musts for cross-country

Seven days stand between today and Friday, 07 May, the day we'll head west. As I prepare for the ride I am working on an incredibly long To Do List that certainly will not get done. At any rate, I will get some of those things out of the way before we depart. 

A few weeks ago, I started a list of Musts for Cross-Country on my phone. The list is on my phone so I can remember them. If I didn't put something like this on my phone, it all would be gone like a leaf in a hurricane. One of my life mottos has been, I can read but I can't remember so write it down. So I made this list of Musts so I'll remember the things I must do on the ride. I thought, maybe, you'd like to take a look at what I wrote:.

MUSTS FOR CROSS-SOUNTRY

EAT RIGHT. Bad eating equals bad riding. I want to watch the right amounts of carbs, fats, and proteins> I certainly don't want to get out on the road and bonk. (Run out of fuel.) I know I'll eat plenty and probably lose 15 to 20 pounds. I like that. I'll show you plenty of photos. Last time, someone thought I worked for the Food Network. I didn't. I just ate like I did.

HYDRATE. Water and electrolytes. I don't usually drink much but I'll make myself do it.

STRETCH. It's another one of those things I have to make myself do because I just want to hop on my bike and get going! (Impatience is one of my spiritual gifts!)

PRACTICE SHIFTING. Shifting with the chain in tension can cause big problems and crashes. So I like to find hills, go and pedal, and shift several times going up. Practice, practice, practice.

RIDE IN DEFENSE MODE. We will have every right to the road as any other vehicle out there. However, all three of us weigh a very small fraction of any vehicle on the road. We would lose in any and every confrontation. 

FOCUS. Watch the road. Stop to sightsee and take your pictures.

JOURNAL. 'nuff said.

FIND LICENSE PLATES & BUY TRAVEL STICKERS! The license plates look good hanging above my garage doors and the stickers cover my storage cabinets in my shop. Both are great opportunities to tell my story. And . . . I have a license plate from each state through which we pedaled! Found 'em along the way.

I do have a license plate story, however. In Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, I met a local gentleman in town. He inquired about our ride and I told him the license plate story about wanting one from each state we crossed. I told him that, at that point in the ride, we had not yet found a Minnesota license plate. He said, "You have a screw driver, don'tcha?"

RIDE SMARTER NOT HARDER. Pacing is very important. I sing to myself, especially, The Joy of the Lord is My Strength! On rainy days, I'll sing I Know The Master of the Wind and if I get lost, I'll probably go with Waymaker. No matter what, songs will be in my head and won't be bothering anybody. It's also a good time to be quiet!

REST. Get plenty of sleep and naps are good, too. They're especially good in the car, after lunch!

IT'S A RIDE NOT A RACE! Just remember that, OK?

ATTITUDE. Mind over matter. We're going to Maine is the battle cry of the ride.

MAINTAIN YOUR BIKE. Keep it clean. Keep it lubed. Check your tires every morning before riding. A quick tune up at  local bike shop does wonders. You need to stop at all the local bike shops anyway. The smell is good for the cycling soul.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TAILWINDS. I'm talking 24-26 mph with easy pedaling! You don't get them often. But when you do, go for the mileage. Go big! Go Century! (100 miles.) Remember: Any wind that's not a tailwind is a headwind!

BE AWARE OF MAILBOXES . . . especially if a door is open! Don't be funny and try to close an open mailbox! That could cost you a finger. Don't do it! Some of those mailboxes are pretty close to the road, ya know.

DOGGONE DOGS! On the 2009 ride, I remember only five dog encounters and most of them were friendly. A dog that gets close to you will usually back off with a spray from your water bottle. I've used dog spray before but that stuff can come back to haunt you. Experience has taught me, it does burn. Another way to avoid dogs is to ride a little faster than someone else!

RUMBLE STRIPS. When you lest expect it, rumble strips can take the handlebars right out of your hands. I guess rumble strips could be listed under focus, as well.

ENJOY THE RIDE. Between Washington and Maine there is an incredible variety of beauty, an abundance of wildlife, incredible and real people, snow, rain, sleet, sunshine, little mom and pop restaurants, specialty foods from Grandma's Cook Book, ranches, farms and barns, and hours of simply pedaling in silence, taking in an abundant load of God's Creation. It's an American Revival.

DON'T OVERPACK! Just take what you need. I figure I'm not going to be in the same place two nights in a row so who cares if I wear the same t-shirt and shorts two or three days in a row? Right Margaret?

TAKE PICTURES. You know the family is looking for them. It's helps meet ego needs. (You can even Photoshop mountain elevation signs from, like, 5,667 to 15,667! And you can Photoshop Mt Everest in the background, too! Or Tour-de-France action!) Keep the family happy.

BUY LEMONADE. When riding through small towns, stop at lemonade stands. The kids love it. Sometimes the lemonade's pretty good and it's always cold.

BE ALERT, PAY ATTENTION, LISTEN. Cell-phones are hazardous to your life, especially when someone in an SUV behind you is texting and driving.

PEDAL PHILIPPIANS 2. I know it's tough and we sometimes think only about ourselves (No, not me!) but when it comes right down to life in general, Philippians 2 is literally a God-send, Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

I know this isn't everything but hopefully you'll get an idea of what's going through my head as I prepare to pedal America.

The mountains are calling and I must go.