Jane goes off to grad School

Right about the time when Jane and I started really making it known to each other how much we likes each other and were getting very close she announced her idea to move back to her home town of San Antonio Texas to teach in the public school system. She wanted my opinion and while this was killing me inside I pretended to think it was a great idea. I didn't feel like it was my place to try and put my foot down and say " I live you. You can't go!!"!we just weren't there yet. So I supported her. She realized pretty quickly that she indeed was not going to Texas and at that point a grad school in Cambridge Massachusetts presented itself. The MFA was specialized in voice as speech and she would be working with actors and getting all the same training that they would get. She would also spend a semester in Moscow. Many pieces fell into place and after her interview she was accepted. It was a 2 year MFA and she moves almost immediately. Her father and a friend came from Texas to help with the love and I met him at that point for the first time.
The moment she told me age got in I was excited and also a bit upset because I figured she and I would splinter apart. I have my own issues when it comes to long distance relationships. I just wasn't sure how it would all pan out. I was optimistic but uneasy. To my surprise she and I never went more than a couple weeks apart for the two years. She and I lived on the fung wah china town bus from manhattan to Boston. 4 hour rides each way. I'm glad it wasn't a 3 year program. That may have killed me.

Headlamp for Jane

It is a necessity to have a headlamp on a campsite. The question for my wife is how much power does her headlamp need? I have a heavier duty higher lumen rated lamp for myself because I have and most likely will use mine more than she would use hers. This Black Diamond  lamp has 17 lumens and is super light. runs on 2 AA batteries and burns for around 120 hours. Certainly sufficient for this trip.

Black Mountain Orbit Lantern

This lantern is fairly light and super compact. Having a lantern at a dinner site be it on a table or on the ground is a game changer. I have camped at plenty of sites with only head lamps to eat by and it can be a real drag. Having a constant stationary light is ao helpful. When lights are moving in the dark it becomes disorientating. This also has a hook to hang from your tent roof during the night. Very handy. Can also act as a walking lantern as opposed to carrying a flashlight. And for 25$ it's a bargain.

Roller skated into my heart.

This blog was begun at the time when Jane ad I are getting ready to do a California Coast tour in May of 2012. So as of now the entries are very gear related, bike tour heavy and so on.
This entry is about how I met my wife. It's tricky to find a balance of how much info to divulge. At this point in our society more personal info is available online than has ever been thought possible. Between my Facebook, websites, Twitter and Gmail my life could be an open book. I have tried to curb that for some time now. Details about my personal life tend to get censored but I want to tell some things. Like how we met.
We were both cast in a production of Much Ado about Nothing. The company was Shakespeare in the Parkinglot in Manhattans Lower East Side. The Drilling Company has been running the parking lot for a long time and Jane and I were cast as Margaret and Borachio. Two star crossed mischief makers. Our rehearsals were taking place in Riverside Park along the Hudson and it was a beautiful summer day in 2007. I arrived early and met the cast. I was just out of drama school. One of the last people to arrive was Jane. But not to be undone by any other late comer Jane came roller skating up to the table where we were going to do the first read. I had googled Jane when I saw her name and email in the cast list. She was beautiful in her headshot online but her beauty that day in the park on those limited edition Sketchers roller skates was out if this world. She was glowing and had that smile that always penetrates people when she meets them. It was a moment I will never forget. We were married 4 years later.

The joy of Leaving

We live on by far the Greatest city in the world. The mere mention of New York City to anyone anywhere conjures up images and opinions as diverse as the people who live and visit the place. We are brooklynites and have been for many years. As great as our city is it can be a real joy to leave it for truly greener pastures. So far Jane and I have had the pleasure to travel to places like Mexico, Russia, Aruba, puerto Rico, and I think to date she and I have visited around 20 states together.
Everyone we have been abroad or out of state there is always a feeling of "what is happening in NYC?" "what are our friends and neighbors doing?" As much fun as we have when we are gone you can't help but miss a city like Brooklyn. We also happen to live in the best area of BK, Bushwick! We really love it here. I will be writing in Bushwick in the weeks to come.
The point if this entry is how great it is to leave the city. Getting back to air that is super clean, trees that are older than the buildings surrounding them and birds that aren't pigeons. Don't get me wrong, The mascot of our fair metropolis gas to be the pigeon. But to be in a redwood Forrest in northern California riding a bike all day with my best friend in the world. Heaven. But you better believe I will be itching to get back to my loft an my work within no time.
The real purpose of a trip like this is to recharge the cells in our bodies that get a bit over worked in the grind of the Crooklyn Hustle. Love it or leave it. I just accept it.

North Face Twin Peaks 2 person sleeping bag

So as of today Jane and I have 2 fairly light 15 degree bags. I have a mountain hardware bag and she has a north face. Both are 15 degree and both are goose down. We are contemplating the Twin Peaks. It is almost a full pound heavier but that being said it is only 5 pounds and we would be in the same bag attune same time. It's rated at 20 degrees but I also figure that we would be generating more body heat and it might even be more like a 10 degree in a lot of respects. I can't really find a flaw with this idea yet. It's a synthetic down fill but I don't really care about that. The weight isn't an issue. We won't ever be separated on the trip so it's done we only have one bag. They are also on sale for the low price of 99$ at Cabelas .com I need to read some reviews from people.

Cane Creek Thudbuster Short Travel 33 mm

So after doing plenty of research and discussing with others about the stoker seat post needing some dampening I've decided to get a Thudbuster for my wife. There seems to be a few other options but none seems to be more proven to be successful Ayla the cane creek. There are two options here. Either the short travel or the long travel. I have been advised that the short travel is the way to go. The longer trawl version having maybe a little bit too much travel. I'm looking to find reviews of people who have used it on the same capacity that I will be using it. As the stokers post I will surely use a simple 27.2 Richey or FSA seat post. Nothing fancy. I'm hoping that this will ensure Jane a super comfy rise every day.

MSR Whisper Lite camp stove and 15 ounce gas can.

MSR Whisper Lite stove and gas can.

This is a classic stove that I have had for a very short amount of time. I originally had the same one that I lent to a friend who was going with her then fiancé to Hawaii on a backcountry mushroom collecting expedition. He was getting his phd in fungi. Anyway they got my whisper lite confiscated somehow and I was with out a stove for about a year. My friend eventually replaced it. Props to you Ann!!!

This new one has only been used on my Annual Uncle Nephew Camping Trip in upstate new York last year.

This is a classic piece of equipment. I have had very little problems with this stove as I have also never had any problems with any MSR product. Great company. Great product. We're using a 14 ounce gas can. Should be more than enough considering we will be along the coast the entire trip.

I can't wait to cook hot meals on cool coastal nights at our campsite.

Flat bar setup vs Drop bar set up

So there is a debate in the small dorky world of bike touring about the flat Handel bar kit compared to the drop bar kit. The touring I've done in the past was always drop bar on 700c wheels. This Coastal tour that we are planning is going to be on a 26 inch wheel so it seems to lend its self to a flat bar. Right now on my Bob Jackson touting bike I have a mountain riser bar with down tube shifters so I only have brake levers on it. On the co-motion will have 9 speed rapid fire shifters , avid brake levers, iPhone bar mount , bell, at least a small flashing white light and bar ends.
I'm looking into very simple 31.8 size riser Handel bar with Giant OEM bar ends. There are Ergon grips and bar ends are what I'm leaning towards. My wife now is riding on a super swept back bar and I'm trying to figure out how to match it up on the tandem. She seems to have gotten very comfortable with her hand position. I'm looking into it.

iPhone 4 with Topeak waterproof handlebar mount.

Traveling on a bike tour with maps was always a special feeling. Knowing what lie ahead of you and rolling through aware but there is an exciting feeling of the unknown. We will be doing this Coastal tour with 2 different iPhone 4's. This is a good thing for all the obvious reasons. I do wonder how much it will distract while on the road. For emergencies and such, it is invaluable. With there being two of us can I resist asking my wife to Wiki the small town we are rolling through for historical facts and other details? Im sure I will be unable not to ask.
We will be using Topeak handlebar mounts that are waterproof and seems pretty durable. I have yet to put the combo to use but I will review at a later date.
We are bringing 2 chargers and the added weight seems minimal enough. I had to ask Jane not to bring her Kindle. I myself was not planning on bringing a book. Since we will have 2 phones one can be the day phone the other the night phone. Keeping up on news and email as we both seem unable to avoid.

I am interested in finding a charger for the phones. I bought an ETON emergency radio a couple of years ago which will not come with  us on this tour. It is a great product but when attaching  a fully drained iPhone and trying to crank some juice into it, I never got it to charge. But that radio reminded me of my old generator light that I've had on several older bikes and am wondering if there is one for iPhone out there. I will investigate. I have seen solar panel chargers but I don't know any one who has used one for this purpose. Obviously there is a lot of research to be done.

La Donrick Powell marries Ariane Frick

In a few weeks Jane and I will fly out to San Francisco to go to my oldest friends wedding. I've known La Donrick since we were in 7th grade. We used to get into all kinds of trouble. He's one of my oldest and boldest. We will spend a few nights in a hotel in San Francisco and then head down to Half Moon Bay for the wedding. I'm really looking forward to being at the wedding. It will of course be very nice to get a little time in SF with Jane. We were in the bay area 3 years ago for a spell, but didn't get enough time to see the East Bay and lots of other parts of the city. Ariane and LaDonrick are two special people and I always look forward to seeing them.

Co-Motion Mocha Tandem with S&S Couplers

So obviously lots of thought has gone into this purchase. Buying a co motion tandem for us has been referred to as buying the family car. There are plenty of cars we could have bought for the cost of this beauty. It was a pretty easy choice for one principal reason: we didn't want to get separated from each other on the road.
I have been in groups where you can get separated from the pack and that isn't as fun as being together as much as possible. At least with my wife I want to be with her as much as possible. I've been with guys I was happy to get away from but this tour is different.
We have chosen the S&S couplers for the ability to break the bike down in a quick manner for planes and trains .we plan to tour in places like India and china and the feature of breaking bike down is too helpful to pass up even though it adds a ton to the cost of the bike. We have decided the extra money is worth it.
We are also choosing to tour on 26inch wheels instead of 700c. The choice was made because we are not trying to go too fast and the 26 inch tire and tube are everywhere in the world.
I am choosing to custom build the kit of this bike and will be going with more mid level components as opposed to high end. There is no need to buy an XTR rear derailer when I know very well the STX does the job. I will be doing an entry all about the parts package soon.
I am also having the guys at commotion weld on some canti bosses front and rear so that in the event that we have a problem with our disc brakes we will have the ability to slap on some v brakes or the like. This adds an additional 250$ to the frame cost. Seems like a fair price. I think the frame comes with a headset and seat collars.
We have yet to decide on a color yet for the tandem but I think we were leaning towards an orange color.

Ortleib Back roller plus Panniers

I am choosing to use my old set of Back rollers. I used these in Europe and several US tours. What more can you say about these. They are super tough. Reliable. Well made. And above all there is very little to malfunction on these. I had Jannd front panniers but sold them on eBay. Will be purchasing a small set of black ortlieb fronts to match my rear ones. I'm also using the classic ortlieb handlebar bag that had been trusty and reliable as well. I'm concerned that an over sized stem and bar 31.8 will need some sort of adapter to fit. I was using standard size bars before. But as with all of these products you just have a sense of confidence that all your gear is in one piece and clean and dry.
In addition to the panniers I own the carrying system for all ortlieb panniers to convert it into a back pack. I'm debating if it will make it on tour or not. My wife is bringing an ultra lite marmot day pack for a just in case moment and im tjinking that will be enough.

It's so easy to overpack for a tour.

Uniqlo Super light down puffy

Even though we are touring the Coast of California there will be times at night on camp site where the temperature may drop to really low 40s and even 30s when we will be at elevation. Both my wife and I will have gore tex rain jackets. I have a simple Marmot Precip jacket and my wife has a much higher quality jacket by a European manufacturer. But for the moments where you need to line the inside of the gore tex these babies were a tough value to beat. High quality goose full not as densely packed as a few other jackets I had looked at but at 75$ they blew the doors off the competition. The Patagonia jacket that I almost bought was 200$ and with the heavier fill came additional weight. The unique is around 15 ounces and packs into a stuff sac that takes up next to no space. Both of our jackets can for in an xs stuff sack.
Both my wife and I are bringing one. Hers has a good. Mine doesn't. I have noticed that ok its own in wind quite a bit comes through but under a light gore tex liner it is superb. The outter shell is pretty light but so was the Patagonia.

North Face Hedgehog III XCR Gore Tex

Since deciding to tour with pedal straps instead of clipless pedals, the proper shoe has been a focal point. I've only toured clipped in. This will be my first time touring this way. My wife Jane has never toured clipped in and feels confident in her Merrel Gore Tex light hikers that we bought her 2 years ago. For me I came across the Hedgehog while looking into stiff soled trail runners. North Face has some really still Vibram soles. These in particular feel stiff. They have a gore tex membrane and cup the heel really well. The toe of the shoe is very smooth and should slip in and out of the pedal straps well these retail 110.00 but i found them at the North Face store in nyc for 79.99 steal I will include more on these as the tour approaches.