building my bike at the Auckland airport

I landed in Auckland and spent two hours building my bike on some grass just outside the airport. I found out later that they have a bike building station with bike stands. Way cool of them. A clear attempt to get more cycle touring in NZ.

I set up a time lapse camera to shoot the set up. Coming soon.

After the setup, I biked to a gas station to grab some water and asked the someone which way Auckland was.

Its a little strange to bike on the left hand side of the road. The biggest issue I have is looking over my left shoulder for traffic. Its strange I've looked over my left shoulder since I was 5.

The trip from the airport to one tree hill where my buddy Frasher lives was about 14km and went over a bridge to get there.

It didn't take long for us to head out to the local fish and ships restaurant. Amazing!

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Flying 11,359 miles in the next 36 hours!

Then it will take me 80 days to cycle 1800+ miles.

Amazing!

I'm flying back to Los Angeles from spending the holidays with my family in Maryland. Then a few hours later I take a jet plane to New Zealand by way of Sidney. I will have major jet lag. It is currently 5:30am Wednesday Dec 29th in New Zealand and 8:30 am Tuesday 28th in Los Angeles and 11:30 am on the East Coast.

Long Cloud Ride: A Cycling Adventure Across New Zealand

My tentative itinerary

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=114104350048273311293.000494e6ece12fa8593fd&cd=2&sll=-42.448541%2C171.216774&sspn=0.071946%2C0.071946&ie=UTF8&z=5

Boxing up the bike.

Its a good thing I'm a master Tetris player because I needed those skills last night to box up my bike.

1. take off pedals.
2. take off wheels, deflate tires
   
3. take off fenders
4. take off front and rear rack
5. take off handle bars
6. take off seat post
7. bubble wrap derailleurs
8. flip bike upside down put in box
9. slide rear wheel basically where it goes normally
10. cram front wheel next to the frame
11. stuff tent, sleeping bag, panniers, and everything else in the box
12. take a fish eye photo.

Hours later done. Hope it's under the 70lb limit.

What woud you need for the next 80 days?

The Art of Layering

The idea is simple, every layer of clothing has a specific use that combine to keep you warm and dry.

2 Synthetic t-shirts - Sweat wicking and Sun Protection - next to skin layer. The job of all next to skin layers is to get the sweat away from your skin. So when you stop hiking/biking you don't freeze.
1 Wool long sleeve shirt - Sweat wicking and Sun Protection next to skin layer can be use alone or with a t shirt
Insulation Jacket - extra warmth for cold nights
Goretex Rain Jacket - a good breathable rain jacket. Pit zips are a must!
3 smartwool boxers - Sweat Wicking and odor resistant.
2 Padded Bike Shorts
1 Board Shorts
1 Smartwool long underwear - Sweat Wicking Warmth for the cold nights.
1 Zip off Pants
1 Goretex rain pants - Breathable, (not pictured)
3 Pairs of Smartwool socks - Odor resistant sweat wicking.
Gloves
Bennie
Clipless Biking Shoes
Walking Shoes
Flip flops.

Assuming that I'm waring one set of clothing here is the final packed look.

Camping Gear

Big Agnes Fly Creek ul2 Tent - Ultra Lightweight 2 person
Rei Sub Kilo Down Sleeping Bag - Ultra Light
Neoair Thermarest - Ultra Light sleeping pad
Go lite Jam backpack - I'm going on a few backpacking trips while I'm there.
MSR whisper light stove and fuel canister
Bowl and mug
MSR Coffee Filter
Titanium Pot
Spork
Rag and towel
Salt and pepper
Matches
Lighter
Fly fishing pole and rod (not pictured)

Bike Gear

Helmet
Take a Look Mirror
Sun Glasses
Bike Gloves
Bike Rain booties
U lock
Cable Lock
3 Water Bottles
Topeak Mountain Morph Pump
2 Spare Tubs
Patch Kit
1 Set of Spare Brake Pads
2 Spare Brake Cables
1 Spare Derailleur Cable
5 Spare Spokes with Nipples (in the seat post)
Bike Lube
Zip Ties
Duct tape
Electrical Tape
Velcro
Black Thread and Needle
Topeak Multi Tool
Tire Levers
Gerber Multi Tool
Crescent Wrench
Small Channel Lock
Compass
Front Light
Tail Light

Camera Gear

5d mark ii
24-104mm Canon
2 Battery's
96 GB of CF cards
LaCie Rugged All-Terrain 500 GB harddrive
3 Stop ND filter
580ex Flash
2 Pocket Wizards to trigger the flash and the Camera from trypod
Slik Sprint Mini ii Tripod
Rechargeable AA batterys
Solar Panel, 2200mAh Battery - for Iphone
Go pro helmet hero

Odds and Ends
First aid kit
Toiletries
Glasses
Iphone and charger
Headphones
Pedallers' Paradise NZ Cycle Touring Guide Books
Maps

100 days of biking...

I'm on day 100 of my 365 days of biking! Times flying and I feel great.

1 month down - 11 to go

Here's a map of places I've biked during my first month with out a car.

(M) is my apt
(H) is my job

The good and the bad.

The Good: I love starting my day and my evening with a bike ride. It wakes me up and gets me going better then any cup of coffee. It give's me time to think and a great way for me to keep in shape. I also no longer have a problem going to sleep, no more hanging out wishing I was sleeping.

The Bad: I've decided that I don't want my mode of transportation to hinder my life. So When friends asked me to go to a bar in Silver Lake after work I said yes, but after a 14 hour day at work and a 1 hour ride to the bar I could only stay for 2 and 1/2 hours before my 1 hr and 25 min ride home for only 3 and 1/2 hours of sleep before my bike ride to work. That being said it was a fun night!

Also my back has started hurting! I'm combating it with lots of Hot Yoga Moves, and Ice.

Labor Day Bike Tour to McGrath State Beach 117 Miles RT

I spent Labor Day weekend camping with my friends at McGrath State Beach in Oxnard. It was a fun and long ride fully loaded with my camping gear. As soon as I arrived Naomi popped open a beer and gave me a neck massage. Life is good.

117 Miles Round Trip. It took me about 5 hours including Lunch both ways with one day of rest in between the rides.

Terrible twos

Day Two: Two miles from my house I had two flat tires and was twenty minutes late for work. This will not be easy.

I'm Giving Up Driving a CAR for a Year!!!

4 Years ago today my life changed dramatically for the better. I broke my leg, tore my PCL, stretched my MCL, tore off most of my Meniscus and severely stretched my Peroneal Nerve all on my left leg “My Good Leg”. We went though 4 surgeries over the course of 2 years. The scariest of them was the nerve damage which the doc gave me a 50% chance to move my foot again. 8 scary months later we cried when I could wiggle my toe a millimeter. I still cannot feel from my knee to my toes on the top of my leg nor, do I have full mobility of my foot.

How did it happen you ask?

Well, I was on vacation in the water at Amity Island when JAWS CAME UP AND BIT ME!!!

I wish the story were that cool and my scars make the story kinda legit.

I was wake-boarding in Brewster, cape cod “the Cape”. I did not hit a huge rock, pier, tree, or a boat. I was not attempting to do any trick other then gliding on water. My friend was not driving faster then a speeding bullet. I wiped out and my body spun in a different direction then my left leg. Instant pain, more then I’d ever felt. “I’d give it a 6 out of 10 inside joke”.

Rehab was hard. It was a full time job, 4 days a week and at home. Cycling was the first outdoor activity that I could do. I fell instantly in love again, free from my bed, couch and at times my pimp cane. 4 years later I bike practically everywhere in Los Angeles, my longest trip has been to Glendale from Santa Monica, 23 miles one way for a house warming party.

My Pledge:

For one year September 1^st 2010 to September 1^st 2011 I’m going to live without my car and use some good old-fashioned human biking power. I used to use over 676 gallons ($2028) of gas every year. This may not put a big dent in the big Oil Companies but we won’t need to drill an extra 34 barrels of oil just on my account.

But wait… You can’t live in Los Angeles with out a CAR!!! Bullshit Mr. Get off your ass and buy a bike. Keep checking back to see how I’m doing, and if you see a biker on the road don’t try and run him over, it could be me. And as always you'll get lots photos.

Josh