PowerCycle

Last updated: 02/17/2010

1. What is this site for?

It’s where I log what happens to me during my travels.

2. Do you hate the word “blog”?

Yes.

3. Where are you going?

From my home in Florida I left on 02/21/2009 and rode to Alaska arriving there on 08/03/2009. Needing to get south before winter set in I took a ferry to Vancouver Island in BC, Canada. I rode from there down the coast before crossing into Mexico on 11/22/2009. I’m on my way to Argentina right now. From there I’ll hop on a ship/plane and head over to New Zealand and then onto another ship/plane to Australia. After that who knows.

4. Why?

This trip is more to me than just seeing if I can ride a bike to Alaska or anywhere else for that matter. All that’s needed is desire, opportunity and common sense. The desire to see/do more has always been with me. Opportunity was the biggest obstacle and I was very fortunate in that respect. Common sense comes from experience and the last 37 years has provided plenty of that.

For me this journey is about providing myself with an opportunity to learn from other people/cultures so I can contribute more. Up until now I haven’t done much of anything except consume (OK, I’ve helped a few people over the years which I’m thankful for but I need to do more). Life has to be about more than just living; it should be about evolving.

5. Where do you sleep?

This depended a lot on the location. In the eastern US I stayed in motels mostly. Sometimes I’d stay in town parks (those were the best–met a lot of cool people). Camped in “free” areas when I could find them. In the central/western/coastal areas of the US and in Canada I usually stayed in campgrounds (state/private). In the Yukon and Alaska you can sleep anywhere you like. In Mexico I usually stay in motels (cheap and almost all land is fenced–I don’t trespass). I’ve “free” camped a couple times and I think I stayed in 1 official campground on Baja. I’ve used couchsurfing.com but it’s been difficult to coordinate places to stay in remote areas (no phone/internet) so I’ve only done this twice. I’ve never stayed in a hostel. No reason other than the couple times I would have they didn’t allow check-in until 5pm so I just found something else.

6. How much does your bike/gear/body weigh?

The bike weighs 44.5 lbs (20kg). It’s a tank. The gear weighs about 80 lbs (36 kg). My fat ass weighed 207 lbs (94 kg) when I left Florida. In the first year I lost 22 lbs (10 kg).

7. Do you have a death wish (from my Aunt and others who think going to South America/Mexico is a bad idea)?

No, but I understand there are risks just like there are with every other crazy thing I enjoy doing. I intend to respect everyone I meet, avoid obviously dangerous places/situations and listen to the locals. If someone still decides they want to pop a cap in my ass there’s not much I can do about it.

8. How long are you going to be gone?

Not sure. It’s been a year so far. Maybe 2 years? Maybe more.

9. Don’t you miss [person]?

Terribly. I traveled back to Florida for a week (via plane) 9 months after leaving to visit family/friends which was great. I also saw family on the way to up Alaska. Skype keeps me in phone contact when need be.

10. What did you do with all your stuff?

I sold/donated virtually everything I owned. I left some irreplaceable things like my photo album with family. The house I lived in was a rental so no mortgage to get out of. I sold my vehicle at a nice loss with the market being what it was at the time. I own some land in Tennessee that would have liked to have sold but I’m stuck with it since the market is dead. It’s just me and my bike now.

11. Why did you get rid of everything?

I wanted to be able to travel without having to watch a storage unit eat up all my savings. I think when I eventually come back a lot of the material things I had just won’t seem that important anyway.

12. Can I make a donation to your trip?

When I left I didn’t see my travels as anything worth contributing to so when offers did come in for donations I pointed people to places that actually do some good. I’m not riding for a “cause” or for some other noble purpose. My feelings have changed a little in the last year however.

The publicity I have received does help promote something that I think is beneficial and that I didn’t consider when I left. Pulling up anywhere on a loaded touring bike elicits a natural curiosity in people that is the same regardless of what region or country you are in. Someone, and often groups of people, almost always come up to me when I’ve stopped somewhere. Sometimes I’ll just be riding along and they’ll wave me over or pull up beside me and ask that I stop so they can talk. That’s something I never expected. Then you get the opportunity to share things about were you are from and what you’ve seen in the places you’d traveled to. This helps to dispel a lot of the myths that are out there and hopefully encourages other people to travel and maintain an open mind.

So if you do want to contribute $5 I’ll put it to good use. If you are my family and my birthday is coming up there’s a $10 minimum.

13. I have questions about [whatever]…

I created something called an Ask Me Anything page in early February 2010. Lot’s of great questions were posted there if you want to take a look. I get emailed if something new is submitted. Or just email me using the Contact page. I love hearing from people that I met on the road or that just stumbled across my site because they were interested in touring.