Travelogue Biking from Las Cruces to Minneapolis

pcflvly

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Bike touring is pretty chill but sometimes it's hard, like today. Forty-five miles into a hard wind gaining 1500 feet of elevation. The reward was at the end of the day in finding a sweet campsite, stealth level sweet. I mean, it's still windy out and this spot is totally sheltered.
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Yesterday was great. Three young men from Colombia stopped on the highway to give me water but when they figured out that I was a real traveler, they gave me everything: money, weed, wax, and a six inch sub. The wind went hard against me today though. Twenty plus miles per hour directly in my face and it was still thirty miles to Dalhart, Texas. So I'm riding along with my head down, struggling right, and there next to the shoulder was a twelve pack of Corona. Up till then I was only making about five miles at a stretch but after I downed one of those beers, I rode twelve miles all at once. That beer was like spinach to Popeye. Finally made Dalhart and holed up at Lake Rita Blanca waiting out the wind. I hope to make Texhoma tomorrow.
 
I love a dirty bike. Did some good work there! I enjoyed your trip report, where can I read your work? Peace, friend.

All my books are on Amazon. When I figure out a host, I'll make them free for anyone to read. Anyway, I wrote four books about a four year journey with three more to go, the "Travels as Peaceful Valley Walker" series , all written in the last year and still writing so haven't done much promotion or distribution.
 
Completed the ride. 1,350 miles in nineteen days.

Did you have to do any kind of training to ride like this? I'm thinking of riding from Pennsylvania to Oregon within the next few years, but right now 20 miles has been feeling like a lot to make in one day. I haven't done a long trip on my bike in almost 10 years now. I only have a mountain bike currently though. I am working on fixing up a new(to me) road bike, which is probably what I would use, but I definitely don't feel fit enough for this kind of riding just yet. If I could make 90 miles in 3 days, I'd be doing well for me.
 
No, I didn't do any training. Simply ride while you're awake. Even going slow you can ride fifty miles a day by just keeping on. Then camp, get up, and do it all over again.

Yeah, twenty miles seems like a lot, even to me, but when you're riding to Oregon, it won't feel like that.
 
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