Bios

Patrick Colleran
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Bike: A 1976 Sam Braxton (#23) refurbished for it's second cross country trip
Favorite piece of gear: B17 brooks saddle
Go-to road food:Corndogs
Best touring specific trick: Poppin curbs and riding wheelies
Last employment: Field leader for citizen science backpacking trips for wilderness character monitoring in the HPBH WSA just north of Yellowstone
Most anticipated destination: Austin, Texas
Best bike related experience: Touring the San Juan Islands with Alison E. Riley

Max Horrowitz-Burdick
Hometown: Longmont, CO.
Bike:
Salsa Vaya
Favorite piece of gear:
spatula
Go-to road food:
snickers
Best touring specific trick:
on bike sunscreen application
Last employment:
Denali National Park trail crew
Most anticipated destination:
middle of nowhere mississippi
Best bike experience:
first wheely

Vince Roubitchek
Hometown: Mt. Prospect, Illinois
Bike: Surly Long Haul Trucker (Fatties Fit Fine)
Favorite piece of gear: Bear Spray
Go-to road food: Jalapeno Cheddar Cheetos
Best touring specific trick: Limbo under gates of closed campsites....while riding
Last employment: Raft/Backpack Guide in West Glacier, Montana
Most anticipated destination: Beers on the beach in MIAMI!
Best bike experience: Cruisin' Avenue of the Giants in Nor Cal

Kyle Lehman
Hometown: Corbett, Oregon
Bike: Surly Cross Check with a dented rear wheel and noisy brakes.
Favorite piece of gear: Michael Jordan tank top
Go-to road food: Corn doggies
Best touring specific trick: No handed jacket removal
Last employment: Wildland Firefighter for the State of Montana
Most anticipated destination: New Orleans
Best bike experience: Crashing so hard while dirt jumping that I shit my pants.

Danny Thuerer
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Bike: Surly Long haul Trucker
Favorite piece of gear: GoLite nickers
Go-to road food: Milky way
Best touring specific trick: Riding forward
Last employment: Helena National forest
Most anticipated destination: The South
Best bike experience: Riding down hill

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Future cycling team

We took a coffee stop in Cambria and hung out at the local hob nob and chatted with Team Medicare. This group of coffee drinkers and bike riders made our morning. Although their jerseys weren't in our price range, Max guessed the closest number between one and ten for a free Team Medicare hat. Hopefully we will ride for them someday. Thanks to the Cambria gang for the entertainment and encouragement.

Cali' Chillin'

The gang put up some big miles this week and was rewarded with epic riding and some great off the bike time.  After riding 300 miles in three days, 100 miles of which took us through Big Sur, we arrived in Lompoc pronounced Lompoke/Lompuke.  Spending some time in Jaspers, the Playboy rated #6 dive bar in America, about 15 people told us the winner of the tri-county battle of the bands winner was playing a show. Once Pat beat the Pac Man high score we headed to the show and then crashed on the roof of a coffee shop. Yesterday was an easy 60 miles into Santa Barbara.  Pat's high school buddy Reese put us up.  After doing some costume shopping/lifting at Goodwill we made a huge feast then went to watch Reese's band play downtown.  The mummy costume proved easy to maintain throughout the night with a simple trip to the little boys room. Today we shredded some tasty waves on probably the sickest point break on the west coast.  Our tan lines impressed all the babes.  Some guy even thought we were in a touring band.  After working up a nasty hunger from shredding and we drove to the mountains to the Cold Springs Tavern for country western music and some top quality tri-tip BB-Q sandwiches. BOOM.  
-MBHB
Chillin on a 4 dinger (very large Redwood).
Northern California coast somewhere.
Sunset view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Aaron's roof.

Big Sur photo-op.


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TRICK OR TREAT!!

Surf's Up!!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

San Francisco

We made it to San Francisco and took a rest day in the city. Time was spent doing laundry, tuning bikes and replacing calories. Personally, I ate seven doughnuts from Bob's. We had excellent hospitality from our hosts Anna and Aaron and we watched sunsets from the roof before sweating into bowls of Thai food. Vince even showed odd his roundhouse kick. After a 95 mile day we passed the 1000 mile mark on our journey and ended up in Santa Cruz, California.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Redwoods

We were supposed to take a rest day in the redwoods but ended up riding a closed and washed out gravel road that led to a less than mediocre campsite without a view or redwoods. We continued our ride down the technical and bumpy road on our fully loaded touring bikes while only losing a pack of hot dogs and a couple of panniers to a more aesthetically pleasing campsite under a big tree. Vince climbed to the near top of it before determining that we should stay there. Our next pseudo rest day was a twelve mile hike though fern canyon to the lost coast where we saw a herd of elk grazing on the beach. We then rode a hilly forty miles on empty stomachs until we all consumed three pound burritos and sluggishly made our way into Arcata, California.

When we arrived at the Humboldt State University campus we posted up right outside the university center. Conveniently, we happened to be resting right next to the "Occupy Humboldt" headquarters (a group of tents with a creative logo on a banner). We heard they had been camping out on campus for the past week so, without hesitation we asked if we could join their slumber party for the night...they allowed it, of course.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Four Man Caravan

Patrick's rear wheel disintigrated on Wendsday as he tore down a steep descent in the Coast Range. From what he says, some pitting in the hub's bearing race caused it to lock up and tighten down with each successive rotation. Eventually the rear quick release shattered from the pressure and shot accross two lanes of traffic, leaving his wheel thrashing about in his drop outs like a beached Coho Salmon while he tried bring his bike to a stop. Thankfully he did so without incident and hitched a ride into Seaside were he could buy a wheel at the local shop.

The rest of us plodded through the final climbs of the day and met him on the boardwalk feeling fatigued and hungry. We cruised past the candy and toy stores of downtown before pulling up in front of a place with dollar tacos and cheap beers. Just as we were locking up Pat's rear tire exploded from being overinflated by the bike shop. Patrick looked down at his $100 investment and shook his head. "I want a fucking taco," he said. "I'll deal with this later."

By Thursday my ass was feeling as raw as a freshly shucked oyster and our bikes were clattering and squeeking from lack of attention. But it was hard to find issue with the scenery, steep climbs through towering forests and ripping descents along the rugged Oregon coastline. Putting down good mileage gets easier with each day and we have yet to pay for camping. Last night was spent in the Walport Irish baseball field where our night was interupted when a homeless man stumbled into the home dugout looking for a place to sleep. Seeing it was full he slunk back into the light drizzle with his backpack, highlighting the stark difference between funemployment and unemployment.

Shout out to Mrs. Sorenson

The night before we set out on bikes Brett took us to his house and let us do whatever we wanted in the garage. You should have seen the size of the catalytic converter under the orange car! Mrs. Sorenson even let us ride her grand champion thouroughbred bareback. Here are some pictures of the lamb roast and first couple days of the trip.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Two Layers of Wet Burlap

Last night we dug the trench by lantern light. Three feet by five feet by four. Big enough for the six month old lamb I slaughtered this Sunday. It's roasting right now under two feet of Oregon clay, wrapped up in wet burlap with sage and rosemary. I have no idea if this thing will work, or what the lamb will look like when we dig it up tonight. Hopefully it will be a fitting send off for the bike tour we're starting tomorrow. Over four thousand miles through the Southern United States on the one hundred and fiftieth aniversary of the Civil War. If we stay motivated we'll update our progress on this blog. Right now we're thinking eating contests, rap concerts and alcohol abuse.