This morning I rode consecutive round trips to Marsh Park in less than ideal conditions. Leaving at 9:30, I rode much of the way in foggy conditions accompanied by a light rain. The rain was not problematic for riding, but it was highly irritating for a glasses wearer such as myself. Riding on the trail, it was not dangerous, but it was inexpressibly frustrating to be unable to see clearly.
I had wanted to do three round trips (for the first time since October 22, and could have pushed on to do it, as the rain had abated by late in my ride and we even experienced partial sunshine. But by that point, I was quite soaked and muddy, and had already made up my mind, so I stayed with that plan.
During the second time I was at the park, I was happy to see my friend Leighann Ayers, walking her dog Gracie. Thankfully, when she called out to me she also identified herself, because my distance vision is poor (even corrected), and I don't think I'd have known who it was.
My desire to do a longer ride today was inspired by a story I read last night in the Recumbent Trikes Group to which I belong on Facebook. A fellow member had left her home in Portland, Oregon in early September, and riding steadily, traversing Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, she had arrived yesterday in Key West, thus traversing the diagonal of mainland U.S. in about six and a half months. Doing very rough math in my head as I rode this morning (since I don't know exactly how far her ride was), I figured she had to average between 25 and 30 miles per day.
I'd love to do a similar long ride someday (though not necessarily from Oregon to Florida, or from Maine to California, for instance). So I figured if I wanted to make it even a possibility, one thing I clearly needed to do was to kick up my mileage. If I can make three round trips (26 miles) my usual standard (which I think is quite feasible), I'd be satisfied for now.
However, doing such a lengthy ride would mean confronting and answering a host of logistical questions. The biggest, of course, would be getting Michelle on board with this plan—she currently does not want me to ride on the roads, but I have hoped (and still do hope) that eventually, by establishing a track record of safety (so she no longer has to worry about calls from the hospital ER as she experienced back in 2013, when I kept falling off my bicycle), she may relent and allow me to do this. Other issues include, but are not limited to:
1) I have been unemployed since December 2014, making it feasible for me to devote considerable time to this pursuit. However, I am seeking work, and even though the most likely possibility is a transcription position that I could do remotely (online), this would not combine well with a lengthy cycling journey.
2) I need to investigate whether it is possible for me to generate electricity somehow from the pedaling, that could then be used to charge my laptop and my phone.
3) I'd have to figure out how and where to transport a small tent and sleeping bag, as well as figure out how and what to eat while traveling.
I'm sure there would be other issues, as well—these are just a few basics that have come to mind so far. And obviously, before attempting a major trip like this, I'd build up to it with shorter cross-country expeditions.
So ... we'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment