This has taken me a bit of time to write but I wanted to tell a small bit of my aborted Xcountry trip that started at the end of August in Seattle.

Like it is for any newbie, it was hard at first (and I won't even mention those #$% Oregon mountains), but the feeling of accomplishment was incredible. Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong, did. I was really, really lucky because I traveled with two ladies who were extremely patient with all of my graceless moves (and there were plenty). Some were simple things to fix--like dropping a lot of my excess weight (one day is all THAT took!) and working out a better weight distribution. I had put most of my weight towards the back of the trailer when it should have gone towards the front. Until I worked it out, I did a few feet-over-head maneuvers. Other things, though, were totally beyond my control. I always thought that the Northwest was nothing but one big forest. Imagine my shock to go through scrub lands/desert conditions in Oregon! It was so bad at times (105 degrees) that I actually curled up under stop signs for the shade. Still, we got through it. Nothing, though, prepared me for an allergic reaction, my first, to tree pollen in Unity, Oregon. It was so bad that my eyes swelled shut and felt like someone had thrown glass in them. I wear contacts, so I was forced to wear my Coke bottle glasses (they give me a horrible headache). A stop at a local restaurant became a 10 hour marathon until I got a ride to a hospital in another town. Worse, my hand had been going numb and without any strength to shift the left shifter. The visit to the ER the next day turned into a check of my hand since my eyes had recovered once I left Unity. The sad result was that the doc told me that I'd have to end the trip if it didn't improve. It didn't. So, after arriving in Mountain Home, ID, we took a cab ride to Boise where I flew home in order to seek further medical attention. After two weeks and nearly 700 miles, my adventure was over.

But my bad luck didn't end there. Unfortunately, I must have been a walking Porsche payment to the doc who told me (after Xrays and an MRI) that I had all manners of problems and needed immediate surgery or I faced potential paralysis if I suddenly turned my head the wrong way. Fortunately, my medical insurance required my return to the States and I was seen by a really terrific neurosurgeon who told me that I just had an extremely inflammed nerve that would repair itself in time. Of course, I had to quit riding until then.

Now I'm nearly back to normal and am working my way back into the saddle. I've gone to a bike shop and had the bike checked over for fit to make sure I didn't re-reinjure my hand with bad posture or settings. I've taken a few small rides and am anxious to take some longer distance travels in a month or two. I'm also planning on trying again within a year or two.

I know this is long, but there are a couple of things I'd like to share. The biggest is the simple kindness of strangers. I showed up on the doorstep of Cara to ask for some cold water. Not only did she allow me to use their pump (ice cold and so clean tasting), but she brought me a huge cup of ice while asking me if she could make me a sandwich or a salad or... She offered the same to Katie, too. And there was the gentleman who stopped us in the middle of a long, empty stretch to give us some peaches. OMG, they were so good. After a long day of making sales calls, another man gave me a ride to the town where the hospital was...it was midnight when he dropped me off at the hotel and he still had quite a distance to go. Then there was the staff in the restaurant who allowed me to sit there for nearly 10 hours while I waited for my ride. Never once did they make me feel like I was a problem--even though I was sitting in a corner with a cold towel on my eyes, snivelling and feeling sorry for myself. And there were the firemen who helped that day, their medic washing out my eyes to make sure there was no abrasion on the cornea (my biggest fear). And on and on... it was amazing how truly kind people were to us. The other thing is that I don't regret having tried. No, the ending wasn't what I wanted, but it just makes me that much more determined to try again. I learned so much and yet most of it were things that could only be learned on the road. And more importantly, at least I tried. I can't think of anything sadder than having one foot in the grave while wondering "What if?"

Sorry to hear of the troubles you had. Good to share - so other can think ahead and be prepared just in case. Good luck with the inflamed nerve issues. I can't imagine having to go through so much. Looking back, I do think it's easier to forget the suffering on a tour when so many good experiences usually are had.

I have had similar experiences with the hospitality of people in rural Oregon. I hope you get another opportunity to ride in my home state. There are lots of great roads and some fantastic scenery. If you ever need advise about routes to try, there are plenty of BF members who would love to share their expertise.

I'm really sorry to hear about your encounter with eastern Oregon pollen. I used to work in John Day, not too far from Unity. The Pollen from the Juniper trees is very irritating, even to those that are not allergic to it. I suspect that is what you ran into. It sounds like you will be back before too long, and I echo mtnbud's sentiments about our state. Wishing you a speedy recovery and a successful rematch!

I also wish you a rapid and full recovery. I can't wait to hear about your next attempt.

On my first fairly long tour, I also got ill. I was in Colorado and one family allowed our group to stay for free in one of the cabins they usually rent out because they correctly assumed that I was too ill to ride to the campground that was supposed to be our destination that night. They even left their store unlocked so we could use the shower in the back. I pushed on and a week later I was too ill to even get out of the tent. The family that ran the private campground we were in drove us back to town to the airport, helped get bike boxes for me and one of my companions and then drove our remaining companion back to the campground so he could continue the journey.

When I arrived back home in the Bay Area, my sister picked me up at the airport. She got a flat on the way home and pulled partially into a private road so as to not block traffic. As we changed to the spare tire, a woman drove up and yelled and screamed at us for parking on private property. It was quite a contrast to what I had experienced when traveling by bike.

Oh man, sorry about all the tribulations, denigdog!

You have a great attitude though. Hopefully you got all your bad luck out of the way and the next trip will be loaded with good luck.

Great post! Not because of all the adversity you faced, but because of your great attitude, and your reports of wonderful, helpful, understanding, great people you met.

It's interesting how different locales come with different allergins. I had never suffered from any kind of allergy, hay fever, etc. when growing up in the Seattle area. Then, when I was 19, I spent a summer in Connecticut. I was miserable from hay fever!

I can't offer much advice on your medical issues. For you allergies I can only state the obvious: next time try a different locale?

I do have some experience with hand numbness however. I used to suffer numbness in my left hand after several days on tour. Once, after a two-week tour down the Oregon coast, my left-hand numbness lasted for a month after the tour was over. It wasn't painful or debilitating, just troublesome. Before my next tour I raised my handlebars up a couple of inches. That mostly cured it. Another thing that helped alleviate hand pain was adjusting my bars and brakes. I changed the angle of the bars until the top section was level with the ground. Then I pulled the brakes back a little until the hoods made a comfortable place to rest my hands. It was a little harder reaching the levers when I wanted to brake, but it was worth it for the added comfort.

Mtnbud & Doug: yes, I think it was the Juniper trees that got me since my eyes were back to normal the next day when I woke up in Ontario. While it's no way to meet people, I was so impressed by everyone I met. The folks of your state are simply awesome and I definitely want to go back to the John Day area (Picture Gorge, etc).

BigBlueToe: I had a bike shop raise the handlebars for me, but he was only able to raise them about an inch. I think I'm more comfortable in a more straight position on the saddle, but he said that the bars were up as far as they could go. Still, it's definitely better than before. Would you mind posting a picture of your bars and brakes? I'd like to see what worked for you. My problem right now is that I'm still having trouble with the left shifter. Part is that the strength isn't fully back, but a lot of it is that the left shifter is really tough to move. I asked the bike shop if they could make it like the right shifter and he said they couldn't because of the cables. I'm not sure why, but the mechanic seemed to know what he was doing. The right shifter is very smooth when I hit it but if I try to move the left, it takes the whole hand actually pulling it from the side, not a nice push with the fingers.

My current plans are to start taking some local trips. I didn't do that in the past because the area isn't exactly the best for a lone female, but it's either that or vegetate. The only other bikers I've seen around here are locals traveling to and from work on bikes that are held together by little more than a wing and a prayer and a group out of Guad who ride to here and back every weekend. I've thought about seeing if anyone would like to form an informal club to ride, but something seems to hold me back. I don't know if I just don't like losing the spontaneity of riding when I want or if I'm not really good in group environments...or both.

Hubby and I are going to drive around the lake (about 155 miles) to see if it can be done safely by bike. If so, it'll be a good route to follow every few months until I can start taking longer in-country trips. Then....another Xcountry try in the US.

Sorry to hear about your touring troubles, Dengidog, but really glad to hear how much help you got when you needed it, and that the difficulties didn't deter your drive to try it again. I have also encountered some incredibly helpful people on tour, and it always changes my perspective on people in general. I think we often read so much negativity in the news that it's easy to start thinking about most people in negative terms. It's a great thing to get out there first hand and discover that just isn't true.

On the numbness issue, what kind of handlebars do you have? I used to have flat bars with bar ends and often experienced numbness. Switched to trekking bars with lots of tape, which has made a big difference.

I used to have a dream of retiring somewhere in Mexico, and Lake Chapala was near the top of the list for a long time. Ended up here in Oregon instead. I know what you mean about wanting to ride spontaneously. I'm like that too - not much of a group rider. Hope you find a solution. Best of luck.

I'm wondering what kind of rig you have. My previous touring bike had a threaded, quill stem. I was able to buy a new one - a Nitto Technomic - that went quite a bit higher than the one I had. It was so stretched I didn't use all of it.

My current tourer - an LHT - has a threadless fork. I found a stem for it that has a lot of rise - on Amazon, I think. Shop around for a high-rise stem. I also bought a frame with an uncut steerer tube, although it didn't stick up as much as on other frames, because mine is a 62cm wih a long head tube. If you have a threadless fork you can also get a stem riser to raise things up.



I don't have a picture of the old bike with the quill stem, but here's the LHT from the side so you can see the stem and the height of the bars compared to the saddle.



Here's a closer view of the stem.

Blue,

The bike is a Habanero tourer with threadless fork, etc. Below are a couple of photos. Please feel free to make any suggestions if you see something. I'm pretty sure it's more me and my preference for riding a bit more upright, but if that's going to cause more harm than good in the long run, especially for future trips, then I'll just learn to like riding at a sharper angle. I really like the bike too much to go back to my heavy hybrid.

Hey dengidog, sorry to hear how your trip ended, but happy to hear you learned a lot, are continuing to ride, and are planning another attempt of your cross-country ride. I agree with the others about having the handlebars up high enough to relieve a lot of the pressure on the hands. For me it makes for a much more comfortable ride, and my hands thank me.

Your attitude is great! Would love to see any pictures from your tour. I don't think I ever saw you complete set-up once you got it all together. Hope your hand recovers completely and that you are able to make adjustments to your bike that prevent any future injuries of the same sort. It may take some time to get back to the cross-country ride, but in the meantime you can enjoy your bike by doing shorter adventures/trips near where you live. All the best!

Your bike looks like the handlebars are at a good height, but you could raise them higher if it suits you better. There are extenders like the one BigBlueToe posted a picture of that would enable you to do that. There may also be long stems with a steeper angle, but I am not sure of that. I can see why you like your bike. It is really nice!

If at first you don't succeed....

As you found out, the pollen can be vastly different on the other side of the Cascades. Cycle Oregon '07 started and ended in Sisters. I was fine at the start and during the entire trip. But when we crossed McKenzie Pass and arrived back at Sisters, I could not stop sneezing until we left town for Portland where I was again fine.

And at least you didn't take the bus or hitch rides like YKW.

700miles is a big trip. Sounds like it might have been too much everyday even without the allergic reaction given the neck/wrist problems. When I was doing lots of weekend and week trips from the S.F. Bay Area north in my 20's I had my first reaction to something all within 20miles. One eye swelled up shut so I was riding one eyed and as the swelling went down the other eye started swelling shut. There was a hairy ten miles in the middle. Never had that happen before or since but it was worrisome.

Dengidog,

It is hard to tell from your photos, but the saddle looks like it is sloped slightly downward at the nose. If this is the case, you might be putting more pressure on your hands to keep from sliding forward. Try for a level saddle or maybe even a very little upward tilt. It might be worth checking--or not.

I think you may be right (and thank you!). I'm going to check that out as I found myself doing a slight slide on this morning's ride. Heck, I'm not proud...I'm still very green at all of this. I truly appreciate all of the help that everyone has given me.

Since my original posting, I've had the stem raised about an inch (the Specialized stem)and the seat just slightly lowered. WOW, what a difference! I don't feel like a vulture anymore and I'm beginning to get away from the Darth Vader Death Grip. A raiser may not be necessary if I can train my lazy a** to ride in a more aerodynamic position.

Almost forgot one other thing...I didn't write all of the glitches I had on the trip, but one other was unforgettable. We were camping in the middle of a forest in Oregon when my new combo lock jammed and wouldn't open. No twitching of the dials worked and we had nothing to cut the cable. I ended up having to call 911 (no other phone number available) to tell the operator it wasn't an emergency but... Long story short, she got a number for me to call and a locksmith came out to cut the lock. Once again, everyone was really kind.

If nothing else, I have a lot of stories to laugh at when I'm old(er) and gray(er).

Not sure what kind of combo lock you have, but FYI some of those are incredibly easy to open. No lock is foolproof, but some combo locks can be gotten into in mere seconds. Don't think I would trust my bike to one of them.

Prying off the back of a Master padlock

Using tension on the shackle

Using tension and a little arithmetic

Using a beer-can shim (fast)

Several different lock types cracked

Doug is right about the seat and so are you dengidog about lowering it a bit. I always thought I liked my seats high enough to allow full leg extension, until recently when I lowered one just a bit and found to my surprise that it was suddenly at a point that provided greater comfort than I had ever experienced on a bike. I quickly made adjustments to my other bikes until they all felt the same. There is definitely a sweet spot that can be found with slight adjustments in seat height.

I am glad to hear you are getting your bike set up to provide you with a great fit and comfort. It makes a huge difference.