Conference noted::bicycle

    	I just heard from a friend yesterday that he knows a
    	fellow that is going to bike around Arizona in a couple
    	of months. A lot of open spaces and a lot of vermin
    	(two-legged kind). My friend mentioned that this fellow
    	will be (legally) carrying a pistol.
    
    	May sound a little negative, but it is something to think
    	about
    
    	Scott

    Connie,
    
    	A friend of mine and I did this 2 years ago. Its a great experience
    and you'll love it. I'll take a shot at answering some of your
    questions. One point to be made is that between Las Vegas and LA
    there is NOTHING!!! Absoloutley nothing but desert. Its going to
    be real hot that time of year too. Just make sure your ready for
    that. I passed out from heat stroke in Nevada and I can tell you
    that it is not fun. We did it the same time of year you're planning.
    
    	There are a couple of good (cheap) hotel chains around that
    we stayed at. The first half of the trip you can find alot of Red
    Roof Inns. For the second half there is a chain called Motel 6 that
    is pretty good. As for carrying water, I would reccomend as much
    as you can. I had 3 bottles and a canteen in my pack. There are
    places that you will not find any for quite a while. Once you hit
    Colorado you will be able to ride on the Interstates and you will
    see signs that say "Next exit 95 miles"!!!! Scared the hell out
    of me!!!! Riding the interstate is definitely a good idea. They're
    alot closer to civilization. Think about getting a light for at
    least one of the bikes. If it gets real hot you can ride at night.
    There also may be sometimes when you're kind forced to ride all
    night. We crossed the Bonneville salt flats at night and it was
    still over 90 degrees.
    
    Be real carefull about the traffic laws! Some cops really like to
    enforce them. My friend and I were actually put in Jail for about
    5 hours for going through a red light!!! That was in Tahoe city
    California. Travellers checks are definitely the way to go. Plan
    for too much money rather then not enough and also carry plastic.
    
    I hope you're brining a camera!!! There's alot to take pictures
    of out there!!! The Rockies are fantastic!!! The first pass you
    hit will really stick in you mind if you've never been there before.
    
    Have fun
    Stew
    

In hot climates, (Nevada) loss of electrolytes in your body can screw 
you up just as badly as lack of water - in fact, water can aggravate the 
situation! My personal favorite to drink is a product called ERG, which 
comes is several pretty mediocre flavors. Unlike some other electrolyte 
replacement drinks (Gatorade) ERG replaces approximately the correct 
BALANCE of electrolytes. In hot weather, I find that about one bottle of 
ERG (at correct strength) to one bottle of water keeps me going.....

                                            ken

    
    	Enjoy this one Connie, and don't let the ole man blow himself
    up, he has to train gradually this year !
    
    	Reg
    

A couple more things occurred to me:

1) if you ride tubular tires, bring plenty - there are places where they 
are hard to find....

2) guess what direction the prevailing winds are going in the US! Don't
be surprised if you a riding into a headwind most of the time.

3) don't be ashamed if you have to give up one day for something like
knee problems, heat exhaustion, etc. It's far better to stop in a motel 
for a couple days, or hitch a ride with a pickup truck than to "grim it 
out" and cause permanent damage to yourself or endanger the completion 
of the trip when you feel better.

5) remember that you'll need loads of calories. Foods higher in fat (NOT 
recommending lots of frenchfries) than you normally eat are almost 
required for this sort of thing. And if you do it sensibly, the stuff 
won't plate out on your arteries, since you'll be burning it off for 
fuel.

6) plan on getting sunburned.

7) have fun!
                              
                                             ken                       

    Well, there is a town, Barstow, about 100 mi out from LV on I-15.
    I also recall there being a couple of places along that stretch
    where food/water may be available. I would check a AAA office for
    authoritative info. 
    You would be wise to check in with either the CHP or the San Bernardino
    County Sheriff, just so they are aware you are out there...CHP is
    pretty good about looking out for (law-abiding) cycle tourists.
    That area is desolate - and there are some kooks out here who harass
    cyclists...carry your favorite animal repellant.
    On the bright side - there is a mystic quality about the Mojave...like
    being at one with God/Great Spirit/you name it. I wish I had time
    to go myself...
    bob

    I would not recommend Nautilus for "endurance" for general
    conditioning and "toughening up a bit" it's fine, but for endurance
    there's nothing better than logging a few miles in the saddle and
    try riding with a "full load" a few times just to get some of that
    handling experience.  Take a week end trip somewhere in May, keep
    track of how much stuff you brought that you didn't need, reconsider
    some of those kitchen-sink items, did you really need the hair-dryer.
    
    See if you can arrange a postal drop somewhere, if you want, maybe
    it's better to never get written mail.
    
    Use your plastic to get cash, just make sure the charge for it is
    minimal, they range from 0 to $10 depending on the card.  There
    are more and more cards tied into national ATM networks.  It takes
    a little planning but it's an alternative that might at least be
    useful in an emergency.
    
    Sun?  Oh, yeah! and then some.  Forget the #2, #4, #6, even #8 go for
    the #15 or 16, even with that you'll get darker than you need. 
    The last 2 years, I'd meet Doctors who would say "Hi, I'm ..., by
    the way, use #15 'block'..."  Sometimes I do, too.
    
    You won't need so much water in the east, If you carry 3 bottles
    each make sure you change the ones you don't use so you don't get
    those little microscopic critters, they can cause digestive problems.
    Speaking of them, be wary of running water out west, the latest
    nasties are called something like giardia.  Bikecentennial has some
    thing to treat the water, I guess any hiking supplies store might
    also.
    
    Barstow?  Needles is another outpost.  If you get to any 10 mile
    stretches of repavement operations, I'd recommend hitching a ride
    in a pickup, don't just stick your thumb out, take off your helmet
    and walk up to one of the vehicles stopped in line and ask for a
    ride, it works.  This saves lots of problems, including catching
    a wheel in soft fresh tar.
    
    ed
    (who already has that "crocheted tan" on his hands)

My brother and his girlfriend bicycled from Washington State to Vermont
a couple years ago. They had no major problems other than numerous flat
tires. One thing I would recommend is that you leave your trip plans with
someone somewhere. Along with tentative arrival times and all that. My brother
sent us a map of where he would be and approximately when. It helped us
to track their progress as they headed east. Good luck.

Bahama Mama

               {   The California Peddler  }
    
    I would get a contract with Baskin & Robbins for all the ice
    cream you can eat.  Let me know when you are going on some training
    rides, I have to stay in shape for next winters racing.
    
    You will have a super time...
    
    tim
    
    PS  these business trips to Utah are killing me.  
    
    	16" at Alta...no lines.  When will it end.

Connie,

I rode cross country with 2 other people, from Mass to
Crescent City in Northern California in 1984. I'd like to add a few
comments to the advice already here which I think is good. (aside
from .1)

It sounds like you are well prepared and shouldn't have any problems.
We did a lot of reading, took repair classes and did lots of riding
to prepare for our trip and it was largely uneventful (as far as
problems go) and wonderful. 

I think the best way to avoid injury is to get lots of rest. We took
a day of rest, no riding at all, every 6 or seven days and that worked
well for us. 

We carried 3 water bottles each and that was plenty, but we didn't go
through any extended stretches of desert.

Although we camped and cooked our own food, we found that the best thing
to munch on during the day while riding was plain old bread. It's
easy to get and cheap and I felt it really gave me energy. I'm sure
you've read that you should eat before you get hungry and drink before
you get thirsty, and it's true. I think it's a good idea to munch
all day. You'll find what you like by experimenting.

As far as how much to carry, you'll probably find you're not using
certain things. We mailed clothes and other items home periodically.
If you're not cooking and camping that really cuts down on the
junk you need.

We had money sent to us through western union and a few times through
the mail at specified points, and if I do it again I would just take
travelers checks and a credit card. We had a problem once getting to
a mail stop before we ran out of money because of a mixup in the town
it should be sent to. I got lots of mail from my wife through general
delivery and had no problem with that. We left a detailed itinerary
and just let her know when we changed it. I also had a calling card
so I could charge phone calls automatically to my home phone and not
worry about money for phone calls.

I used #15 sun block and kept my helmet on all day (Bell tourlite) and
never got sunburned at all. The sun in South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho
was intense too. Make sure you keep putting it on periodically during
the day because you can sweat it off. I also wore shirts with 3/4
sleeves so my arms were mostly covered. I found some 50% cotton, 50%
polyester shirts on sale for $4 each. You will be cooler if you stay
covered.

Hope you enjoy your trip. I know you will. We found people to be
invariably friendly and helpful throughout the U.S.

Bob

    	RE: 234.10
    
    	Regardless of your opinion of my reply (234.1), it is
    	realistically something to think about (not carrying
    	a pistol as much as carrying some kind of personal
    	protection).
    
    	Another friend I talked to subsequent to 234.1 stated
    	that he got into a couple of tough situations. I will
    	admit, though, that he was travelling alone.
    
    	Because Connie will not be travelling alone, it might
    	not be that big a deal.
    
    	Grumpily,
    	Scott