Bike Tour 2023 – Questions and Answers on a Day Off

How’s the bike? So far The Mule has been doing quite well. I’ve been attentive to the chain, cleaning and lubing it every third day or so. Likewise the tire pressure. I’m keeping the tires inflated to 70 psi which most people would disagree with as being too high but it’s worked for me in the past so that’s what I’m sticking with. I’ve thrown the chain twice doing awkward downshifts to my granny gear. Not bad for three weeks and 1,100+ miles. A couple of days ago the chain became entangled but I fixed it and the problem hasn’t recurred. Occasionally it feels like the front wheel or tire is out of round but I can’t see any problem. I think there’s something about the pavement that is causing this sensation.

How are the roads? I’m getting used to the irregularities in the road surface. Every so often I get a road that’s all messed up like the Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap. Repaving operations often involve milling, roughing up the surface for the application of new asphalt. For some reason eastern states don’t seem to mill as aggressively as western states. As often as not, I get fresh pavement which is a joy to ride on. Yesterday the roads I was on had expansion joints. Ugh. Thud. Thud. Thud.

How’s the rider? To be completely honest I never thought I’d get this far. I’m feeling very good now that the tree pollen levels have fallen. There is some haze today from the fires in Canada but it only seems to be affecting the higher elevations. If need be, I’ll use my N95 mask while riding. Despite valiant attempts to eat mass quantities, I’m losing weight. I guess about five pounds. Mentally the first week was hard. It always is. I’m very much in the bike touring groove now. My age and the terrain are keeping me from very long days in the saddle. These are necessary out west where the towns are 70 or 80 miles apart. I’ve done one 80-mile day but half of that was on a rail trail.

Where are you staying? I’m using Warmshowers much more than ever before. (Warmshowers is a voluntary service in which people host bicycle tourists.) I’ve stayed with Warmshowers hosts seven times. I’ve used hotels and motels six times. I have camped three times. I stayed at my daughter’s apartment for two nights. I stayed one night each at my friend Mark’s house, a B&B, and a hostel. I already have Warmshowers hosts set up for the next three nights. It looks like I may be doing another hostel after that. I expect to camp more after the Adirondacks.

Am I seeing other bike tourists? Ive seen six or seven bike tourists along the way. We exchange info about good and bad places to stay, road conditions, detours, etc.

Are you going straight back home? No. The plan is to head west across New Hampshire, Vermont, and upstate New York. There will be walking. I think the next ten days will be very hard. After that I will only have two or three hilly days.

Did you pack the right things? I pretty much nailed my gear. I’ve used my rain jacket and pants far more than any other tour. I’ve been carrying two spare water bottles but there are so many towns along the way that I’ve never needed them. The one thing I forgot was my eye drops for glaucoma. I’m pretty sure I can get my prescription filled at a Walgreens so no worries. I’m glad I brought a cable lock. Bike theft isn’t much of an issue where I’ve been riding but the lock gives me peace of mind.

What have been the best and worst parts so far? The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and the Walkway over the Hudson were both fantastic. Not having to do a nasty detour in Pennsylvania was fortunate. My Warmshowers hosts have all been truly wonderful to me. For every slog up a hill there’s been a screaming downhill. The worst parts have been the tree pollen and the cool, wet weather.

I hope this answers the questions I’ve been getting. Feel free to ask more in the comments.