First Impressions

Our tour is underway! So far it is difficult to pick my favorite part. It started with the people. We are a large group and I haven't met many of the participants, but of those I have met are fun and interesting. This location is a great place to ride. There are quite a few miles of bike paths and many locals are out riding! The scenery is beautiful and the only problem is the altitude (which would be worse if I hadn't spent the last week and a half above 8000 feet.

Sitting down and talking to others who share an interest like bike touring is a special opportunity, I am really glad to have this chance to be around people with my same unusual desire to spend my vacation on a bike.

Colorado Wildflowers & Rivers Tour

Today, the beginning of my first bike tour, has finally arrived. The group is gathering this evening and the riding commences tomorrow. I am going to attempt to create a log of the trip on TrackMyTour and link it to this blog. I hope it works, and I hope the site is interesting to you. I love this app and find it a great way to share my travels with friends and family. Let me know what you think (and leave comments!)

You can follow along here.

Paradox of Perception

Today has finally arrived. Getting here has been slow in terms of anticipation, but very fast in terms of preparation. That paradox of perception makes me feel human: bad things come too quickly, good things too slowly. In this case I'm talking about vacation, my first bike tour, and getting everything ready. I'm as ready as I'm going to be, and happy with my preparations. The actual bike tour portion does not start today (I have to get to the start, which is pretty far away). On the way there I will be an American Tourist, hitting some National Parks, and whatever else seems interesting. I will be going to many places for the first time. If anyone out there has a suggestion for a hike, or ride, a restaurant, great view, etc., I'd love to hear about it. The first stop will be St. George, UT. I hope to be there by late afternoon today. From there I'll be continuing north through Idaho, and turning West to enter Yellowstone from the west entrance. I'll be in and around Yellowstone for several days, then head south to Silverthrorne, CO where the bike tour begins!

I plan to improve the frequency of my posts and hope I will have the internet access necessary to make that happen. One of the things I did to prepare for this trip was to take an introductory digital photography class. I hope to have some good photos to share with you by the end of this trip.

Mixing Up Your Ride

Many of the bikey people I know are like me, we have more than one bike. I have a mountain bike, a touring bike (which is really a cyclocross bike), and a flip-flop Single Speed. I also want a new road bike (my last one was smashed like a carbon-fiber fly on a windscreen). OK, I also have a really old fixy, but I don't ride it any more because the fit is way too aggressive for my fractured T-8 virtebrae. It's a shame because I used to ride that old junker more than any other bike. The flip-flop is a replacement, much more relaxed set up with a flat bar and a rack on the back.

I've been gearing up for my tour so my rides have been almost exclusively on the "touring bike." But I needed to have the cables replaced (too short with the new stem) so it's in the shop for a couple of days. I took a spin on the single-speed today and had a blast! I really love single-speed/fixed bikes. They are soooo responsive, comparatively light, and just good fun.

If you haven't ever tried it you may not understand the appeal of a bike with only one gear and no coasting. The simplicity is what does it for me. It's a great way to train the legs to keep spinning. I do have a brake however, I'm not strictly pure. I ride on the road and I've been doored and smashed. I want a brake.

Do you have more than one bike? Which one do you find yourself riding the most?

Charging Your iPhone While Riding?

I mentioned previously that I'm searching for a solution for the charging issue posed by traveling off the grid. I love conservation and the cycle of use. I try to practice minimal energy consumption. However, for me, this does not mean avoiding electronics all together. I use my iPhone everyday, sometimes a lot. I want to use a bike computer that also uses power. I also mentioned previously that I was looking for a solar charger to help me with my electronic entertainment on the road without an outlet (electrical).

In my pursuit of such an item I have considered a few things. First I bought a Brunton Explorer from REI. I was unnerved when I opened the package to find that there was no product information what so ever; there was no power cord to charge from an outlet; and it did not seem to work with my iPhone. One thing I really love about REI is their return policy. I took it back, no problem.

Next I found 2 other promising products. The most intriguing to me is the bike powered iPhone charger called the "RollerGen". You can read about it here. Unfortunately, I could not find anyplace that actually sells this item. I saw several references to the item, and found the website for the developers of the product, but it does not seem to be available for purchase. I'd love to try it though. The third product I considered is the Dexium P-Flip Solar charger. I'm not sure if this will meet my solar needs, but I ordered one to give it a try.

I hope to find a product that meets and/or exceeds my charging dreams, but I remain doubtful. I will do what many a bike traveller has done before me: keep my good old fashioned plug handy and keep my eyes open for any available outlet and give it a charge!

Update July 24

The P-Flip Solar charge has arrived and I've done some minor testing. First and foremost, it does charge the iPhone 4! It comes with a USB connector that will charge the battery from the computer, which takes approximately 6 hours for a full charge. I've only fully charged it once using the solar panels, and that took 2 full days! I mean sunny Southern California days. 

Product information says there is a wall charger for the unit, but it's an "accessory". I think it's more of a "mandatory" and will be attempting to see if I can find one to purchase (a quick look on the website was not helpful).