and following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been

Here I am in Bethesda, MD at Katie's house as she drops Daumantas off at the airport for his flight back to London. I wasn't even able to accompany my friend to the airport because there was no space in the car with the bike box crowding the back seats. Oh well, after all we were side by side, or wheel to wheel, for the past 10 weeks as we crossed over 10 states, pedaling, camping, cooking, getting drenched, frozen, exhausted, bruised and scratched, but always celebrating our freedom and determination every step of the way. I can think of few people so reliable and adventurous that could have made our venture possible, and our friendship and respect for each other will remain valuable assets in our lives wherever and whichever way we decide to live them.

Meanwhile, while Daumantas goes back to London to try and rebuild his life and career there, I will stay here for another month, treasuring my time with my fiance after all this separation over the last two years. Nothing else in the world makes me happier and more complete than being with Katie, so I decided to put my friends and career secondary to her, and to do everything possible fighting the forces that are pulling us apart. The green card seems like an almost certain prospect for next year, so perhaps there is light in the end of the tunnel. Till then, I don't have a plan but I am not afraid to embrace the random and hope and persevere. Our cycling adventure of the past two months gives me confidence and makes me believe in myself like never before.

Washington, DC

3,785 miles. That was the final reading on my odometer when we reached our final destination in Bethesda, MD. It's a lot of distance to cover on a bike. But I don't feel tired or relieved that the trip is over. If anything, I wish I could keep going. But good things don't last forever.

I can definitely claim we finished the tour with a bang. Or two bangs, rather. I heard them right behind me as we were descending from the last hill into our campground on Monday night. We were approaching Otter Creek Campground, about 12 miles south of Wrightsville, PA, it was getting dark, we had just stopped for wild raspberries and were beginning to look around for the entrance into the camp. But as we started down the last hill, Mike and Tomas's wheels slipped from under them on the freshly paved asphalt and they crashed, about 2 second apart from each other in the opposite lane. My threaded tires held up better on the sharp turn but Tomas and Mike's bald Bontragers just couldn't maintain the grip on the slippery surface and the wheels blocked at the press of the brakes.

Luckily, there were no oncoming cars at the moment, we didn't hit any sign posts or trees and no one got seriously injured. A bruised ankle and knee, and a smashed helmet was pretty much all the damage. The bikes were mostly fine, save for the bruises on the handlebars and panniers and Mike's busted rear wheel. I am not sure how, but he managed to get the rim so buckled that it was rubbing against the fork. The rear brakes were no longer functioning because of that, so we knew we couldn't use the bike as it was for any much longer. Luckily, the friendly directors at the campground, Lori and Wayne, offered to drive me to the nearest town with a bike shop so I can get the wheel fixed. The guys at the bike shop told me the wheel was damaged beyond repair but they did have a new wheel of the same dimensions. We replaced the wheel, duct-taped our torn bags and got back on the road the next afternoon.

We had just two days of riding left until our final destination in Washington, DC, so we took slowly to let the bruises and the swells ease off a bit. On Tuesday night, we camped in the rain on a lawn behind a firehouse in an small village of Butler since there were no campgrounds in the vicinity. And on Wednesday, we finished the last 70 miles into the city, feeling quite worn out and sticky.

We jumped in the pool (before taking our clothes off), ate and got a lot of sleep, and got up to watch the time trial stage of Tour de France. All that's left to do for me here is pack up my bike and take it to the airport. The time to return to reality is nearing quickly.

Manheim, PA

After a relaxing day in Easton, PA, we are continuing our journey south. We passed some nice tourist towns along Delaware River in New Jersey and entered Pennsylvania. For the last two days, we’ve been riding mostly through farmland, in sunny weather and not much traffic to slow us. We need to keep up the pace also because the campgrounds are very scarce around here. Tomorrow, for example, there will be no campgrounds for us to stay at at all, so we will have to improvise. We’ll try to sneak our tent in on some farm or camp on a church lawn, which should be very easy to find.

All morning today we’ve been going through Amish villages, which is a novelty to me. We saw men working the horse-drawn ploughs, women in long, funny dresses and children, curiously staring at us passing by. It looked like a scene from John Steinbeck’s book I am reading right now. We couldn’t find any coffee shops or even gas stations to take a break from the road for the longest time. The only institutions around seem to be churches and gun clubs, which are plenty indeed. It’s a very interesting lifestyle these people are living here. I kind of wish I understood a little more about it.

From here, we have two and a half days of riding left. By Wednesday afternoon, we will reach Washington DC, where our journey will end. If the weather and the road stays as it is, the last of our miles will surely be enjoyable.

Easton, PA

Five days since we started from Boston and about 350 miles down, we're taking a day off in Easton, PA. We're staying with Tomas's host family from his time at Lafayette, Barbara and Jim. It's a much needed rest break from riding through the hills in the sun and good preparation for our last 5-day stage from here to Washington, DC.

We're spending the day watching Tour de France and catching some Madison points racing between the national teams of Poland and Australia who are meeting here in Easton's own velodrome tonight. Our host Jim Young has coached cyclists all his life and trained Mike Friedman and Bobby Lea, Team USA members at Beijing Olympics 2008, when they were at Penn State. Needless to say, it is a thrill to watch these events with someone with so much knowledge and love for the sport.

Yesterday's was probably the prettiest ride since we started from Boston. The route took us through Worthington State Forest and then other small country roads along Delaware river, over many rolling hills surrounded by lush farmland and the tall peaks of the Appalachians. We have actually picked up the pace and Mike is getting some relief having discovered what had been slowing him down the day before. Apparently, the spring on one of his rear brake pads had come undone and the opposite pad was pressing against the rim. No wonder he was sweating to merely keep a speed of 10 miles per hour.

Tomorrow, we're starting the last week of our trip. We have 300 miles till DC and we'll cover that in four or five days. It is very sad the trip is coming to an end. I could continue doing this for months and months to come.

Millerton, NY

We've been riding for three days now since leaving Boston and it feels absolutely great to be back on the road. We have new company, too - Mike decided to join us for our trip to DC. It's his first tour on a bike and he's working hard to keep up with Tomas and I. He's doing great so far but his job isn't easy as we've been riding through the mountains and we're now also on some time pressure to reach DC in time for my flight home.

We rode straight south from Boston, then turned west and crossed the entire state of Connecticut along its northern border. There was quite a bit of climbing to do but we've been maintaining a somewhat slower pace and taking many breaks. Our aim is to cover 70-80 miles a day for the next week, which will allow us to reach Washington DC on July 22 or 23. The roads are beautiful. We're back in the country, passing lots of cute villages and farms and meeting friendly small-town folk along the way.

The weather is also cooperative again. Not a drop of rain since Boston - knock on wood - and clear skies throughout the day. It has become somewhat cold at night, though. We were expecting it to get warmer as we go south but so far it hasn't been the case. My self-inflating sleeping pad has started leaking air too, which doesn't do much good in keeping me warm at night. In any case, we're not freezing or losing sleep yet, and while it isn't raining, the cold is very tolerable.

In the next couple of days we'll be cutting off a corner of New York state and riding into Pennsylvania. We're planning to reach Easton, PA by Thursday, where we'll spend the night with Tomas's host family from his time at Lafayette College. So long!

Boston, MA

We're in Boston, our last major stop before reaching our final destination, Washington DC. We got here on Wednesday - it took us three days to ride down from Brunswick/Bath, ME, which is around 230 miles north of here. The weather here has been amazing - the sky is spotless and it's actually quite hot walking around during the day. We're staying with our friend Mike at his house in Lexington and have been meeting a lot of old friends from college and from Lithuania. Today, we are starting to prepare for departure. Mike will be joining us for the last segment of our trip to Washington DC, which should take us eleven or twelve days from tomorrow.

The last three days of riding before we reached Boston were interesting, to say the least. Our map guided us through urban roads with quite a bit of traffic and few places of interest for travelers. We rode along the actual coast for a little bit but that only lasted half a day. And there was the rain... It didn't really clear up at all for three days and we got pretty wet riding. Sometimes the rain would stop quickly but most of the time they were prolonged storms and waiting them out was just not an option if you wanted to cover any meaningful distance. So we rode in the rain, getting soaking wet even wearing the rain jackets and long spandex underwear. It certainly is not a fun feeling. Actually, for the first time since we started our trip two months ago, it felt like hard work rather than leisure to me. We were just pressing ahead, riding as fast as we could given the slippery roads, and trying to get into Boston as soon as possible. So that's why the little bit of sun and warmth we are getting this weekend is so refreshing. All I hope for is that it stays that way for a few more days as we resume our trip.

For the next two weeks we will be riding south, crossing Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. We hope that the route takes us a bit further from the cities and through nicer back country roads. We have around 650 miles to cover until DC and should be getting there on July 22 or thereabouts.

Thanks for following and farewell!

Bath, ME

Here we go, we've reached the Atlantic coast. We rode through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, we climbed the tall peaks of the Adirondacks and Green Mountains and, of course, got rained on like there's no tomorrow. We decided to turn around here in Bath, Maine, and head south towards Washington DC tracing the Atlantic coast (follow the light blue line going south from Brunswick).



The highlights of the last couple of days include spending a night at an improvised campsite right in the bushes not far from Long Lake and celebrating July 4th in a wood cabin outside of Bath. The reason we had to "stealth-camp" in the woods was because it was impossible to find anything reasonable without an advance booking on the weekend of July 4. So we just rode into the forest at the end of the day on Thursday and set up camp there. It actually worked out pretty well, even though it rained on us again. But the bigger problem was the swarms of mosquitoes, eating us alive right there and then. We put long clothes and showered in bug spray to no avail. The next day, Tomas counted over 30 bites on one of his ankles.

To much of Jeremy's satisfaction, yesterday we decided to spend the night inside. We rented a small cabin in the woods outside of Bath, ME, and stocked it with beer and food. Tomas made couscous with lamb, which was delicious. We drank the local brew, ate a ton of food and debated very meaningful issues (as always) late into the night. We made deviled eggs for breakfast (Jeremy's recipe) and came to downtown Bath for our day off. The town is bustling with people, there is an antique car show and a parade, and the spirits are high - just as they should be on a July 4 weekend.

Tomorrow, we will be starting our journey south towards Washington, DC, our final destination. On Wednesday or Thursday, Tomas and I will reach Boston and spend a few days there. It will be great to catch up with some good friends we haven't seen since college.

Conway, NH

How relieved we were this morning to see that it stopped raining. For the last two days, as we were passing through New Hampshire, it was raining almost continuously. Yesterday, the rain didn't stop from morning till dusk. We rode from Orford to West Woodstock soaked to the bone, making very few stops to avoid getting colder than we already were. We climbed Mt. Moosilauke in the evening and, after completing just over 50 miles for the day, decided we were too wet, cold and tired to continue. We set up camp outside of West Woodstock, a cozy ski town, that's bustling with tourists even in the summer. There were rivers of rain water flowing right next to our tents, all our stuff, even our sleeping bags got wet instantly. Rain kept falling on us through the night and just ceased in the early hours of the morning.

We climbed Mt. Kancamagus today, our tallest peak yet. It was a long but very gradual climb and didn't cause too much trouble for any of us. Predictably, the weather changed completely as were rolling onto the other side of the mountain. We're actually getting some sunshine now and snatching this rare opportunity to dry out our camping gear.

We're going to travel as far as Bridgton, NH tonight. All campgrounds are fully booked since it is the weekend of July4. So we're just going to go and try to find a spot somewhere along the way. We're entering Maine tonight. New Hampshire struck as a very beautiful, green state. The scenery is so nice every minute of the way that you kind of forget what it's like to be living in a city. We hear that Maine is just as promising, if not better, than the places we've already visited here in New England.

Good times for good times

Over seven weeks, over 2,500 miles, over five books and over 1,000 mosquito bites into the trip, we are more than two thirds of the way done. Only a quick three weeks left.

We'll be heading northeast for the next few days and then make a sharp turn south towards DC. The finality of the trip is slowly descending upon us. The question what's next is creeping into our minds more and more often. Are we going to be the same when we came back? Will we make the choices we would have made if we hadn't taken this break from the real world? I'd like to think we will. One thing I'm sure about is that I am going to do another bigger cycling trip as soon as I can, and cycling around the globe for a year or two is not out of question. I bet that will restrict my career choices quite a bit...

I took this trip because I had nothing better to do, but I wasn't so naive as to think that my life would miraculously sort itself out while tramping around the states. Everything's as much up in the air now as it was before. I reduced the equation to three variables: career, geography and love. After unsuccessfully trying to maintain the first two fixed, I think it's time to stick with the third one, and play it by ear with the other two. We'll see how that will fare, but this green card that fell out of the blue will definitely make things easier.

However, for now I have another year to kill before the permanent residency becomes effective and I can look for jobs in the states. So here I am unable to legally work in the states for another year, unable to commit to a longer term job anywhere else... Maybe I should just cycle around the world right now? Unfortunately, being funemployed and homeless is only a good time as long as the money lasts... Which means - back on the global job market. Any suggestions what's good to do for a year? Any ideas how to legally work in the states without an H-1b?

Rochester, VT

We're in Rochester, Vermont. While we wait for Jeremy to ride back to the town where we slept last night to recover his pants, I am writing a little update.

We took the ferry from Ticonderoga to Vermont yesterday morning and rode into the Green Mountains. After a good 30 miles of rolling hills, we reached Middlebury. The summer language schools are just beginning this week and the college town is bustling with students from all over the country. Different languages are heard everywhere and the whole place feels like a mini metropolis lost in the mountains.

Our job for the afternoon was to climb the Bread Loaf Mountain and find a place to camp. Middlebury Gap, the pass we took to get to the other side of the mountain, is 2000 feet high and definitely the tallest hill we had to do so far on the East Coast. However, the climb is quite gradual, with ledges reminding of a staircase rather than a straight ascent. From bottom to top, the climb is 12 miles long. I didn't find it as hard as some of the hills we did in California but I still got called a masochist when I asked Jeremy how much he enjoyed the climb.

Just as we reached the top, it started raining cats and dogs - typical of New England weather. We spent the night dining, reading and debating politics at the restaurant of the Old Hancock Hotel. We could not find an open campground anywhere in the area so we just camped on the lawn behind the hotel, in pouring rain.

And now, once Jeremy gets back (we hope!) with his pants and credit cards, we will continue east through the mountains. There is another tallish hill to climb for this afternoon. Hopefully, this time it will prove enjoyable for all three of us.

Severance, NY

You won't believe it but I'm now in the middle of the woods, somewhere in Upstate New York, close to a town named Severance, which doesn't have even a single restaurant or grocery store. And yes, I am getting wireless internet here and posting this entry while sitting at a wooden picnic table next to a river with my headlamp illuminating the keyboard. I guess it is getting harder and harder to hide from civilization these days.

We descended from the Adirondacks this afternoon, finishing our day having covered over 70 miles. Our maps of this are are sprinkled with lakes and rivers and lots of 3000 foot peaks. It was a really beautiful ride through the mountains but you really need to spend some time hiking the trails or kayaking or rafting in the rivers to appreciate this place. Definitely something I want to come back to one day in the future, perhaps as a part of the kayaking trip around the world.

Tomorrow we will finish crossing the entire state, Orchard Park to Ticonderoga. The route really exceeded our expectations. In just 15 miles, we will get to Vermont, which promises more beautiful riding and even taller, steeper hills. Time to revisit New England, after a two year break...

Long Lake, NY

Just checking in - we've been riding through the Adirondacks for the last three days. The mountains are beautiful and we're getting some climbing done. Jeremy got his seventh flat this morning. I have started taking pictures of him changing the tire tubes all around New York State. It will make for a nice photo album eventually.

The weather is becoming extremely changeable here as elevation increases. We rode through pretty solid rain this morning and even though it cleared out in the afternoon, the clouds are still looking tricky. We will try to cover 70 miles today nevertheless. Riding through rain is actually proving quite nice now that we have all the rain gear figured out. And it's much nicer than riding when it's hot.

In any case, Jeremy is just packing up and we should be able able to leave the internet cafe and start the second half of our day soon. It's nice to finally get so much reading done since Jeremy has joined the tour - waiting for him pack his panniers is proving very productive lately!

Pulaski, NY

We're seven days and 500 miles down since we started on the East Coast. Since crossing back into the US at Niagara Falls, we've been riding in the eastward direction across New York State, which offers surprisingly nice back country roads and plenty of small, biker-friendly towns along the way. Rochester was the only big, industrial town we had to deal with so far. But it is easy to avoid for bikers who follow the Erie Canalway as it takes you smoothly in and out of that busy town.

We spent most of Wednesday and Thursday riding along Erie Canal. We did over 100 miles along this smooth, packed-stone-dust road with no hills, intersections or any motorized vehicles to slow us down. Along the way, we passed wild cherry trees, lone country houses, locks and bridges and occasional other bikers. Some of the bridge operators have bathroom and shower facilities and allow the campers to spend the night right on the canal. We did so on Wednesday night. We pitched the tent right on the waterway, next to another lady who was also touring on a bike and a family who was traveling in a boat. We grabbed some local stout in the town pub and went to sleep. The next morning, we got up at 6 am and rode for 105 miles - our longest day so far on this trip.

We left the canal behind us two days ago and continued east. The road is gradually getting hillier, which is quite nice after a full week of completely flat surface. We're re-learning how to climb and some of us are getting some bike maintenance experience (Jeremy got his fifth flat in the last four days!). We continue to meet interesting people every day. In Macedon, NY, we met John, the owner of a small book/coffee shop, who sheltered us from the storm, gave us coffee and cake and helped us find some good books. We also continue to get some not-so-affectionate remarks and honks from drivers in bigger towns. We are still trying to understand what exactly it is that bothers them so much. Perhaps they don't like to be reminded of the fact that they're riding cars that are too big to fit on regular roads.

In any case, I'll write my emails, Jeremy will change his punctured tube, Tomas will finish reading yet another book and we will get on the road again. It's been just over an hour but I already feel the urge to clip back into my pedals. So long!

Niagara Falls, Canada

Greetings from Canada! Since we last posted, we've done another 130 miles or so along Lake Erie, then we got into Buffalo, NY and met up with Tomas's college friend Jeremy. Jeremy, who is sporting a brand new Surly, will be riding with us for next two weeks and he also carries a laptop, which will hopefully allow for more frequent blog entries.

Crossing over into Canada was definitely the most exciting highlight of the last three days. We rode over Peace Bridge on our bikes, drawing quite a few looks from the long-distance truck drivers plowing along. But the officials were quite nice to us and were fine with our green Lithuanian passports and Jeremy's driver's license (he left his passport at home). Later today, we will be crossing back into the US a bit further east from here. Let's see how that works out.

We just spent some time looking at Niagara Falls. Very beautiful and the weather is great. But I don't think you need more than an hour here. Unless of course, you are here for gambling, of which there is plenty. And since we're not, we'll be moving along shortly. We've got some pretty nice picture down already; will post those as soon as we sit down for a longer rest break.

Thanks for reading and take care!

Dunkirk, NY

Hello from the East Coast! We are finally on the move again after a pretty demanding air transfer from California. We just crossed the 2,000 mile mark and are gearing up for the second and final part of the trip.

On Friday June 19, after completing the entire border-to-border route of the West Coast, we loaded our boxed bikes on the Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego, CA to Detroit, MI, waved good-bye to the Pacific and said hello to the Great Lakes. After a transfer in Nashville, TN, we collected the huge boxes and our 10 pieces of bicycle luggage at Detroit Airport and loaded it all in a rented Chevrolet. We spent the night in rainy, stormy Detroit and got on the road promptly at 6.30am the next morning. We started heading to Cleveland, OH, as it puts us on the route we are following (purple route from Cleveland to Bar Harbor in the picture below). We went to Cleveland Airport rental car drop-off and started assembling our bikes immediately.

Now, we drew quite a crowd over there. The airport and car rentals personnel kept approaching us, asking questions and expressing general disbelief in what we are about to do. To regular people like them, it seemed just a little bit weird to be getting out of a car, putting together a bike and heading over to Washington DC, casually stopping in Maine along the way. They helped us with directions, filmed us with their camera phones and even offered us a discount on our rental.

In any case, the bikes didn't get damaged while flying although it took us the full 3 hours to put them back together. And needless to say, it felt awesome to be moving under our own power again, feeling the breeze and observing the new scenery.

We managed to ride over 50 miles that same day, mainly getting through Cleveland and some other towns around it. Although desolated and kind of run-down, Cleveland seemed to be (or had been in the past) a nice-looking town, with lots of parks and a long shoreline along Lake Erie. The weather here is a lot more humid that it was on the West Coast, and you get very hot very quickly, even when it's cloudy. Though it had been a long day and we were anxious to get to the campground, Tomas and I couldn't contain ourselves and we jumped in the lake eventually. We'll be riding along the lakes for a few more days and cooling off in the water is the definitely the best part of the ride.

After crossing into Pennsylvania and camping at Perry Township State Park, we continued to move east along the southern shore of the lake. The ride is very flat and suburban but the view of the water on our left is gorgeous. In fact, the lake feels much like the ocean in the West - it stretches out into the horizon and the waves are almost as big. But the water is warm and fresh and once you're in it, you just don't want to get out. After 78 miles of riding, we got into a town called Erie, where we camped with a fellow named Francis, who left behind his building business in Vermont to embark on the cross-country bike trip he wished to complete for 33 years.

And today, we're getting a bit more of the back-country road, which offers a nice break from the manicured suburban gardens. We just crossed into New York State and will continue on Route 5 along the lake. The sun is out, the road is flat, the conversation is good, and the water on our left is very inviting. I think I'll just have to jump in as soon as I'm done with the emails.

We'll be stopping in Buffalo, NY to pick up Jeremy tomorrow. We'll see the Niagara Falls together and do some climbing in the Adirondack Mountains in the next two weeks. So long!

"My, my. A body gets around" Lena Grove in Faulkner's 'A Light in August'

Wherever we ride, whoever we talk to, people ask us a question - why? Why go on a three month long bike trip? Some of them wonder about our motivation - why cycling, why for so long. Others about the dedication - how do we find the time and the guts. Sometimes we say we just love cycling, other times that we had nothing better to do, both of which are good enough reasons. But Daumantas and I left our careers and friends in London and I didn't even own a bike before this trip, so there's clearly a more fundamental and important urge that pushed us into this venture. But what exactly was behind this urge is hard to pinpoint. 

Part of it was the disappointment with the corporate life and our careers. Part of it was the excess motivation that failed to get harnessed by our employers. Part of it was the primitive male nature to take risk, a craving to fling ourselves into the unknown and experience an adventure that our life was devoid of. Part of it was a desire to put ourselves into an extensive meditation and clear our minds of the unnecessary clutter that crowds the life of an average professional. Things that are supposed to make your life easier, such as a blackberry, email and internet that turn into a distractive addiction and inconspicuously gobble up your productivity. Also, things that are supposed to make your life more comfortable, such as a nice apartment, a car, or about any material possession that ends up enslaving and possessing you instead...

We definitely found what we were looking for on this cycling tour. Besides all the fun and adventures we had, our trip also reminded me of the many fundamental ideas that sort of escaped me when working and living in a city. Being able to carry all your possessions with you on your bike, and subsisting (and having the time of your life) on 20-30 bucks per day was quite liberating. It also seemed very attractively sustainable. And the understanding that there is only so little that a man needs to be happy, will definitely affect my future decisions in terms of lifestyle and career, helping me to preserve my independence and dignity to a degree uncommon amongst corporate professionals that I've met. 

But what really makes this trip special and life-changing is that it turned out to be so much more than we have expected, hoped or imagined it would be. And that is mostly because of the people we met and the kindness and generosity that they showed us. Just in the last couple of days, we met Patrick, who invited us to stay over under his roof, Tim who helped us transport the huge bike boxes that we wouldn't have been able to carry ourselves, Greg, who's house we are staying at in San Diego and whose computer I'm typing this from. And there were so many others before who kindly hosted and humored us, Karolis in LA, Whitney and her flat mates in San Francisco, Saliklis and his family in San Luis Obispo, the Fuller family in Yahats, the liquor store assistant that treated us with brandy, and the bearded man who bought our dinner, and so many others that we met along the way. 

Honestly, I had forgotten that this kind of friendliness and kindness still existed in this world and that it wasn't a virtue of the books and the times past. All of that help and support we received fills my heart with a desire to repay in kind and to treat others like I was treated on this trip. It makes me less embarrassed and more hopeful to be a human. I realize that I've been living the last two years very selfishly, so no wonder it failed to satisfy me because only a life lived for others is truly worthwhile. Don't let me forget this again. 

San Diego, CA

We have successfully completed the first half of our trip - the border-to-border survey of the West Coast. It took us under five weeks including all the rest days and just 26 days of riding in which we covered almost 2000 miles. Needless to say, we are feeling very happy it all went so smoothly. Our legs are sore, our faces are sun burnt, our bikes are dusty and scratched but the feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming.

Over the last three days, since we left LA, we've been taking it fairly easy. We managed to get out of the city using the Metro system, which is an accomplishment in itself, given the level of public transportation (or lack thereof) in LA. We then rode through Long Beach, Newport, Laguna and all the other beautiful beaches just swarming with surfers of all ages, sizes and degrees of craziness.

By the time we reached beautiful San Clemente, we were actually getting excited to camp out for the night as we had spent the last few days getting spoilt at our friend's place in Pasadena. But lo and behold, we ended up having a huge home cooked meal and spending the night at a beach house about a mile from the campground we intended to reach that night. We ran into a guy named Patrick while paying for our canned chili at the local grocery store. He was standing in line behind us and we started talking. Appears that Patrick had completed the exact same route on his bike many years ago and the next thing we knew - we were on the way to Patrick and his son Kevin's house to share our stories. The generosity of people here keeps astounding us. Patrick has cycled through numerous states, skied the highest mountains in the US, scaled many a peak on the West Coast and collected an awesome collection of mountaineering books that we talked about for the majority of the night. While spending time at Patrick's place, Tomas and I decided we will one day climb a mountain together.

The next day we saw more wild surfer beaches and rode through Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp, which now has an awesome bike path stretching through its entire length. We didn't realize we were riding through a military base for a while. We took the bike path which trailed along an eerie-looking abandoned old road through the sand dunes. The road was eroded by the elements and vegetation, mother nature claiming it quickly while man is off guard. We were enjoying this strange sight but riding pretty fast when all of a sudden, three fully equipped and manned tanks appeared in front of us. After we figured out what was going on, we took some pictures with the troops. We later saw more tanks, helicopters, assault lessons taking place on the grass and even talked to some guys leading this lifestyle so very different from ours.

Later we reached San Elijo State Beach, where we spent the afternoon hanging out on the beach, reading John Krakauer, Yann Martel and observing the surfers on the waves. Actually, we touched the Ocean for the first time since we started the trip. And we chose a good time and place to do that - the water was warm, clear and great for bathing - even without a wet suit.

We slept right on the beach, with loud noises of rip curls crashing into the sand. A funny thing happened in the morning. Our tent randomly collapsed on our heads. Turns out one of the poles snapped. We had no problems with the tent for the entire month, building it and packing it up almost every day but today it decided to go on strike. Luckily, there is an REI store in San Diego and given their excellent customer service, we were in possession of a brand new Mountain Hardware tent by late afternoon.

We also got some cardboard boxes for packing our bikes for the trip to Detroit. And we met Tim, who not only offered to drive the huge boxes to our place but also got us extra bubble wrap, a wrench we needed to dismantle our bikes and, most importantly, a gallon of freshly brewed stout beer which was just what we needed after a long and sticky day out. As I have mentioned, people are so nice to us on this trip it is hard to believe it. If anything, this trip has served as a reminder that the world can be very different from the all-business human interaction we've been exposed to in the last couple of years.

We are staying at our friend's house in northern San Diego until our flight on Friday. We will probably explore the town and check out the beach tomorrow but the biggest task is to pack our bikes in the boxes and set them up for a soft, snug ride on the plane. If they let me, I would gladly load and unload the entire baggage for that flight just to give proper care to our bikes. But it's not very likely that they will. All we can do is pray to the baggage gods that our precious vehicles survive the journey unscathed.

We're famous!

Tomas and I made it into another rider's blog. Check out the description of the trip to Santa Barbara from Jeremy's perspective:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=113216&v=q

By the way, by Dean the author means me, as I sometimes introduce myself as D, just to confuse people :)

One great big festering neon distraction

Daumantas and I made it into LA yesterday evening, after cycling for about 60 miles. We were planning to stay at our high-school friend Karolis's place in Pasadena. Unfortunately, we didn't have any plan how to get to Pasadena from Santa Monica, where we entered the city. We soon found out that there were no trains that could take us there, and we wouldn't be able to take our bikes on the buses.

To make matters worse, just before entering LA, I had my first accident when my toes hit my front fender causing the wheel to catch it. In a second, my front fender collapsed into an accordion, tearing the plastic out... Nothing that duct tape couldn't fix, but still annoying. Then just a few miles down, I realized that my front wheel had barely any air in it. I had been riding from Seattle for over 1,500 miles without a single flat, so this one was my first. It wasn't leaking air fast, so I put some air into the tube hoping to make it to the end of the day without having to replace or patch the tube.

We had enough sanity at that point not to even consider riding though the city, but after talking to a couple of friendly taxi drivers and a few cyclists on the beach, we were encouraged to attempt it. So we ended up taking Venice Blvd all the way to downtown LA, where we were able get our bikes on a train to Pasadena.

Riding through different neighborhoods of LA we were constantly followed by the eyes of people who seemed to never have seen a bike pass their streets. We heard unfriendly comments shouted our way like "that's some gay shit," "get off the street," "your a hazard on the road..." One sketchy looking guy even ran a few steps towards me angrily shouting and looking like he would grab me or spit on me. Luckily, I was cruising at about 18 miles an hour at that point hoping to hit a green light, so I never had to find out his exact intentions. When Daumantas and I finally made it into the Union station, we kept looking at each other and giggling like kids who got away with breaking a window, or doing something else you weren't supposed to do. I don't think we'll attempt crossing this city on bikes ever again, which makes it a bit troubling considering we still need to somehow get out of here tomorrow.

This town was not made for cyclists, it wasn't made for people either. The unending conglomeration of suburban neighborhoods, where you have to drive for a half an hour to get a cup of coffee, is stitched together by ugly streets filled with ugly SUV's, which are too big to fit on the road and should never be allowed to drive on it, driven by angry people shouting insults at fragile cyclists on the side of the road - not an appealing place at all. What a waste of beautiful land and climate. I wonder what will happen to this city when gas prices will prevent people from driving for 4 hours every day.

Either way, Daumantas and I ended our day at Karolis's place. It was nice to catch up with an old friend and have a glimpse into his life in LA, just a few days before he moves out to New York. After riding San Francisco to LA (about 480 miles) in only 6 days, we feel like we deserve a rest day of nothing but hanging out, eating some good food, drinking some good beer and reading some good books.

Los Angeles, CA

We've reached our next big milestone - the not so small 'n' cozy town of Los Angeles, California. We rode 220 miles in the last three days, which allowed us to travel between San Francisco and LA in just six days. But the first three days from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo (aka SLO-town) contrasted like day and night with the second part of the ride, from SLO to LA.

On the bright side, the road for the last 220 miles was mostly flat, with just a few rather gentle climbs, which failed to inflict any discomfort for our strengthening legs. The first day, when we rode from SLO to Lampoc was also rather pretty, with back country roads stretching through continuous farmlands and small, Mexican-populated towns scattered along the way. But the scenery changed rather dramatically over the last days and traveling felt more like work rather than holiday.

The route from Lompoc to Santa Barbara goes mostly through the Interstate Highway 101, which is hell on earth for any biker who attempts it. The shoulder is narrow and littered with broken glass, tire rubber, dead animals and any other imaginable kind of debris. Its eight-lane traffic is busy with heavy trucks, oversized RVs and stealthy sports cars. The bridges along the way are so narrow and shoulderless that your handle bars are shaking from nervousness as you're crossing them. Actually, there are signs all over the place announcing that bicycles are prohibited on this road but our maps guided us precisely along that highway as there just wasn't another alternative for getting into Santa Barbara. Tomas and I and Jeremy, a rider who joined us for a day from Lampoc, wanted to get off the freeway so badly that we finished the entire 50-mile stretch into Santa Barbara before noon. That was probably the most productive (and frightening) morning we've had on this trip so far.

(In Santa Barbara - happy to be off the highway...)

That night we spent camping at McGrath State Park, a very nice campground just past Ventura. We shared the space with Cub Scouts and their parents from Woodland Heights who (just so it happens!) also liked talking to bikers and treated us to a hearty breakfast - eggs, bacon, pancakes, strawberries and grapes included.

We then started on the finishing stretch to LA. It is a flat, urban ride on Highway 1, with lots of surfer beaches to our right and many serious-looking cyclists on their training rides passing us on our left. We reached Malibu, which stretches for miles and miles along the highway, and stopped at a really cool Mexican restaurant La Salsa. The entire distance from Ventura to LA, however, feels like a continuous city, with heavy traffic and lots of stop lights - nothing like what we've been riding in Northern California just days before that.

Once we reached Santa Monica, the enormity and the lack of biker-friendliness of the City of Los Angeles quickly dawned on us. We got quite some thrill reaching our friend Karolis who lives all the way in Pasadena, about 30 or 40 miles from where we entered the city. The details will follow shortly in our next post.

(With Karolis in Pasadena)

We are taking a day off today; spending some time reading, cooking, repairing the bikes, and watching the NBA finals game here in Lakers-town. Our next and final landmark on the West Coast is San Diego. Hasta pronto!

Sorry for few blog postings... but here's a song for you

Elliott Smith - Can't make a sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tsLfPsYOXQ

I have become a silent movie
The hero killed the clown

Can't make a sound

Nobody knows what he's doing
Still hanging around

Can't make a sound

The slow motion moves me
The monologue means nothing to me

Bored in a role, but he can't stop
Standing up to sit back down
And lose the one thing found
Spinning the world like a toy top
Untill there's a ghost in every town

Can't make a sound

Eyes locked and shining
Can't you tell me what's happening?

Why should you want any other
When you're a world within a world?

San Luis Obispo, CA

We're back on the road after a relaxing few days in San Francisco. And we're feeling fed, nurtured (thanks to Whitney and her awesome housemates!) and stronger than ever before. We just did three hard days through the mountainous Big Sur, totaling 270 miles. Yesterday we rode for over 100 miles, which is the longest day we've had so far. Though the ride was challenging mentally as well as physically, we've passed through some of the most picturesque areas of Central California.


We rode for miles and miles through vast strawberry plantations, breathing the sweetened air and fighting the temptation to stop at too many berry farms scattered along the way. We climbed the punishing hills of Big Sur and admired the edgy cliffs and sharp rocks poking out of the Ocean. While passing San Simeon, we stopped over at a beach where thousands of elephant seals return each year to spend the summer. We camped in state parks situated next to the waterfront and fell asleep to the sound of the waves.



Today, we are finally getting some rest at our friends Ed and Ruta Saliklis's house in San Luis Obispo. We visited them almost exactly two years ago when Tomas and I were doing our graduation road trip through California and now we're stopping over again. For the occasion, our wonderful hosts made Cepelinai, a traditional Lithuanian dish, which is just what we needed to replenish our reserves of fat and summon the strength for the onslaught of Los Angeles.


By Saturday night, we are planning to reach LA and then San Diego two or three days after that. From San Diego, we will be flying our bikes to Detroit on June 19 and riding through the Lakes District, Ohio, Upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, to Bar Harbor in Maine (purple line from Huron, OH, to Bar Harbor, ME). We will then descend through Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pensylvania to Washington DC (blue line from Bar Harbr to DC), where we will end our trip. This second leg is over 2000 miles long, which means we may need to be quite fast and organized or take some trains to accelerate our southbound route to DC. Discussing our plans, we're getting very excited about riding on the east coast. But for now, we still have some time to enjoy this piece of heaven on earth known as California.

San Francisco, CA

We have crossed our first big milestone - the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. After 1160 miles of pedaling and three weeks of camping in some of the country's most beautiful state and county parks, we are regrouping for a few days in the city of sunsets, seafood, sourdough bread and sea lions. Here's a glimpse to our moment of glory:


But more than anything, it was the people we met on our way that left the most memorable impressions. As Tomas already mentioned, we met a lot of great riders doing much longer tours than ours, and riding much, much faster than we ever could. But there was another distinct group of people - those that just love bikers, stop to talk to them and go out of their way to help them in any way they can.

We noticed the unusual friendliness right from the start. Every time you stop for groceries or lunch, people notice your big bags and immediately a conversation ensues - where are you traveling and where from, what have you seen so far, and make sure you see this beautiful park and taste that awesome wine. It's just great how easy it is for people to approach people traveling on bikes. The helmet on your head and the panniers on your wheels are like a magic sign that you're a well meaning guy who's here to appreciate the people and the place, it sparks people's curiosity and immediately puts them at ease to talk to you. And they do. And sometimes, those casual conversations turn into real friendships and acts of unexpected, great generosity.

At the beginning of our trip, we met a family who fed us and invited us to spend the night at their home. We have been getting free repairs and discounts at most bike shops we stop at. Once, we were even given a bottle of Bourbon as a gift by a friendly sales woman at a liquor store in a small town in Oregon. And just recently, while passing through Mendocino, a middle-aged man that we talked to for a while got out of his car as he was about to drive home, and he walked back to us, and said: "You know, when I was your age and touring through Alaska, a man I met said to me: 'Tell me your story and I'll buy you dinner.' So here, you guys told me your story, take this money and get some beer and a meal. He pressed the bills in our hands and just walked back to his car. I was astonished, I've never seen anything like it before.

But similar things just keep happening. Tomas's friend Whitney and her roommates have offered to host us for nearly a week in San Francisco while we're regrouping for the next stage of our trip. And we've received lots of other similar invites from friends and friends of our friends for which we are very grateful.

I guess it is true that not just bikers among themselves, but also regular people on the street feel a special sence of comraderie for dusty, sweaty riders. It's also true that being on a bike teaches you to be more approachable and relaxed with others. The trick is to try to stay that way once your travels are over and you move on your feet again.

Point Reyes, CA

Just checking in - we're at the end of our third week, with 1100 miles under our belt. It's been a blast so far. Riding into San Francisco tomorrow and hoping to catch up with some old friends, relax for a few days and, some of us, take some exams.

Oh the people we meet...

Take this middle-aged German couple for example. We ran into them going North to Vancoover, just as we got over the huge hill past Leggett, CA a couple of days ago. The guy greeted us with a heavy Germanic accent and we started the typical conversation.

"Where are you from?" we asked him. "Germany," he answered. "Where did you start your trip?" "Germany," he he said again. At this point, we though perhaps the language is turning out to be a bit of a barrier. "Where are you going?" we asked another question. "Germany," he said smiling.

We asked again, "This trip, where you finish?" we asked again.

"Germany!"

- Pause of confusion and tension -

"We are biking around the world." he noted.

The couple were cycling around the world, and had already done over 16,000 miles, living on the road for the past 10 months, and covering plenty of exotic places on several continents.


Then consider these two American guys. We met them in the evening at about 6pm in Fort Bragg, which was about 180 miles North of San Francisco (Daumantai, correct me if I'm wrong). They had started at 6am at the Golden Gate Bridge.

That's 180 miles in under 12 hours and, here's the punchline, they were just checking in before turning around to go all the way back on that same day. Or, more specifically, by the next morning. Apparently, they were the first two of another 40 ultra-endurance nutcases that were doing a 300 or 400-miles ride that would qualify them to do a 600 miles ride later, and 1,200 miles after that... They ride practically non-stop, day and night.

Garberville, CA

Yesterday was, hands down, our toughest day so far and possibly one of the hardest of the entire trip. We took the 70-mile route through the Lost Coast, passing through a few tiny villages (Capetown, Petrolia, Honeydew), some of which do not even have drinking water. We got our supplies before leaving Ferndale where we spent the night, so that wasn't an issue. The big catch, though, was the hills.

And hills we did climb. We started with a killer-steep 2000 foot peak first thing in the morning. Our legs were feeling the pain as we didn't get to do any warm-up miles or stretching. As soon as we reached the top and went back to sea level along the windy mountain roads, we started climbing a 1000-footer, which, as we later found out, is referred to by the locals as "the Wall". After about four hours of riding upwards we reached Petrolia, our lunch stop. Needless to say, we were feeling pretty spent. Tomas and I actually bought a half-gallon of ice cream and killed it within mnutes.

We rested for a bit, then gathered the courage to finish the route and do the last peak - our highest yet - a 2500 foot tall, 8.5 mile long climb to the top of Cathey's Peak. It was a long, grinding climb with no dips to rest your muscles or stops to catch your breath (we have a rule against getting off your bike between the bottom and top of a hill). After about two hours, we reached the top, and stuffed our faces with beef jerky and chocolate, the last food resources we still carried on us. We were quite relieved to have finished the day, a cumulative 8500 feet climb, with no knee or back injuries, no accidents flying down those cliffs or avoiding the deer crossing the roads in front of us.

Apart from the pain and the pride, yesterday also had to offer some of the prettiest sights we have seen. Up there in the mountains, there is almost no civilization, just lush, rolling hills with grazing lands for cows and goats, and incredible views of the Pacific down below. The roads that seem to be going up into the sky and the hills sinking in the clouds, look like a scene right out of Lord of the Rings, and is impossible to capture in a photograph. We will post the new shots sometime later but you really have to be there to give it any justice.

We're taking it a bit easier today, riding just above 50 miles as our legs are stiff and our hands are blistered. We rode through the Avenue of the Giants, got a second breakfast in a village along the way, and will camp for the night at Standish-Hickey State Park. With only a little above 200 miles till San Francisco, this journey feels fast as hell but we've barely scratched the surface so far.

Leaving you with a quote from a guy we met passing through Eureka a couple of days ago:

"May your tires always be full of air, the wind always at your back, and your helmets totally useless!"

Eureka, CA

First day of our second week; we're starting with an easy 40-mile day and stopping over at Eureka for lunch, internet and fingerprints (Joe needs the latter for his new job). The last few days have been truly amazing, with breath-taking sights along the Oregon coast and incredible Redwoods of Northern California. Just to give you an idea, here's a quick video shot we took two days ago:

Redwoods

About 750 miles into our trip and under 300 miles left to San Francisco, we are running a bit ahead of schedule. In other words, we are proudly overperforming and exceeding our own expectations and plans. We keep trying to take an easy day, but end up with 70 miles by evening anyway. Our enthusiasm is running as high as ever and our physical shape is getting better everyday.
Good for us because yesterday we had one of the most difficult days of our trip with two of the biggest climbs packed just a few hours of travel away from each other. Over 1000 feet of elevation each. Piece of cake, and that's all it was, although just two weeks ago such a climb would have killed us.
Difficult but also very rewarding those climbs were because they took us through two redwood national parks. These millennium-old sequoia forests were truly awe-inspiring, like our guide book put it. Each of these trees was as wide as the road that passed by it. And there were hundreds if not thousands of them. Riding by them on a tiny bicycle, surrounded by mist, with dispersed sun rays shining through, really felt like exploring a foreign planet. No words can really describe how impressive it was, so we took tons of pictures and even shot videos, which will hopefully eventually make their way to this blog. But even that will hardly come close what it felt like for us riding through these ancient trees...
Time's up their kicking me out of the library!

Have bike - will travel

It's not the beautiful views or the pride of collecting miles that makes this bike trip so special, it's the thoughts you think and the sense of independence you feel as you follow the rhythmic mantra of pedalling - hour after hour day after day. No distractions, no petty materialistic comforts, no vibrating blackberry. Pure illusion of freedom.
And as I roll down the road of a steep hill I just climbed - wind blowing and my heart beating - I can feel the filthy absurdities that life threw at me during the last two years being cleansed away. One numb neuron after another, my body opens up to a new, more altruistic and compassionate future and I can almost hear my chakras cracking their seals and the healing love of the universe flowing in and taking over until my third eye props open and I become eternally one with the world.
Or something like that...

Port Orford, OR

Finally, we are doing an easy day! After traveling 150 miles in the last two days, we decided to ease off a little bit and only ride for 40 miles today. We spent a night at KOA camp in Langlois and stopped for a leisurely lunch in Port Orford this afternoon. We'll camp 30 miles south of here if we can find a vacancy this Memorial Day weekend. And if not, we will have to trust Tomas's "stealth" camping skills again.

Last time we "stealth" camped like that was two days ago, at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. We hid our tents in the bushes and put up with just cold water and no showers for the night. We didn't get caught or fined and we packed our tents promptly at 6.00 am and got on our bikes. We felt pretty good about ourselves being so smart and crafty. But about 50 meters down the road we saw a perfectly legal, fully equipped campground with hot water, showers, and possibly laundromats too. I can only imagine the reaction of a ranger who could have caught us that night...

We spent the first week going along 101 mostly and crossed the entire length of Oregon Dunes conglomeration of state parks. The area feels like a never ending city of RVs, with ATV and cross bike rentals and other entertainment for the campers. Although the weather was on the colder side and it was windy and cloudy, the scenery was very enjoyable. There were some cute towns along the road, such as Bandon, with its cozy old town, lighthouses and, of course, Best Coffee Shop and Restaurant, where we spent quite a bit of time thawing. As a sidenote, most of the towns along the way seem to have something that is either world's biggest, smallest, shortest or tallest. You have to find a way to distinguish yourself somehow, I guess. But bragging about "world's shortest river" is a rather interesting way of doing it.

OK, time to get rolling again. California, here we come (in a day or so)!

Florence, OR

It's our eighth day of riding - we're stopping for a lunch/library break in Florence, OR. Yesterday was our longest day on the road - we rode along the coast from Pacific City to Yachats, covering 78 miles. Funnily enough, it was supposed to be our "easy" day and we planned to only do less than 50 miles, then rest. However, while buying our groceries in Lincoln City, we met Dave and Kathleen and their kids, a family from Texas, who is staying at their relative's beach house in Yachats. An offer of a dinner and a roof for the night easily persuaded us to double the distance for the day and after riding for over 6 hours, we reached their their bungalow by the sea. It was definitely worth the effort - the clam chowder, the showers, the beds, and great company of Dave and Kathleen and their four kids ended up a nice little adventure - the kind of stuff you travel for in the first place.

All the way from Pacific City to Florence we have been riding along Highway 101, with small detours through bicycle paths. The views here are just stunning. Sharp cliffs, long desolate beaches, caves and rocks sticking out of the sea. Trees I don't know names for seem to have adapted to the wind, constantly beating against the rocks they are growing on. They have assumed these "aerodynamic" shapes, leaning away from the wind to protect their leaves, needles and fruit. This morning we saw sea lions resting by the packs on the rocks. We are told Oregon coast is migration path for whales, so we're on the lookout for any spouts in the horizon.

We've been getting a lot of tail-wind, which is a great help climbing the hills along the coast. Sometimes, you can just coast and the wind will push you along the flat road or even up a small hill - it is that strong down here. We're feeling lucky we didn't stick to our original plan of doing the west coast south to north, which would have quite painful with the constant headwind.

We'll be camping 30 or so miles south of Florence tonight, most probably around Reedsport. In just a few more days, we will be done with Oregon and enter California.

We'll keep you posted on how that goes. Thanks for stopping by!

Pacific City, OR

We are finally taking a rest day here in rainy Pacific City. We decided to stay completely off the bikes and spend the day doing things we haven't had the time for until now. I finally found a public library, which allows me to upload the pictures from my camera. Here are some snapshots of our first week of travels - Seattle, WA to Pacific City, OR: http://picasaweb.google.com/daumantas.mockus

and the road becomes my bride...

With every day cycling is become easier and more pleasant. Forgotten are the rainstorms and the cold of the first couple of days. Sunny sky, soft breeze from the ocean and gorgeous views have taken over. Our targeted 60 miles per day is becoming easier and easier, leaving some time to enjoy the espresso shops by the road and cook some gourmet food on our stove. I'm even starting to find 20 minutes here and there to sneak in some CFA cramming.
I keep making little adjustments to my bike. I tilted the seat forward for a more aggressive posture that allows me to move my weight from my butt to the arms and shoulders, making riding much more comfortable and enabling me to use my upper body more when pedaling uphill. I also adjusted the cleats on my cycling shoes forward, so I get more power from my feet and ankles. I readjusted my back rack, so the rear panniers wouldn't wobble as much. All these little changes might seem insignificant, but they add up to a make the ride much more comfortable and efficient.
I feel very fortunate that we haven't had any major technical difficulties, or physical problems so far. Besides the few falls that I had on the first day while getting used to my SPD locks, we haven't had any accidents. Ginger and Root Beer are treating us very well, and not giving us any major difficulties. Our muscles are getting used to the workload quickly and nothing is standing in the way of us fully appreciating this trip.

Tillamook, OR

Sixth consecutive day of riding has begun and we're finally feeling lke we're ready for an off-day. We crossed into Oregon by a ferry yesterday morning and reached the Pacific coast by night. Saw our first sunset while climbing the steep cliffs on the ocean; the views here are amazing and full of good energy, which is definitely useful for climbing the mountains that are getting taller and steeper the farther south we go.

At the end of the first day, when we left Seattle, Tomas and I ran into Joe, a recent college graduate from Alabama, who is doing a Seattle to San Francisco ride on his green Surly bicycle. We've been traveling together since and it's been a blast. Joe's experience working at the college restaurant is proving quite an asset. Combined with Tomas's cooking skills, we're getting to eat better food at our campsites that we did back home in London. Chicken fajitas, Chili con Carne, Spaghetti Bolognese, you name it. We also make A LOT of food each day. We even got made fun of by some other campers when they saw our two-stove, three-pot, full-pannier-load-of-fresh-vegetable arsenal of a kitchen. But hey, when you're doing 70 miles in the hills each day, you can never really have too much food.

In terms of camping and cycling equipment, we finally feel like we have everything we need. We got some fleece fabric at a Walmart, so Tomas and I no longer have to freeze in our super-light sleeping bags. We also got some rain jackets, which have proven life-savers in the first two days of continuous downpour. The new bikes are working out well. Only one flat tire incurred by me and a few entertaining-to-watch falls performed by Tomas, who is just getting used to clip-in pedals. My Brooks saddle is finally wearing in and my bottom is feeling less pain every day. We'd like to send a big thank you to Steve and Jane at Bicycles West in Seattle for setting us up so well for the start of our trip.

As fr the next few days, we're going to pick a beach town for our day off and some some reading, sightseeing and , some of us, studying (Tomas is preparing for his level II CFA exam, which he is taking in San Francisco in just two weeks). We will then continue following Highway 101 with some scenic detours, all the way into California. We might do some surfing at some point also :)

My time at the library is running out - we'll post another entry as soon as we catch some internet again. Thanks for following and best wishes from sunny Oregon!

Third day on the road and fifth since I landed in Seattle from Buenos Aires, and this trip already feels like a lifetime. It's impossible to put everything in this entry in the 20 min that I have, but here's my best attempt. Daumantas and I got our bikes and gear assembled on Tuesday and started the ride on Wednesday morning. It didn't take long to start raining and it took about two days for it to stop. We started with all new equipment and zero experience and the elements crumbled upon us straight away mercilessly with all their might. It poured all Wednesday and the first half of Tuesday. Fortunately, we were prepared for it. Our new rainproof jackets and fenders did an excellent job and the panniers didn't leak. We had clean and dry clothes to change to on Tuesday night and neither the rain, nor the cold, nor our miserably thin sleeping bags prevented our exhausted bodies from spending the night in a half unconscious half sleepy state. It didn't stop raining until the second part of the day on Thursday, but it didn't stop us from covering about 120 miles in those two days.
Now that the sun is back out and we are not drenched anymore it feels like heaven. We passed the first test and we haven't lost our spirit during the first two cold and rainy days, so the rest of the trip should be a piece of cake.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

I am about to board a plane from London to Seattle and meet up with Tomas, who is flying in all the way from Buenos Aires. The adventure is about to begin but there remains a lot to be done before the go time. Setting up the bikes, which we are getting from Bicycles West in Seattle, picking up lots of camping gear, figuring out the cell phones, and deciding on the exact route for the first week. There is surprisingly a lot to think about for what sounds like a simple journey on a simple means of transportation. It's also a bit of an experiment for us as we will be using a lot of gear (including our bike saddles!) that is brand new and unfamiliar. We know this isn't the best touring practice but we're optimistic that we will dodge the battle against the saddle sores. Speaking of which, I am bringing with me a brand new Brooks B17 saddle, which is a traditional piece of cycling equipment made in England since 1866. We'll see how that works out...

In any case, we thank to all our friends for their support at the start of the trip. We will try as much as possible to keep you updated on our progress, and please let us know if you are in the area as we're passing through. We'd love to catch up with as many people as possible, and better yet, have some of them join us for some touring.

Stay in touch!

Here's the Deal

A few weeks ago, Tomas and Daumantas, two old friends living in London, have decided to finally take a break from the corporate world and see what's it like to roam around with just your bike and a tent for a while. We were considering a number of destinations but settled on the US because we both miss the places and people over there. It's also an incredibly beautiful place for cycling or backpacking and the infrastructure for that kind of tourism is superb. The latter is especially important for first-time cycling tourists like us.

The plan is to fly over to Seattle, WA, collect our bikes and gear and start pedalling south along the coast across Washington, Oregon and into California. Once we reach San Diego, which should be  towards the end of June, we will fly over to Chicago, circle the Lake District, ride into

 Canada, and turn south from Toronto, through New England and all the way to Washington DC. We plan to cover 60 miles (or ~100 km) each day, resting one day a week, though that may have to be adjusted on the go. We will start from Seattle on May 13 and finish in DC on July 25, which gives us 10 weeks to complete the route.

The first leg of the trip will look something like this:

And the second leg will incorporate the Lake District and a part of the Atlantic Coast Ride below:

We are planning to stay on campgrounds when possible, sleeping in our tent and cooking our own food. A lot of this is a new experience for both of us, which will require learning many new skills, getting familiar with different kinds of cycling and camping gear, and just getting used to a very different lifestyle we had up until this point. We don't expect this to come quickly or easily but we've given ourselves enough time to go through the entire learning process without haste. Ten weeks should be enough time for me to learn how to cook my own meal after all :)

The two of us will travel the entire length of the course but we're hoping that our friends that are interested in taking up the challenge can join us for any of the segments during this trip. We will be updating this blog and our Twitter/Facebook pages with details of our whereabouts so that we can meet people along the way. So please let us know if you'll be in the area with some spare time to travel. More details to follow. Stay tuned!

First Entry

Exactly two weeks left until the start of our 10-week trip around the US!