Touring - Tell us about your travels!

Any tourers care to post information, tales, fateful moments, whatever, of their travels? They make for fascinating reading, especially to those of us who ride closer to home.

Originally posted by roadbuzz
They make for fascinating reading, especially to those of us who ride closer to home.
As a super-homebody, let me second that opinion in a big way! Some of the most memorable books and stories I've read have been true travel accounts. So yes, please let us hear about your adventures. :)

If you all haven't already seen these sites of travel accounts, check 'em out. They have kept me glued to my computer.....inspirational and good reading

www.crazyguyonabike.com (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com)

www.biketrip2001.com (http://www.biketrip2001.com)

neguypdx,

cool journals, thanks for the links!

Originally posted by neguypdx
They have kept me glued to my computer.....inspirational and good reading

I haven't checked out the 2001 site yet, but the Crazy Guy on a Bike site is great! Just what I like to read. Thanks very much for the tip. If you're ever in Kansas City, I owe you lunch.:)

A friend of mine has been building a site called "Cycling Adventures". It features a bit written by yours truly on my cycling tour of Australia & New Zealand. As well as another friend's account of our trip down the east coast of the States.

http://sceniccycling.netfirms.com/

Not necessarily "inspiring", but true at least.

Thanks for the links, neguypdx and Bubba. Looks like lots of good reading!

It is so cool to look at the map of California and realize you have riden about 1/3 of its length. Favorite parts -the cliffs overlooking the Pacific of Central California and the back-country roads going through wine country, nestled between the hills. Can't wait for my next tour. Maybe the deserts in Spring time.

Travelling back after cycling from Frankfurt to Budapest, I crossed the Hungary/Austria border on train. Only after my passport had been checked and handed back did I realise that it was actually my friend's and that we'd got them mixed up. Fortunately for me he was on an earlier train and had got off. Unfortunately for him he had spent the last three hours in a border guard's hut with the only phone they'd let him use situated in the next village. Using the power of logic he persuaded them that he'd have to be on the platform at least, to be able to know if I was on the next train and that no, he didn't want to go back to Budapest in case he missed me going the other direction. In the end it was all sorted out except his 11 hour train journey turned into a 21 hour one!

I put this up a while ago, but I will bring it back...I had a lot of fun and maybe someone missed it before!

RAGBRAI (http://www.spiglamour.com/ragbrai.html)

Bill,

I read the RAGBRAI bit you did, and your enthusiasm for cycling shines through.

You'd be a great "cycling advocate" as you seem to have discovered what cycling means on a human level (does that make sense?)

Using a bike to travel and see places is what does it for me. And it's the small things, like the time my wife and I stopped an old man in a village in Holland and asked directions to a hotel and he climbed on his old boneshaker and we, on our fully equipped state of the art tourers, crawled along behind him as he took us first to a female hostel, where he indicated my wife should stay and then across the square where he wanted me to stay.

His motives were good, in that he wanted to save money for us, but because the square was large, and he was slow, as he cycled away we had to pretend to unload the bikes so as not to hurt his feelings.

Such things are memories made of, and it wouldn't have happened had we been driving.

Thanks Chewa!

Yes, I do have a ball on my bike! I have so much fun, I just want to get everyone on two wheels, I can't think of anything I could do that would be nicer for them!

I would love to come over there and tour someday! The wife is a Gordon, and I am from the Stewarts, so it would be fun to see where the families lived a few generations ago!

I know what you mean about the special things you see on a bike. I see things almost every day as I commute to work, and on RAGBRAI, talking with the other bikers and the people in Iowa really made it special. I only rode for two days, and I have many more stories that I could tell! For instance, when I first got into the overnight town of Storm Lake, it was raining lightly. I had contacted our team on our little radios, and got the name of the campground we were located at, and general directions. I rode and rode, and never came to the campground, so I asked directions. (See ladies, men do ask for directions...not often, but we do!!:-)) The lady whom I asked was helping direct traffic at an intersection, and she was a volunteer from another town, and had no idea where I needed to be! I rode on for another few blocks, and finally saw a group of folks sitting out of the weather just inside their open garage door. Being the shy type of individual that I am, I rode up the driveway, and got the directions I needed. While I was there, I found that they were as curious about me as I was of them! We had a really nice chat, and I even got a kick out of watching the steady stream of riders passing by! I then continued on my way, hoping to have made a positive impression with the at least a few of the citizens of our host community...kind of like you and your Dutch friend!