Touring - First Tour Jitters (need help to beat the fear)

so i'll be leaving for my first tour next week, doing the transam from raleigh NC, to portland OR.
& mixed in w/ all the excitement is the lurking thought of "what if something goes WRONG"-something you don't hear a lot about w/ cycle touring is success rates-i'm guessing 'cuz they most probably go well-so after all the homework & ordering parts & building a bike up, knowing your equipment is topnotch (as one can afford anyway), the bike's being serviced, after having read through almost every available web resource on cycle touring-i'm definitely a little nervous-which typically, i'm not the type, i've got plenty of camping experience, but honestly i think i trust the safety of the backcountry more than the whole "stealth camping" thing-or what if i end up eating more than my budget will really allow? or god forbid, my bike or equipment got stolen, or jsut some plain'ole catastrophic equipment failure? -i know this seems kinda silly, & by no means am i in a hyperventilative fit over these fears, but it seems to be the one area that i've never seen addressed 'round these parts

any bolstering talk from those experienced would be much appreciated

I've done two solo cross-country trips. Relax. Think about it: What good is worrying going to do? It's wasted energy. Save it for when you really need it, like if something *does* go wrong (doubtful). I envy you your trip, good luck!

Dave

I think it is natural to be somewhat nervious the last few days before setting off on a first tour particularly one of this epic dimension.My first tour in 02 was only a week but was somewhat spur of the moment as I only decided on a Thurs. I would I would join a few others that Sun. doing their first tour as well.I had to rush around buying a rack figuring out how to attach gear as i didn't have panniers and I hadn't really done much research on all this as though I knew i wanted to try something like this the opportunity just quickly presented itself.I could not sleep or eat during that whole period and I was not sure how I was going to attach my gear to the bike until I loaded up an hour or so before I left and in fact how it would even handle.I tied a duffel and camping gear on with a rope lol and to this day I use the same duffel but bungie it now.

However once I got on the road ,adjusted to the load and met my fellow tourers we had nothing but fun and it was a great success as I have been bitten by the touring bug ever since .Having said that I would not get too caught up in success or failure or rates of such etc.i know on my first tour I was determined to ride through an urban area in pouring rain rather than trirail to "complete" the tour and on my last i was going to ride into Wauchula come H*ll or high water(which their probably getting ready for about right now lol) but really touring to me is more about the journey not the destination and the truth is all the destinations I have toured to have paled compared to the journey itself.so I guess what I am saying is set off to enjoy your journey and you will increase the odds of reaching your final destination .Now you will face some adversity on your tour I can guarantee it lol but your nerviousness now is probably an adaptive process to make sure you cover as many bases as possible to reduce that adversity.But how you handle that adversity once on tour will determine how far you ultimately make it .For example I view the wind and rain around here as a welcome relief to the heat and a flat tire as a chance to take a rest something I sometimes neglect etc. If you have not done so already read some of meanderthal's motivational posts on crosscountry touring I agree with his philosophy 100%.

I had a few jitters before my first "real tour" back in 2000 about what if my chain breaks in the middle of nowhere or whatever. However, the fact of the matter is things like that are highly unlikely -- and even if they do happen (had one in Tasmania last year), there's usually help on hand to get you out of it anyway. In fact, I now look back on my first tour and think "My God, I was so under prepared". However, once you get on the road and get the miles slipping beneath your wheels, a lot of these fears disappear.

Something I always like to do, however, is to get a good climb in early (i.e. in the first day or two). That really settles the nerves.

I've done two solo cross-country trips. Relax. Think about it: What good is worrying going to do? It's wasted energy. Save it for when you really need it, like if something *does* go wrong (doubtful). I envy you your trip, good luck!

Dave


I'm trying to figure a cost for a cross-country trip. What is a ballpark figure? I was thinking $20 day for food & drink and $15 a day for camping assuming 3 stealth nights, 1 motel night each week. $35 x 60 days = $2100. (If the camping is too high, I'll put repairs and laundry in there.)

Also was wondering, if you ride with another person and go to a pay campground, do you pay per camping site or per person?

I'm trying to figure a cost for a cross-country trip. What is a ballpark figure? I was thinking $20 day for food & drink and $15 a day for camping assuming 3 stealth nights, 1 motel night each week. $35 x 60 days = $2100. (If the camping is too high, I'll put repairs and laundry in there.)

Also was wondering, if you ride with another person and go to a pay campground, do you pay per camping site or per person?

I think your per day cost for food is a little low, when you consider the amount of calories you'll be expending per day. On my North/South transcontinental trip, I got into the habit of waking up before sunrise, eating a little something, packing up and heading out, and then cycling for an hour or so before finding a likely diner where I could pig out on an omellete, biscuits, coffee and water. These little morning breaks became real treasures for me, because it allowed me a nice moment of interaction with my fellow man (through the barrier islands of North Carolina, for example, I went 10 days without actually speaking), and they were great morale boosters as inevitably someone would point to my pannier-laden bike and ask, "How far have you come, fella?" "Well, I started up in the Bay of Fundy area..." expressions of disbelief and admiration were always energizing and helped keep me charged up to keep the per day mileage up. Heck, through several small towns reporters trotted over and interviewed me for the local paper. I also had a fair share of comped meals and extra helpings (although I never asked).

Anyway, dining out became a habit that added somewhat to the cost, even though most diners are economical. (Tip: Try to find the diners with the tractor trailers and lots of local liscense plates out front, this usually indicates the best tasting, largest portions vs. cost you will find in that area.)

Stealth camping: Not sure I know the meaning of the term (off the grid camping?) but a great place to discreetly setup is behind churches. 9 times out of 10 I would seek permission and be granted it graciously. I always left what I could in the collection plate and cleaned up not only my camping area but the parking lot of any trash as payback. I often was lent the use of a shower inside. The right attitude is one of humbleness, i.e., "Father, would you know where a person could get himself cleaned up around here?" Outdoor spigots are great, many resort type communities have recreation centers where a person can shower up, etc....

I only shared a paying campsite space with a friend who came out while I was in the Del-mar-va area, and in that situation we alternated paying for it. If you are traveling with a tightwad I would hammer out the specifics *before* setting out.

Anyway, I'm rambling. HTH,

Dave

Take one day at a time. One of the great advantages of bike touring over backpacking is that you are never too far away from some civilisation. As for reaching your goal, I guess it depends what it really is. I would suggest that you take it one day at a time. If you ride to Kentucky but have a great time, you will still have done much more than most to discover your country.

"I'm trying to figure a cost for a cross-country trip. What is a ballpark figure? "

camping is usually free in small towns between the blue ridge and the rockies.
just ask at the local sheriff's dept for permission to set up in the lion's club park.
most will have a swimming pool with showers available.

cheap motels can be found for $15-20/nite. same for hostels, which should have a stocked
kitchen.

most areas in the west you can find camping on public lands. it's free and you can't beat the
scenery!

daily food budget if cooking yourself could be a low as $5/day...if you can be satisfied with
oatmeal and pasta. say $10/day if you want some variety. chinese/mexican lunch buffet
runs $5-6. most diners have a daily lunch special for around $5.

How i overcame my fear this friday.

Step 1) recognize the fear.

Step 2) COMPLETELY FORGET THAT A hurricane IS BARRELLING DOWN ON THE EASTERN SEABOARD.

Step 3) Go for a 40mi ride herabouts in NC.

Step 4) Be glad you brought your raingear when the walls of water come at you sideways.

Step 5) Smile.

you may have to modify various steps to fit your particular circumstances, for example you may not have any hurricanes handy where you live, for those people so unfortunate, cycling through your area's brand of natural disaster should do just fine.

Any chance you could just leave early. Might as well get started.

Otherwise all I can say is don't sweat it, you just take it as it comes.

Oh yea, and truck-stops are from Heaven (they have showers, and don't mind if you camp out back.) This also reminds me, you might want a set of ear-plugs.

Enjoy!

I assume you've already left! Hope you're having a good time so far. Fear is part of the excitment. Everytime you get into a funk, tell yourself this, "If it were easy, everyone would do it." Just came off a one-week tour on Sunday, and had a great time, but even for such a short tour, there were (there always are, in my experience) a few moments of "What the hell am I doing out here?" For me, those feelings and a slight meloncholy always come around 3-4pm on tour, and a nice BIG, hot meal seems to be all that's needed to get rid of them.

The only time in the week when I SHOULD have been scared, I wasn't. 85 miles into what should have been a century ride on the first day, my roomate and I were congratulating ourselves on having skirted around a big thunderstorm. Just then, a woman in a white car pulls up going the other direction, rolls down her window, and says, "Are you boys paying attention to what's behind you?" We both turn around and I'm sure our eyes must have bugged out. Right in the middle of the road, not more than 8-10 miles away, was a MASSIVE tornado funnel. First one I've ever seen. A guy in a pick-up asked if we wanted a ride, and since we'd been making 10 miles an hour up until the woman pulled off, I declined, thinking the wind was blowing slightly in the other direction. He left and we started back, and the headwind had kicked up so strong that we were making about 4 MPH on the flat Eastern Colorada plains. It sucked. (I must admit that when the guy came back about 30 minutes and 2 miles later, my roomate quickly agreed to a ride, so we cheated and got a 14 mile ride to the next little town. Since we biked 20 miles into Utah once we cross the border, I'm still going to claim that we biked across Colorado.)

actually i still haven't left, after the hell i've gone through w/ ordering equipment & dealing w/ sloppy customer service, wrong parts, late shipments etc, i no longer have any fear of what might happen on the road, i'm in fact, i'm totally convinced that everything will be perfetly o.k as soon as i get on the road-so i'm expecting to leave next wed.-but thats a funny tornado story, kinda like my hurricane story i posted a little bit up-

but thanks everybody for chiming in, i can't wait 'till my bike is assembled & i can post pics- a trek 2000 road frame w/ an xtracycle, carbon cross fork, custom wheels w/ chris king hubs, 36 DT swiss spokes & DT swiss rims & full wooden fenders-it's gonna be so sweet.

Sound like a sweet rig. Keep us posted. Do one of those travlelog thingies.

Really want to hear how it goes. Waitin' 4 the pics!
Just remember.........Rubber down............Handlebars in front..............usually

How long are you planning for your trip? You might need to be careful about weather in the Rockies/Northwest if you're not getting out that way until mid-October.

Good luck with your trip- I still get the jitters before my trips! Best to be prepared, and it sounds like you certainly are.

Have fun, post your adventures, and we'll see you soon!

Koffee

i'm planning for it to take 1.5-2mo i wanted to leave a week ago, but one thing after another has held me back, oh well, it just seems i've "front loaded" all the disaster, once i get on the road everything will be fine, the weather in the rockies is one thing i'm concerned about, but i'm prepared gear wise-hopefully i'll be through there by the end of sept. anyway.

i'm having fun w/ preparations, last nite i took a look at one of my drybags that i'd put all the clothes i'll be taking on tour, but hadn't folded, so they were real high volume still & got kinda scared about how much i thought i was taking, then i weighed it, with the dry bag they came in at 5.5lbs, including rain gear, whew! i'm glad 'cuz that was my "allowance", nonethless i'm happy to be consistently coming in at or under my "budgets" for weight-i just picked up my wheels today as well, 1770gr/pr!!!!, that's for 36 double butted spokes! w/ rim tape! whoopee!, helps mitigate some the weight of the armadillos i'm putting on them.

once the bike is together i'll post pics of bike & gear, don't fret.

Last minute fears when embarking on a big adventure are normal. You are about to throw yourself way outside your 'comfort zone'. You'll quickly adjust to the routine and be able to handle the challenges along the way. Relax and enjoy the feeling of anticipation.

Just remember a couple things:

1. The vast majority of people are good folks and, if you have a problem, will do what they can to help you out.

2. If you need bike parts and there's no bike shop anywhere close, call Nashbar, Perfomance, your favorite bike shop, etc. and ask for overnight delivery to whatever town you can get to.

3. If you are in danger of running out of money, then buy a bus ticket home with what's left and try again next year.

4. If your stuff gets stolen, buy a bus ticket home and curse evil bike thieves the whole way.

I should have mentioned along with my previous weather-worries, that I am incredibly jealous of your opportunity to take this adventure. Savor every minute. Take lots of pictures. Keep a journal. Post it on crazyguyonabike so the rest of us can daydream...

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind always be at your back (especially in Kansas).

I'm sure you'll do fine. Getting the jitters is part of the ride (and the fun). My first cross country trip began with a train ride (on the Empire Builder) out to Everett, WA. After getting my baggage checked in, boarding, and finding my seat, I waited for the train to pull away... and my anticipation grew. When the train began to creep out of the station , the moment reminded me of my first big time roller coaster ride at Riverview Park in Chicago (I was 10 or 12). I knew something great was going to happen, that it was going to be fun (and kinda scary)... but until I did it, I really had no idea what it was going to be like. Oh yeah, and that it was starting (finally)! Have fun!!

"i just picked up my wheels today as well, 1770gr/pr!!!!, that's for 36 double butted spokes! w/ rim tape! "

Ya know, if ya do a wheelie all the way it'll be half that!!

(especially in Kansas)

I hear that!

Sure am excited for you. Keep us posted when you can.