6 hours to go!

Its Alison 30th birthday today and one of our amazing neighbours baked three beautiful cakes for us to devour. Despite our best efforts there was still a small amount left that regrettable we will have to give away. We have now adopted the attitude that we need to consume calories so bring it on.
With only a few hours to go we must go and pack the rest of our stuff before our alarm chimes at 3.45AM!!!

I have now enabled the comments box so feel free to drop us a note, good or bad.

2 Days to go

GEEK ALERT
This entry will be all about the stuff we are taking in case anyone of you were wondering or even considering going on an exploration yourself.

Despite not being recommended by cycling enthusiasts, we will be riding Ridgeback World Panorama touring bicycles. On a personal note, I have cycled this beauty over half around the world and had very few problems. The bike will be loaded with front and rear pannier bags along with a handle bar bag to allow quick assess to personal belongings. It is critical one is methodical when it comes to packing the bags. It is extremely infuriating rummaging around the bags trying to find something. Everything must have a place and stay there.

We will be sharing a small, 2.9kg, freestanding tent. It is important the tent is freestanding because when I tried to camp in Death Valley the ground was so hard I snapped numerous pegs and was unable to erect my tent. We will both have sleeping bags that will keep us comfortable and warm at zero degrees. Most importantly, we are taking a thermarest camping mat that provides extra comfort to sleep at night.

To document the ride we shall be taking a small EEE PC netbook along with a point click and DSLR camera. I will also be taking a video camera allowing me to create DVD documentary about the trip when I get back.

Taking into account we are going away for 102 days, I am taking the following items of clothing:
2 pairs of pants
3 pairs of socks
3 cycling short
5 t shirts
1 jumper
1 pair of combats
2 pairs of normal shorts
1 waterproof jacket
1 windproof jacket
1 woolly hat
1 pair of gloves.
And that’s all I can think of at the moment. I know what y’all are thinking but who needs pants anyway!!
　

5 Days to go

5 Days to go…

Good news, British Airways have announced that our particular flight is currently going ahead but this may still change. Bad news, the Ash cloud has come back to say hello and put a hold to recent flight out of the UK. However, according to the met office, we are expecting warmer weather next week that should therefore push the Ash towards the north and freeing up the airspace over our skies. Pheeewwww!

The other pain this weekend was trying to find insurance that would cover our journey. Because we are going away for over 102 days many companies would not touch us as their policy only cover up to 100 days. As stupid as this seems there was no way around the problem and we finally got some quotes that differed by an astonishing £200 each. We ended up getting covered but the bikes are another issue that I wont bore y’all with.

The other good news is that our replacement bike parts have turned up and my newly acquired maintenance knowledge has been put to the test. I have taken some responsibility and learnt how to change a tyre for this trip. I still prefer my ignorance is bliss approach though.
I have no other photos to put on here so i though i would introduce you to Chalky, Chips and Rusty
　
　
　

One week to go…

On top of the Volcanic Ash Cloud, British Airways cabin crew have just announced a strike which has put our departure in jeopardy. We have to wait until Thursday to find out whether our particular flight is cancelled and if it is we don’t know what’s going to happen. The strike is intended to last 20 days and we can not afford to push our trip back that far. So fingers crossed.

Not long now!!

With only a week and a bit to go the realisation that we have to cycle a long way has hit us both. Alison is in a bit of catch 22 situation because to get the time off work she has had to do lots of overtime that in turn means there has been no time to train! Not only are we worried about the physical aspect but the other potential banana skin is a strong headwind. The traditional prevailing winds go from West to East but we have decided to go from East to West for two main reasons. Firstly, if we had started in Seattle we would have made it to the Rockies within a week or so. In our limited physical state, it would have been torture to tackle 12000ft hills. By starting on the otherside of the country, our saddle harden bums and legs would have time to strengthen.

Secondly, the time of year we are going means there could be snow on the peaks of the rockies making it too dangerous to pass.

Below it the route we are planning on taking


View Pedal Plodders: State by State 2010 in a larger map

First Biking Outing - 30 days to go!

Pre Departure.

With just over 30 days to go the realisation of what we are hoping to accomplish is dawning on us. Hence the decision to dust of the cobwebs and test our legs. It was a pleasant journey through Kent with some testing hills. I have downloaded the data that can be viewed above. I intented to use this system during our crossing. The data can be analysed in more depth if you click on the "view details" button.