Catching up with BF friends
 

We have been travelling south in the US from Montana, then across to Idaho, followed by Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. In the past three days we have crossed into New Mexico a tad, then the panhandle of Texas before hitting Oklahoma.

We're now just south of Dallas/Fort Worth, and tonight caught up with StephenH at a gathering of Lone Star Randonneurs before a 600km event tomorrow.

We had a great time talking all things randonneuring, long-distance races, and travelling with StephenH and Dan Driscoll, who is one of the identities among Texan and RUSA cycling.

This picture is of Machka, me and StephenH.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8...69cd0be3_z.jpg

We also caught up with nancy-sv in Boise, Idaho, on our way through. nancy and her family are well known for their epic ride from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.

We feel privileged to meet people like them and share stories on our respective adventures.

Super.

Nice Photo..

Great times and a once in a life time chance to meet up with some members, it is always great to put a face with a screen name, too. Hope the trip continues to be a good one for both you and Machka. Maybe a list of all the members and a photo montage of the trip would be a great keepsake for y'all.

Bill

Thanks for the update, Rowan. I enjoy hearing about your globe-spanning adventure. Continued good luck and safe cycling.

Thanks for this report. When I first joined Bike Forums in 2008, as a previous tourist and then commuter / occasional centurian, Machka, Rowan, nancy-sv, and StephenH were subscribers I encountered early, and still regularly read when I happen upon their posts. In particular I recall this memorable post, which I have subsequently quoted a few times, when a fellow winter commuter asked, “When does Hardcore become Stupid?”:

Thanks, Jim. We'd love to catch up with you some time. We're trying to work out some future travel that may take in another 24-hour race in Iowa, and a tour of the Canadian Maritimes... so you never know.

By the way, have you fully recovered from your crash?

And, yes, StephenH is as down to earth in person, as his post portrays him.

What a super evening with BF friends!
 

Rowan,
Monica and I, as well as Elizabeth, John and Josh, really enjoyed the evening meal and talking with you and Machka last evening. It was nice to meet a long time "Friend" from the internet in person, especially two of them and a great time. It truly made my birthday special to have the time with you both. Hope the days ride we talked about, for you and Machka, is a great one, the weather looks like it should be clear and mild with little or no wind. We look forward to seeing and riding with you both in the future.

Bill

We had such a great time with Bill and Monica and family that we left last night and forgot completely about getting a picture of us together. So we went back this morning for the photo call before Machka and I set off for Atmore, which is convenienty located on the Florida and Alabama border... and we cycled a bit in Florida and a bit in Alabama.

Here are Machka, me, Bill and Monica:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157630063425035/"]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8...1b703bc2_z.jpg[/URL]

Thanks so much for the hospitality and lots of stories.

Hi R & M,

Thanks for your cordial reply. As with other BF friends, if you get out to Boston and would like to get together, give me a heads up. The city is becoming very bicycle-aware (if not completely cycle-friendly) with a successful Bike-Share program, many bikelanes painted on the roads, and several nice MUPs that actually go somewhere. The Metro area is IMO a cycling paradise, though nonetheless an earthly one and cycling accidents and fatalities still occur, often posted on Bike Forums.

My crash was June 1, sustaining a fractured sacrum and a few other miscellaneous injuries. I went back to work on Sept 4, and am working towards a "new normal." I hope to resume cycling, at least commuting, and I'm advocating for a Sixth Annual Fifty-Plus Ride in Boston in 2013.

+1 :)


One of the best parts of this portion of our Round-The-World tour has been meeting and remeeting family and friends.

Well first off, :bday: Nice to see forum members getting the chance to meet up. I've met a few members of the board and it is always a pleasure.

We were lucky enough to catch up with revchuck at a Starbucks in Lake Charles on Sunday as he was on the way to work in New Orleans. We spent an hour blowing the wind/shooting the breeze/chewing the cud, so to speak.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157631877281412/"]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8...77e102d7_z.jpg[/URL]

Then we had a couple of great hours last night in Austin with mev, from over on the Touring forum. mev was one of the first people whose touring journals I followed way back around the turn of the century. He has had adventures across just about all continents, and will be doing the Tour d'Afrique next year. One of his epic tours was across Russia. And he's done around Australia and across the US. In brief, he's been one of my bicycle touring heroes -- and a nice guy to boot with always good, positive information to post on the Touring forum.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-bb/sets/72157631877281412/"]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8064/8...f81599c3_z.jpg[/URL]

It's a privilege to catch up with you guys.

What a wonderful adventure you two are having:thumb:

Especially StephenH. I met him about 4 years ago, and let's just say that cyclin' been very, very good to him. Lookin' trim, Stephen.

We stayed a couple of nights with andrewclaus and his wife, Karin, in Prescott, Arizona, and had a great time discussing aspects of bike touring (Andrew did a quick cross-America tour), and ultra-distance hiking (he and Karin also have done a LOT of that).

We concluded there were numerous similarities between cycle touring and hiking, even down to participants on the respective forums!

Here's a great shot of us all together with Daisy the dog before we left yesterday:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8...3025a0f6ba.jpg

Over the past week, we've visited Grand Canyon, the Saguaro National Park, and today Bryce Canyon.

Bryce provided me with another breathtaking moment on this trip, to go with Edinburgh, Mont Blanc, and Arches National Park.

We spent the weekend in San Diego with SanDiegoCyclist (Dave) and his wife, Anne, who are a pair of absolute dynamos. They have done a lot of bike touring in various parts of the world, too, so it was great to compare notes and discuss adventures. We even did a neat 20-odd-km ride together, and the route they took us on impressed us for the bikes lanes, road surface and scenery.

On Sunday, Machka and I explored San Diego itself, including a bus tour and cruise on the bay. Nice spot!

We're in San Luis Obispo now, on our slow trip back to Vancouver.

Here are me, SanDiegoCyclist and Anne at our coffee break during the ride at the weekend. Great to catch up with you both!!!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8341/8...3cc07d9a_z.jpg

Ahhh...so THAT is who you guys are!

We had a great time last night talking all things long distance cycling, as well as a bunch of other stuff with Homeyba. Homey has done four RAAMs among other events, lives near the central coast of California, and is a great all-round guy who has a back-story of athletic endeavour that is almost unbelievable.

We've also been staying with Pat and Therese in San Luis Obispo the past few days. They are touring cyclists, too, and also ride a tandem. We've had some excellent discussions on national politics and touring, and stuff about our respective countries.

We've been privileged to have been with these guys. And it's given us an opportunity to... well... change some of our perceptions about California outside the usual LA/SF and desert stereotypes.

That's my sports ADHD. (ADHD is ADD in high defintion) Never do too much of one thing and always go all out on what you're doing at the time. It was great seeing you guys and getting a chance to chat, even if it was too short. I'm glad you got a chance to visit my neighborhood and see a little of the great riding here. Have a safe trip up the coast. It's one of the most beautiful drives anywhere.

It seems like one or two nights is just not enough time to soak in all the things you want to talk with Machka and Rowan and it seems that Homeyba and company would be the same way, too. I'd need a week of riding during the day and the nights to talk about all the adventures you guys have had and the things you have done. If any of you ever gets over to NW Florida you are all welcome to our home for as long as you need to explore that area, repair/maintenance on bikes or what else you like. Time spent with 50+ members is time well spent.

Bill and Monica

Thanks for the offer, Bill!

Last night we had a quick pizza dinner with RedRider and CGallagh in Vacaville, talking mainly about thrills and spills on tandems. Lots of laughs and oooo-ouches! in there.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8068/8...17dd502774.jpg

And yep, that's a down jacket I am wearing. I was darned cold in Vacaville last night. We are well on the way to heading north.

Rowan and Machka, this trip of yours is worth a book! Thanks for sharing it with BF!

I have finished the text portion of the US part of our trip ... no photos yet, but I'm hoping to start posting them in the next few days. I'll also wrap up the Canadian portion of the journal ... or at least bring it up to date.


http://www.machka.net/RTW_2012/RTW_N...erica_2012.htm

I would especially like to thank everyone who put us up and met us along the way ... that was great!! :D We really enjoyed that part of the trip. :)



We'll be returning to Australia, Perth area, in just over a week. We spend a couple weeks there, then return to the Melbourne area where we lived before we embarked on this journey. And then ............................... we're still working out the details.

nice report and pics