The trip so far

It's not been two weeks since I started riding on this trip, and I'm close to being a quarter of the way to the Pacific in terms of mileage. Basically done with the Appalachians now, from here on west, things are supposed to flatten out until the rockies in southern Colorado. I feel like I'm getting into decent biking shape, finally, and have gotten into the rhythm of bike touring for the most part.

Bike touring is definitely different from anything I've done so far, although much of it is similar to backpacking. So far, the food on this trip has been much better than any backpacking trip I've been on - most of my meals have been prepared hot for me rather than being cooked up on my little alcohol stove. Granted, those meals generally come from gas stations and aren't that great in comparison to normal food, they are perfect for providing tons of calories and satisfying the tummy with something greasy and filling :). Buying prepared food is a bit more expensive though, so I'm planning on doing more cooking in the coming weeks. Part of the issue has been that there haven't been many substantial grocery resupply options, so there hasn't been much backpacking type food available to cook. The camping situation hasn't been all that great compared to backpacking trips I've been on, most of the campsites have either been in towns or in commercial RV park type campgrounds. Showers have been plentiful, but I'd prefer more solitude if given the choice. Socially, the trip has been interesting, haven't met too many other transam bikers (five, specifically,) but have met several bike tourers on other routes, a few local riders, and lots of local residents or tourists. Biking isn't as conducive to conversation as walking is - you're either huffing up hills or have wind blowing in your ears on the downhills - so usually the riding part of the day is fairly solitary.

Overall, I've been enjoying the trip for the most part. It's neat to move 50+ miles in a single day by bike - far enough that there's a notable difference in scenery between breakfast and dinner, but at a slow enough pace to get a feel of the area. It's been nice to live without a rigid schedule or homework assignments for the last couple weeks, and nice to just ride a bike all the time.

Looking forward to heading out of Berea either tomorrow or the next day as I'll soon be riding through country that I've never been near before! I'm glad to be done with coal country, and with the end of the Appalachians, the terrain should be leveling out a bit. Hills are pretty, but pedaling a loaded bike over them all day long does get a bit tiring.