Maybe you just hit on the reason I'm so puzzled by the whole "it's so dangerous" thing! Maybe it's just that I've been bike touring for so long and have encountered so many situations and managed to figure out a way to deal with them, that I no longer see them as a threat.

Yes, we could get dehydrated, but we know how much water to take with us and we know the questions to ask to figure out where the next possible water supply will be. We know that if it's 110 degrees we'll have to strap on a whole lot more water. We know because we've been there and done that.

We've dealt with nearly everything Mother Nature can dish out and we know we're prepared for it all - so it's not so scary.

Yep - I think that's the issue here. Once you've faced all those things and you know how to prepare for them, they lose their fear factor. But for the people back home, they're SCARY!!