bike learnin's

check back from bike trip.
hi all. we made it 110 miles out from east lansing, only half way to sleep bear. my sit bones felt so bruised and my knees hated me. so, lesson learned - training is important! someone tell me about your comfortable bike seat. i just tried the nashbar women's racing seat. i'd don't think i'd reccomend it. but, here are things that proved themselves useful:

if you don't know where to stay at night, can't find woods, etc. you can...
01. call the local police & ask them to where you can camp/sleep for free. we did this our first night and set up camp at a conservation park.
02. ask churches or farmers if you can pitch a tent on their property. people tend to be nice & helpful. for churches, i would call ahead before leaving and try to set that up for best results.

foods to cook on a single propane stove...
01. aunt jemimah pancake mix does wonders for a morning tummy. bring pam or some sort of spray cooking oil & a small container of syrup.
02. instant oatmeal is great anytime.
03. pitas travel great as they don't really get squished.
04. canned soups, pastas, & dehydrated instant things in bags (ie. lipton noodle dishes, you can bring powdered milk to mix in)

important things not to forget are flashlights & silverwears.

dr. bronner's castile soap is great because you can wash yourself, your clothes, or your dishes. it's also biodegradable, i hear, so you can wash in bodies of water if you so want.

using a car solar shield as a sleep pad didn't do anything special for me. i think it would be good in colder climates since it should reflect your heat back at you & is a layer between you and cold earth. as for summer use, it wasn't padded enough to make any sort of noticeable difference.

overall, it was a fun trip despite my weary body. next time, i want to be dropped off 3 hours north of e.l. and bike on all those beautiful country roads.