cyclenu - the art of bicycle naked

okay so I have been ignoring you

2010-07-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

I found that some times making the time takes more time then you have to spend.
my complete journal for the 2010 Greek trip is now complete on crazy guy.http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/oregoncyclenu
Back in the Hood,riding and wondering where my bike will want to go next.

2010-05-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

It seems I have an obsession about the roads in Greece.

Today I will stop talking about the roads and or lack of. Getting directions at the local water fountain from a older gentleman who was there to fill his water jugs started my morning. He looked at my map pointed in several directions and spoke rapidly all in Greek, I nodded at what must have been the right places as he left me with a huge smile and a wave. I love that there are at times water fountains to be found along the road.
This morning finding one allowed a nice bath and refill of the water bottles. Okay so the bath was with refreshing cold spring water need I say more.

This section of the Island was barely populated with just a sprinkling of colorful houses. I had heard that the island boasted 20 million olive trees my count so far was a tad over 18 million 600 thousand. But I think I missed a few.
A sand road along the coast tied into a rough gravel road that boasted a military tank at the intersection.
This was the second tank I had seen ‘dug in’ as the say as a defensive part of past island protection. Both of these tanks were now abandoned left to rust with there guns still pointing out to the sea.

There was no real goal in mind for today's travels but (the infamous but) there was a town in striking distance that I have stayed in once before. Hell I even knew where the bakery was there.
With thoughts of fresh hot raisin buns I got slapped in the face with one of the longest and steepest climbs of the whole trip so far. Yeah I hear you all laughing. This was the 2 liter plus climb where another church that was spotted as a speck in the clouds would finally become a full fledged building.

Sheep are not my friends. I have already posted several shots of cute sheep herds that have shared or crossed my path. But sheep are not my friends. It as hot today. Fresh sheep dung from those oh so cute sheep attracts huge swarms of flies, riding through the herd allows the flies to abandon the sheep dung and become my new BFF or best friends forever. If I was luckily this would happen where I would have a spot of downhill or flat stretch to get enough speed to lose them. If it was as today on the uphill push you got to see the Greek version of Lord of the Dance. As I wasn’t getting the steps correctly I was able to practice this dance many times during the course of the day.

After several days of connecting the dots to travel from village to village I find myself back in the arms of civilization. Coming in from the coastal route I discovered a part of a village that when passing during my last tour I was totally unaware of. Sort of like in the states when the freeway passing a town and soon there is an newer town out by the freeway exit, All new and modern that has no real connection to the original town except the name. When I had passed this village once before all the trappings were mostly modern so I just peddled on. Coming in via the coast route I wasn’t sure that I was even in the same town. A huge church high up on a rock sitting right in the middle of the old village. How?? Had I missed this??
Must have been high on coffee and raisin buns.

I found my Pizza sign from last year.

As I topped the ridge the entire town of Molivos was spread out before me. The blue house was going to be my home for a few days as rain was once again on the agenda.

I lucked out and once again had the house to myself as the only other guests left in the morning. They were an uninspiring couple from Washington D.C. who wore the shell of totally out of they comfort zone tourist as they traveled.

Molivos is a great little village, tucked tightly again the ridge overlooked by the castle above. Lots of smiling people and good restaurants. I even found myself back in the same restaurant as I have eaten in last year. The owner a surly woman who lacked a personality made up for that with her cooking skills. Her husband was the opposite treating me to shot after shot of homemade amaretto. I told him he was a good man for they made a great couple together…

And what do you do for fun?

2010-05-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday ended with a nice camp along a remote section of beach. What from a distance looked soo inviting turned out to be a serious letdown upon my arrival. The winding mountain roads had finally brought me back to some semblance of civilization. Hell there was even pavement for a few hundred yards.
Then gravel, then pavement, then gravel, I could keep this going but I think we all have the picture. Do not take any of this as a complaint as I am just passing on the conditions I went on while I sang badly at the top of my lungs, happy to be on tour. Several miles around this bay sat an old abandoned fisherman’s shack along a single track trail. I made my way over thinking that there would be some flat ground nearby to pitch my tent. I was in for a surprise as all I found was large rocks and garbage. Lots and lots of junk, everywhere. My options were limited as to what I should do as daylight would leave me stranded before I would be able to retrace my route back to a suitable camp spot. Make lemonade was the best solution as I rolled out my ground cloth right on the path that got me here. I cleaned a circle of junk away from my camp area and started a blaze with the debris. What started as a five minute project to clear a space around my tent became a hour as I cleared off a large area on the rocky beach of plastic bottles, jugs, buckets, old nets and other junk that had be washed up by the water to this shore.

2010-04-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Fire up the kettle
Woke up once again long before first light, did a little reading in the tent using a headlamp as I waited.
This year I packed a good set of polar fleece pants along with a polar fleece jacket to sleep in. They make comfortable sleeping gear also they are great to wear around camp in the morning when the sun had yet to warm the ground. I packed a Helly Hanson long-sleeved winter undershirt a new addition to my touring gear. In the past I would stop for lunch or at the end of day. Hot and sweaty but rapidly cooling to the point of getting a chill I would toss on a jacket that soaked up the sweat and kept me warm. This time I would pull off my bike Jersey putting the HH shirt on. Designed to wick away the sweat but as opposed to a cool max shirts these kind of winter wear under shirts are used to help keep you warm even when wet. What a difference as it worked better than expected. I would cool down but didn’t get cold. Was much easier to rinse out and hang dry then a jacket.
Breakfast had my Kettle flaming for some killer oatmeal and hot coffee. Sun was rising up on the cliffs I started to pack up but was stalled, the dew on tent fly needed to dry. What is the old saying about if you can’t move the mountain then move to the mountain? I gathered up the tent fly and walked up out of the stream bed to a rise that the sun was already shinning on. Laid out here it dried while I finished packing up.
The next village was barley awake when I arrived. Had another cup of coffee from a sleepy café owner who was on his first cup of the day. It hit me that I hadn’t a clue what time it was except morning, as for the day of the week I would have to count back sleeps to get to the a day of the week I actually knew. Such a bad thing…
As I left I spotted a small church poised high on a rocky ridge some miles away in the distance. Amazed that someone would have the tenacity to haul the building materials to such a high and remote area.
Today was also episode 27 of the ongoing saga of you can’t get there from here. When I pointed to the back road I wanted to use to get to Sigri I was told no way, dirt road, take this fine paved road that is also going to Sigri.. There was a lack of understanding that I wanted this high mountain dirt road the hugged the coast over the main road that yes it would get me there easier and faster but wasn’t the way I wanted to go. I told them in my limited way that if the road got to rough I would turn back and visit with them later for a beer. Not two miles down the dirt road came across a small church that had a covered well sporting a new shinny bucket. Under the shade of a large oak I took a great refreshing bucket shower.. okay I am lying it was a frigid icy cold, freeze my butt off wash that was wonderful. Clean duds followed felt 100% better. Off to tackle the back road route. It wasn’t long before that church that I talked about earlier; you know the one high up on that ridge. While I was climbing and climbing and now I was looking down on this same church in one direction and in the other more climb. but wait in the other direction more climb yahoo There is nothing I can put in words here that would accurately paint you the picture of the feeling of awe when I crested this next ridge. I was now going back in time as with the acceptations of this gravel road the landscape was green rolling hills with a few stone fences this area was devoid of modern mans influence.
Again road is an large encompassing term here for anything from almost a wantabe jeep track to a paved highway. The down side to this remote adventure highway was the fact that the un-marked spur roads that jutted off in several directions were sometimes as large or small as what I will call this main road. Many long minutes were spent standing at a crossroad or spur doing a mental coin flip on what road should I venture down. As hard as it is to believe never once during this days back- road trek did I have to reverse course.

Great day to be alive, better day to ride.

2010-04-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Great day to be alive, better day to ride.
At last clear baby blue skies in every direction. That dark threat of rain that chased me on my ride yesterday only to pour after I had arrived here had given way to a bright sunny morning. The daughter of my host who spoke English made me coffee while welcoming me back to the island. She said that her mother going out in the street to offer rooms well last night was a first. We could at this point get into the discussion about cosmic alignments and how all things that happen in the universe are meant to happen but we didn’t. They were so nice as they made me a sandwich to put away for my lunch. The road was calling my name so with sunshine on my back I wheeled out along the beach front road. I did make one small detour as my memory said that the bakery was a few blocks back from the main square. The bakery was even at this early hour close to being sold out. Racks that once had been piled with long brown loafs now showed just crumbs. I with the others that were showing up to buy were taken into the back where off right from the oven pans the baker was handing us our choices. This done I was officially ready to roll.
Low to no traffic, but the old high school mathematical problem haunted me all morning. You know the one that goes “If Mr. A leaves his house at 6:32 am and travels at 45 mph north on HWY 101 and Mr. B leaves his house at 7:07 am and travels south on HWY 101 at 58 mph. At what time will they meet?
The Answer is simple. They meet just as Chris on his fully loaded touring bike starts to cross a single lane bridge. I had to laugh for all morning while the road was wide I had it all to myself as soon as it narrowed down there would be a large truck or a rash of autos to share it with. It’s so fun to dance with the devil.
Today officially was the first real day of this tour. Body and mind were now clicking in sync. Huge long climbs that gave away to sweeping views. Green hillsides covered with brilliant flowers, add to this the total loss of day and time. Soft music drifting up from the headphones that rested around my shoulders. I was in the moment and loving it.

A long climb up into a valley to a town perched on the hillside. I was proud as I had made good time and the turn off that would let me follow a more remote coastal route should located here in this town.
A group of guys sitting at a roadside café yelled for me to stop and have a beer. I am getting to like this as this is the second free beer bought by strangers for me since I have been here. I had my map of the US printed on a silk cloth that I showed them. It list how far Oregon is from this Island and how far all the cities that most of the people know of in the states are from Oregon. It is fun to watch their eyes get wide when they say New York and I point out that it is only 4k from Oregon. This group got my wide eyed reaction when I asked about the turn off road and they pointed out that I was yet to be in the right village for the turn off. I was still ten good climbing miles away from the right village. I am laughing now. But hey beer is fuel. There was a treat that as I sat there the waitress brought out a plate of unknown to me fresh cooked sheep liver. They insisted that I try a bite. It was great..
As the day started to come to a close I wandered up a small dirt road and pitched camp next to a dry river bed. The ground was so tough I bent a few tent stakes getting them in. Another first on this trip was the real world use of my Kelly Kettle. From Ireland this is a jacketed kettle that boils 3 pints of water in 5 to 6 minutes using twigs and leaves as fuel. This camp area was covered in fuel for this kettle. So I was ready with a package of dry soup poured in to a bowl, sliced turkey waiting to be added. Red wine, fresh bread, then chocolate for dessert. But once again I am ahead of myself. A little kindling in the fire pot, a quick zap of the lighter and as advertised it was rocking fire. You feed more fuel down the chimney till the water boils. Easy, soon I was pouring the boiling water into my soup dinner was just minutes away. I had brought one item that Kelly Kettle should offer with their kit. A silicone pot holder allows you to pick up the hot fire pot base. As it was somewhat windy it was easy with the pot holder to move the open flaming base down behind a rock where the fire would die out.
I am having fun..

gimmie shelter

2010-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dark rain clouds had been littering the sky for most of the day. I knew before long I was going to have to find some shelter for the night. What had shown on the map as a possible camp site turned out to be a water side restaurant with a nice tourist sign. Surprised at how busy it was I took the recommendation from the others dining here who were all sitting with plates of fresh fish and prawns. The owner led me back into the busy kitchen where I picked out a nice fat fish. I was really getting into this vacation shit. I ordered a beer that when delivered was paid for by the group at the next table. As two of the three spoke English we talked about (are you ready) bike touring, cameras, and music. As nice as it was chatting, those dark rain clouds had me worried that I was soon destined to get soaked. There was about 15-20 miles of paved riding to a large village getting there before the rain was my new goal.
After coming to a crossroad I turned heading for the bright city lights still another ten miles off. For the first time on this trip I was in sorta familiar roads as last year I had passed this way though in the other direction. When I came to the road construction that hadn’t progressed since my last trip I to laugh, I did as I had done the year before turning off the narrow paved main road and riding up on the empty wide smooth under construction roadbed. This was the best bike path yet. As I cruised past the shops on the narrow streets I wondered where I would find a room. The ten block Main Street busy with shoppers its café crowded with locals drinking Turkish coffee. I found the real recipe for good Turkish coffee (melts the spoon a prime indicator that you have made it right). I had always thought the ratio of coffee to battery acid was one to one but in reality it is one to six. The way you get that full burning effect in every cup. A lone taxi driver gave me the bad news that the Easter holiday had filled all the local rooms. Another six miles down the road was a beach side town that should still have rooms.
Déjàvu was this a repeat from last year. The same town he directed me to was the same place I had holed up from the rain last year. At least this time I knew the shortcut and peddled furiously as dark was chasing me. This is where it got weird. Just as I pulled into this next town I was forced to get off my bike as the streets were crowded with people on foot. A short lady popped out of the crowd. Looked right at me and said ROOM. I had to smile as this was the same owner’s wife from the same place I stayed last year in this same little village. With a big smile I followed her back to the same room as last year. If the sign had said Hotel California I would have run screaming. Now you have to know that she doesn’t speak a word of English. This whole exchange is being done just with nods and smiles. Settled in my room the rain came hard and fast for all of ten minutes. There was a festival going on and here I was right in the middle of it. A parade being led by a monked robed priest, tons of firecrackers going off, a huge bonfire, and me sitting back with a front row seat drinking some ouzo thinking this is pretty cool.

Road? What road? We don’t need no stinking road.

2010-04-20T20:06:00.001-07:00

This morning there was a sun hiding up in the haze that failed to make it warm. Thank god for the three mile climb that allowed my body to warm up before the sun broke through. Had that going for me to start the day. This morning I needed to find a store, a bakery and some sun screen. Bakery was easy, chocolate croissants still warm from the oven, a smiling baker wrapping a large loaf of fresh bread wishing me good cheer to start my day. A little cheese from the store, a banana and then the sunscreen.
Sunscreen choice was a total of one bottle of SPF 20. My sunburn factor so far SPF 2000. Cost was $20.US, need factor out weighted cost factor so I was more than happy to find it. In reality was actually surprised to find some in this small village. I normally tour with a small bottle of sun block that I have emptied and refilled for years. I know when I get home I will find it waiting for me as it sits out on the counter wondering why I left it behind.
Today should take me to a hot spring area that was one of the major reasons that I chose this island as a place to tour. I drank my juice and devoured the croissants before pushing off following a winding stream up the valley. A major hurdle was accomplished this morning as I had finally adjusted to the weight of the bike and here I was using most of my gear range. Stone bridges, hillsides ablaze with red poppies, low traffic, this is why I tour.

Found the first hot spring, closed up but with signs saying it was open. The guard dog became friendly as I shared my bread with him. People drove in, shook the door, and peered inside at the empty office then left.
Hidden from the main buildings was a local using the hot water to clean a few birds. I wandered around taking photographs before leaving. Not sure of the age of these buildings but from my understanding there has been some type of a hot spring bath house here for roughly two thousand years.
On the map it showed that the next town also had a hot spring so I pushed off not knowing if this was going to be an still closed or not. The Greek equivalent of a lawn and garden center had an enormous amount of clay pots along with all kinds of statues. There is one photo in this set that tells it all. No it’s not the “K’’ factor photo where a stone cold beauty fails to talk to me. It is one of the others.
When looking at Google earth of this Island there was what looked like a long landing strip just outside of this village though it had no building or if it was a military strip, no bunkers for planes. A road crossed it and I guessed an air strip when looking at it using Google earth but still wasn’t sure. Today I crossed it and it was an air strip with posted military signs warning that I was not supposed to take photos. I will just have to continue to look at it using Google earth..
You know sometimes there are parts of a ride that just piss you off. I climbed a good sized hill under a blazing sun to the next town and knew something was off when I finally came to the turnoff and it was a downhill coast. Not a bad downhill coast but I was rapidly losing the entire climb and actually back tracking towards the town I had just left. Following the hot spring signs I coasted lower and lower still wondering was I coming back to the other village. Popping around a bend the off in the distant was the other village actually closer then the village I had to pass thought to get here. I could have come from the first village to here without a climb. Not fair.. Okay So I will just have to soak in the hot spring baths as a reward with a cold beer. Maybe two. The folks who ran this place were really nice said to choose either the old or new bath house and have a soak. The old bath house needed some renovation so I choose the new it being only 400 years old, the other bath house was around 800 years old.
Leaving here was a gravel road that skirted the coast I was told that it did continue to the next town but they had never used it as it was gravel. This was not for the weak of heart as gravel gave way to sand and then the sand gave way to a track by the water. For several miles that seemed like hours I pushed on following the shore not knowing if this path was just going to give up on me or ? I saw a house way off in the distant that I knew must either have a path or a road leading to it. I was at the point that if this road did not reappear by the time I came to this house that I would have to back track and find another route. Luck was smiling as the house had a road in front of it. The roads still not more than gravel was better than the path. Happy I stopped and took pictures of the road.

Sheep can't read

2010-04-18T07:43:00.001-07:00

Once again awake in the dark. I read during the two hours it took for day light to catch up with my sleeping habits. Today was a day for exploration. I would leave my gear here at the hotel after breakfast and ride off to a few archeological sites that were close by. I think that grandma was pissed at grandpa for that free bottle of water. She took her revenge on my poor soul. I sat with the family having two fried eggs, a cup of coffee and a slice of French bread. When done grandma set the price at 10 euros.. If I had know I was dining at the Four Seasons I would have worn long pants.

Ruins of a fourth century B.C. temple sat high on a small promenade. A Greek church was a half dozen feet from this. This island is dotted with almost as many small Greek churches as there are olive trees. I have seen them clinging to cliffs high up in the mountains, huddled under the pines next to to shore..Along the roads there seems to be at least one every few kilometers.

Some are old construction in the hundred of years category others are as new as this year. None are large or elaborate but again there were hundreds of them.
I walked out on this point of land sticking out into the Mediterranean knowing that some artist stone mason had walked these same paths, looked out over these same waters. There were goats grazing nearby on the tall grass as I thought about how big the world had become in those twenty five hundred years since he was here. Okay enough of those deep moments.
A nice chat with a couple of older local fisherman repairing their boat from a at sea collision. Not bad damage but to hear them talk (broken English) the man who hit them had better sleep with one eye open.

The road. I had better stop here and define road on this island as only a way to get from point A to point B. Never in a straight line and never with a consistent width or surface. This road that I was now taking was made from poured concrete and about the width of a normal driveway. The surface was rough and unfinished, a typical standard for these concrete roadways. I peddled along enjoying the heat from the sun soon coming to an area of roadway that was dimpled with hundreds of small indentations. Bumping past it finally dawned on me that Sheep can not read wet concrete signs in either Greek or English.

Speaking of reading Stop signs are only in English. everywhere in Greece. Does this mean that if you can’t read English you don’t have to stop???

There was another town about five miles back from the coast that I headed for in a quest for dinner & lunch food. I filmed this little town and will have the video available as soon as it is edited.
One other observation picked up on this trip is that I would eat what I could pronounce or just recognize. I never eat potato chips at home but here I was picking up a bag of chips because I recognize them.
This little village had a small collection of natural history pieces that made for a nice break from the norm.
Curator was pleasant, knowledgeable and eager to use his English. Once thousands of years back this Island was buried rapidly under a blanket of volcanic ash. Caught were many animals that fossilized now serve as part of this collection. On the other side of this island I will visit the petrified forest that is a result of this same eruption

Day 2 - Sleeping with the pines

2010-04-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Woke up long before dawn body clock is going to be an issue for a few days. Had bananas, rolls and orange juice for a cold breakfast. Learned my lesson last trip. Now before I push off I make sure that I have at the minimum something for a cold dinner, breakfast and an extra liter of water on board at all times. On this island everything is based around the village. The smaller the village the more basic the supplies the store carries. Fruit and fresh vegetables may be available in one village but the next village up the road even though it could be the same size may offer none. Staying ahead of the curve is going to allow me this tour to venture off the beating track heading towards places that I missed last time around.

I had the road to myself drifting down through groves of olive trees past sleeping villages barking dogs greeting me along the way. Plomari was a larger town right on the water. An impromptu vegetable market was going on along the side of the road and from the back of small pickup trucks.
But I smelled a bakery. Funny how that skill stays with me from tour to tour.
Fresh baked raisin buns still warm from the oven were just waiting for me up a side street from the main square. A vendor selling bananas another ½ liter of orange juice and I was set for a second breakfast.
Sitting on the ocean breakwater wall enjoying the sunshine I was about to make an interesting discovery. Albert Einstein is alive an well having at a late stage in his life the formula for everlasting. I am not sure how but I am including some photographic proof.

The road rose and fell like ocean waves.Yesterday I was wondering if I had bitten off more then I could chew with these huge hills on a bike that (one more time) weighted more then a humvie. Today riding under a clear blue sky I was able to even shift out my lowest gear. Wahoo.. Too soon I spoke as the next five plus miles were nothing but a solid climb. Soon I was about to put the bike to its first test. Steep downhill gravel road was the route I had picked and steep thick gravel was waiting with its tire grabbing, No prisoners grin. But before I got to far I stopped and made my first really bad rookie mistake of the trip. I wanted to photograph part of the steep hill that I had just come down. Without any trees or boulders to lean the bike up against I laid it down on its side. Both the front and rear panniers holding it up from laying completely on the gravel road. After taking the shots I put the camera back in the handle bar basket stood the bike up, down the road once again. A little speed, a hard bump and my right rear pannier flew off. A spectacular two and one half flip with a twist. The judges gave it a 7,7.5 and the Russian judge even gave it an 8.

IF when picking my bike up I had spent the 10 seconds that it would have taken to check the security of the bags after I had laid the bike down on its side I would not be writing this on a broken screen laptop.
I know from past experience it is not hard to defeat the connection system while the bike is resting on the bags. What helps hold the bag to the rack is the pressure from the lower clip. When you lay your bike on one of its bags you can easily take the pressure off this clip. While moving the bike to place gear in the outside bags and before you know it you have released this clip. Now the bag is holding on with the upper hangers only. They work best in the locked position with a solid grip from that lower clip but absent that they can twist free when the right bump gives them the force and angle. Were the upper hangers in the full locked position ? Most likely not. Anyone to blame ? No one but me. But as the say don’t cry over spilled lactose free soy milk.

The rains over the past few months had turned this steep gravel road into a rock garden that required both front and rear brakes in the full hand cramp position. It seemed like I had made better time climbing this mountain then I was making going down it. Several hours later I found myself looking down on a small village nestled in the valley below. As this wasn’t the main road I knew that there must be a better road to this place and maybe that better road was going in the same direction I wanted to travel. I take it back this wasn’t a village but a cluster of houses. But there was pavement and it was heading towards the coast. that was the good, the bad and the ugly was this huge head wind funneling up the valley road.
The closer I got to the ocean the harder it became to ride. Nuclear winds in the Columbia Gorge have some competition in the valley of Kato Stravos. Out of the valley at last the road turned and ran along to the breach. It wasn’t easier just better. I started to pass shuttered homes and then boarded up hotels, inns and restaurants. From the look of the map this place had some size (people). From the blowing sand in the street to the boarded up buildings I was alone. The strip was a couple of miles long and I had yet to encounter a soul as I reached the termination of the pavement on the far side of everything.

At one of the hotels there was someone in the back washing a truck. I went and asked if they were open?
All the shutters were down it was in my mind a rhetorical question. .Surprise the guy washing the truck was the owner. He said sure I could get a room they were not really open but had rooms still made up from when the season ended. Turns out they were there to use the restaurants kitchen to prepare part of their Easter feast. Some of you will want to see the live lambs before and after photos but I will hold off for now in posting those.
Nice room with a stunning ocean view. No food here they said but a tavern that will serve some light supper is just down the street. It was closed earlier as I rode past. Grandpa came out of the back handing me a 1.5 liter water. I offered to pay and he declined. Grandma arrives and chews him out, in Greek of course, but a ass chewing by a wife is an ass chewing, obvious without a needed translation in any language .
Owners tells me just before I ride off that I can have breakfast there in the morning. .

The only tavern open offered a stunning meal of fresh caught lightly breaded pan fried calamari, Greek salad, local red wine and fresh bread. I died and went to heaven. Then came the bill, nine euros
The cost of the wine alone anywhere else.
Full, tired, I rode back to my empty hotel as the sun was setting.

Today was another great day to ride.

I smell a bakery

2010-04-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

Okay so I admit it is not the riding that I come here for it is the bakeries that lure me to this wonderful place.

With a fresh hot out of the oven sesame roll I wait for daylight to catch up to me.
New Life is a guest house in the heart of Mitilini that is everything Greek that you would expect. In need of a coat of paint and some maintenance but run by a Greek with a hearty smile and a want to make you comfortable you just overlook the flaws, smile and drink your coffee. It was here in the courtyard under the sweet smell of blossoming orange trees that I put all the pieces back together of my bike.

My bright yellow Detours Panniers were going on their first tour. Damn they make my bike look hot. So A little gear update is due here. I am touring with my Trek 520, Detour panniers,Detour handlebar basket (red). You can see my Aero bars,and my duel clip peddles. Love the light weight Detours Panniers as the four combined are less weight the my old pannier rear set. That and the fact that they are water proof not needing an additional cover is going to make a difference when it rains (yes it will rain it always gives me one day of rain to tell me I was once a fool to not carry rain gear.. Now I lug it as added ballast, helps stabilize the bike)

Have my map. Bike is loaded and still weighs more then a Humvie. I am in the lowest gear making a steady 4 mph on flat ground. What the hell was I thinking?? Do I really need or want all of this gear. But here is the Mediterranean on my left,hillsides on the right covered with blossoming flowers in all the rainbows colors, a warm sun shining overhead in a light blue sky and I am once again riding in Greece.

If you know me you know that I have only the lightest of plans while I tour. I have little regard for maximizing the miles or trying to go on pennies a day. My plan is to stay as close to the water as practical, camp when and where I can, eat good food washed down with local wines and beers. It known I know I know, lofty goals that will take Herculean (notice Greek reference) effort to achieve.

Newbie Tip:

Panniers are always packed for balance but there is a huge secondary concept that needs to be applied. What side do you lean your bike up against. Follow me here?
As most touring bikes are with out a kickstand you end up leaning your rig up against a wall or post or if you are traveling with a partner you can lean your two bikes together. This for the most part leaves the bags on the wall side inaccessible.
You also stand, walk and push from the same side making the bags on the far side harder to get at. Why is this important to know? The gear on that far side should be items that you only need in camp. Tent, sleeping bag, spares, tool kit. As opposed to items that you want the ease of getting to quickly. Jacket,clothing, toilet kit, food. My front left pannier is my food bank. I seem to always lean my bike on its right side. So when I come out of a store with new food supplies the front left pannier is easy to access without having to move the bike to store away the new items.
You follow this now.. today is a good day to ride..

I had heard that you could take a boat (not a ferry) across a small gulf so finding this boat was going to be part of my firsts days adventure. An Adventure it was as the three roads leading down to the water the first two turned out to be dead ends.
I wasn't holding much hope for the third as the little marina was just a small dock next to a tavern. No signs in greek or english, just a guy on the dock painting some wooden posts. Oh did I say no boat? There was no boat. I wondered if I was a fool standing on this pier with my bike. The painter smiled said boat? I nodded, he pointed off across the water and said "boat" once again. I said yes with even more nodding. He went back to painting.

Not sure what that all meant I stood there for a few minutes staring out to sea.
The song "should I leave or should I go" started playing in my head and then(wait for it)I saw a smudge out across the water that, could it be??? my ship well really a small boat was heading my way. five minutes later I had carried my bike on board we were heading to the opposite shore.

It was a very nice crossing, tea and biscuits on the aft deck (see photograph) cost of 5 euros for the crossing. Dropped me in a place called Perama that from all the lack of people was abandoned. Cruised around looking for the road to take me up to the next town. First wrong way put me next to a 400 year old windmill.

You have to understand that here on this island a road can go from a two lane with proper stripes and shoulders to a one lane alley looking cobble stoned crammed between two narrow buildings in a blink of an eye. What looks like the proper road can fool you when it dead ends at a factory only to find out that side street with the crumbling pavement is the main road.

The next town I came to had just received a shipment of throaty mufflers as there were a half dozen kids on their mopeds racing up and down the road loud baby Harley noises emitting from their exhausts. Monster grins as they passed my bike at a whopping 25 mph.

Three quarters up my second climb of the day I had run out of gas. I followed a small dirt road a quarter mile finding a small level spot to erect my tent. Hot, tired, cold beer, so ended my first day of riding.

Sunburned in Greece

2010-04-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Sunburned in Greece

Yasoo the greeting of Greece.. Also my one and only non swear word that I know in Greek
Though good merda is good morning but from me it makes everyone turn and scrunch their brow.
After two days of riding I find myself in a small resort area that is not yet open for the season. Not open as no stores, restaurants, no signs of life as I rode along the beach fronted street waves crashing in on one side and boarded up after boarded up motels, hotels and restaurants on the other. I had pressed on earlier in the day as from the map this place looked large enough to provision me out. But I am jumping way to far ahead here.

March 28
Seattle airport arrived as planned to be first in line at check in.. I Can not swear to it always working but there always seems to be less of an issue when you are first in line with an overweight and those too large bags. Not the serious overweight problem but those few extra pounds that going on a subway diet wouldn’t cure. I smile a lot make sure they see the bicycle helmet that I carry as a badge and smile some more. More often then not few extra pounds are noticed but overlooked and off I go to the over sized bag inspection area.
Again life was giving me a large smile as the TSA inspector told me not to worry as he would handle the bike with kid gloves. I watched , he did.. What was the past presidents saying 'trust but verify'.

Plane ride was long and mostly uneventful thought the one problem of this flight was a national issue :(
Air France out of wine, no white no red, no wine.. I asked to make sure that this was an Air France plane..Forced to swill brandy as a substitute for some reason the trip went entirely too quick.

Back to Bike worry in Paris. Layover was short had the traditional five mile run from one terminal to the next. Will I make it? Will my bike make it?
Huge crush of bodies all going through passport control then back through security. flight turned out to be delayed small 20 minute wait then we all we loaded on a bus to be taken the whole five mile trek back to a plane that was waiting only three planes down from my Seattle jet.. I waved.

Athens, sunshine, warm breezes, bike and duffel seen doing the carousal dance. can we see the happy smile on my face.. Now it was lugging both pieces to the ferry terminal. Cab fare was 55 euros. Metro train 6 with one transfer. I got to know several Greeks quite well as the metro was packed. After the transfer thing the train went several stations and stopped a construction transfer was to put us all on buses.. Now I grabbed a taxi as lugging the bike box up onto a city bus would be nearly impossible. With over an hour to spare I was standing in front of my ferry just a fourteen hour sea cruse left to be in Lesvos.

Body clock and local time having there way with me. By now I was pushing the 24 hour clock of zero sleep. Bike case and duffel stored in the secure area provided by the ferry I headed for a bed. At daylight their time plus an hour or two I will be riding.

4:30 am
bike and body arrived together at Mitilini daylight will allow me to reassemble and get on the road.. I am ready, rested and ready to rock..

what a real overloaded bike looks like

2010-03-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this photo of a touring cyclist. As the old saying goes "a picture speaks a thousand words".

2010-03-13T13:59:00.001-08:00

Two Weeks and Counting

Just two more Saturdays of work. Does it seem like I am counting??
Fat wet snow flakes this week gave the morning ride a little post holiday flavor.
How can a little snow or a cold hard rain dampen your day when you know a tour is just weeks away.
This is a great time to road test all of your wet weather gear that you are hauling along on your trip. Does your rain jacket have enough vents to keep you from soaking from the inside out? Is it long enough in the back, going below the seat when you are sitting so the rain doesn’t pool on you seat.

We all love riding with sparkling new gear but beware the thought of not getting it dirty until the trip can back fire. Just yesterday found out that my new water resistant LED tail light didn’t like the rain. When it was first bought some weeks ago it was tossed in the pile of going on tour gear but being held back with “ don’t use until trip mind set." A change of mind (happens often in my world) got it placed on the bike for a few rides. A cold hard rain, a fast downhill run then there was no light. Water had snuck in and caused it to fail. More then glad that it was given a actual hard test run.
It was fully warranted so replacing it wasn’t a problem. So now testing its brother to see if it is an design issue or just a flaw with the original one.

The rain cover on the new handlebar basket is having an issue with the brake cables. Could send them both to counseling if that would help but really think that it is just something that needs to be adapted before the next heavy rain.

348 hours, not that I am counting…

Pile of Stuff

2010-03-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that in less then 17 days I will be riding in another country under the Mediterranean sun. Today is about what I am taking, (with photographs).

I have transferred my Aero bars to my touring rig. As I have written about these in the past I shall just say that after ten years of use I would never tour without them. My new HD video camera now mounts right there on the front of the aero bars giving the camera a great height to record from. Did a test ride yesterday recording the commute to work. There shall be some spectacular Greek videos coming your way before no no wait for it seventeen days.

Clothing as you can see from the photographs is packed in several one gallon zip lock bags. Many a good reason for this.
First off it packs smaller. You can sit on the bags then seal them creating a package with most of the air gone.
Second is being able to see and choose items without having to touch them with dirty hands. Great for heading to the shower after one of those days where the chain needs repair and the dirt from the road just caked on everything.
Last is being able to have your sweat filled jersey properly sealed away from making all of your clean gear smell like a 8th grade locker room.

There is the Kelly Kettle next to my french press coffee maker.
A small tool kit, a few extra nuts and bolts,a spare clip in, tire patch kit, all in one tool, three zip ties

Sleeping bag with tent & footprint all in one compression sack.
Hint: load the sack with your sleeping back first then the tent. This way you set up the tent before having to pull the bag out exposing it to possible bad weather,dirt or what not.

Sleeping pad & tripod in one sack

Once again the weight of reality

2010-03-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

Once again the weight of reality outweighs the dreams of planning.
As I head into the final weeks before departure I have accumulated a nice pile of gear that was purchased just for this trip. Each Item having just one purpose “to make my upcoming tour more enjoyable”. Simple light words used to justify purchases of a new bike, tent, clothing, two different bike bags along with a host of assorted small gear.
Here I was with my four Panniers and my dream pile of gear that even with careful packing was more then I could fit in my panniers. Signally they were attached to the bike. What’s the joke about failing off a cliff? It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the bottom. So it’s not the weight on one panniers it’s the sudden realization that combined your bike weighs more than a Humvie. Ouch!!!
I knew I was going pare some weight but the items that I ended up with in the no go pile were staring me with big fat puppy dog eyes pleading for a chance to go to Greece.
New padded camera bag – NO GO – replaced with Camera Armor
New spacious tent – NO GO – replaced with old friend and past touring warrior 1 person tent
New titanium pot & pan set – NO GO – Not replaced more bulk issue then weight.
Clothing - NO GO – Yes in the team spirit of CYCLE NU I will be traveling (had you going there) What was once two panniers worth of clothing now fits into one.
So I reduced the size of my load from four full panniers by half and knocked out over 10# of weight.

THE COUNTDOWN TO GREECE STARTS T MINUS 29 AND COUNTING

2010-02-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

THE COUNTDOWN TO GREECE STARTS
T MINUS 29 AND COUNTING
Today is the proverbial start of the countdown that takes all my years of touring experience mixes that with the ‘but I want to take this and this and this and don’t forget this “ toss with a generous sprinkle of reality and hopefully come up with a bike bag and gear combo that weighs less than a house.
A couple of wrinkles have now been exposed with my original touring plan. First is the city commuter bike. The concept was could a medium priced commuter/city bike be ridden all winter then with the addition of a few panniers become a solid touring beast. And the Answer is ??? Sort of yes and no.
How is that you might ask and a good question if I must say so myself. This bike to stay within the price point has some parts that the manufacture cut corners to stay within this price range. I have in roughly five hundred miles replaced my brake pads twice and am due for another set. Rim wear is starting to show as this brake problem and rim problem are related. Tires are ready to be replaced. Now all in all this isn’t the fault of the bike as a five hundred dollar bike was not expected to be bomb proof. But I look at the possible failure of other parts as a sure bet. Replacement costs would not/will not be high that was and still is the beauty of this bike. The ease of wheeling it into the Local Bike Shop and having them take care of these issues or new failures not a problem. Having a failure on a back road in Greece, finding a shop, hoping they have the right parts, not my picture of a great day spent on tour.
So I am back to using my touring beast. Loaded photos will be posted soon.

Part 2 Bags, Bikes & Aero Planes

2010-02-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Part2
Bags, Bikes & Aero Planes

So here we are at the airport with a pile of gear. Let’s go from big to small, for the big is the easy one being my bike broken down in its case. Next is the two rear panniers, the trunk bag, the handle bar bag, then the carry-on bag not to exceed one cubit by. (“Lord what’s a cubit?”) And then finally my man purse, yeah I know but with all the funky airline rules in place to nickel and dime you for each and every little thing this falls under the level playing field doctrine. If a woman can carry a purse stuffed with every item for a dinner party for eight then still is allowed a “carry-on bag” well then I am going to carry a man purse each and every time I fly. Level playing field right?
What a pile of stuff I now have lying at my feet. Let alone trying to move it. Once I did use “the bungee cord method” with a wrapped cord trying to hold it all as one piece. Utter fail was that comedy, for as soon as I picked up one bag another bag found away to escape to the floor and I was once again starring at the pile swearing it was all possessed by some demonic curse.
Then one day before a tour as I wandered the local sporting goods store I spied large cheap nylon duffel bags. I had the moment where the light comes on and there is a clear map from problem to solution..okay so I am embellishing this, as the real thought was a Homer like DUH:) I grabbed the largest bag in bright red. This was not going to be a life time quality bag as the thin nylon material wanted for its small size when empty was … thin. At home I assembled all of the above pieces from my travel kit and one by one stuffed then in their new big red one home. I took my bike cable lock and threaded it through all of my gear. If the bag failed somewhere over the Atlantic I still wanted to have everything on the inside of the red bag hooked together.
That was the beauty of that bag was now I was traveling with two bags and no longer got that look of scorn from the airline check in people. I also was able to fold it up and store it in the bottom of one of my pannier. This having it with me on a ride worked well when I had to pull all my gear off the bike for a train ride.
I so far have gotten two trips of use from big red. One more and it will most likely get retired with big red #2 taking its place.

2010-02-06T08:38:00.001-08:00

BIKES, BAGS AND AERO PLANES

Another year and it gets harder and harder to be able to travel with a bicycle.

Fees for taking a bike have gone from nothing to depending on the air carrier a whopping $300.00 each way. I understand the airlines need to be profitable though the nice blurb that some of them have written on their web page for traveling with sporting goods can only be viewed as funny.

“We want you to be able to continue your sports activities even when you are traveling.

For this reason, (airline name) offers special excess baggage rates for sports baggage.”

So a one way fee of $150-300 dollars is ‘special’. Can you hear me laughing….

So the search is always to find the airline with both the most reasonable airfare combined with the most reasonable fee for hauling a bike to the start of my next tour.

Often the issue isn’t that the policy and fee schedule that is plain on carrier “A” but that with what is called “code share” that puts you on two airlines planes using one ticket to get to your destination. Airline “B” has a different set of rules that use a totally different fee schedule and ignore the policies of Airline “A”.

A biking friend ran into this problem after a tour in New Zealand. Arriving at LAX the airline that was to take him from LAX to Portland charged him $75 dollars extra to bring his bike. Even though he knew that charge did not apply he was forced to pay it. Arguing with the counter folks was shortly seen as a waste of time as their knowledge of their own rules was only based on memory. He accepted the charge that was refunded by the airline after he returned home. He now also carries a copy of the rules concerning bicycles for each carrier he flies with as an added precaution from this lesson learned.

When confronted with a bike rule that was as easy to understand as the IRS tax code I have sent off an email to the airlines customer service asking direct questions of the rules and fees. It was nice to have their corporate email reply in my hand as I checked my bicycle in. They read the email and passed my bike on without a single word.

There are several ways to box you bike for airline travel. Cardboard, hard shell, canvas bag, wrapped in plastic are all the common choices. I have always opted for a hard shell case with the thinking that very few people travel under the old adage of half the clothes, twice the money vacation rule. If the airline allows one bag to weigh fifty pounds then aunt bertha is going to use each and every ounce. Can my cardboard box or canvas bag handle that crushing weight? Do I want to discover the answer to that question at the baggage carousel in Madrid?

Asking around at the local bike shops I found that several had hard shell cases that they were willing to rent, Nice to use on the trip, even nicer not to have to store at home when the case is not being used.

Today is a good day to ride.

Oregoncycle

How much Training

2010-01-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

How much training? If touring is about getting in lots of miles per day then I am not a tourist.. I remember part of a tour on the Oregon coast where
after breaking camp we moved out to the main road then turned into the next
state park a whole mile away.. It was a park that was not to be missed,
that to me is the fun of bicycle touring.

I have also done three days in a row where each days mileage was just over 100.
The daylight hours were long and my body did not protest the hours in the saddle. Properly fueled and hydrated with a callused butt I can ride long or short miles.
I find that the miles I put in before lunch are usually the same amount I hit after a nice lunch break.
Ride 35 miles before lunch then after my little afternoon
siesta I will easily crank out another 35. It is usually how I pace my day.

Hills ! God I hate long climbs. This is where I really spend most of my time training. Standing up and grinding out that long 10 block hill over and over again then moving on to another hard climb. I know I can do the miles over the flats it those steep to the moon climbs that darken my day. I have never found a low enough gear that allows me to spin my way to the top. So I learned to stand up and climb, using those clip in pedals to help pull on the up stroke.

But I always remember the bike guru who told me that there was never a hill that he couldn't walk up.. In the words of Carl the Groundskeeper "so I have that going for me.."

How Cold Was It?

2010-01-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

Riding in the winter is always a fun time. What was once a sweet downhill run in the warm breeze of a summer day now is slim fingers of arctic air looking to numb its way to my heart. But there is nothing like a below freezing day to get your heart rate up and the blood pumping. Lots of layers and plenty of zippers seem to be the proper method to regulated body heat.
Downhill I am the Michelin man fat and happy in my cocoon of warmth.
Uphill I look like a four year old who got dressed all by himself.

This winter I added a biking skull cap to my collection of arctic wear. It has proven itself as a great way to keep my head warm. I am just missing the long robe. For with this cap and the robe I could pass for a novice Tibetan monk.

My new bike just got a mini tune-up from Discover Bicycles(www.discoverbicycles.com) in Hood River.
The red pumice stone that the city uses to sand the icy streets eats brake pads. Changing pads after only four months of riding was a first for me. Entirely glad that I did it as a little lube here and there, a few bolts needing a slight tightening, replace the pads, check the chain stretch and best of all having a competent bike mechanic give the whole bike a once over. I left the shop with that warm glow that a nicely tuned bike gives. Cold what cold…..

2010-01-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.‏

2010-01-01T10:48:00.001-08:00

So today was a four wheel drive road in my two wheel drive world.
A little snow starting a few days ago pushed me off my bike and onto my indoor trainer. But the last day of the year gave a ray of hope for the coming New Year. Snow in the morning turned to drizzle then to a full fledged winter rain by late afternoon. Just like seeing or not seeing the shadow on groundhog day being able to ride on the first day of the year has always been the indicator of a great year of riding.

Fully dressed to resemble the Michelin man I rode off to work. All I can say is I hope the the snowplows get to my road before the end of the day or it is going to be a long push, uphill, in the snow, home

lighting the night

2009-12-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

But wait there is more :)
just came across a rechargeable solar blinkie.. this is a photo of it
Am going to send away for one and will do a full report after I give it a testing

Ernest, thanks for the suggestion.

As I am an Oregonian I should have been promoting Rechargeables as we pride ourselves in being the Green State.
I added some good information to this thread.
Cost savings
As mentioned, you can not only lighten your environmental footprint, but save a ton of cash by using rechargeable batteries.

A pack of 4 rechargeable batteries I purchased a short while ago cost me around $20. They'll be good for at least 500 recharges, likely more. A battery charger costs anywhere from about $10 -$30. The cost to recharge the set works out to to be just a couple of cents each time. So, in total, even factoring in the charger, a set of 4 AA will cost around $50 for their serviceable life.
A comparable set of heavy duty disposables cost around $2 - and that's at a discount price. The equivalent usage would cost $1000!
Environmentally and financially, rechargeable batteries just make more sense. If you can, try ditching your disposable battery habit and reap the rewards.

Christian

>>
> > hi Christian!
>
> how about using rechargeable batteries for those uses when you're
> not out on tour? at your current rate you might save a little money in
> the short term, but you're adding 5 extra batteries per cycle to
> landfill/disposal.
> rechargeables would cost you less in the long run and almost
> completely eliminate the impact on disposal.
>
>
> cheers!
> e
>
>
> christian Oregon wrote:
> >
> >
> > led lights are the bomb.. Changed my rear trunk light after a year of use w
> > ith fresh batteries as I wondered if it was getting dimmer (not that I coul
> > d see, but knowing they were a year old) New batteries and the light is j
> > ust as bright as the old. So one year of use on a bucks worth of batteries.
> > LED head lamp gets used all the time - I use it to read while I sit in the
> > hot tub under the stars. I get around 100 hours of use for a dollar. I alw
> > ays buy my batteries at the dollar store. The cost ratio is two Panasonic's
> > for a buck or 2 Duracell's for 3.49, so far seven Panasonic's (equivalen
> > t to 2 Duracell's in cost) have outlasted the 2 Duracell's.
> >
> >
> >
> > to icy to ride today. may have to resort to the trainer....
> >
> > Christian
> >
> >
> > Today is a good day to Ride

talking about comfort

2009-12-27T14:08:00.001-08:00

Neil writes>I like comfort too. In a related vein, how much clothing do you carry?
Chris reply: from my packing list for upcoming 18 day tour.
2 pairs socks - one to sleep in if it is cold, fleece pants, fleece pullover,rain jacket, 2 pairs padded shorts, 1 polo shirt -non wrinkle( for going out to dinner) 2 pairs cargo over shorts (like the Columbia titanium brand- light weight but tough) 2 wick shirts, bike sandals, hiking sandals, wind rain pants, and three bike jerseys.

> What you're wearing and one change, or two? >Neil writes: Do you carry extra layers to deal with inclement weather? Chris replies: see above
>Neil writes: Do you wear bicycle specific clothing, or general purpose clothing? Chris replies: Yes
>>Neil writes: Do you wear padded underwear? Chris replies: padded bike shorts
>Neil writes: How many miles a day do you usually travel? Chris replies: 40-60 on average.
But have cranked out a few 100 milers when the next town with a cold beer is calling my name.

Comfort vs. Weight on Tour

2009-12-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

Comfort vs. Weight on Tour

Okay so I’ll state my philosophy right up front when it comes to tours. Why cut out 10# of gear if you are going to be miserable for the entire tour. I have a very opposite view then the weight misers that sacrifice comfort to peddle a lighter load. I am not talking about a hundred extra pounds of gear; you know the hot tub still stays at home. But sleeping on a postage stamp pad as some bike touring cyclist do to me is well kinda nuts. How are you going to get a good day of cycling in if you are not sleeping well? I have traded up and then traded up again until my final sleeping pad is a camp size thermarest. Yes it is big yes it weights more then most but wow do I sleep like I was home in my own bed. I wake up refreshed and glad to be alive, ready to start the day. This is just the start of the comfort vs. weight debate and I know till will not sit well with some but so be it.

I just added a new tent to my gear stash. It is a three person three season double walled tent. It weights a hair less then a pound more then my small two person tent but offers me almost double the room. So why do I need a bigger tent? Good question glad you asked. I tour in the early spring and late into the fall. During the summer months my two person tent is perfect. But after spending a wet spring on tour in BC where the rain days out numbered the dry I knew that there had to be a better plan. If I was going to be forced to ride out another rain storm I wanted to have some room. The little two person tent offers nothing more then a good shelter to sleep in. With normal weather this is all it is needed for just a place nice place to sleep. But when you are traveling in the early spring or late fall and the weather can go bad for days on end you want the ability to move inside. That larger space is then a welcomed extra pound gladly carried.

I have been following the travels of a couple who are on an epic 10,000 plus mile tour. They have been carrying and using for months a set of camp chairs. Not to heavy, but large in size. They have some of that same comfort philosophy I do. Sitting on the ground is never really comfortable. When the ground is cold or wet it is avoided so taking a chair the comfort outweighs the weight.. Pun intended.

So this next week I am going to lay out all my gear for my upcoming tour just to see what is there as a comfort item.. YOU?

New Gear Feedback - Stove

2009-12-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

>Mike wrote: I bought the New Zealand version of this stove call a "Thermette"
Chris replies: I looked at this version before I made my Kelly Kettle selection. Even though the gang at Thermette push the healing properties of copper it must be an acquired taste.I am not one for the flavor of sucking on an old penny (the taste of blood) But then again I have never found that yeasty Vegimite to my liking, this Thermette being from down under and all.
The other two cons were that the abuse that camping gear is subject to. Copper dents, stainless steel used in the KK pretty darn sturdy. #2 copper handle that is attached to the side of the Thermette pot is going to have some major heat transfer. I liked the way the Kelly Kettle avoided the need for a oven mitt pick up the pot.

There is a video out that shows a head to head competition of the two kettles that is so one sided it is funny. They admit after that they spilt water on the kindling used in the Kelly Kettle's base. But watching the two guys tend to their fires is the funny part.

The play by play; Therm guy used one match to unseen kindling huge flame seconds later, KK guy works the match slow flame, Them adds long twigs down the chimney flame shoots out, KK breaks up sticks into small pieces adding one twig to every 5 that Them is adding. Narrator at this point wonders out loud if the water spilt in the KK is the reason for the KK poor flames. at this point I am saying to myself Gee who do they want to win,, rigged no it can't be rigged... lol

>Mike wrote: The one nice thing about this one (other than the large water capacity) is >that it has a cook ring that sets on top and you can do other
>cooking besides boiling.
Chris Replies: The Kelly Kettle offers the same type of cook ring.

2009-12-20T14:20:00.001-08:00

New Gear
Touring 2010
New Stove

Wonderful winter weather we are having from crisp 40’s* to minus -01* . Sunshine to snow with the assorted everything in between tossed in just to keep me packing ten tons of layers and rain gear. 100 days to my first long tour of the season not that I am counting the 12 hours and 4 minutes before it becomes 99 days.

So stoves on past tours have ranged from tin can and charcoal to a nice whisperlite, I looked after I order my newest stove and counted four different stoves in my gear cabinet. Problem being none of these stoves have ever been trouble free. But those are stories for another time. This year I toured Greece without a stove, big mistake as anyone who knows me knows I run on 99% caffeine for the first four hours of my day. You know the triple shot Americano followed by a triple shot Americano just to take the edge off. So I really wanted a stove to make my morning coffee and maybe a bowl of my famous oatmeal.

I had been reading up on the Kelly Kettle stove after someone on the touring list had used/liked the concept. Here was a water jacketed stove that used paper, small twigs, pinecones and dried grass as fuel, combined the pot and stove in one slick unit. So I brought out my most recent stove, the pan I take to boil water in, the full fuel bottle and weighted them.
This 3 pint stainless steel Kelly Kettle stove actually weighted less then my stove kit. The full fuel bottle alone weighted a whopping 30 ozs. So I debated for a few months the old back and forth of pros and cons.. less weight – pro, bulky – con, no real fuel concerns – pro, limited to boiling water – con. So after a good look at the reviews I finally sent away for the 3 pint kettle in stainless steel. With shipping from Ireland it came to $100 US. And then a few weeks later…. It arrived. Larger then I had imagined though it did not feel heavy. Good workmanship was evident in all the details. I was impressed.
My first firing was with some dried grass, dry leaves and twigs smaller around then a normal pencil. Eureka I have flame shooting up and out the chimney within 2 minutes. Steam started pouring out the spout after 4 or so minutes with a good rapid boil soon following. They have devised a clever way to pour out the boiling water so you do not have to touch the kettle while it is hot. Using the handle and the attached chain I was pouring without spilling water into my French Press coffee maker. The first test was a real success. The small fire dies quickly and the base was ready to be packed away, it stores up inside the chimney part of the kettle. One small opps was when I picked up the base the wood on the porch was scorched from the heat of the base that was in direct contact. This was good to know as I will avoid using it on a surface that may burn for now on.

So as with any new item only time will tell if I made the right choice. But seeing the results of the first test I am leaning towards many happy cups of coffee.

The Year for Gear - New Bike

2009-12-05T13:56:00.001-08:00

New Bike

First off I should go into the selection process of picking this “new bike”.

Plans to go back to Europe in the Spring had a large monkey wrench tossed in with the announcement by Lufthansa Airlines that they were leaving the Portland, Oregon airport. Personal experience along with the advice of other seasoned travelers had impressed on me to when ever possible travel with one airline with a few stops as possible. With only one airline to deal with when and if things go wrong they have very few options for deflecting blame. Having only one transfer with good luck you and your gear will make it on the same plane and arrive at the same place at….( listen closely as you can hear me knocking on wood) the same time.. (Hopefully Madrid was the exception.)

So now I was stuck with going to Plan ‘B’ finding one Airline to fly with one stop between here and Athens. This wasn't as quick or as easy as I had first thought. Most of the Portland options were long and involved flying to the east coast then jumping the Atlantic.

So then I looked at Seattle, one airline with one stop several choices. I checked each airline baggage rules; low and behold three airlines allow your bicycle as second bag. British Airlines charges you $60 for the second bag; both KLM and AIRFRANCE allow a second bag for no additional fee. Change that as of November that both charge a small fee for a second bag. But this fee is nowhere near the $200.00 each way that most American based and some European airlines want to charge Wahoo I can take a full sized touring bike on my upcoming trip to Greece and still have money left to hit the bakeries.

Now comes the difficult part.. My Raleigh road bike that has served me faithfully on many tours has a slight phobia to ridding on dirt roads. I have talked to it using all the knowledge from my college psychology 101 without getting it to change its mind. Something about narrow tires on gravel during an extended tour of Oregon that causes this impasse.

Oh gee, I will have to get a new bike. And so the research began.

Criteria for this bike:

Fat tires 700x32 minimum

that was my starting point. A wider tire to handle the rough gavel roads in Greece that from first hand experience knew I would encounter.
I also knew that the Island that I was traveling to had very little in higher quality bikes and or spare parts.

Recently I had read of this couple that was doing a world tour on Wally World type bikes. Part of their philosophy was that these tanks were cheap, easy to replace, parts were everywhere, and that if stolen they were out a 100 or so dollars. With the knowledge that the next town would provide them with a new ride or repair if needed... They showed a photograph of their bikes tossed high on a pile of cargo at a river crossing. If that was my Raleigh Road bike stacked up there I would have been in the major stress mode.

I realized that I was not looking for a ten ton Wally World bike but had subscribed partially to their way of thinking. Would or could a good urban cruiser fit my needs and handle a tour? There were several bikes out there that looked possible. 24 speed triples, nice up right flat handle bar options, most even came with fenders.. I looked at the Trek Globe, Raleigh detour and went with the Giant Transend DX from Discover Bicycles in Hood River, my local bike shop. I tossed the comfort saddle in favor of my normal touring seat. Changed the pedals for a set of Shimano duel platform pedals SPD on one side, shoe platform on the other, I was ready to ride.
I am currently using this as my work commuter and to say that I am happy with it is an understatement. Solidly build aluminum frame, 700 x 35 tires, rapid fire shifters, Ergon gp1grips (these are great, as in where have you been all my life?) With the new pedals I was into this bike for just under $600.
Waiting to fit it out with new panniers and a red town & country handlebar bag from Detour.us to go with the sweet red Detour's Switchback trunk bag that now rides my rear rack. This Detours trunk bag is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.

You would swear it was normal fabric, really cool knowing that these bottles are not heading for a landfill but have a new life as a functional item. What sold me on it was that it has built in hip belts that turn it from a trunk bag to a lumbar waist pack.
So more photos of my new ride will be posted soon..

Early to Rise

2009-12-03T15:13:00.000-08:00

Up at 4am surprise didn't need the alarm clock. Put all my gear back on the bike I was ready to head out for the last time. The guest house had a supply of Nescafe and a hot tap allowing me to make coffee in a water bottle as there were only ceramic coffee mugs on the shelves. The plastic water bottle felt like it was going to melt in my hand. Where was the idiot warning label that all American products must wear? 'NOT INTENDED FOR USE WITH BOILING WATER'. to understand how large this ferry was that dark blur all the way down that alley way is a four door car

Arrived at the ferry terminal before the ferry. The gathering crowd swelled with each minute, I had only been able to buy a deck ticket as the Easter holiday made this trip a sold out affair. When the ferry pulled in only a few cars and trucks offloaded. I was waved on into the depths of this huge ferry. Given permission with a nod that I could lock up my bike to a baggage cart I offloaded my gear into the secure baggage cart locked my bike and headed to an upper deck. There were some stragglers that raced to get on board at the last minute. But one lady who ran to the ramp was denied boarding even though the ramp was down and easily crossed. A line had just been cast free, the signal to the boarding officer that no more allowed. He told the lady so, and then stepped across the ramp back as she yelled what only could be interpreted as fond wishes for a pleasant journey.
The ferry was remarkable. New, clean with the look and feel of a cruise ship, what a difference from the first ferry I used to get to this Island. I pulled up a deck chair and enjoyed the island cruise for the rest of the day.

So that's it my ride in Lesvos Greece was complete.

Would I go back?
Yes, in a heart beat

What where the people like?
I and others I talked with defined the locals in two groups. Group one totally ignored you. Group two was out going and would offer to help with a smile.

Did you feel safe?
Always, never had that Spidey tingle that warned me that I was in the wrong part of town or around bad people. Riding my bike was better on that Island then many places I have ridden in the states. Drivers are just more aware of small motor scooters zipping around the streets and roads of Lesvos so sharing the road wasn't a foreign concept as it is in many parts of the states.

Did you have problems not speaking Greek?
Pantomime has always worked well for me. There were enough people that spoke English that I was able to find an English speaker to translate when I really needed the help.

I am adding a different kind of map to my touring bag. In my travels when people ask where I am from I tell them Oregon. When I was in Greece saying Oregon was to most somewhere in the USA but where was totally unknown. So I am going to search for a small printed cloth map that could have multi uses. Would be nice to point out on this map showing them that New York City is just a 5k ride away or the west coast is more then California. I may sew a map of Oregon to the back side.. > These are my small world photos- this young lady's roommate in college is from the same small town where I live in Oregon. We met by chance at the Acropolis in Athens on Easter Sunday.

Also since I am shooting digital I left a few shots of the local area on the card before going. Now I know that ten or twelve good shots would have been better as all of the folks I showed the scenic Columbia Gorge wanted to see more photographs.

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09: Almost the Last Day – sorta

2009-11-29T09:10:00.001-08:00

With Turkey off the map I had another day to spend in Levsos. There was a hot spring resort just out of town so I made the long climb back up from the harbor area in search of the hot spring. I spied a village on the shore of the bay way off in the distance as I came over the crest. Why not was my mantra and I happily peddled to it. What a great choice.

A small chapel under a large tree was next to a large factory building. As I walked around the chapel I keep trying to place the smell that was coming from the factory building. It was an ag. smell that reminded me of hot farm silage. The ground around the outside of the building was covered in the brown gravel looking substance. A worker came out and I asked what it was. He motioned me away from the building but with a smile (no English). Just then another worker comes running from the darkened interior chased by a huge cloud of steam and smoke. I snapped photos of this event. After the first worker motioned me to follow and lead me through the guts of the building. Hot pipes and huge turning gears had me ducking as we weaved our way from one end of the building to the other. Two gentlemen sitting in chairs were as the workman put it 'the Bosses'. One spoke English this is his answer to what was it that they did here. After all the regular olive oil is extracted from the olives the remains are brought here to be heated to rid them of moisture. They then are hauled to another factory where they are squeezed one last time for industrial grade oil. I thanked him for the impromptu tour and made my way outside to my bike.

I made my way to a rocky beach to have my lunch, and then headed back looking for the hot springs before Mytilini. Somewhere I had passed the hot springs. I asked at the store, where? They said it was close by on the water side of the road. I went back and forth three times never seeing a sign or any building that looked right. I asked again at the store as I had covered the entire road from the store to where the road turns away from the water. But now I had land marks to use in my questions. Before or after the gas station, before or after the abandoned tennis courts, I had it narrowed down to about a hundred yards but I was still blind. I was lucky as I stopped still not sure where it was, a guy walking by pointed me to a small drive next to a run down set of buildings that looked like the driveway to those buildings, this was the unmarked entrance to the hot springs.
The hot spring resort was tucked down into the cliff close to the waters edge. Not visible from the road. It really wasn't very appealing by it lack of maintenance or it having separate pools for men or women. I paid the fare for the day but left after 20 minutes as the water was just a tad warmer then a swimming pool.

I had seen the Castle in Mytilini as I had left town on my first day

so decided that I would head back for a little castle exploration. I got there just as they closed and locked the gates.
As the castle employees disappeared for the day I saw a carved rock that said if my reading of ancient Greek is right 'Step here to breach the walls'. Up & over the first wall on a faint path I climbed, I wasn't the first person to use this route and now I was walking between the outer and inner wall. It took me almost 20 minutes to walk around ½ of this castle. I again followed a path that took me past a closed gate and into the main body of the castle. This interior area was huge. A good guess would be close to twenty acres enclosed inside of these castles walls.

The same way in was the same way out with me taking tons of photos along the way.

I repeated last night's dinner in the same café. It was as good the second time. It was now shopping time for tourist trinkets to take home I even had to buy a small clock as the ferry loaded the next morning at 5am

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09": It is/was Turkey day

2009-11-27T12:46:00.001-08:00

From the camp by the shore I could see the last line of ridges need to be crossed to return me to Mytilini. My plan was to ride to town. Get a ferry ticket for the following day to Turkey then ride two days in Turkey before catching a ferry back to Athens.
But first a bakery, (just so you all know I have not eaten a slice of bread nor a single bakery item since I returned from Greece) Much to my surprise there was a nice bakery not a half mile from my camp area. The road being closed had sliced their walk in traffic by 2/3rds. Greek wife & Aussie were the owners. He gave me a sesame bread ring, 12' in size, which was out of this world delicious. Why had I passed these along the way? All the bakeries offered these and now I find out how good they were.

The long climb to crest the last ridge ended right where the city began. I coasted down passing the detoured closure now onto tight streets with one-way traffic. I pulled over to stop several times as this was a long downhill run. My Squealing brakes worked as a loud horn keeping me from plowing into a lady who looked right past me then stepped into my path. I swerved, she jumped back but the passing margin was so close I could smell that she had eaten a garlic roll for breakfast, with eggs and sausage, Pork sausage.. okay the pork sausage was just a wild guess it could have been beef sausage.

Finally I was back at the harbor that was the heart of the city of Mytilini. Bustling cafes, street merchants, pedestrians jamming the sidewalks this city was alive and happy.

I found the ticket office for the Turkish Ferry Line. I had stopped here and inquired about the ferry to Turkey just before I left on the start of this island ride.
I was told then that the ferry ran everyday between here and the Turkish mainland.
Today I asked to by a ticket for the next morning, sweet lady said the ferry only ran on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I asked but doesn't the ferry run every day? 'Yes, Yes' she answered.
'So can I have a ticket for tomorrow?'
'No, only Tuesdays and Thursdays'
So I concluded that everyday is any day that begins with a 'T'

I found a nice guest house two blocks from the harbor run by a Greek who was a former Chef in London. We drank Ouzo together as we talked about the fun of being a Chef, running restaurants and the like. This place was just a block from all the hustle and bustle of Mytilini but with a large high walled private courtyard filled with orange trees in bloom that cut out all the noise of the city.

Free again from my bike I was able to wander this city until my feet started to hurt. A small café right across from the harbor had a chair that called my name. I sat down with a beer and a roast chicken dinner that was the best meal I had had the entire trip.
The server was Russian, finally an accent that I correctly guessed.

No Turkey allowed me to wonder what was going to be plan 'B'

Wanderings

2009-11-25T12:12:00.001-08:00

Slept late, found bakery for a fresh cheese bun, found coffee by following a group of men that headed into a tavern on the harbor. Still amazed by the coffee standard that the Greeks use, Nescafe right from the jar was what was being whipped up. This Barkeep added a tourist tax as she charged me $2 Euros for a single cup. I gave her a cold stare when she said two dollars and she just shrugged her shoulders. I didn't press it, but I know she knew she was overcharging me.

All the fishing boats were in the harbor with the fishermen tending to their nets. They had been out fishing during the night this was cleanup time.
The morning light was perfect and the photographs were some of my best on this trip.

I went off with no clear route in mind. I was less then 30 miles from a complete tour of the island and in no rush to head back to the capital city. I stopped in the next village at a real full sized supermarket to load up on some deli cheese and meats. A bakery for a few fresh rolls and I was rolling. Went looking for a castle up a side road that twisted and turned until I came to a unmarked Y in the road. I went left as it looked like the most used road. Gee was that fun. Back in the same village I had passed through an hour or so ago. I was back on the main road again this time just waving as I rode past the castle turnoff. The salt marshes off to my right, a nice warm breeze, some sunshine, I could get used to Greece. Next was the search for the 4thBC Greek Temple. It was marked on the big roadside map as the second road on the left after the bridge. I made a quick map on a post it and was off. Crossed the bridge after about 10 miles and started looking for the second road to the left. After passing the first one went several miles without seeing the a second road. Turned around and went back. Followed the first road after the bridge for a few miles it turned into a muddy mess that then dead ended.
I was confused, on my way to return to that roadside map when I came across another dirt road that was maybe a mile before the bridge. It went in the right direction, I was in no hurry and off I went. Big mud puddles went from road edge to road edge, rock walls on either side forced me to ride through and eureka a little less then a mile and a half up this road was the temple. I still don't know why I kept riding on this road as there just was zero indication that it was the way to the temple. Dumb luck!

The place was abandoned but had been recently mowed. I walked through the ruins touching columns carved 2500 years ago. Saw a lava kiln that these folks were able to get hot enough to re-melt the lava. That's not an easy chore I was impressed.

The road makes a nice climb that had several sections of modern roadway. Wide two lane with shoulders that would go back to traditional 1.5 lane shoulder less Greek road.
I much preferred the small highway as trees shaded the roadway making riding pleasant.
A manned detour blocked my way. No English vs. no Greek, universal hand gestures about me & bike being able to make it, then he waved me through.
I was now riding along another large bay on this empty road when I spotted an olive grove that looked abandoned. This was a rare sight.
Most olive groves that I had passed were fenced in and being pruned. No fence, no house, no DOG, equal invite. I parked at the top of the drive and did an investigative tour. No tire tracks, no houses or buildings hidden down in the trees. My last night here will be stealth camping by the shore under a full Greek moon

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09": The great circle route

2009-11-22T11:42:00.001-08:00

Don't know what to call this day. Heavy rain clouds rolling past with huge patches of clear blue sky. I headed back to Koloni found coffee and then went off towards the beach on the nearby Bay of Koloni.
Passed the second bike shop, stopped in and traded a 'Livestrong' bracelet for a generous coating of chain lube a good trade after all of the rain and mud so far on this trip.

Closed hotels on a long empty beach, workers scurrying around getting ready for the season, lots of laughter and music drifting across the road. They eyed me as I rode past I know they were thinking damn the first tourist of the season, I thought we had more time. The tourist are coming, the tourist are coming.

Another bakery fed me, another café provided coffee I was getting into a real routine.

I wandered snapping photographs, running across a bicycle rental place (closed) that I had emailed a half dozen times from back in the states. Unfriendly barking dogs guarded the shops doorway and the steps that lead to the residency above. After I had found out that the Airlines wanted $200.00 each way for my road bike to fly with me. I had explored the option of renting a bike here on Lesbos. This place was the one and only bicycle rental shop. But six emails with zero reply forced me to go with plan B. (buying a folding bicylce) It turned out to be much better overall that they didn't reply.

With a re-supply from the only market I went looking for the famous bird viewing areas.
I sorta could see (sorta could see - defined as not lost but working on it) where I wanted to go. How I got there was really another story. Down muddy lanes with much wandering, great puddles that were inches deep to several feet. Oh but wait a large river that had a paved fording spot. Knee deep and cold, I had to shuffle across as I was holding the back end of my bike up to keep the Panniers out of this river.
I made it! A raised viewing blind that was locked up tight. You could still climb the steps to a small landing. The view was great; from there I saw the closed plant where I had spent last night it was just a few miles away. I think this was the great circle route.

Never been big on bird watching but there were flamingos so close that I sat and watched them until the rain started back up.
Making the choice between pavement or mud I rode back to the beach on the great circle route figuring that my ride total for the day was eight miles as the crow flies or 30+ as a wandering fly.

Looking for a place to stay for the night I asked a gentleman sweeping out a beach patio if he spoke English? He replies I would think so, I was born there. He knew of a local tavern that had rooms above. The tavern owner spoke no English but with hand gestures was able to direct me around back where he had a few rooms upstairs. The room was perfectly acceptable with its own private bath. I was also able to store my bike in the taverns back room. His daughter who spoke limited English asked me to come back as her dad wanted to cook me a traditional Greek dinner. I showered and changed ready for that traditional Greek dinner. Okay what can I say 'daddy can't cook!!!' It was horrid. I ate enough to be polite. Gestured that I was more then full and escaped. I said a little prayer before closing my eyes to ward off that meal coming back to haunt me.

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09": waking without coffee

2009-11-22T11:22:00.001-08:00

Coffee, coffee, coffee, normally I have this sweet little Lexan coffee press that allows me to make my own coffee first thing in the morning. I came to Greece light bringing no cooking gear of any kind. My early morning craving for caffeine now signals that this was a real mistake. After breaking camp I back tracked towards the village I had passed thought yesterday afternoon. A gathering of cars and trucks in front of a mini market (the only thing similar to an American Mini Mart was the name) gave me a solid clue that there either was a big sale going on or coffee was available. I did a Nescafe double shot turned my bike around and headed out.

As I was now into the good habit of not predicting the road ahead I enjoyed the roller coaster ride of climbs and descents. It was only a few hours into the ride on this lesser road when traffic dribbled off. I had the road to myself..
The Mediterranean to my right the sun giving me warmth, a cold beer and a sandwich in my pack waiting for lunch this is the day we see in our mind as we plan our trips. Today was my high millage day of the whole trip. By late afternoon I had come halfway around the bay of Kalloni and was in a bustling town. Traffic was everywhere. Parking was on both sides of the street and a row down the middle. People stepped out into the street and crossed with confidence. I latter learned that if you hesitate everyone knows you are not Greek.

I had one flat along the way and looked for a bike shop to purchase a replacement tube.
The only bike shop in town (I latter found another on the outskirts of this village) had bike brands that I had never heard lined up out front. Inside the store there were another couple of dozen bikes but lining the shelves was not the typical assortment of bicycle related items but electric irons, rice cookers, electric tea kettles and other kitchen items.

'Honey I need to go get my bike tuned can I bring you home a rice cooker while I am there?'

A sidewalk café provided me with a great dinner, hard to beat a charcoal roasted chicken, Greek salad and fries washed down with a cold Amstel for less then seven dollars.
I had seen on a billboard tourist map that there was a large bird sanctuary just outside of town. I had figured that I could find some accommodations to pitch my tent. My choice was limited by the sun disappearing faster then I wanted. There was some kind of plant that was abandoned at the crossroad. I made a quick scout of it. It was new but empty and had been from the look of things for several years. I wedged my tent into a small patch of grass hidden for the most part of any casual by passer for the night.
Clouds hid the stars and sometime in the middle of the night it started to rain. Me I just slept through it all

2009-11-21T21:38:00.001-08:00

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09": I'm singing in the rain
After almost a two day lay over I was ready to ride.. I had come to Greece ready for some rain and this rain was not going to slow me down. Riding in rainy weather is my middle name, I said out loud as I repacked gear in the gallon zip-lock bags I had brought along. With everything inside of zip-locks and the rain covers over the outside of my panniers I was ready to roll. Raincoat, shorts and sandals made up my riding gear along with a pair of yellow tinted shooter glasses. I will give a plug here for these: On an overcast day these really add to the crispness that you see. In rainy Southeast Alaska we called these sunglasses as you could almost believe it was a sunny day while wearing them. They also help to keep you from getting hit in the eyes by rain drops. 10-15$ at any place the sells sporting goods.

On the rise leading out of this village I looked back kind of sad to be leaving. I had written down on a yellow post-it the villages I needed to pass through to get to my next destination. It works fairly easy follow the signs from one place to another until you get there. Write on the back side places that would be wrong ways. Worked for me.
The road forked at the next village, and I uttered those words that always comeback to haunt me. 'There must be a pass over those mountains'. 'No son there will be a ton of climbing, switchbacks and hairpin turns for the rest of the day but a pass you have got to be kidding' was the reply that the bike gods laughed in my face. The climb took me into a pine forest where I met the prettiest goat herder who was trying to get her goats away from the road. I watched and took photos as the pictures attest this is not who comes to mind when you image a goat herder.

This end of the island is normally arid and quite desolate. As it was still early in the season the spring rains had allowed patches of green to invade the otherwise brown landscape. I took my lunch on a deserted beach that was off the main road. I debated on camping here or moving on. The sun had joined me again so I pushed on Sigra wasn't that far off. I stopped in the village for a meal. Loaded up on fresh veggies and fruit and went off in the pursuit of a camping spot on a beach. As I had already learned you only drink Ouzo with friends I drank some local wine then slept under a zillion stars.

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09": Rain day

2009-11-21T19:57:00.001-08:00

Most of yesterday and all of last night the rain beat against the roof. I woke to low hanging clouds combined with misting light to heavy rain. As my only set of cycling shorts was still wet from the wash I had only one destination for the day, a bakery.

I could smell it from my window now all I had to do was navigate the twisting maze of streets until I could find my reward. (Now I know how a rat feels) eureka! It was only 10 minutes of wandering and I now was munching on fresh raisin buns still hot from the oven. I went up to the castle making a complete circle around it outer walls. It was closed for the day but the view from the promontory was still stunning. This village clung to the cliff walls under the protection of this castle for hundreds of years. From the castle I roamed the streets until I was back at the Mediterranean. Just call me 'Joe Tourist' as I took hundreds of photos and asked questions from anyone who would stop and talk to me. The only thing I was lacking was the loud Hawaiian shirt.
Dinner that night was in a small harbor restaurant where the female owner who spoke as much English as I spoke Greek cooked me a meal of five types of local fish from the fishing boats docked just a stones through from the restaurants door.

"Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09": Barking Dogs

2009-11-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those great days that only an elite group of biking tour-ers get. That first real total feeling of disconnect, you wake up to a gorgeous sunrise, hear the waves lapping at the shore and ponder 'what day is today?' No watch, no cycle computer, today is today wow what a great feeling.
I broke camp and peddled back to the hot spring. At that early hour I was all alone and used the small pool of hot water that bubble up on the outside of the dome as a sink. A good wash with a hot towel shave and I was ready to face the day but only after finding coffee.
I crested a small hill and saw a few miles away a large castle that loomed over a cluster of white and tan houses. The road ahead had a four way split, barking dogs to the left, castle to the right. I headed towards the castle and what I hoped was town. (cue laughter)
Several miles later the road forked again with me taking the lower fork. Mistake as I got no closer to the town or the castle. But here was a sign pointing to a campground. So I took another road and after a few more miles I was back at the barking dogs now to my right and the castle to my left. Not more then 20 yards to the right was what had looked like an closed business with a water truck parked in the driveway. In reality it was the office of a local camp area still closed for the season. The gate was open. I did a short tour it was nicely laid out. As I was not sure of my plans for that day I just made a mental note how to get back here if needed.

Back to town and this time I actually made it all the way. It was still early but I found a small café with coffee (Nescafe) and pizza, 2 slices. This little café was a gathering spot for the locals with the same early morning clusters of men coffee in hand meeting and greeting as I have seen in rural towns across America. Just as I finished my second cup a man walked up and asked if I was looking for a place to stay? He said he owned a small guest house a few blocks away that was available. I hesitated but asked how much? Shocked when he said twenty a night, I said sure as I wanted to wash some gear. A much larger issue was overhead. Big black rain clouds heading towards us. I had seen on an extended forecast before I left Athens that I was in for a few days of rain . It looked like today was the day.

We walked up to his guest house on real narrow cobblestone paths. This village had some streets wide enough for a small car but there were many that were just wide enough to allow myself and my bike. When we arrived I was in for a shock this place was nice. This would have been a 100+ per night room in any B&B. Here I was sharing a house with no one, had my own private bath, kitchen facilities, a garden courtyard, and a sunning deck,
I planted my bags and this became base camp for the next two days.

Did my laundry in the sink, glad that I had a roof over my head instead of hunkered down in my tent as sheet after sheet of hard rain washed over this village

Biking In Lesvos Greece -April 09: as the sun starts to set

2009-11-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

The gravel road wandered up and down, the sun shimmered on the sea and I was riding my bike in Greece. I have to keep saying that as sometimes the steepness of the road or the sweat pouring into your eyes makes you forget that this is not Kansas.

The road ahead was blocked by two small cars. One gentleman stood next to the other car passing the time of day with the driver. I used my entire knowledge of Greek and said ya-sue (phonic spelling) a catchall greeting meaning hello. The man standing greeted me back in English as the other man in the other car drove away. He asked if I was English and said that he spoke good English because he drank Ouzo. I then replied that I needed to drink Ouzo as my Greek was crap. He told me to wait and walked his house 30 yards down the drive soon returning with a 2 liter coke cola bottle ¾ filled with Ouzo, two glass tumblers and a bottle of tap water. 'I show you how to drink Ouzo so you can then speak Greek. He poured about an inch of Ouzo in the glass added the equal amount of water handed me a glass and said cheers. We moved to the shade of a large pine tree drinks in hand and proceeded to solve all of the worlds problems. Two hours and a good ¼ of that coke bottles contents later I begged off one more for the road.After that I was not sure if the road was crooked or if it was the Ouzo. Thankful with the exception of the car that blocked the road where I stopped, I had yet to see or be passed by a car the entire time I was on this section of gravel road.

One of the reason I had picked this island to tour was it had Hot Springs. One of my favorite ends to a day of riding is to take a dip in some natural hot springs. Here ahead was the hot spring building with it white doomed roof from my internet research. Five months ago it was just a photo on my computer. Now I was going to sit in its pool of hot water. Way Cool. The place is open year round with admission charged in the summer months. In the off season the large pool is open to all with the rest of the building locked up tight. There is a small changing area with a few benches from this room you have two choices one is to go through a small portal to the hot spring pool or the other is to exit outside through a small door to a beach area and the sea. I slipped out of my bike clothes and into my shorts then headed to the pool. Okay I love hot hot springs.
But OH MY GOD this water was ready for coffee grounds. It was 109*-112* at the cool end. I would have whimped out except for three young ladies who entered wearing just their underwear and climbed down into the pool like it was only warm. I had my honor, my country and my pride to protect as I joined them by lowering myself into this steaming cauldron. I also had one almost topless and two nearly naked Greek women sitting next to me, in Greece, in a hot spring. When I die, I want to come back as me.. After a few long minutes they used hand signals to tell me to follow. We all ran out the door into the cooling waters of the Mediterranean. My first hot spring experience in Greece was complete.

Town was roughly 5 miles farther on and I started to look for a place to camp. There was a hill close to the sea that looked interesting. Interesting was the right word as this hill was infused with abandoned camouflaged army bunkers. I camped at the bottom of this hill on a section of beach. This time I set up my tent making a proper camp for the night.
Sitting on the beach as the stars came out listening to the waves, the lights of Turkish villages clear across the channel it was great to be here.

2009-11-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Another day in Greece
Woke at 3am, tried to get out of the wind. Wrapped in sleeping bag looking east hoping for a ray of sunshine so I could start my day. Discover this morning that I had left a few pieces of clothing back home. Had planned on traveling light but forgetting the second pair of bike shorts was going to mean more laundry days then I had expected.
Cold sunny brisk morning, two shirts, fleece pull over and jacket needed kept me warm. Unknown to me last night those rolling hills I had been climbing and climbing was about to give a nice 3 mile payback coast. Coasting when you are not completely warmed up wasn't much of a treat. I spied a village still asleep in the early morning sun and my first thought was coffee.
Lesson one learned in Greece; coffee = Nescafe. Small cups of sweet Nescafe are what you get when you want coffee. This turned out to be the case the entire time I was there. You could order coffee and get a blank stare, but could ask for Nescafe and they start the process. Many places did have espresso but sometimes getting that was interesting. They even use a whip to froth the Nescafe before pouring in the hot water.
It was close to Turkish coffee in many ways from the little propane cooker to the brass long handled pot they boiled the water in. But as they say when in Greece do as the Greece do.
Found a small market and stocked up on fruit, juices and snacks for later in the day. Wandered the town taking photographs and was lucky to stumble on the town's bakery.
Pastries, breads, fresh sandwiches, I was like me in a bakery wanted one of everything.

The owner's wife was an Aussie, tossing in a few free sweets as she told me how she had ended up in this remote Greek village. Sat in the sun, eating my breakfast this was already a great day.

(I look at my journal, its entry) climbing, climbing, climbing, found stream to wash up in, more climbing. Getting passed by many small trucks and mopeds with orange milk containers.

Stopped and watched a farmer with his arms behind his back, giving commands in Greek to his donkey. Together they came up a small steep path from a farmhouse down in a narrow valley. As they got closer I was able to see that the donkey had four 5 gallon (roughly) goat milk containers strapped to his back. This would be a twice a day procedure seven days a week. Climb ½ mile with donkey to truck; haul milk to milk plant, take empties back to farm, repeat.

Later I came to the milk plant that was really just a collection area for the farmers. There was even a horse tied up with empty milk jugs hooked to its saddle waiting for its owner.
Curious me had to ask; so now I know, Goat milk pays to the farmer around 15 cents a pound.

Stopped at a nice valley overlook to take a lunch break, fellow pulled in and I with my acute knowledge could see that he was a runner. I think it was the shorts and the pre run stretches that gave it away. I was looking at the road ahead as it still had climb written all over it. He wandered over and after we shared a greeting he said it was 4k to the top then a nice 4 k ride to the next town. He then asked if I would not mind riding on ? he kicked the ground a few times and I said gravel which he nodded in agreement. He then said a gravel road followed the ocean for 20 or so miles but would still lead me to the next big town.
I followed his instruction on where to turn off the main road and was lead down and down until I ended up at a small town of maybe two dozen homes, two restaurants and a little market. There was a small harbor with a fleet of colorful sardine boats, the largest boat being maybe 18 feet long. The harbor cats were jumping out onto the boats then jumping back to land with a sardine in their mouths. That was a first for me.

The road turned out to be packed gravel with quite a few streams that flowed across it. I was glad to be wearing my biking sandals when I pushed my way across all of these. I was only at the most 20 feet from the Mediterranean for 70% of this ride. I could see Turkey on the other shore it was only 8-10 miles away. All along the shore was an array of damaged & broken rafts, kayaks, paddles, and water ski vests. There was one every 10-15 feet and I had surmised that this was the result of a container ship losing a container of these items. I found out later that day (and later verified by a local officer) that this eight mile beach was the main landing spot of illegal aliens trying to enter Europe through Greece. After being dropped off by a fishing boat in the middle of the night these folks would paddle to shore, then slash the rafts so they could not be put back into the water by the authorities if caught.
So much for my lost container theory.

Riding in Lesvos Greece pt1

2009-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

April 1 - April 12 2009

After the long flight from Portland Oregon to Athens, Greece I was ready to start riding. But wait there is a snag in the plans. The ferry workers of Greece picked my travel day to stage a 24 hour strike. It turned out not to be as bad as the hotel clerk had lead me to believe. The no ferries was really only a 6 hour departure delay. One minute after midnight they were allowing the ferries to start loading with cast off as soon as everyone was on board. So with a few extra hours to kill I took the metro back to downtown Athens, then walked some of the sites. My hotel charged me for an extra night for the now needed late check out but also allowed me to store my two duffel bags there while I was out riding for the next 10 days. On the flight over I was able to use one duffel for both of my panniers,trunk bag,and handlebar bag and the other was used for my bike. (no airline has ever asked me what is in the duffel bag and I have traveled using large duffel bags for years.)

The port area is separated from the main streets. Once I crossed into the port area it was a blast to be riding as the streets were wide and the traffic was sparse. I waited with a small group of passengers to board the ferry Lesso for the 12 hour sea cruise to Lesvos. Once on board I found out that they have a checked baggage area that allows you locked storage for the entire trip. I pulled my gear off the bike hooked it all together with the velcro strap on my trunk bag and turned it over to them. I was able to lock my bike against the side of the ship in a fairly secure place. Happy now that I did not have to worry about my gear sitting on the back of my bike or worse having to haul it and tend to it for the ferry ride.

What can I say about a Russian built ferry. All the comforts you would expect on an old Russian ferry.
I made sure to remember the name as this was one ferry I would avoid riding again.

The Island Of Lesvos came into sight around noon. I looked at all of the high ridges and mountainous terrain and said " damn this island isn't flat". I had met a local and was asking her to point out all of the sights as we cruised past. But much to my regret she had been car bound most of her life. So besides pointing out the town she was from she knew very little of her own island.

The ferry docked on the edge of Mytilini the capital city of Lesvos a little after 2pm. I put my bags on the bike, flipped a mental coin going with the choice of the Mediterranean sea to my right, I was off. I was out of town in less then ten minutes. After passing through the walls of a huge castle I was sandwiched between several blocks of buildings build right to the roads edge. Traffic zoomed past, no honking nor close brushes,the sun was shining and hello I was riding in Greece.

Was really glad to be on the Giant folder. Those fat 20" tires were suited to the mixed bag of surfaces that these greek roads were offering up. The bike was handling the bumps without giving me any wobble. The only issue was the new set of cool stops on the front brake had a righteous squeal when applied hard. (later this become the best horn I have ever had).

I must have stopped a hundred times in the first 20 miles to take photos and look out at the landscape. My Nikon may be heavy but the quality of photos is well worth the weight. I took 10 gigs of memory cards with me planning to fill them completely. Evening was approaching, the sun starting to set over my shoulder when I started to look for a village to stop for the night. The road wound away from the coast and started to climb hard. I had in my excitement to get moving had not packed a lunch or taken extra water. now with the light failing these items were becoming an issue. After taking my last swallow of water I saw an old army firing range a few yards ahead. There was a large long concrete pier that was used to give elevation to the shooters. I was able to make camp behind it completely out of site from the road. I ate some power goop for my dinner then climbed into my sleeping bag for a cold nights sleep.