The Life's Too Short Tour

Starting May 20, 2009, I rode a bicycle from New York to Los Angeles, as a memorial to my late cousin, pedaling 3,600 miles in 105 days. I kept this journal along the way:
  • Day 63: A Pause in the Prairie
    Hutchison, Kansas.
    A rest day in Hutchinson, Kansas. I'm staying in the cyclists hostel at Zion Lutheran Church. It's free. There is a shower, kitchen and bed in the church basement. Last night I shared the quarters with a Seattle couple, Frank and Allison, both retired teachers in their late 60s who are making the TransAm bike trek eastbound. I enjoyed conversing with them last night and this morning and hope to remain in contact with this nice couple in the future.

    I made a radical change today. I made the decision to lighten the load significantly, stripping the 520 of the front panniers and rack, and mailing home about 15 pounds of gear that I have not used in the two months I've been on the road. Included are several items of clothing, my tarp, and a few miscellanous items. I estimate it makes the load about 15 pounds lighter which should make a real difference going forward. The 52o (aka Old Blue) now looks svelte and streamlined.

    Hutchinson is a town of about 40,000 population, and as such offers plenty of amenities for a rest day. I'll spend the night in the church reading, and in the morning head out again. Tomorrow I'll attempt to reach Larned, a 71-mile ride.

    Just as I was lamenting the lack of writing opportunities an offer to do two stories for a magazine came in yesterday. I accepted them, and have one month to produce two 900-word articles. This means I'll have to carve out time along the route to do the work, which involves making a few phone calls and then doing the writing. This greatly helps the budget situation.

    My friend Tim, an editor I work with, inquired about the books I'm reading while out here on the road. I have been reading two books lately: Over the Hills by David Lamb, and Masked Rider by Neil Peart. Both are travelogues of long-distance bicycle tours. Lamb, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, set off on a Trek 520 to bicycle across the United States in 1996. It was interesting to read about his travels and travails. Many of his observations were strikingly similar to my own. It was a decent read. Peart, the drummer for the rock band Rush, chronicles the bicycle trip he undertook as part of a guided tour of Western Africa in 1988 in Masked Rider. Peart's main focus is on his riding partners, and on the nuances of his encounters with Africans. He never reveals the brand of bike he rode, but judging from the pictures it appears he too may have ridden a Trek 520. Peart is the lyricist for Rush, and as such is no stranger to the written word, but Lamb is a seasoned writer who pulls off the account of his two-month trek in a well-balanced and expertly crafted book. I have enjoyed them both, if only because of the topic.

    until later...

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