Previous Journal

Thumbnail Photo Page for this Journal Cindie’s Journal Archive

Yukon, Canada

July 18 Destruction Bay to Sulphur Lake 63 km We were greeted in the morning with a stiff head wind, the locals said the wind would die down at the end of Kluane Lake so we pushed on thinking things would get better. Then we hit the construction zone and it took us over a hour and a half to get through.  This always breaks up the rhythm of the ride.  Back on the road we could have pulled over at Kluane Base Camp but decided to push on because it wasn’t raining. Well we fought the headwind all the way up the passes, finally we made it.  We set up camp and watched a beaver build it’s dam while we ate dinner. We also heard wolves howling in the night.  A nice peaceful place to spend the evening.

July 19 Sulphur Lake to Pine Campground 49 km More head winds with rain and sleet to the point where I felt like I was being pushed backwards, we knew once we were over Bear Summit it would be a nice downhill to Haines Junction, well almost all downhill, it was so cold on the way down I felt like a Popsicle. We found a great bakery in town, had lunch and got on line to check a few things. Earlier in Destruction Bay we had posted to a bike forum that we had completed our second book and were back on the road in Alaska.  You would think that other bike touring cyclists like ourselves would be interested in our book or just plain ignore it.  That is when we saw the nasty posts, we were called shills, freeloaders, our web site was ugly and my blog was boring. Ok not in all one post but in a combination of many. There were a few good ones in there but they were trampled by the trolls. We were really bummed to read all the nasty comments and responded the best we could by apologizing and moving on, we chose not to engage anyone and hoped the whole issue would drop.

July 20 Pine Campground to Rest Area 90 km. The provincial parks in the Yukon are stellar, nice camping areas with a table, cook shelters, and firewood.  We set up camp about 6 km from town and tried to dry everything.  The weather has been wet, windy and miserable. Today however, we had an awesome tailwind and we cruised along, a pleasant change.

July 21 Rest Area to Robert Service Campground, White horse 62 km It was mostly a tailwind today and around town the wind swirled around us, we were in town early enough to stop at the bike shop to pick up some derailleur cable. I popped into walmart, a haven’t seen one in years and that was in China, picked up a few things and set up camp at the Robert Service campground.  It has wireless but our computer is getting old, our wireless is acting up, we get bumped off all the time, Canada is not the place to fix this so we will limp our way down to the lower 48 where things cost less.

July 22 - 24 White horse. I had plans to do some work with the book, online stuff and marketing letter.  Not my favorite thing to do but books don’t sell by themselves. We spent a lot of time in the White Horse Library, and a good thing too because it rained on and off.  Summer does not appear to be coming anytime soon.

While in Whitehorse I started getting back pain that moved from my spine around to my front.  I thought I was just sleeping wrong or not use to sleeping on the ground. I also felt run down but that is a bit normal when getting in shape again. So I thought

July 25 Whitehorse to Wolf Creek Campground 17 km. Being fully loaded slowed us down and we got out of town late.  Again the weather didn’t help much, it was raining again so when we saw Wolf Creek we stayed the night and once again pitched the tent in the rain and made dinner in the cook shelter.  Really nice place.  I collected wood from a number of places and must have gotten a spider bite on my back because I had a few bumps on the lower left side of my back.

July 26 Wolf Creek Campground to Squanga Lake Campground 94 km.  We stopped near swan lake to have lunch and when Tim stepped around a tree to go to the bathroom I went back to my bike to put some food away.  When I did I about came face to face with a large black bear, he was so close that I could see the whites of his eyes. I yelled to Tim, so much for being calm, Tim Tim a bear. Calm cool collected Tim, immediately said to me, everything will be all right calm down.  By this time the bear was off in another direction.  I try to stay alert for bears but they seem to take me by surprise every time.

Boy did I feel tired at the end of the day.

July 27 Squanga Lake Campground to Teslin Lake Campground 59 km. Augghh!  the head winds were tough and the rain showers were relentless, we had to choice but to push on.  Luckily we made it to Teslin Lake Campground and made a fire in the cook shelter.  I was so worn out I took a nap.  I am beginning to think that something is wrong with me. I had Tim take a photo of my back and show me. When I saw it I realized that I did not have spider bits but something else.  Then I remembered my little sister Darlene telling me that she had shingles.

We rode on into Teslin.

July 28 Teslin Lake Campground to Teslin 17 km. We arrived in Teslin and went to the restaurant and used their free wifi to look up shingles, I saw the photos and knew that is what I had.  Luckily Teslin had a medic center and I went there before they closed.  I had to pay for treatment up front first, to see the doctor I had to pay $450 CN, yikes, I am back in North America, it is much more reasonable in Australia and New Zealand. whow.  But there are some things that are worth money and that is my health.  The doctor confirmed that I had shingles and prescribed an anti viral  and hydrocortisone cream.

We met Stu and Kathy and their granddaughter at the campground, when they found out that we were going the same way they offered us a ride. Wow, I never thought about getting a ride, I tossed and turned about whether or not to take the ride and then I realized that we do not have any reason not to. We knew it would save us three days of head winds and we could stretch our food longer.

July 29 Teslin to Junction 37 turnoff - 240 km.  We were not a pedalin today.  Kathy and Stu loaded us up quite easily and we were down the road in style.  It was certainly a different perspective of the road, enjoyable to.  We were dropped off at Junction 37 and stayed at the campground.  Tim fell asleep in the front seat as the wipers cleared the rain from the windshield

British Colombia, Canada

July 30 Junction 37 to Beaver Dam Rest Area 78 km.  We woke to a sunny day and took our time packing, I could not resist the nice weather and decided to ride rather than rest another day. The day turned into a challenge with headwinds and rain storms.  But hey I did get to ride.  I was nervous for a while, I know that shingles can be really serious and painful.

July 31 Beaver Dam Rest Area to Simmons Lake 61 km. Ok, riding was hard today, climbing is harder and slower than usual.  For me it was the worst day on the bike.  The thing that kept me going was the scenery.  We stopped at Jade City free coffee and continued on to Simmons lake.

Aug. 1 Simmons Lake to Rapid Grizzly Rest Area. 75 km. Bears don’t shit in the woods they shit in the road.  We saw a huge pile of fresh bear dung on the road into our camp site. Yikes, it sent chills down my spine.  Not a kilometer away we smelt an awful dead animal smell and later learned that a semi carrying fish went off the road there. Great a bear magnet right next to our camp site.

Note from Tim:  Cindie has been too sick to write her journal because her shingles has progressed to a painful state.  She plans to continue writing in the future when she feels better.

Camping at 24 mile rest area on Alaska 2, oh yeah it is raining. A fox we saw on the side of the road.

ShareThis

July 1 Valdez to Blueberry Lake Campground 28 m (47 km) We packed up rather easy, I guess we have done this a few times. I felt grateful to have the opportunity to stay with my family for two months.  Without their help we would not have finished our second book.  With all the daylight hours in Alaska, (sunset at 11:30 pm and sunrise at 4:00 am) I managed to function with only 5 to 6 hours a night and finish the last bit of work. So when we shoved off we had very little training in our legs and an above average load of food in our panniers.  The first 19 miles were pretty easy, a great tailwind, flat roads, sunshine, and stunning scenery.  Valdez is in a valley with snow covered peaks all around and after 19 miles we had to climb Thompson pass (2,700 feet) that’s a lot of climbing for rusty legs.  I have to say it was a painful push up to Blueberry Campground at an elevation of 2,000 feet. It was great to find my brother Ed at the campground with a fire going and ribs on the Bar-b-que.  Yumm.  It was nice not to have to cook.  It was $14 a night to camp in a stunning area with a pit toilet provided, but no shower, bummer.

July 2 Blueberry Lake Campground to Billy Mitchell Rest Area 24 m (40 km). We rode over the pass and to Worthington Glacier. I was disappointed to see that it had shrunk since the last time I was here.  We had a nice 7.5 mile downhill ride but into the wind. After yesterdays hard push when we came to Billy Mitchell rest area we decided to stay.  Boy is it nice to be on the road again. OK the aches and pains are annoying but I know we will limber up quickly.  So far the traffic has been light and the roads well paved and with a large shoulder.  The drivers are polite and give us lots of room.

July 3 BM Rest Area to Tosina River Lodge at 79 mile, 31 m (50 km).  It is nice riding weather cool but sunny, we came across the Tiekel River lodge and stopped in for breakfast, we could have camped there for $5.  The guys in the dinner said that tourism is down 50% but the number of cyclists on the road is up.  We passed numerous pristine streams and the wild flowers are amazing.  I hope to have a full page on them soon.  We arrived at Tosina lodge and camped for free, we paid for a shower at $4. But oh they had free wifi and Tim was very happy about that.

July 4 Tosina River Lodge to Glennallen 36 m (60 km) Cherie and Scott joined us for breakfast and they brought Riley the dog with them.  Breakfast came with free coffee, ketchup, mustard, and Tabasco sauce.  We have a new saying, the US is the land of plenty.  There is free coffee everywhere we go.

Tim was overjoyed to see everyone including Riley, he secretly wishes we could have a dog with us. We had a short steep climb right out of the gate, a guy was walking up the hill and we were riding about the same speed. We stopped at the Wrangell/St. Ellis Mountain National Park headquarters and watched a free movie and looked at all the exhibits.  Nice, I would recommend a visit here.  We had one more climb before Glennallen and I was over heated by the time we hit the top, I guess 82 degrees is hot for us at the moment.  In Glennallen we stayed at the Northern Lights RV park and paid $15 for a site. There was free wifi but we had to pay for the shower, 2 for $5. Oh do we miss the camp kitchens we had in Australia and New Zealand.  We were lucky to get our tent up before a thunderstorm dumped a short hard rain.

July 5 Glennallen to 24 mile Rest Area (36 m, 64 km)  I picked up more food supplies at the grocery store here, the prices are a fair bit cheaper than Valdez, ok it is nice to get some cheap food. The weather is nice at 74 degrees and we have a tailwind.  I have been having a hard time keeping up with Tim, the tailwind makes it difficult so I have taken to riding out front to slow him down a bit.  Even though we have been in the States for a few months now I still get confused at times on which side of the road to ride on.  I still think in kilometers and I am reluctant to go back to miles again, but I have no choice all the distances are in miles. Well we will be riding in Canada soon and they use kilometers.  Measurements like inches I find tedious and when we saw a sign that said rest area 1500 feet, Tim and I were bewildered at how far 1500 feet was.  Yikes we have been away for a long time.  Our rest area came at just the right time, we set the tent up before the afternoon thunderstorm hit. We were not so lucky for dinner, we had to cook dinner in the rain.

July 6 24 mile Rest Area to Midway Point at 61 mile (37 m, 61 km) The morning was foggy but at least it wasn’t raining.  We waited a bit to dry our belongings and started down the road again. We are really out there not much human development anywhere.  The smell of the wildflowers are sweet and the spruce fresh.  We look around for animals but we haven’t seen anything big yet, just bald eagles and other nesting birds.  It has been warm during the day so I guess everything is hiding from the sun.  The thunderstorms are developing again, we can see them way off near the mountain peaks and they look like they are coming our way.  So we pushed on to Midway.  In the milepost book, Midway advertises free camping so we thought it would be a good place to spend the night.  When we arrived Jay the owner said, why don’t you stay in our old school bus, it has bunk beds and a table and chairs. We were thrilled to have some space and unloaded our gear in the bus. Little did we know it was about to rain for the next two days straight.

July 7, 8, 9 Midway Point  It began to rain on Sunday night and didn’t stop until Wednesday afternoon. We did take nice showers and did laundry at the store, worked on the stuff on the computer. Jay and Debbie the owners were great hosts.  They are avid hunters and have skins of grizzly bear, black bear, coyote, fox, lynx, and wolf.  They live in an area where wild life outnumbers humans by a long shot. The weather here can get down to 40 below 0, now that is cold.  What an interesting lifestyle, not for me, it is way to cold to ride a bike but they sure enjoy it.

July 10, Midway Point to Tok 63 miles (104 km) The weather finally broke and we are on the road again.  I couldn’t think of anything better to do than ride my bike on my 47th birthday, my how time flies when your havin fun. The terrain was rolling and the pass was not too bad.  As we were cruising along we saw a fox laying on the side of the road so we stopped and watched him for a while he was really playful like a dog.  While we were stopped three vehicles went by and they didn’t even see the little guy.  I love riding through the spruce trees it smells so fresh.

We had a great tailwind until we were 10 miles from town and the thunder head over us opened up, we were sucked in and we couldn’t pedal out, we had a head wind and rain too.  No use fighting it we just pedaled along, boy can the weather can change fast here.

July 11 Tok. We stayed at the Salmon Bake Campground and spent our time at Fast Eddies Restaurant. All you can drink coffee, haven’t had that in a long time, well I have to admit I drank a little too much of the stuff.

We finally made the announcement that our book is finished.  It still hasn’t sunk in yet but oh what a relief.  Now I can concentrate on my journal and ride, ride ride.

July 12 Tok to Lakeview Campground 90 km. With a tailwind and rolling hills it started out as a pleasant ride and then around noon the thunderhead built up again and to add to the misery we hit our first construction zone.  It started raining when when we put our bikes in the Pilot car and it rained the entire time we sat in the back of the pick up truck. Yuck! wet, cold, and windy, we waited for the rain to let up and started off again. Along the way we met up with a Dutch couple touring from Anchorage to Seattle, we are heading in the same direction. Another construction zone and another ride in a Pilot car and the rhythm of road was broken.

We finally arrived at Lakeview Campground, at first it was the Dutch couple and us.  The campground is on a beautiful lake, has toilet with hand sanitizer even!, a fire pit, and tables too.  The price was right too, no fee.

In the middle of the night I got up for my usual evening trip to the bathroom. When I was just about asleep I heard someone walking around outside our tent. so I unzipped the door and took a peak outside and my heart skipped a beat, it was bear and he was 100 feet from our tent.  My first thought was thank god we don’t have any food in our tent, my second thought was wake up Tim.  The first time I shook him and gently said, Tim there is a bear outside our tent, he just laid there, then I saw his entire body levitate off the ground when I said again, “Tim there is a bear outside our tent”, and he sprung into action. Ok he quietly got up, grabbed the camera and bear spray (pepper spray specifically designed for bears) and looked out the tent door and by that time the bear was gone. whew! The nice thing about Tim is that he doesn’t panic, something he has been trying to teach me forever. Needless to say it took a little while to get back to sleep. The moral of the story, don’t keep any food in the tent and most likely the bear will just walk by.

July 13 Lakeview Campground to Beaver Creek, Canada 90 km. We cleaned the bikes up a bit today because they were caked in mud, we will probably see more mud but Tim likes to keep the chains clean, one thing we learned from being on the road so long is that components wear down and the better we take care of them the longer they last.

It was hillier than we expected today and we were slower than we liked, we pulled into the Teltlin Wildlife refuse visitor center and took a long break, the Dutch couple were already there and we enjoyed lunch together. The weather looked like rain again, great. We pushed on into no man’s land between the US and Canada border.  We were cruising down the gravel road at a good speed when Tim’s back tire went flat.  There was barely anyplace to pull over and change a tire.  On the bright side when we got Tim’s bike all put together we noticed a moose in a pond not too far from us.

On the road again I pedaled up to the top of the hill and shifted into a higher gear and snap my shifter cable broke. The first time ever for me and the cables were replaced in New Zealand, so it only had 6000 km on it. So I only had my front chain rings and had to pedal slowly on the flats. We had 25 km left and it seemed like eternity until the Canadian border. On the bright side, we missed the torrential downpour that occurred at the border before we got there.

We rolled into Beaver Creek happy to get a camp site.

Yukon, Canada

July 14 Beaver Creek to Snag Junction Campground 22 km. We had a lot of bike work to do this morning and it kept us from getting on the road early again, that was probably a good thing because an hour and a half after we left Beaver Creek the skies opened up again.

We were in luck, we were near Snag Junction Campground and it even had a cooking shelter that we made use of.  We met a group of Germans and we had a huge gathering for dinner.  It sure beat being on the side of the road.

July 15 Snag Junction to Km 1916 100 km.   The morning was sunny and the wind was behind us.  We were cruising along when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement.  I looked over and saw a momma grizzly bear and her two cubs. She was across the road and up a rock slope, the cubs were eating berries from the bushes.  Momma didn’t see us stopped on the road but I did notice when she smelled us.  She put her nose in the air and stared right at us.  The cubs ignored us and traveled on so momma was not too concerned with us either, Tim caught some great footage on the camera and it will be showing up on his new Alaska and Canada video.  Now that the book is done he has time for video again.

I can’t say I wasn’t a little scared but we kept our distance and everything worked out just fine.

July 16 Km 1916 to Destruction Bay 73 km. We expected the Alcan to be really busy this time of year but traffic is light and some places have told us that tourism is down 80%. Well we saw the reaction to this and the high gas prices today.  We passed three no maybe four places that were closed.  We later learned the lack of tourism and the price of diesel put quite a few businesses under.  It wasn’t just he lone RV park either, it was the entire Kluane Wilderness Village.

We rode on to Burwash Landing and had lunch, it was a little disheartening when the waitress didn’t give me the proper change.  For some reason the place just didn’t feel right so we slogged on in the head wind to Destruction Bay. The RV Park wanted to charge 10 dollars per person for a piece of ground covered in gravel and in the wind. We decided to look around and found Talbot Arm Motel, where we could dry camp for free behind the hotel. The people were nice and very accommodating, we decided to stay the night and spent our money here.

July 17.  The wind was gale force again so we decided to take a day off the road and catch up on laundry and computer work. There is free wireless here, it is great to be in North America where the grizzly, moose and wireless run free.

See index of all (several years) Cindie’s Journals here

ShareThis

Hello friends of Tim and Cindie Travis: DownTheRoad.org

Our second book is finally finished! I look back and can’t believe we did all the work to write, edit, and publish this book on the road as we traveled internationally, frequently while free camping on the side of the road in our tent on battery power.

The first draft was written in South America as the events unfolded. The second draft was worked on in Malaysia except a couple chapters that were reworked later in Tasmania, the Gold Coast, and as we rode across the lonely outback “top end” in Australia. The first edit of the entire book was done in New Plymouth, New Zealand. We hired a professional editor and worked with her as we rode through the South Island of New Zealand. In Valdez, Alaska, USA we hired the book cover artist, completed the layout, and wrapped everything up. We are writing you from the road in Tok, Alaska and will be responding to your emails from the Yukon, Canada.

Our RoadNews newsletter subscribers helped us by providing feedback on the first chapter while a few interested people went on to read the entire book and provide valuable edits and content suggestions. Thank you all very much for your words of encouragement, help, and insisting that Cindie and I stick with the project to the end.

The printed edition of our second book, “Down the Road in South America: A Bicycle Tour through Poverty, Paradise, and the Places in Between” is available for purchase thorough our web site by the usual payment methods including Visa and Paypal. Unfortunately, due to lengthy set up procedures, it won’t be available in Amazon or other bookstores for several more months.

As a special thanks to our regular email readers, we are offering a prepublication special. Purchase our second book: “Down the Road in South America” and we will send you a link to download a free copy of our MP3 audio book of the first book: “The Road That Has No End”. This offer is good until July 31, 2008.

In addition, if you purchase both printed books together, “The Road That Has No End” and “Down the Road in South America” we will give you a 25% discount off the retail price plus the free audio book. Just make sure you use the special button located on our web page address listed below.

http://www.downtheroad.org/Publishing

To update you on where we are now, we have left Valdez, Alaska, USA and have started riding again making our way south through Canada and down the west coast of the USA. I have caught up the New Zealand web site with Cindie’s last journal entries and photos. I am now working on a new section of our web site for the current leg of our journey. Please stay tuned for our regular photos and daily journals. I hope that this does not include stories about a grizzly bear attack or moose chasing us across the state.

Until then, THANK YOU all very much for taking interest in us and we look forward to the next leg of our journey.

Tim and Cindie Travis

The Valdez Harbor	Close up of sea otter.
A puffin bird. An island is the straits.	The ice flow was too thick to get any closer to the Columbia Glacier. The humpback whale is a thrill to

ShareThis

Play Introduction Video    —–    (More Videos Here)

Below is a packing list we included in our second book about our travels through South America. We have reviewed the list and feel like we may have left something obvious out, did we forget anything?

We realize it is a long list but because we are on a multi year tour we have a few extras to make life more comfortable. A lot of the electronic gear is necessary to create our web site, write and publish books, and mix video on the road. It is a bit of a load to travel with but not much considering it is practically everything we own.

We have been on the road for many years and have traveled through different climates, over various terrain and in both the developed and developing world. So we don’t always carry everything on the list at the same time and we have tried to note these distinctions where they apply and hope this packing list provides you with ideas for your next bicycle tour.

Tim and his loaded bike (packed light for Southeast Asia).

camping with the kangaroos

water filter and hand pump

all the pans pack into the biggest one

STOVE
- gasoline burning camp stove
- wind screen
- lighter
- repair kit
- fuel bottle (size changes depending on the frequency of gas stations and how much we use the stove).

stove and small fuel bottle

(Items below are also carried when we are camping/cooking a lot)

- small knife for cooking
- thin plastic flexible cutting board
- can opener, army style
- spices – salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, and more
- olive oil – kept in a sealed plastic container
- resealable bags
- dish drying cloth

MP3 player strapped to the amplified speakers n handlebar bag.

The “T” light socket adaptor makes an electrical outlet from a light bulb.

HEALTH
- lip balm
- sunscreen
- insect repellant and mosquito coils
- multivitamins
- earplugs
- eye mask (blindfold) for sleeping

FIRST AID KIT
- international health and first aid manual
- adhesive bandages, various sizes
- elastic-wrap bandage
- gauge, pads and roll,
- antiseptic wipe
- safety pins
- medical tape
- scissors
- tweezers
- antibacterial cream
- burn/first aid cream
- antifungal cream
- eye drop antibiotic
- aspirin/ibuprofen (which ever is available)
- antihistamine
- Moleskin
- antacid tablets
- Doxycycline (Malaria)
- Antibiotic Metronidazole (Amoebiasis and Giardiasis)
- Antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (bacillary dysentery, shigellosis)
- Antibiotic Amoxycillin (broad spectrum for general use such as infected cuts)
- Mebendazole (worming)
- Thermometer

TOILETRY/SHOWER BAG
- toilet paper
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- quick drying towel
- brush/comb
- shampoo and conditioner
- bar soap
- razor
- fingernail clippers
- small mirror
- wet wipes

CYCLING CLOTHING
- 2 cycling shorts
- 1 – 2 short sleeve jerseys
- 1 wool long sleeve jerseys with rear pockets (in cold climates)
- 1 cycling tights
- 1 pair cycling gloves
- helmet
- sunglasses
- bandana

OFF BIKE CLOTHING
- 2 short sleeve shirt
- 2 convertible shorts/pants
- 4 pairs lightweight wool socks
- swimsuit
- sun hat
- underwear
- laundry bags used to separate clothing in our panniers
- sewing repair kit

COLD WEATHER GEAR
- fleece jacket
- long underwear top
- long underwear bottom
- mid-layer/wool long-sleeved top
- cold weather hat
- long fingered gloves

RAIN GEAR
- wind/rain jacket
- waterproof socks
- waterproof helmet covers

SHOES
- bike shoes
- walking shoes
- sandals

DOCUMENTS and MONEY
- money belt
- credit card
- ATM debit card
- travelers checks – we don’t use these as often anymore and we are phasing them out.
- local currency
- maps
- travel/guide books
- passports
- tourist visas and travel permits when applicable
- copies of important documents, (stashed in a separate area)
- vaccination records (can be important at some borders)
- driver’s licenses
- small notepad and pens

SECURITY
- combination pad lock for hostel lockers
- combination cable locks for bikes
- emergency stash of US currency

TOOLS
- patch kit
- tire levers
- tire pump
- tire pressure gauge
- chain tool
- allen key set
- cassette cracker (remover)
- chain ring bolt wrench
- cone wrench if not using sealed cartridge hubs
- chain lube/rag
- spoke wrench
- 8 and 10 mm wrenches
- pedal - 32 mm headset wrench if not using threadless system
- crank puller/bottom bracket tool
- multi tool/knife - (blade, pliers, screwdrivers, needle nose pliers, file, etc.)

more than the bare minimum tool set

SPARE PARTS AND REPAIR KITS
- one folding spare tire
- spare tubes, (number depends on the continent)
- shift/brake cables and housing
- spare brake pads
- spare spokes
- bike grease
- frame bolts
- short chain replacement section with extra joining links
- electrical. tape
- zip ties

small folding emergency tire

OTHER
- laundry cord and detergent
- pillow
- mini binoculars
- recreational reading books
- English/Spanish dictionary

Spotting black swans with mini binoculars

HOME - Videos - Picture Gallery - Journals - Travel Plan - Shopping - Equipment - Our Books - About Us - Media Room - Photo Use Info - Contact

ShareThis

All of the previous letters can be found at:http://www.downtheroad.org/LETTERS.htm

What Has Changed?

Many of the emails we received asked us what has specifically changed during the last year on the road where we crossed the unpopulated outback Top End of Australia and beautiful New Zealand. Since my last anniversary letter, besides replacing another set of worn out tires and drivetrain components, we have spent a good portion of our non riding time finishing up our second book. We are so close now but have hit a major road block. The sluggish internet speeds and restrictive up/download public access allowances in this part of the world has frustrated us to no end. I could have easily moved large cover and layout files around the internet in Asia but have repeatedly failed here. We are being charged US$8/hour for slowish internet with a 120MB up + download restriction including web pages, email, and posting pictures to our web site. We have decided to postpone the completion of the book a few weeks until we get to Alaska where the deer, antelope, and internet run free.

On a more positive and unexpected note over this past year we have been regularly recognized by the other touring cyclists we meet. Humans much less cyclists were few and far between in northern Australia but once we started riding in New Zealand, where cycling is extremely popular, we found ourselves in the wonderfully awkward situation of people we have never met recognizing us and knowing all the details of our trip and lives from our book and web site. For example, we have been approached in places like campgrounds and rest areas with “hey aren’t you the DownTheRoad.org couple from America”? or “I know you. You are Tim and Cindie from the internet”.

I would be lying if we said that we did not like the attention. We have spent years in distant countries with only each other to talk to and now interesting people are coming up and wanting to talk to us. The only drawback is that we want to know about their lives and travels instead of answering questions about ourselves. I never feel like we deserve to be seen as more than we are. I always stress there is nothing special about us and anyone can do what we do if they wanted.

Another bit of big news this year revealed itself as a result of Cindie combing through our finances for taxes. Cindie announced that we are now (almost) breaking even with our income equaling our travel expenses. She predicts that with the upcoming second book release and busy season on our web site we should be in the black in a few months. Apparently we could say we were breaking even now but the record low US dollar has made Australia and New Zealand more expensive. The USA should be cheaper which will also help the bottom line. Cindie, who is always looking ahead financially, has already informed me that any surplus will be used to replenish our savings instead of increasing our shoestring budget. So, while I dream of getting a cheap hotel room every couple weeks while traveling through North America Cindie tells me that she dreams of camping and paying off the remainder of our house.

In Our Immediate Future

On May 2nd we fly from Christchurch to Alaska where we plan to spend a month with Cindie’s sister and family in Valdez. Around June 1st we start riding south through Canada and the west coast of the USA. In November we plan to be in Tucson, Arizona for several bicycle events and to ride with old friends. If we can find a cheap place to stay in Tucson we will spend the winter there but if not we will head south to Mexico, find a quiet village, rent a room, and rest for the winter.

In the spring of 2009 we want to ride north through the western states to the Pacific Northwest in time to pick up the Adventure Cycling Association’s Trans America Trail and cross the USA before summer ends. In the fall of 2009 we will visit my family in Indiana and most likely go to the huge bike event I first attended with my father in 1977 when I was eleven called the Hilly Hundred.

After that we plan on visiting (maybe in order) The Middle East, Africa, India, Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and whatever else we can think of.

Please join us to see how it unfolds.

Tim Travis

All of the previous letters can be found at:
http://www.downtheroad.org/LETTERS.htm

Read all of Cindie’s South Island #2 Journal Here

See index of all (several years) Cindie’s Journals here

ShareThis

March 12 - Te Anau We met an interesting couple from Africa, the immigrated to Australia from Zimbabwe, it sounded like a tough place to grow up and they eventually had to leave,

March 13 - Te Anau to Black mount 60 km After a morning of internet and a visit to the wildlife park we had a really late start to riding. We planned to ride to Clifton but a headwind developed and slowed us down. We are now at the end of summer and the nights are getting cold. The benefit of this is the sand flies are going away, yeah.

March 14 Black mount to Colic Bay 80 km We met a couple from Oregon, the hills were gently rolling the thing that scared me was the trees, they grew in one direction and looked like this area could pack a fierce wind. oh I am glad it is a calm day.

March 15 - 16 Colic Bay Stopped in Colic bay to work on the book and start pulling our taxes together. I couldn’t be busier, every moment I can I am doing data entry for taxes and putting the finishing touches on our packing list

March 17 Colic Bay to Invercargill 55 km. Tim got a flat on the rear wheel and when he shifted his gear to make it easier to get the wheel off his cable broke. We were on the side of the road for over an hour

March 18 Invercargill. Met a group of geography students from Wisconsin, it was really fun talking about home and politics, a lot is going on and all the candidates made stops at the university. I can’t say I have seen a presidential candidate speak and I have to put it on my must do list. Wow how very cool is that. Met Robert Esson, 77 years old and riding in new Zealand for 17 years

March 19 Invercargill to Fortrose 42 km. On the road we met a number of cyclists going the other way, a Englishman on a Dahon folding bike, and a couple of Canadians on their way to Invercargill too. Since we got such a late start out of Invercargill we decided to stop at the free campsite at Fortrose, a pretty spot on the estuary where we watched the birds come in during low tide, a nice spot. Just as we were setting up and ready to lock the bikes I realized, ok it was my fault, I left the locks to the bikes on the tree back at our last camp site, augghhhh. We both agreed we had to go back for them and Tim, bless his heart, volunteered to ride back and get them. I was oh so itching to get back on the road but yet again we were off our rhythm.

March 20 Fortrose. The day was stunning, no wind, a partly cloudy morning, Tim left unloaded and I stayed with our gear, I had the tough job of reading a book all day, oh a luxury I have not enjoyed in a very long time, thank you Tim. Tim was back in four hours, he rode there and back without stopping, and yes, we have our locks back, a tragedy narrowly averted.

March 21 Fortrose to Curio Bay 44 km. We took a side trip to Waixxx point and it was well worth it to us because we saw sea lions on the shore, close enough to get a good look at them and we even watched them play in the surf. They are such huge creatures and have a hard time waddling around on the beach but in the water they are really graceful. There was a short gravel section to ride and the gravel was deep and the wind was strong from the side, so strong it pushed me across the road. When we finally got to the flats I was relieved that I didn’t wreck going down the the steep hills. Well I let my guard down too soon. As we were riding on the flats a large rock bounced up between my fender a fork and locked up the front wheel, I knew I was going down when my front wheel started skidding. Oh I tried to keep the bike upright but I couldn’t and down I went, I landed so hard I though I may have broke my collar bone but luck would have it and all I did was bruise my palm and my pride. I just don’t have the rhythm.

We arrived at the campground at Curio Bay just in time to put up the tent before it started to rain. The hector dolphins were out in the afternoon, the campsite at Curio bay may be one of my favorites in all of New Zealand, the camp itself is very basic, I would love to know the history behind the murals on the water tanks, the showers are hot, the kitchen tiny but we met all kinds of people there and there is an outdoor covered area that has very stunning views of porpoise bay. just lovely, so nice we decided to stay and extra day, we are not in a rush to get out on the roads during this Easter weekend.

March 22 Curio Bay. I waited all day to see a dolphin but they just didn’t arrive, but a walk on the beach and we found a fur sea hidden in a bed of seaweed, a very cute and sleepy creature. Back at camp we gazed out at the sea all day and when we went to the kitchen to make dinner we met Robbie from Portland. He said I looked oddly familiar and then he asked us if we wrote a book about our travels and the connection was made. We told him about the porpoise bay and the dolphin and we asked him if he wanted to see the yellow eyed penguin and off we went to the viewing area. Tim had camera in hand and true to his nature took some spectacular footage of the penguins which are quite large. Back at the kitchen Rob made an interesting dish I have named Robaroni and it consists of rice peanut butter and tuna. Rob is traveling a tad faster, ok twice as fast, as we are and I can see the joy of riding in his eyes, some people just love the open road and turning the pedals and Rob is one of them. He is off to Thailand soon to teach English and continue his travels, he plans to teach then travel. All this while paying off a student loan, impressive.

March 23 Curio Bay to Caberfeidh 54 km. A bit of a hilly day and I feel like I am on the verge of getting out of shape, it happens when we stop so much but it is a necessary evil at this point. Stopped at a road and went up and found a corral and set up the tent, the farmer came by later and visited with us and said we were welcome to camp in his paddock and we were lucky we were not there in the morning because the cows were going through.

March 24 Caberfeidh to Nugget point 44 km A trip that was well worth it.

March 25 Nugget Point to Lake Waihola 72 km I was lucky to see a pair of yellow eyed penguins leave their nest and go out to sea this morning, the whole thing was beautiful to watch, I was in awe the entire time.

March 26 Lake Waihola to Dunedin 49 km. We may not have had far to go today but the hills were relentless, I heard stories of the hills around Dunedin and they are all true it is hilly. The first hill was really long 7 km and an hour later we were at the top and flying down the other side. The other side was steep as well with a few ally oops, we flew down one side and up and over a short hill, who hooo I love it when I don’t have to pedal over a hill. Thanks Tim for pulling me over. We stopped at a beach for lunch, it was low tide, I picked a few mussels and had them for lunch. Awesome.

We had a nice leisurely ride along the beach through the town of Brighton and into Dunedin. We came to an intersection where we could have gone to Green Island or follow the scenic road towards Blackhead. We chose the scenic road and had a nice ride over the hill past a coal mine and then we looked up the road and Tim and I both thought we were looking at a phone pole is that a pole, holly sh** it is the road. Not kidding, luckily it wasn’t straight up just up and short relief in grade and then a steep section again. In our wisdom we had lost the detailed map of Dunedin so we were riding blind. We continued to follow the scenic road until we came to a garage and asked direction. Easy, we turned right went to the bottom of the hill and followed the signs for bikes to Dunedin and we were in town pronto. Hardly any traffic at all. Nice. We are staying at the Manor House a youth hostel that allows camping. Ok there are three sites but hey it works.

March 27 - April 1, Dunedin - Working on taxes, hey check out that rebate. We leave when the taxes are done.

A couple of American cyclists we met on the road.	The beautiful scenery of New Zealand.
The road that has no end. View of Te Waewae Bay and the fiord lands in the background.	Can you say muscle car. Cindie pushing her bike through a stream, oh the water was cold but I had my sealskins on so I felt the cold but didn’t get wet, yeah.

Cindie with Robert Esson, he is 77 and has been cycle touring for 17 years. whoa.	Cindie waiting for the sheep to go by.
She is roaring at Tim, he got a little too close This little guy was lost but now he is found.	A couple of canadians we met on the road. A heron wading in the shallows.

Robbie and Cindie riding out of Curio bay.	Yellow eyed penguin.
The petrified forest at Curio Bay. View of farmland.	View from Florence Hill lookout. On the way out to nugget point we saw this 4 wheel in trouble, good thing he has that snorkle.

Sea lions on the beach on the way to nugget bay.

Tim taking a lunch break.

Read all of Cindie’s South Island #2 Journal Here

See index of all (several years) Cindie’s Journals here

HOME - Videos - Picture Gallery - Journals - Travel Plan - Shopping - Equipment - Our Books - About Us - Media Room - Photo Use Info - Contact

ShareThis

The pass over the crown range.

February 20 Wanaka to Arrowtown via the Crown Range 54 km  We left Wanaka with rusty legs and it took me a little time to warm up, it didn’t help that we had to ride up and over the glacial terminal moraine left behind by the last ice age, a short and steep ride.  But after that it was rolling and we had a tailwind, who hoo.  As we rolled into Cardonna we saw a park and a grassy spot, with two cyclists having lunch.  So we pulled up some grass and joined Chloe and Rob from Canada for lunch.  We opted to ride together over the Crown range and 700 meter (2200 foot) climb.  This is Chloe and Rob’s first cycling trip, they bought their bikes from nataral-high.co.nz in Christchurch, they were last years touring bikes and Tim said they did a nice job of setting them up on the bikes.

I was surprised when Chloe told me she was a Type 1 diabetic (also know as juvenile diabetes, she has to have insulin injections).  Then she showed me her pump, it monitors her sugar levels and injects insulin when she needs it.  She commented that she uses less insulin when she exercises because her sugar is stable.  How very cool, I have never met a Type 1 Diabetic who was so active, Chloe and Rob are guides in Canada and do canoe trips and rock climbing too.  Check out chloe’s blog connectedinmotion.blogspot, she documents her experiences while traveling with Type I diabetes.

As we climbed the hill I wondered how Chloe was doing with her blood sugar and if she would bonk easy?  Tim paced us up the hill and turned on the tunes when the riding got tough when it was a bit steep at the top.  I was impressed that Rob never left Chloe behind, he stayed with her all time, now that is a good riding partner too.

Before we knew it we were at the top of the Crown Range and the views down into Arrowtown and beyond were amazing.  Chloe made the ride with no problems and even had a smile on her face. She was jazzed and I was impressed, goes to show that even Type I diabetes didn’t slow this girl down.  We coasted down into Arrowtown and got a campsite for the night.

February 21 Arrowtown to Queenstown 21 km It was a short but scenic ride today wow, the scenery is stunning traffic was medium near Arrowtown a