A Reunion!

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Justin Smith

To state the obvious is unnecessary, but given my absence from this habit of transcribing a life on the road I must indulge. Nathan looks much the same as when we last crossed paths in San Francisco; bearded, with a pony-tail growing longer by the day. Since then he has seen a multitude more miles and more sunshine than I. By no means road-weary, but road worn – like breaking in a good ball glove, or leather bike saddle. Time has seemed to soften the edges of his moods, and his outlook is now always tranquil (even as he mistakenly took a pair of scissors to his front tire).

It should also go without saying, but I must, it is humid. I left a pleasant 55 degree Colorado (on the verge of its first seasonal snowfall) to land in soggy Cancun. My attempts to acclimatize are nothing more than some shopping adventures about town as we prepare for our journey to Cuba, but they seem to be slowly helping. Whether or not I will adjust to, or simply endure this climate, is up for consideration. At some point in this journey we will climb back into the mountains.

Attempting to sort everything out for this trip to Cuba has left little time for exploring. Aside from the range of our wanderings about, I have little impression of Cancun, or Mexico for that matter. The humidity is more challenging than the culture shock; we are all just people going about our lives, whether in Spanish or English, it is not that different. As we hunted out food for dinner at 10 yesterday night, it was a vibrant Friday evening with music and throngs of people dressed to the nines, it was natural and easy with no nervousness or worry.

Tomorrow we depart for Cuba to spend a month cycling around. What we expect is a beautiful island full of friendly people, picturesque cities, and pristine waters to swim. Toss in some enthralling history and it shows why we are so eager to begin this side-trip.

Internet will be spotty at best, expensive for sure. I don’t plan on any extensive time on the website until back in Mexico. So, now that I have so many tuning back in for the adventures, I must warn of another pause in your programming. I am eager to find some fascinating pics, places and stories to share.

The Band Will Play On:

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Justin Smith

If I had reason to feel bad about closing the end of my last post with a confession to quitting, then I have an even harder task this go around to explain that I was mistaken. In the face of mounting frustration at the prospect of solo travel, I made the only decision available. It would have been impossible to complete an additional 15,000 miles by the same means I had recently followed, and the rational choice was to move on to the next thing. Perhaps worse than the guilt over quitting, was realizing that I didn’t have the next thing figured out. While support for my decision was flowing in from all directions, it was always tinged with a tone of disappointment, not so much in me, but just at the knowledge that this fun opportunity for some vicarious armchair travel was coming to a close. I had a few friends with long-term international experience (peace-corps) express the common thread throughout the experience was an emotional bottoming-out somewhere in the middle of the experience. It was by climbing out of this hole that the true growth and development would come.

We can hike up mountains too!

We can hike up mountains too!

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I had to hit bottom, and quit, for my next door to open; an invite from Nathan to resume our two-man traveling wolf-pack. It took the better part of a day for me to go from dis-interest, knowing I had already made a concrete decision, to absolute commitment to joining up. First, it struck me that there were obvious sacrifices he was making in his trip to add this desolate fella. Ultimately, it presented an opportunity to get the trip moving again, and I couldn’t in good conscience pass it up. Whether I find the motivation, or companionship, to assist me all the way to the bottom isn’t a huge concern. At this point, it is just about giving it the best shot, and joining Nathan in Southern Mexico is that best shot. The advantages are many; sharing the cost of rooms, food, cooking, safety in numbers, joy in sharing good experiences and sights, commiserating in shared bad experiences, someone to talk to (even if they are a looney Brit./ even if they are a looney American), and so on.

The plan at the moment is to finish up some remodeling tasks here in CO, rebuild my bike (or potentially and new one), and meet Nathan in 5 or 6 weeks down in Cancun. From there we will journey over to the island paradise of Cuba for a month of bike-touring, before heading south through Central America. We hope the route will be both remote and rugged, bringing us farther from the PanAmerican Hwy and closer to authentic Central America.

I must now decide what to do about my bike. It was not intended for the abuse the Great Divide dished out, so is also not ideally suited for the rougher routes down south. I must decide if I can tweak and change it, or if it is better to equip myself with a new and more appropriate steed; say a Surly Troll (26″ wheels, disc brake ready) or a Salsa Fargo (29er, disc brake ready, off-road touring monster). In a dream world, not confined to financial limitations, I would put myself on a Co-motion Americano or Pangea with the Gates Belt Drive and Rholhoff hub. Surly Sue is a touring machine, but with 700c wheels is much more comfortable on pavement and within the confines of North America. With the exception of Europe and the US, it is hard to impossible to find replacement parts for 700c or 29″ wheels anywhere in the world. Most adventure tourist choose to ride any bike that puts them on 26″ mtn wheels for easier repair and replacement when abroad. However, there are a few hardy souls that recognize the rough-road eating style of the 29er Fargo and push onward with it. All I can say is that it is wonderful to be debating these issues once more, and to be filling my idle times with dreams of the road.

I hope that I haven’t disappointed too many of you, or that I lost your trust in my trip. One pedal stroke at a time I hope to pick this thing back up again and see what I can make of it.

Summer Plans (and Notions of Resuming Trip)

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Justin Smith

It has been nearly 4 months since I pedaled into LA and began what is now a somewhat long-term hiatus from the trip. A few things have contributed to this. Primarily, the scope of work I have agreed to take on and the multiple different projects I am helping with. Once I stepped aside to try and make a few bucks to help carry me all the way south, it became clear that living stationary is not necessarily cheap. I have found the need to take on as much work as possible if I am to leave with the savings I was anticipating. Couple that with an encroaching summer and my riding into the desert, and I hope it becomes clear why I will be waiting and working until August or September.

Have no fear, because I am dreaming up a pretty fun and eventful summer. Somehow I anticipate finishing the current remodel I am working on in 2 weeks (I estimate at least 3 weeks of work). I will immediately pick up on the next project and build a few cabinets to take up to the pops in Rapid City. Once there, we will build a great big covered wrap around deck on their house. With some additional projects tossed in, and some landscaping to do, I think we will be hard at work through June.

And finally comes July, my vacation month. Somehow I will get from Rapid City to Bozeman for a wonderful wedding of some dear friends on July 9th. Then the next weekend just happens to be the great Grand Targhee Folk Festival (July 15-17) with such acts as: Grace Potter, Sharon Jones, Bonaroma, Little Feat and others. There have been tentative plans in the making as long as I have been dreaming of my trip to meet some close friends somewhere south of the border to ring in our 30th Birthdays. Well, I am not south of the border, and so I screwed up that plan. Our fallback option is now Targhee. We would love to invite any and all to a great weekend listening to great music and basking in the glow of the Tetons (probably consuming some adult beverages as well). It is 3 weeks premature of my birthday, but works all the same.

Next, I am thinking July would be as good a time as any to get back to training for the 15,000 remaining miles left to Patagonia. I may choose to ride from Bozeman to Targhee (if anyone is interested), but I am becoming fairly certain I will ride from Targhee back to Colorado after the weekend of music. If anyone is interested in some bike touring and would like an extended summer vacation then there is your plan. Get yourself to Bozeman with a bike and some camping gear, we will ride to Targhee for some music, and then continue on to Colorado where you can fly back and resume your regularly scheduled life.

So there it is, the updated Roads Unwound Project. I hope to see some of you this summer.

Another Great Article Supporting Biking:

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Justin Smith

I just found this article speaking to the economic benefits of biking. For instance, no car payments and no insurance means more money stays in your pocket. Of the money that does leave your pocket, most of it will stay withing your 5 mile convenient cycling radius further supporting the local economy and not the Saudi’s. Take a look at the article: How bicycling will save the economy (if we let it).