bought it in preparation for a trip to Iraq where I needed to pack three months worth of stuff.  That's a lot of stuff but fortunately, I never actually had to carry it over any distance greater than 50 yards.  For our 79,000 yard trip, this pack surely wouldn't do.  It's way too big and could get way too heavy.  The "recommended" pack volume and weight for AT hikes is 50-65 liters and as light as humanly possible.  Of course that meant I needed a new pack.

Step 1: Sell the Whitney on eBay and buy a new pack.  Step 2: Do the countless hours of research on the Internet to find the perfect pack for AT thru-hikes.  The research led me to a few options.  My first solution was the Gregory Baltoro 65.  Same great manufacturer, same great comfort, top end of the size recommendation (good and bad), but that pack is heavy too.  It was a touch over five pounds, just two fewer than the big Whitney.

The lightest options... anything by ULA, the Circuit or Catalyst.  These are the packs of choice on the AT and other long-distance trails.  They are little more than a light rucksack; super light, on the small end of the capacity recommendation, but usually above my price range (which was whatever I could sell the Whitney for).

Other awesome choices... Granite Gear packs, specifically the Nimbus Meridian.  A superb pack, but over my range new and hard to find used on eBay.  Osprey packs, all great, lots of options in the 50-65 liter range, but again, sometimes too pricey for me.

Enter the Deuter ACT Lite 65+10.  Same great features as the others but just a little cheaper.  So I managed to pick one up on eBay for just $91, including shipping.  Great deal on a great pack.  But I don't have it yet.  I just won the auction the other day and it should be arriving in a week or so.  I'll be posting a review as soon as I try it out.

Getting closer

My wife and I went out looking at used Class A motor homes, we have found my idea of living in a Class A motor home to be possible. The prices of the used units are within our budget and come with everything needed to survive like a washer dryer, on board 30 gallon propane tank, 5500 watt generator that works off of the on board fuel tank. Some of the units have massive slide outs and some are more modest. We have come to the conclusion that we only really need one slide out at the living room area and that would be plenty for the two of us. We are looking to spend in the $20,000 range, I think that will last us five years. This adventure is going to be a five year tour, like Star Trek. Why five years? Our kids will be so busy establishing their lives in the five years following school they will never know we are gone, well that's my theory anyway. Between the ages of 19-20 to 20-25 they will be busy building their future and settling down. Buy the time they reach 25 they will be interested in seeing mom and dad again so buy then I hope to have seen all I want to see and be ready to settle back down myself. Along the way I want to for the first time ever to have one on one time with my wife, something we have never had. You see I graduated high school with my wife pregnant so it has never been just the two of us (we are taking our Pug). So in my travel of the eastern seaboard

I hope to reinvent my relationship with my wife in a way that till death do we part is the end we meet together.I also want to see this great country of ours that some many have died to secure, to not explore your own home is a travesty. So anyway forward I go, pretty soon Bud light in a bottle for everyone. RV Trade

Cheap living with style

The time has come or well is coming for me to restructure my life. My son has graduated high school and my daughter will soon follow. This will leave me with 5 acres of land and a house built for a family.I am seriously thinking of selling out the farm and buying a used RV to live in. Some places will let you put in at $100 and some dollars a month with free electric and water.I sure could save up some money fast by doing this. The draw backs are not really having a place to call home and if one of the kids decide to stick around for a while they will have to go where we go. Not a bad deal I love my kids but I can see it getting cramped. Also I was thinking of getting a job a Lowe's so that way if I wanted to visit my buddy M3 for a few months I could transfer to a Lowe's near him (my RV would look good in his spare lot LOL). There are some other places I would like to explore before I die, like Maine. Taking vacations is great but do you relly get to know a place in one week. Also there is the Jersey shore, I could run into snookie. The options are endless. Just an idea.... What do you think would you do it? Cheap RV living

Bird

Birds are coming for you!!!!!

Random from around town....

My Year In Review Get out 2008

Well, here we are, another year gone by. Somewhat of a disappointing year really. Let's take an acid-free trip into the past year and see what we can find.

Let's see.... Nope nothing good in January... February... March... Nothing. April... May... Nothing. June, ah June, yes, the trip down the C&O Towpath. The trip that defined the rest of my year.

Preparing for the trip across the C&O Towpath was a life changing event. First I strengthened a friendship with a firehouse pal, spent some time with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time, and changed the way I look at myself. For me the 184 mile trip would be the beginning of serious life changes.

I have spent many years trying to do something about my excessive weight. With some success, I needed something to give the boost to keep pushing. The bicycle did the trick. As I sit here typing this blog I remain eager to hit the trails and pedal away for better health.

Most of all this year, on July 3rd, I quite smoking. A three pack-a-day smoker, for like 17 or 18 years, I quit. On January 3rd I am going to party like it's 1999 all over again (not really but it sounds good). I found the motivation to quit from pictures, pictures of past vacations and events. It seems I always had a cancer stick in my hand or I was hiding it behind my back. I also pulled a ton and I mean a ton of motivation from a friend. One who wasn't going to let me give up the fight. Between the pictures, my pal and a strong desire to not die like so many of the people I take to the hospital (in our squad), I quit.

I rode 184 miles on a bicycle in 2.5 days, quit smoking, fought some killer fires, tried to help or helped a ton of hurting or sick people, celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary, lost my job (to layoff), lost 37 pounds (gained it all back after quitting smoking) and lived to tell about it.

Special shout out to my Brother for everything you do for me, Randy I never would have quit smoking if it weren't for you and Matt a life time of friendship (love the homebrew, make more we'll be back!)

Don't forget to comment on my Wordless Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bike still gets around

Randy and I went out for a ride this evening, our typical 20 mile stretch. Now that he has his cool Harley, I would have figured he would dump me for a biker bar and some smelly dudes. But he didn't. With his new Roadking HD at home, we started pedaling.

We usually talk about everything when we ride like, politics, evil liberals, bad liberals, insane liberals, stupid liberals and anything else we can come up with. Today we were chewing it up about stupid liberal ideas and our C&O Towpath trip.

What a talk that was, talking about stupid liberal ideas never gets old.

I still think with a little more training and practice I could brave the C&O in 2 days. Granted I almost died the first time but I am willing to do it all over again. We haven't been able to hit two practice rides a week yet, both of use are just too busy (new Harley)(liberal talk) but hey, we are working on it.

Back to liberals...... Check out these cool T-Shirt designs from here!

Well so much for swimming

I took the family our to Dillon Lake for a swim, much to my surprise it didn't happen. As we approached the beach I ran into a sign it said, Water Quality Advisory blah blah blah. Here is an actual picture of the sign.
Everyone is so worried about global warming when for years we have been trying to protect our waterways from pollution and we blew it. How can we combat a global environmental problem when we can't even manage local water pollution?

We are doomed!

Final thoughts on the C&O Towpath

The trip down the towpath was really different than my normal vacation. Normally I take the family to the beach, Old Orchard Beach Maine, Sandbridge Beach Virgina or The Outer Banks of North Carolina. This time it was just myself and three friends. It was nice to get away for a few days and break free of the normal daily rat race and slow down to bicycle speed. I would never attempt to take the family the whole 184 miles but would consider camping with them and doing a short ride. There is plenty of stuff to do at the pay camp sites for days of family fun.

For a challenge, do the 184 miles. I gather from talking to some of the locals, it's not too common to see riders go all the way. I did get a little fuzzy feeling inside when reaching mile 0. The experience of finishing all 184 miles is great. It is hard to imagine canal boats being towed up and down the canal. Most places are overgrown and have been recaptured by trees and weeds. But it still leaves a lot to see.

Train, condition, pack well and prepare for the weather and you will have a great time.

M3's Day Three

OK, I've been delaying this post because I've been bogged down with other work, but here goes.

Day three was great. The final day. I got no sleep, my left knee was hurting from the previous day, and my butt was sore. But I knew we only had 50 miles left.

Finally, on packing up in the morning, I noticed that I was starting to have less stuff, i.e. my stash of food was being depleted.

The big thing that today brought was changes in the trail. As we started getting closer to D.C., there were more people on the trail and the scenery was starting to change (but just a little). Also the type of people on the trail was starting to change.

At one rest stop, we parked the bikes at the side of the trail. I was sitting on the side and I believe it was Firefighter who was sprawled out on the ground, almost in the middle of the trail. From around a curve an older guy with perhaps his child appeared.

The guy, like many of the people we were starting to see, was the wealthy preppy type on a fancy bike in nice clothes. Talking to his child as he approached, he said something like "look out, there's something going on up there, it's a dog, no, it's a PERSON laying in the trail!"

As he passed he said something like, "everything alright here?" Yes, we're fine. We just rode 180 miles in three days. We're fine.

Finally we reached Georgetown. Finding the "0" mile marker was not easy. Luckily I had the coordinates in my GPS so I got us close. The GPS was telling me to go through this parking lot and behind a building next to the river.

I didn't trust the GPS so I stopped and asked a guy sitting next to the building. His response indicated that he was either stoned or he didn't speak English. Luckily as I started to drive away, someone came out of the building and asked if I was looking for the 0 mile marker, it was right around back of the building. I guess I looked like I had just ridden 184.5 miles. I sure felt like it.

C&O Towpath Day Three

Somewhere in between the train, pain and lack of good water, day three began. For me day three was kind of a blur except for the pain of being back in the saddle. My butt was sore! Once again an early start even after the noise of the railway kept me up almost all night.

After packing everything back up again I found my way to the trail and off we went. After about ten feet of travel, I realized something was different. I could not find much energy or will to continue. Was it the pain in the rear? Could it have been fatigue or dehydration? What ever it was I was feeling it. This was suppose to be fun! I found the "fu" but not the "n".

We started the final 50 or so miles moving pretty well. The first 20 to 30 miles went by fast. Soon after entering the 20's, I just about fell apart. I tried not to show the fact that I wasn't feeling well but again it didn't work too well. I remember Randy telling me that there was no shame in not making it all the way and no one would think any less of me if I didn't. Also he said that I had done better than everyone had expected. I decided after that, that if it took me all day and night to get there I was going to make it to mile zero.

We stopped for a 30 minute break and had lunch, that was enough to propel me through the final miles. Slowly we inched towards the zero mile marker. As we got closer and closer, I felt a little bit of life coming back to me. I felt like I was posesed with only finishing in mind.

And finish we did, as we started, as a group of four.

Hidden behind a boat rental business, away from the main path was the zero marker. Without grace, I limped my way to the grey concrete post with the number 0 on it.

Sweet victory!!!!

Coming soon, after the ride....

M3's Day Two

Day two finds us 64 miles down the trail. The rain has finally stopped. We get up for breakfast and pack our gear.

Upon loading my gear into my panniers, it seemed like I had more than what I left with. Granted I did find a small Y-stick for fishing on the trail, this did not account for my sudden inability to load all my gear.

Once packed, I pushed my bike up to the trail, hoping to delay as long as possible the point where I had to actually sit on the seat again. My rear was still hurting.

Once on the bike and after a mile or so, everything started to feel better. We pedaled on, sloshing through the mud puddles until we reached Williamsport.

The water from the pumps at the campsites in the early part of the trip was clean but poor-tasting. Now the water from the pumps was not only poor-tasting but varying shades of yellow and brown. So we stopped in Williamsport and rode into town to the nearest Sheetz gas station.

There, I bought a few more PowerBars and some Gatorade. The PowerBars were much needed considering that I only brought three with me and had eaten two.

We pushed on, and found the detour. I didn't think it existed because everything I've seen on it was from a year or two ago. Well, it's there. There are two places to leave the trail, we chose the second one, staying on the trail a little longer. Once off the trail, we were on the roads in rural Maryland, hills and all.

I didn't find the hills all that hard but it was a change from the "flat" trail.

Speaking of the "flat" trail. I don't know if it was an optical illusion or what, but it seemed like we were pedaling up a slight grade the entire day. I realize we dropped a few hundred feet in altitude but I don't remember ever going downhill, other than the short slopes next to each lock.

Later in the day we passed by Harpers Ferry on the other side of the river. This is where we first started seeing other people, including lots of people tubing on the Potomac. At this point, all of us were ready to toss our bikes in the river and get a tube.

We ended for the day at the Calico Rocks campsite with just 50-some miles left. We did 70-plus miles this day.

We set up camp, had dinner. It was nice doing this without rain. The site was right next to a busy train track though. If you've never been in a port-a-potty next to a train track as the train goes by, you don't know what you're missing.

C&O Towpath Day Two

Day two was a little harder, muscles were sore and weak from lack of rest. We hit the trail with a bang, traveled through a few more locks and a dam. I had expected to see more than we did, most of the riding was through the woods.

I did notice I started to get dehydrated a bit. Being close to 300lbs I wasn't feeling too well by midday. But we kept plugging away. I spent a lot of time riding by myself on day two. I just couldn't keep pace with the other guys. Every ten miles they would have to stop and wait for me. I felt kind of bad they had to slow up so much but at least we were still advancing toward the finish line.

We slid into a crappy gas station to get some extra (clean) water and a snack. I did feel some relief from the junk foodI found on the store shelves. We stopped again later that day, I can't even remember the name of the town we stopped. There we got an ice cream and some more water before heading to our camp for the night. Before getting the ice cream I had started to feel really really bad but tried my best to hide it. I had just about had enough but again we hacked away at the miles to put us closer to our goal.

At the end of day two I was done. After getting a cold MRE in me and another bath in the river, it was time for bed. It was great to finally get some much needed rest.

But wait! We camped right next to a busy railway and there were passenger trains running through there ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!! For God's sakes!

So began day three, slightly ahead of the game with with only 50 miles to go and again no sleep!

My Day One

Now that Firefighter has ruined the Wordless Wednesday by posting words on our blog on a Wednesday, I may as well follow suit...

It wasn't quite a 6 a.m. departure, more like 6:30. After stuffing ourselves with scrambled eggs and pancakes, we rode away from my house, down the hill and to the start of the trail.

The first day brought us through the countryside and past a couple of locks on the canal. They were interesting at first but after three or four, they all started looking the same.

The Paw Paw Tunnel, as Firefighter mentioned, was the highlight of the day. It was dark as hell in there and on the other side there was an eerie fog that obscured the tunnel exit.

I rode part of this section of the trail before but it was much drier then. It rained the day before our start so there were lots of unavoidable mud puddles. I was glad I had fenders on my bike, but I was the only one who did. Everyone else got quite muddy.

We arrived in Hancock, Maryland at about 4:30 p.m. It started to rain a little. We decided to push on to the 60 mile marker and beyond to the nearest campsite, Little Pool, 64 miles from our start point. We arrived there by 5:00 p.m. and everyone set up tents in the rain. Nearly everyone was in bed by 5:30.

While we didn't reach our goal of 80 miles the first day, I was pleased with our progress and even more pleased that we stopped. My legs were fine but my posterior was in pain.

The campsite was interesting. We had the wonderful hum of Interstate 68 in the distance. And of course, there were the native West Virginians camped out across the river having what could only be described as a good time in West Virginia (i.e. fishing, beer, firearms, and fireworks).

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.

C&O Towpath...... Day one......

After much reading and planning, nothing really could have gotten me ready for the trip ahead. Now as far as supplies goes, I did good. Extra tube, clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag and stuff like that, I went without nothing. I brought some over the counter pain meds and bandages and such. So as supplies go, I was set.

My bike, it was polished up and ready to go also. Home-made rack on the back and plenty of room for the much needed junk. With a 6 a.m. wake up call we were off.

My first impression of the towpath was, yep it's a bike path. It was a primitive path at best. Rock, mud and a few holes here and there. Still worth traveling.

The first 64 miles went by fast, too fast really. There wasn't much to see in the beginning but it made for some good distance riding. The Paw Paw Tunnel was our first big site to see. It was a great piece of history to view. Rain set in and put our forward progress to a stop around 5 or 6 p.m., not that I didn't need a break, but it was way too soon to call it a night.

After getting a rainy bath in the Potomac River and rinsing off in the pouring rain, I did manage to get some dry clothes on and a cold (MRE) meal. Shortly after getting to bed a few judgment-impaired people from across the river decided it was time to shoot off a few rounds from their favorite firearm. Also they were singing and launching fireworks into the wee hours of the morning. So much for that needed rest.

No sleep, cold and damp, we started the second day early around 6:30am.....