revcp 

Great question. I've not yet decided. Blogging can sometimes feel like a "responsibility," and one of the reasons for this trip is to get away from being responsible for anything other than eating, sleeping, riding, having fun, as in the quote, "First, be a good animal." I want to enjoy being an animal. Adding responsibility for tech updates--taking the photos, doing the writing, finding someplace to upload, etc--can suck the fun out. So, yeah, great question. We'll see!

indyfabz

I feel you. I am almost never on line when on the road. The majority of my electronic communication consist of text messages to my cat sitter. Maybe a Facebook post a day, usually with a photo.

johnlink

Here are my plans with regard to blogging:

1) At least a short post every riding day with a link to my day's ride at www.ridewithgps.com
2) Some pictures, maybe not every day and maybe no more than one each day
3) Blog at www.blogger.com
4) Post using this keyboard connected to my iPhone SE: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VRCKK1Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As I wrote here, Juliana Buhring's book This Road I Ride, which I believe was based on her blog or diary, inspired me to take multi-day trips. Perhaps my blog, which I might turn into a book after I return home, will inspire others. In any case it will be a way for people to vicariously enjoy my adventure, and it will be a record I can review after the trip is over.

fietsbob

IDK how many miles it was.. this sas 1991.. AMS to the coast south into Belgium , hang out a while..

Ferry Calais to Dover, ride up middle of England, Ferry from Newcastle to Norway, Ride southern coast.

Ferry to tip of Denmark ride south , In CPH another Ferry To Polish Coast Ride and train, to Warsaw, (just dissolved the Pact in march of that year)

Another train to just across the border from the Czech Republic ... rode south , hung out in Prague .., then continr down ti Danube shore in Linz Austria

Upstream to Passau , into Bavaria, across it, then to Strasbourg , , Luxemburg , Belgium again from the Ardennes end , back to the Flanders end, and north via Antwerp

back to the Amsterdam Airport..

Film pictures , paper maps , and talking to the locals ...




lots of just doing it not planning so much in advance..

johnlink

When I was a junior at the University of Illinois, for my Business and Technical Writing class I wrote a paper entitled "How To Plan A Bicycle Camping Trip". I'm amused by some of the things I wrote, but the issues I identified are as relevant today as they were then, although my way of dealing with them now might be different.

I've attached a pdf file of my paper. I didn't actually write it for the Prairie Cycle Club, of which I was a member, but the assignment required that I write a report for an organization and include an appropriate cover letter.

djb

blogging has its pluses, but it does take time to do. You have to do it on something, and phones or tablets are slowish writing, frustrating compared to a keyboard, and even then though, takes time to write properly when you are tired, hungry, or in my cases when Ive done them, after supper and in bed before sleep....just takes time, and if like me, you are into photos, editing photos etc takes time also, and Im a really good editor, did it for years professionally.
Im still glad I did my blogs, great memories for me, fun for family to read as I went along, but it does take time, and you have to carry a doodad to do it on.

john, how are you planning to carry your stuff, and have you used this bike before carrying stuff. I know you said that you've toured, but what are your plans for this bike? Oh , and I assume it uses a 52/42 crankset, pretty common at this time in the 7 speed road bike days.
I still have a 7 spd bike form this time, uses a 13-30, but would have a longer cage rd.

johnlink

That's why, as I wrote above, I'm going to use this keyboard, which weighs only 7 ounces and folds to 5.7" x 3.5": https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have carried stuff on this bike for as many as 300 miles on a four-day trip. I'll be using three Ortlieb bags: handlebar, top tube, and seat post. I think the total weight of the loaded bags will be only slightly more than 15 pounds.

As I wrote above, my gearing is as follows: (48-34) x (12-14-16-18-20-23-28)

djb

didnt read properly your part about the folding keyboard, very neat and compact.
I will keep this one in mind (or others like it) for future trips. I really missed a keyboard, or at least the efficiency of one.
thanks for the tip.

good luck

johnlink

You're welcome. Blogging with my thumbs would take too much time. I investigated eight Bluetooth keyboards and chose the one I did for considerations of weight and size. There's a lighter one (four ounces) but it doesn't fold. The attachment summarizes the features of the eight keyboards I investigated.

djb

on my Android device, I use that "flowing finger" technique, where you swipe your finger over the letters of a word, with a "swishy following line" that you see for a bit going from letter to letter, and it predictively usually choses the right word. you have to be accurate with your finger movements, and autocorrect comes into play , which is rather frustrating. That said, it does work pretty well and greatly speeds up writing compared to thumb or single finger lettering all the time.

Any idea what sort of effect bluetooth being on has on battery life, I imagine its not much, especially if used only for typing and not surfing or whatever, but perhaps something to take into account. I imagine also most keyboards have their own small battery to operate, maybe aa or aaa's.

johnlink

Here's what the amazon page says about the battery of the keyboard I bought:

I don't know what effect the keyboard will have on the battery of my iPhone SE, but I will take one (or maybe two) Anker external batteries.

djb

those external batteries are certainly much less expensive than before, and good sized milliamp ones avail at low prices. makes it easy to have backup power thats for sure. Less of an issue for me, never use electronics for routing, so only on at end of day generally, and can often find a plug even in a campground.

johnlink

I've incorporated these suggestions. Thank you.

Where is the covered bridge?

johnlink

The keyboard listed above came today. It works, but the keys are smaller than full size so I make lots of typing mistakes. I've ordered this one which has full-size keys. It's slightly larger and slightly heavier (9.9 ounces vs. 7.0 ounces) but I think I will prefer it.

johnlink

If I can find a way to pack it in my bags I will get this non-folding one with full-size keys, made by Apple, which is only 8.0 ounces. A big advantage of using this Apple keyboard with my iPhone is that the cmd-A, cmd-Z, cmd-X, cmd-C, and cmd-V key combinations would all be available.

indyfabz

Mile 5.7 of this:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29058027?beta=false

There is an icon on the map noting the bridge. On Weaverland Rd. look around for sickeningly cute Amish kids sitting on front porches. Sometimes they wave.

If you need food, at mile 8.4 detour left onto PA 897 then a left PA 23 to get to the Shady Maple Market (closed on Sundays. It's an attraction in and of itself. The deli section has every sort of PA Dutch offering you could ever want. (Think ham salad.) Lots of local baked goods too. Out back there is a pen with alpacas. Makes a nice lunch spot. Sometimes there will be horses and buggies tied up out back.

johnlink

Thank you.

johnlink

The second keyboard arrived today and I prefer it to the smaller one because of its full-size keys and despite it being 10 ounces vs. 7 ounces. I would prefer to have a keyboard with a command key so that cmd-A, cmd-Z, cmd-X, cmd-C, and cmd-V would all work in iOS, but I can't find such a folding keyboard, and the Apple Magic Keyboard is too large to fit in my bags.

The larger keyboard that arrived today came with a protective bag which I might use to prop the keyboard on a slant.

JoeyBike

I've seen worse vacation plans. And if you bit off more than you can chew, catch a train home. No shame in that. This way you can adjust your pace to avoid injury or a string of bad weather without pushing too hard under duress. I always have an escape plan, even on easy trips. I want to make certain I enjoy the ride and not worry too much about closing the danged loop at all costs.

But that's me! Rock on man.