Thursday, July 21, 2011

Final Thoughts and Advice for Tourists

I'm writing this final blog post from home. I'm sitting on my couch, on my computer, eating food from my cabinets and drinking milk from my fridge. It's all of the little things that I've missed the most. I got to see my family today, and it really hit me how much I had missed them.


We woke up this morning and headed to the UPS store. The first one was closed, so we tried a second one. This one was open; great news! We started boxing them up, and while fitting it all in the box was tough, we got it to work. Jason had to go to a bike shop to get his pedals off, but we made it work. I shipped mine for about $114, which was less than I had expected it to be.

We were running pretty late at this point. We got to LAX at about 10:45 with our flight taking off at 11:35. We got though security quickly though and still had time to grab some food. Our flight went well and we got to Baltimore safely. Our second flight was originally delayed an hour, but we took off only about 45 to 50 minutes late. We got into Portland around 11:40 where we met my parents, my sister Sally, Jason's mom, and our good friend Woody. We drove home and it was just incredible. It feels so surreal to be back in my house where life is normal.

I'd like to take a few minutes to give some quick thoughts and advice for anyone who comes across this blog in hopes of doing their own trip.

1) Don't Over-Plan: We did this mostly by accident, as we just didn't have time to put much together. If you try to plan every day, it will only frustrate you.

2) Roll with the Punches: This is pretty similar to the last point. Things will not go how you expect them to (usually.) You have to be able to change your plans on the fly. If you're having a great day, like if you have a tail wind and a cool day in the west, go further than you had planned. Just because you were going to stop at 80 miles doesn't mean that you have to. On that same note, if you're having a terrible day, stop early. The wind will be better tomorrow, or your legs will be more fresh. You've got to learn to adapt to your situation.

3) Carry less: Clothes are heavy. One shirt does weight much, but a bag of them does. Shave weight wherever you can. Our system was to shed weigh as we went, but we could have easily started with way less. If you have to stretch to think of a situation where you need something (with the exception of some tools, which are actually essential) then you probably don't need to bring it.

4) Get paper maps: We used almost solely our phones, and it didn't work out plenty of times. The battery died, or you lose service, and you're done. This would be especially true if you were touring by yourself, or if  your group had the same service provider. Jason and I had different providers (I had AT&T and Jason had Verizon) so we usually could make it work, but we wanted paper maps plenty of times.

5) You WILL ride at night: It doesn't matter that you'd planned not to. Something will go wrong, and you'll have to fix a flat, or you'll get an address wrong. Get a GOOD bike light; a headlamp is not good enough, trust me. On this same note, if you want to ride at night for any part of your trip, try to time it with a full moon. We got lucky and hit the full moon when we were doing huge days and thus riding partially at night. On that same note, riding at night can be a good option since it's cooler and there's usually less wind. Just be prepared. Keep an eye on cars behind you, and assume that they won't see you; riding into oncoming traffic is a good idea since you can see them coming, just be careful on winding roads.

6) You WILL get flats: Practice changing your tire. You don't want the first time to be in the middle of the desert. Carry more tubes than you think you'll need, and carry patches as well. It's not impossible to get two flats in one day. I met one older tourist going from California to DC who had gotten three that day.

7) Carry a lot of water: This is especially true through the desert. Three water bottles are NOT enough for a 70 mile stretch of road through 105 degree weather. You'll want extra to have to throw on yourself to cool down. The most I ever carried was 7 bottles: 3 bottles and 4 Gatorade bottles full of water. Even if you don't use it, it helps mentally knowing that you have it just in case.

8) Talk to locals: They know the roads and the hills. Frequently they can tell you better roads to take, or at least give you new ideas. Be wary of course for they will probably be way off on the mileages that they give you, but they're an important resource nonetheless. Plus, it's fun hearing their stories and meeting interesting people.

9) Carry food: Just like having water, it's important to have snacks. Not all gas stations are open 24/7, and you'll get hungry at strange times. If it's hot, snack even if you don't feel hungry. You're body will be happy that you did.

10) Push yourself: If you're doing a big tour, then you're already doing this, but keep it in mind. Ride through that rainstorm with hail. Camp on the side of the road behind a baseball field where you won't get found. Go further than you think you can. That's what touring is about. Push your limits and you'll feel the reward. Some of my fondest memories are of the hardest and most challenging parts of the trip.

11) Relax and have fun: Take your time and enjoy, after all that's why you're touring. If you've had a terrible day (which you will from time to time) get a hotel and have a hot shower. Sleep in a little late. You're doing this to have fun, so remind yourself of that from time to time.

12) Stealth camp: This is for those trying to save a few bucks. Stealth camping can be really fun. We found that the best places were baseball fields and parks on the outskirts of town. It's harder in the midwest, but when there are forests, use the cover of trees to hide yourself. I read some good advice once that said basically that if you think you're hidden, chances are local kids will know of that spot too. Just be careful and you should be fine. Stealth camping for an entire long tour would be no fun as it's fairly stressful, so try to mix it up with real campgrounds and a hotel once in a while.

That's my list for now... I'm sure I'll think of more, and I'll try to keep this updated as I do.


This tour was the biggest thing I've done in my life. It's changed me more than I had ever imagined it could, and in ways that I didn't expect. I'm proud of what I've done; really and truly proud. I don't feel that way often, if ever, and it feels amazing. I've gotten far more of an education being out on the road for 50 days than I will ever get at any institute of higher education. I'd like to say thanks to my wonderful parent for all of their support, both financial, and much more importantly, emotionally. I could not have done this without them. The phone calls home were what kept me going. Thanks as well to my fantastic sister, Jason's mom, and all of my friends at school and at home. You're all amazing.

So go out and do something amazing. Don't over think it. Just because you haven't done it before doesn't mean that you can't do it. It's terrifying but that's what makes it so damn fun. Stop reading this and go take up your own adventure.

If you'd like to get in touch with me for any reason, to talk about touring or bikes or anything else, you can get in touch with me at gmerritt@colby.edu.

Signing off for the last time until my next adventure,
Greg Merritt

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