djb

can't say I had indy pegged as a vagrant.
And yes, I wondered what happened to the smokey dude.
And yes, it's pretty easy to spend a lot on blinds for a whole house.

imi

djb

I can honestly say that on all of my bike trips, I have never been bored, no time or energy to be bored after riding all day, setting up camp, showering, washing clothes,eating, cleaning up, socializing with folks....heck even when staying in hotels and eating out its not like I had hours sitting around twiddling my thumbs.

you must get bored easily.
maybe bicycle touring isn't for you, but only you can know that.

BobG

I used to lead ACA TransAm tours. The last group bored the heck out of me. Why? Many of them were up before the crack of dawn taking their tents down in the dark. They'd rush through breakfast eating a bowl of cereal standing up at the table. No time to sit, they had to pack their stuff to get on the road right away to beat the midday heat. I'd be brewing my first cup of coffee, enjoying the location we worked so hard to get to the previous day and they'd setting out on the road.

Evening was just the reverse. Many would be in camp well before 4PM and dinner would be served by 5:30. Most would be in their tents by 8PM just to go to sleep and do it all again tomorrow.

For me the fun of bike touring is to enjoy each daily destination that we work so hard to get to. The down time between arrival and departure is my favorite.

djb

Bob, another thing I've always enjoyed on bike trips, no matter which country, is talking with fellow travelers in campgrounds, people in stores, restaurants, you name it. People and the world are fascinating, and its really fun talking with people and getting some insight into their lives.
So yes, if folks want to make a bike trip a non stop marathon, hey all the power to ya, but to me seeing the world by bike is so much about meeting and talking with people, and the non biking part of the day is a big part of a trip.

skidder

It sounds like your trying too hard to get somewhere, so slow down and enjoy the area you're passing through while on tour. I usually have a rough plan for each day that'll involve stopping for some sightseeing, stop for a long lunch, maybe an afternoon break at a tavern or brew pub, and eventually get to my daily destination before the sun sets. I'm almost always credit card touring, so stopping at a hotel/motel gives you access to travel brochures (and video on the room's TV) of what to see in the area the next day. I'm on vacation, so I make each day enjoyable, not a 'grind' to get to the next destination; I do enough 'sufferfests' on my daily rides while at home.

boomhauer

Some of the best riding all day is at sunset. I try to time my destination so I get there near dark. This doesn't leave much "downtime" before bed. My downtime is the 6 or 8 breaks I take during the day.

Tourist in MSN

I do not like sunset at all. Either the sun is in my eyes or it is in my mirror, which means it is in my eyes. And if it is in my eyes, it is in the eyes of the driver that is heading straight towards me.

But, after the sun has set and it is still quite light out, the wind has died down, if I will be sleeping indoors I enjoy riding then. But if sleeping in a tent, and that tent is still in my pannier, I will wish I had my tent up at least a few hours earlier.

It is personal preference. I am often riding in the morning before most people have gotten out of the tent.

Cougrrcj 

I had planned out a solo credit-card tour around the perimeter of the State of Ohio. 1050-ish miles, all told.

Starting where I live near Lake Erie, following the shoreline to the Pennsylvania line, head south 95 miles to the Ohio River, follow the river all the way to Cinci, North along the Indiana line to where it hits Michigan, back east to Lake Erie near Toledo, and follow the lakefront home... Only two even remotely hilly portions. I was giving myself three- to three and a half weeks, only riding 6 days/week, and only 3-4 hours/day. 35-70 miles/day. Probably ride from 7am until noon at the latest (before it gets hot, or summertime thunderstorms to build.) Most of the ride is flat. Lots of small towns with some interesting small-town history. Eat at local greasy-spoon restaurants (best for local 'flavor'), stop at the local libraries/city buildings to read up on the history of the town, visit any museums, do laundry, talk to people.

I'm retired. What's the rush, anyway???


.

Sluggo

All of the above, plus: Botanize, birdwatch. Learn about the geological processes that formed the landscape. Learn about the people who have lived here over the centuries, what they ate, what they cultivated, what they extracted, what they did to the environment. Their architecture, art, music. No matter how slow you go, you can't take it all in.

balto charlie

Exactly!!
I listen to Winnie the Pooh, " Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something."

Happy Feet

I generally ride all day unless it' the type of trip where I'm sticking around one spot for a time. Usually it's not so the main activity is riding and taking pictures.

My usual end of day routine is set up my tent, have a shower or dip if possible, eat a simple meal and journal. I write a daily journal on all my trips so I can reference it later when editing photos and making travel books. I may look at the days photos and delete the bad ones.
After that I retire to the tent to read or listen to an ipod. Usually classical music.
That's about it.

boomhauer

I have to confess.... a lot of my camping after dark is on rail-to-trails routes. It doesn't really matter how dark it gets. Camping is easy.

mrv 

bring a used paperback from an actual bookstore that sells such things - I found Grapes of Wrath to pair nicely with the GAP/C&O trek in 2019
small sketch book and a pen.

for the most part, i find it most difficult to get bored. like last August when the bottle rockets buried in my fire pit drew the attention of an inebriated camper near by.....

indyfabz

Heh. I brought For Whom the Bell Tolls to Andalucia for my 7-week trip.

djb

Indy, if you ever tour in Italy, you'll have to bring "A Farewell to Arms"
went through a Hemingway kick many moons ago, liked the short stories collections.

Tourist in MSN

Over a decade ago I bought a thin text on weather forecasting and started carrying that on my canoe and kayak trips. Most of those trips have at least one unplanned day where we are stuck on shore due to high winds, one trip four years ago I was stuck in the same campsite for four consecutive days.

I have started reading that text many times on those trips, but have not yet finished it. But each time I start reading it, some of what I had previously known and forgotten becomes a permanent memory. And I am much better at looking at weather maps than I used to be.

indyfabz

I spent nearly two weeks at the Italian Cycling Center in NE Italy back in 2013, but I don't recall bringing a book. Had I, that would have been a fitting one as the area where we were was steeped in WWI history. In fact, the start of one of the ways up to Monte Grappa (the site of three famous battles) was about a five minute bike ride away, and our residence (located in Borso del Grappa) was in the shadow of the massif containing the mountain.

staehpj1 

I am exactly like that group. Enjoying the places on the trip along the way it is usually done during stops during the day. Stays with folks who offer hospitality is the exception, but even there I like a fairly early start. At home or on tour my day starts and ends early, but in hot weather or windswept regions I really strive to get as many miles in early before the heat or wind get too bad. I absolutely love that hour or so on the road before the sun comes up, dawn, and sunrise. It is the best time of day on the road.

imi

SHUT UP!!

I’m homesick for the road!

✌️🤗

BobG

Heh! Each to their own. I think it's the best time of the day to be sipping a coffee at the picnic table and looking over the day's map.

Pete, I've been enjoying your forum posts and articles for years. I know that you travel alone or with small groups of family. My comments above are more directed to my experience with group travel. For a group to function certain standards need to be adhered to. When one is camping with a group of 14 nothing is more irritating than the clatter of tent poles and flapping of ground sheets at 4 AM. Also those early risers/riders are often shirking their group duties with regard to campground cleanup, leftovers packing and early departure with group cooking gear. Apologies if my post wandered from the intended topic which was more directed toward solo travel. That said, my waking/travel hours are the same when travelling solo.

staehpj1 

Yep. Folks need to be with the program for a group to function well. FWIW, I have found that folks failing to be ready at the appointed times can also be a problem with group activities. The group needs to come together on a schedule.
Yeah, one reason I tend to tour alone. Rest assured though if my site is next to yours, you most likely won't hear me go if I am alone. I am like a ninja when leaving.

Tourist in MSN

I prefer early in the morning to start rolling but I wait for the sun to get up before me. There is less traffic on the road at that time when touring in touristy areas. And that means I usually have a better selection of campsites when I quit earlier than most others. And the showers are less crowded in mid to late afternoon.

One morning I wanted to get on the first ferry of the day, this might be the second earliest time that I have ever started rolling in the morning, it was early enough that I thought it warranted documentation with a photo.




The photo below, that was the earliest I have ever started in the morning, we needed to catch an early shuttle bus to take to the Amtrak station. Photo was taken on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, early enough that there was so little ambient light that the exposure was f2 for 1/10 second, street lights were still lit.



Riding into a sunrise as we left Florida Everglades, my touring partner had some trouble with the heat and humidity, we tried to start early to get some distance in before it got too hot. A bit of fog that morning.

djb

NEWSFLASH!!
This just in Bob
The exact time, to the second, was caught on camera when this unsuspecting bicycle tourist contracted Dengue fever, West Nile Virus and Malaria, all at the same time !!
Please contact Halifax Public Health unit if you recognize this mosquito.

Tourist in MSN

I had no idea that the mosquito was there until I looked at the photos on my home computer.

So, Nova Scotia has Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus and Malaria, all at the same time. Good thing they do not have much Covid going around, they already have enough trouble.