When my wife and I were cycle touring in the pre-Internet era of the 1970s and 80s, this is what we had also. In particular it became a standing joke on our cross-country honeymoon ride using state highway maps to plan our route, that we would consult the map on every rest stop and at every meal.

Another vote for maps. I spend every night in my tent pouring over the next sections of my route, cross referencing the locations with my guidebook and fantasizing about the following days' journey. Sometimes I do schedule calculations to determine distance goals and rest day locations. If there's a major destination approaching I plan my activities for the corresponding rest day. If there is a city approaching, I also plan the entry/exit routes. Then I go to sleep.

I need psychiatric help :lol:

thats funny, a Swede who knows Python.

Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti...

Ride, sleep, ride is pretty much my routine too, but my trips are usually only two or three days, never more than four. I think I`d wear myself out doing even ten days by that method. I do sometimes carry a paperback.

Back in the day I carried a book or two with me, and picked up new ones at library sales or campground trading libraries. I read a number of truly awful and embarrassing books that way.

Now that I've got a smartphone I carry my own library with me, along with TV shows or movies. When I've got a decent internet connection I keep up to date with the news and current events and watch new TV shows. While it's nice to chat with other folks at campsites, and meet any number of interesting people, I'm a bit of an introvert, so when I'm camping in a state park surrounding by people in RV's with screaming children I'm more than happy to put in some earplugs and read a book after a long day of biking and seeing the sights.

One of my favourite touring accessories is the Podio music player.

Rummycube and cribbage at 10 cents a point. I think I owe around 7 hundred dollars by now. Kindle at bedtime.

I call that "cartographilia."

when I have biked in France, what I loved so much about the Michelin 1/200,000 maps was how the climbs and ascents are so clearly marked, with the little chevron thingees showing relative steepness (1=sorta steep, 2=more, 3=very steep) and the direction of the chevrons showing a climb or a descent. So handy to see what is coming up and as you say, nice to plan breaks, or at least to know how much work you will be having and for how long. I've found that having a good idea of your days ride makes things not as hard, as you know what you will be dealing with.

Harmonicas are easy to learn and make you feel like a cowboy.

breathing works

so where would a fella buy this , do you have a link i can buy it on line thanks.

The device looks pretty interesting. I googled Podio and found this link, but for Hong Kong distributors; it does have the instruction manual for the device. I didn't see a price.

http://www.gum.hk/podio/about.html

I note chrisch posts from Switzerland.

So... Was that YOU at the state park campground around 11PM desperately trying to squeak out "Blowin' in the Wind"??
The dogs sure were howlin' :p

A small, hand-held computer game, like Sudoku.

Porn

perv

thanks for that.

on my 6 month trip to new zealand i'll be going to rock climbing spots all along the way to climb/camp, and i am going to get a backpackers guitar or mandolin for the trip, im not sure which one yet.

Write, read, ride, eat, sleep, meet, clean, drink.

Pretty much takes up the whole day.

You're kidding, right? Even if you're riding through Kansas (sorry Kansans), the trip IS the entertainment. Smell the roses along the way, there will be plenty if you open your eyes.

I remember you

I'm on tour and in Iowa right now, and so far, the only thing I've wanted to do in my downtime is read or sit around. I know I should update my journal, check my bank balance, answer email, rearrange my gear so my clothes are not in the stinky pannier... but it's just too damn hot and I don't want to sweat into my gear.

Enjoy your tour Tansy!
I've traveled with the best intentions of journalizing and organizing pictures, etc. It just never gets done properly. I'd rather experience it rather than feeling like I need to do an assignment on it at the end of the day.
Others have much better skills at this I guess.

Touring in Bohemia - route suggestions please
 

Hi - I'm new here. I just posted a bit about me in the Introductions forum. Next month I plan to cycle (alone) through Bohemia from Prague (Czech Republic) to Bayreuth (Germany). I have 5 or 6 days to do the trip. By road it's about 240km / 150 miles, which I would expect to do in two days, so I can afford to (a) meander and explore quite a bit and/or (b) take my MTB instead of my road bike so that I can maximise the off-road element. (b) of course will reduce my daily average distance, but I'm happy about that because I prefer off-road cycling, on lanes and tracks etc, to road riding. I don't look for the "technical" thrills of jumping over rocks and tree roots, btw, but I enjoy single-track, climbing and descending. I'll have a tent and sleeping bag with me, but not cooking gear etc so I'll be limited to 'proper' campsites or cheap hotels / B&Bs - I'm not into 'wild' camping. I speak German but not Czech.


So where should I go? I know much of Germany well, but not the east end of Bavaria through which my route will pass. And I've read things about the Bayerischer Wald that make it sound very appealing for cycling. But I've never cycled in the Czech Republic before, so I'm thinking I'd like to spend more of my time there. I like most of the usual tourist things - hills, mountains, lakes, forests, castles, quaint old towns and villages. A typical day's touring for me is 8 hours in the saddle and 4 hours out of it, ie a pretty leisurely progress. On the road I rarely average more than 12mph while riding, and am happy if it's 10, especially in the hills.

All suggestions welcomed. I'm not expecting a detailed itinerary (though it's great if you can suggest one!) - even a one-line reply such as "Don't dare to miss Zrabdubice" (I made that name up, btw) is helpful. I'm particularly interested in way-marked MTB trails and road routes, so that I don't have to keep stopping to use map and compass.

Yours hopefully,
camcycad

You take a pervert with you for entertainment? Don't get me wrong, I am sure they can be funny to have around but they seem kinda heavy and bulky to me. ;)

being a family forum, I am forcing, forcing, forcing myself to restraint on all the female midget porn star joke potential here....

ps, when time allows you, I cant wait to read about the details of fistfights with swimming buffalos.
cheers

An 8"x5" 140 grm sketch pad, 6 pencils [hb to b5], putty eraser, pencil sharpener.
Great excuse to lounge around somewhere scenic for an hour or two.

I did have a touring partner who carried one of those tiny water colour outfits. [ Clarification: She still carrys the water-colour outfit, we dont tour together any more.]