I met Eric yesterday on my ride home. I'd done about three hours, and was quickly approaching a fully-loaded touring bike. I asked the rider of the orange Co-motion where he was touring from, and was a bit surprised to hear "Alaska."

Still, that's not SOOO far from Seattle.

Of course, the next question must be, "where ya headed?" Argentina, it seems.

Okay, that IS far. And he's essentially doing it without a plan, just rollin'. No cell phone, no GPS, barely even a map! We were about five miles from my place when we met up, so I hooked him up with some sandwiches and refilled his bottles with some double-strength Gu2O, plus some directions on the best way to Centralia, and off he went.

So, here's his travel journal: http://anticompass.com/

If you're on the west coast south of Centralia, WA, and have any encouragement or assistance to offer, shoot him an e-mail. He checks email at libraries when available, and could probably use another hot shower, snack, or something at some point before the equator.

Happy travels, Eric.

Chapeau.

My hat goes off to someone like Eric. I can ride 100+ miles in a day. But, to do 75-100 miles for a sustained period of time is something else. And, to do it with several pounds of gear adds to the difficulty. A few years ago, some friends and I were riding on the Skyline Drive and another cyclist joined us for lunch -- I guess when he rode into the rest stop and saw three guys in lycra, he knew that we would be kindered spirits. He was riding from Maine to Florida. He did not have that much stuff with him. He left ahead of us, but we caught him on the first hill. Even yours truly, the tortoise of the bunch, shot past him on the climb.

One of my regrets is that I did not rediscover riding at a point in life when I could have taken off a summer or a few months to do a long distance ride, such as from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast or vice versa. I think about doing something like a cross country ride someday. But, it probably will have to wait until I retire from working, which will be many years in the future. By that time, I may be lucky to have enough strength left to ride my bike around the block.

I envy what Eric is doing and wish him well. Unless he really gets lost, I doubt that I will see him anywhere near where I ride. But, if anyone else encounters him. give us an update.

great adventure he's got going and good on you for taking care of him.

Hey Argent. Welcome home. I know a guy who, in the '70s, got on his bike in Ithaca, NY and rode to Tierra Del Fuego. He was a wimp because he took a boat around the Darien Gap. Jim was a hard man.

Crazy-town. Good for him.

I read a book about 4 guys who rode their bikes around the world in the early 80's. I think it was called "Cycling The Earth". These guys really had not ridden much. Before they left they had an big arguement as to whether they should bring two or three extra tubes :) They made it, but it took a while. Gave me a whole new respect for loaded touring.