Reflections at the end of 2023
It seems that the inflammation and stiffness I experienced from February through September of 2022 (Health Report - September 13, 2022) is in the past. What a relief!
The creation of an extension to my Dura Ace seat post and the welding of the cracks in frame by David Brorein (Gear Update - October 15, 2023) brought to an end the problems that started in December of 2020 (December 10, 2020 - Preparation for the trip December 11-13, 2020 and Gear Update: Saddle, seat post, and cassette). Again, what a relief!
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| Seat post and extension |
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| Weld of crack in left seat stay |
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| David Brorein |
Now that the frame is repaired it's time to repair its paint which is damaged in many places, not just around the repaired cracks of the seat stays. I've never painted a bike but I'm sure I can learn to do it.
As a result of the modification of an Ortlieb trunk bag by Uriel Gurgov (Gear Update - November 30, 2023), my handlebar bag, top-tube bag, and trunk bag are now all made by Ortlieb and therefore waterproof.
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| Uriel Gurgov |
This year I took a multi-day trip in each of the months of April, May, June, September, and October (Multi-Day Trips).
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| Multi-day trips in 2023 |
Since October of 2020 I have taken a total of eighteen multi-day trips of either three, four, or five days. I've not been able to take one such trip every month, but eighteen trips in thirty-nine months is six trips every thirteen months, almost one every other month. But let's make an adjustment for the eight months from February through September when I was suffering from inflammation. Then we have eighteen trips in thirty-one months, a little more than one trip every other month.
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| Multi-day trips October 2020-December 2023 |
A little more than four years since completing my 90-day solo trip of 4,500 miles (May 28-August 25, 2019 - Big Loop), I had been thinking that I would not be ready in 2024 to take a trip from the west coast to the east coast, which I expect to take about three months. However, after my brother-in-law Jim Belilove showed me a picture of himself standing next to an enormous redwood tree, I remembered that I'd love to ride the Avenue of the Giants. I saw that the Arcata-Eureka airport is about 50 miles north of the north end of the Avenue of the Giants, and there are hotels about 5 miles south of the airport. On December 12th I created a route for the first riding day of a trip in which I would fly to Arcata-Eureka and then ride south through the Avenue of the Giants, spending the night in Burlington Campground. After creating that route I started thinking I could be ready to start a cross-country trip in late May or early June of 2024. Here’s a link to the route for the first day of the trip: 01 Cross-Country 2024
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| 01 Cross-Country 2024 |
The planning of my 90-day solo trip of 4,500 miles in 2019 involved much research into the gear I would take. I also did a lot of work planning the daily routes, but the visiting of my friends and family created many anchor points for the route. For my cross-country trip next year the bulk of the work will be planning the route. I know that I will fly to the Arcata-Eureka airport, ride through the Avenue of the Giants, and at the end of the fourth day spend a night with friends in Willits, CA. I also know that I will ride the full length of the Blue Ridge Mountains, most of which I rode in 2019. After the Blue Ridge Mountains I will stay with friends near Washington, DC, from where I will ride home to New York (or take the train). But there remains to be determined the route from California to North Carolina.
The map below shows the routes for the first five days of the trip, the route for the full length of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the routes from the north end of the Blue Ridge Mountains to my home in New York. You can find all the routes here: Cross-Country 2024
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| Cross-Country 2024 |
Below is my summary for 2023 that I have included in Summary of My Biking Since 2009.
2023
Health challenges experienced from February through September of 2022 resolved (Health Report - May 21, 2023)
Creation of extension to Dura Ace seat post and welding of cracks in frame (Gear Update - October 15, 2023)
Modification of an Ortlieb trunk bag to replace my XLC bag (Gear Update - October 15, 2023)
Five multi-day trips, one in each of the months of April, May, June, September, and October (Multi-Day Trips)
2,560 total miles
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