The Bike

After a lot riding and a variety of adjustments, it looks as if this will be the bike I take on Southern Tier Tour. I originally thought to take my recumbent, but I really don't like working so hard on the climbs.





I am amazed how small adjustments impact comfort and ride ability. Several adjustments worth noting are:

• The steer tube extension by Delta which allows me to raise the height of the handlebar to maximize comfort.
  
• The addition of auxiliary brake levers on the top part of the handlebar so I can ride more upright safely.
  
• The change from my Brooks (with a cutout) to the Selle Anatomica saddle.
  

I have ridden with the Brooks saddle for the past year. However, after my last long hard ride in the foothills east of Ione, I decided to give the Selle Anatomica another try. I’m a cautious and conservative person, so I’ll only say; “So far, so good!” Selle Anatomica saddles are made of leather similar to the Brooks, but the center ridge of the saddle has been cutout and the leather is softer. The saddle is well known for its comfort by those who have used them.

Something Else Interesting About Our Ride Leader

It appears Andy MacIntyre, our rider leader, is a photographer who was exhibited at Mokka Gallery in Newport, KY. The following excerpt was found on the Internet:

"Images from the Road and Trail; contd., is the third exhibition of local adventurer Andrew MacIntyre’s photographs from his bicycle tours across the United States. While leading tours in 2006 from San Diego to St. Augustine (twice), and Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor, ME, he collected over 10,000 images of wildflowers, stunning panoramas, working cowgirls and their dogs, lonely figures riding mountain tracks and desert roads, and many images of touristy roadside kitsch. New for Andrew is his “on-the-road” portraiture. Portraits include “Anne on her 50th birthday” – a lady paddling a canoe on a quiet upstate New York Lake, “Two Prayers” – a man prays over his meal while his terrier watches intently, “Jeremy at 19” – a portrait of a young man in a New Mexico firehouse, “Pecan buyer in Mississippi” – a man waits for locals to bring him sacks of pecans gleaned from roadsides, “Anne on the Roof” – a touring cyclist rests at the end of her cross-country trip. Other images include, “Crater Peak” - a jay perches on his hand with Crater Peak in the background, “Support Our Troops” – an inspiring mural of a modern Spirit of America from the Southwest, and his very popular “Rainbow Flowers” series.

All The Riders

All the riders and where they are from.

Richard H. Beeman	San Diego	CA
Douglas Bittner	San Clemente	CA
Nicholas Q. Bonnell	San Francisco	CA
Frank Fransioli	Conifer	CO
Tom Gamage	Watertown	NY
Jeff Holm	Olympia	WA
Herb Lee	Sacramento	CA
Kristine Martin	Chicago	IL
Eileen McGinnity	Conifer	CO
David Olson	Murphys	CA
Janice Peebly	Alexandria	VA
Dee Reddick	Pittsburgh	PA
Aede Schoustra	Den Haag	NETHERLANDS
Stephen P. Shapland	Aurora	CO
Matthew Stobbart	Harrogate	UNITED KINGDOM
Shirley Thomas	Leicester	UNITED KINGDOM

The Gang

This will be an international group of riders. Including the ride leader, there are 17 people in total. The leader, Andy MacIntyre, is 52 years of age living in Kentucky. He rode this route in 2005, and led tours twice in 2006, once in 2007. In Andy’s words, “I love this route! You get some of the best that the USA has to offer!” He also led the 2005 Great Divide Ride and the 2006 Northern Tier Expedition.

Some things about Andy! He rides a Surly Karate Monkey with disc brakes and uses Ortleib panniers. He prefers Continental Top Contact Touring tires (700x37c) with tire liners. He likes to travel very light so he plans to use a sleeping bag/bivy sack rather than a tent. He carries 3 pairs of short pants, 3 shirts, a nylon jacket and one set of rain gear; and rides in Shimano sandals. If it gets really cold, he'll just buy some cloth or whatever he needs along way.

As for the rest of the gang, there are 11 men and 5 women representing the following States and countries:

California (5)
Colorado (3)
New York (1)
Pennsylvania (1)
Virginia (1)
Washington (1)
Illinois (1)
Netherlands (1)
United Kingdom (2)

Wish us luck!

The Itinerary

Daily Itinerary for the Southern Tier Tour

Day	Date	Overnight Location	Daily Mileage
1	Mar 22	San Diego, CA – 7pm Introduction Meeting	0.0
2	Mar 23	San Diego – Discussions & Shakedown Ride	tba
3	Mar 24	Alpine	37.5
4	Mar 25	Ocotillo	57.5
5	Mar 26	Brawley	49.5
6	Mar 27	Palo Verde	69.0
7	Mar 28	Blythe	21.0
8	Mar 29	Hope, AZ	55.0
9	Mar 30	Wickenburg	61.5
10	Mar 31	Phoenix	55.0
11	Apr 1	Phoenix – Layover (8 riding days)	0.0
12	Apr 2	Apache Junction	35.0
13	Apr 3	Globe	56.0
14	Apr 4	Thatcher (via Alternate Route)	75.5
15	Apr 5	Three-Way	37.0
16	Apr 6	Buckhorn, NM	43.5
17	Apr 7	Silver City	38.0
18	Apr 8	Silver City – Layover Day (6 riding days)	0.0
19	Apr 9	Mimbres	50.0
20	Apr 10	Caballo	56.5
21	Apr 11	Las Cruces	60.5
22	Apr 12	El Paso, TX	53.5
23	Apr 13	El Paso - Layover (4 riding days)	0.0
24	Apr 14	Fort Hancock	54.5
25	Apr 15	Van Horn	74.5
26	Apr 16	Fort Davis	90.5
27	Apr 17	Fort Davis - Layover (3 riding days)	0.0
28	Apr 18	Marathon	54.5
29	Apr 19	Sanderson	54.5
30	Apr 20	Seminole Canyon	80.5
31	Apr 21	Del Rio	40.5
32	Apr 22	Lazy Laguna Lodge (Dooley Ranch)	60.5
33	Apr 23	Lost Maples State Natural Area	58.5
34	Apr 24	Comfort	69.5
35	Apr 25	Wimberley	66.5
36	Apr 26	Austin	43.0
37	Apr 27	Austin - Layover (9 riding days)	0.0
38	Apr 28	Bastrop	32.0
39	Apr 29	Carmine	62.0
40	Apr 30	Navasota	48.0
41	May 1	Coldspring	66.5
42	May 2	Silsbee	76.5
43	May 3	Merryville, LA	55.0
44	May 4	Merryville - Layover (6 riding days)	0.0
45	May 5	Oberlin	57.5
46	May 6	Washington	55.0
47	May 7	Simmesport	56.5
48	May 8	St. Francisville (Green Acres)	55.4
49	May 9	Easleyville (Great Discovery Campground)	60.6
50	May 10	Bogalusa / New Orleans	50.5
51	May 11	New Orleans - Layover (6 riding days)	0.0
52	May 12	Perkinston, MI	59.5
53	May 13	Hurley	61.5
54	May 14	Gulf Shores, AL	73.0
55	May 15	Milton, FL	60.5
56	May 16	DeFuniak Springs	66.5
57	May 17	DeFuniak Springs - Layover (5 riding days)	0.0
58	May 18	Marianna	60.5
59	May 19	Midway	58.0
60	May 20	Waukeenah (Tallahassee East-KOA)	53.0
61	May 21	Spirit of Suwannee Park	67.5
62	May 22	High Springs	58.5
63	May 23	Hawthorne	50.0
64	May 24	East Palatka	41.5
65	May 25	St. Augstine	37.5
Total	Mileage	....................................................................................	3,082

Getting It Done

There is a lot to do in getting ready for a major trip such as this. Besides the constant training with rides four or five days a week, I’ve been going over my equipment list and getting the gear together. Right now, the entire dining room area is laid out with my stuff: tent, sleeping bag and pad, bike cloth, camp cloth, rain gear, bike tools and spare parts, panniers, etc. I’m sure Kay will be glad when I’m finally on my way and the dining room is cleared. I also have to determine the best way to transport the bike and gear to San Diego. I will most likely take everything with me on the airplane. The bike will be packed into a large box and the gear stuffed into a large duffel bag. I plan to use the smaller front panniers as carry-on bags on the flight.

Because of this long trip, I also had the front yard redone to eliminate the lawn. This saves Kay from having to mow the grass during my two month absence. The new landscape will also work better in the future after we both have retired and begin traveling for extended periods. Below are before and after pictures of my front yard. I’ve always wanted a piece of the Sierras in my own yard. So now, the new landscape incorporates 11,000 lbs plus of moss rocks.