Day 34 Hideaway Lakes - El Paso (65km)

Another early rise as we had still not adjusted to mountain time! Another cold start as well! After a long, tiring week it was a good thing the ride in to El Paso was on a smooth, quiet road with little traffic (Sunday). A quick fuel stop early on to get more food through the system worked out to be a good thing, as we decided on the way in to bypass the airport-based accomodation for the more convenient city centre options - on arriving in the middle of El Paso, we found two extremely expensive hotels & two closed down hotels - we were getting hungry and desperate... we found the address of a good place for pancakes so decided to hit that first & refuel given it was early in the day. On the way we found a good place to stay, which turned out to be handy to restuarants, the favoured bike shop (some new tires) and a supermarket...

After the rest day tomorrow, we set course for the Grand Canyon - to get to which we must go through a number of mountain passes (including the continental divide) and more desert country. However, we can finally pronounce - we are over half way!!

Day 33 Van Horn - Fort Hancock (144km)

Another early start this morning - avoiding the dreaded head winds. We learned that the winds the prior day had been 25-35mph forecast with 45mph gusts & the current measure for the time we were cycling at a point 100 miles north was 51mph!! Anyway, the early start meant it was freezing cold & the boys were pretty jaded from the big day before. After a cool climb at the start of teh day, we stopped and fuelled up on hot chocolates, coffee, muffins, rolls and so on, then rolled out. The sun was a bit higher by then and a good downhill followed to the lunch stop, putting the boys in a much better mood!

The lunchstop was at a diner where they used to have 8 live tigers... signs around the place proudly proclaimed the tigers were comibg back as well!

Today marked the move into mountain time (another hours change). Accomodation for the night was at 'Hideaway Lakes'. A pretty strange place if you are from NZ - about 4 artificial lakes in the middle of a pecan orchard, where you pay $7 to enter and drop a line in the pond. The lakes are filled with catfish. And it was very popular!! On the way we stopped at the grocery store at Ft Hancock where we met the owner who was an ex-WWII navy landing boat driver who had visited NZ during the war.

One day from El Paso!


Day 32 Ft Davis - Van Horn (150km)

Early start this morning because of a warning of very strong head winds. After a 5:30am wake up we packed up everything in the dark and headed out into an immediate climb up to the McDonald Observatory (run by the University of Texas). The climb to the top was the longest and steepest of the trip so far and definately put some space between the team members going up the hill. Once at the top (some 6200ft above sea level) we were rewarded by some spectacular views over the surrounding mountains and plains.

From the observatory it was some 60km (predominantly downhill and with a tailwind!!!) to Kent so we cruised at speeds well in excess fo 40kph. About half way to Kent Dave realised that two od the welds on his front rack had snapped. After a temporary fix of duct tape and superglue we were back on our way. Once in Kent we fuelled up and hopped on the I-10 (interstate) into a very strong headwind! During this time Ben S got his first puncture of the trip (however the self-sealing tube filled the hole & after a quick inflation the bike was backon the road!). As we progressed the wind got stronger and stronger and reduced us to a crawl (of which we rotated the elad man on the bunch about every 2 kms!). Once we got to Van Horn we were three very broken men! After travelling the length of the town we finally found a grocery store then found out that the capsite was back 3kms int ehdirection we had just came. To give you an idea of how strong the wind was we didn't peddle at all back down the main street and were still accelerating at 30kph!

Arrived at the campsite and was too windy to pitch a tent so we booked one of their little log cabins which proved to be pretty comfortable to be on a real bed for a change!


Day 31 Marathon - Ft Davis (Davis Mountains State Park) (95km)

Todays ride had us passing through the biggest town in the Davis County called Alpine. Pretty uneventful riding to Alpine again assisted by a light tailwind.

Once in Alpine we made our way to the local bike shop where Ben B was hoping to pick up a new tyre, but second bike shop in a row didn't have any tyres in the size that he wanted. The guy at the bike shop pointed us in the direction of the local Bakery called 6th street so we though twe would check it out for lunch. Turned out on arrival that the bakery did a buffet lunch which I must say is the first bakery I have ever seen that offered a buffet! They had fresh bread (uncommon here!), sun dried tomato bread, soup, 2 types of quiche and salad. The food was unbelievable and we stuffed ourselves as usual before heading out to Fort Davis.

The road to Ft Davis headed up a canyon that looked alot like a scene from central Otago. In the canyon, on the side of the road, we saw the biggest snake of the trip so far. Those suckers are pretty quick when you startle them so we were pretty happy to be heading in the other direction to the snake!

Once in Ft Davis we picked up some groceries and headed up the hill to the State Park which was quite a nice area with lots of camping. With a warning about black bears, mountain lions and Javelinas from the local park ranger we made our way to our campsite. No chance here of getting any tent pegs in the ground so we had to improvise with large rocks instead!

We ate at the State Park's restaurant that night. Ben S tried chicken fried steak which is like snitzchel, Dave tried Chicken fried chicken (like KFC) and Ben B settled for a vegetarian lasanga.

That night Ben B got talking to an Astronomer who was attending a conference at the ranch next door. This guy sold telescopes to other astonomers (of who there were some 550 at this conference). Once it was dark he let him have a look through the telescope (the telescope looked like a canon, about 10ft high and you needed a step ladder to look through the eye piece!) where they had set it to look at Saturn. I could not believe how clear Saturn looked through the telescope. You could see the rings, it's moons and also the shadow that Saturn cast on its rings on the non-sun side! Pretty impressive!

Day 30 Sanderson - Marathon (90km)

Easy riding day today. Even though we climbed 300-400m there was such a gentle incline that we didn't really notice the slope and we were also partly assisted by a light tailwind. Consequently, we covered the distance in little more than 3 hours with a break in the middle.

When we arrived in Marathon (not named for the distance, rather the fact that it looks like the town Marathon in Greece!) we met a really nice couple. The husband had spent more than 20 years of his life in Australia and had also circumnavigated around New Zealand in a motor boat in the early 1970s. Through his work in the oil business (geological survey) they had lived and travelled in many places around the world so were a very interesting couple. They invited us to spend lunch with them and we went to the local Mexican restaurant for a feed.

That night we camped at the Marathon motel. Given that we are now in desert country it is very difficult to hammer in all the tent pegs. As a result we have spent alot of time straightening our pegs and have to use other means of anchors such as trees and rocks.

Day 29 Langtry - Sanderson (98km)

Left Langtry with a light tailwind. In western Texas it is not uncommon for towns to be at least 100km apart and provide limited services so this was the first day that we had to carry food and water with us. Given that the predominant wind is SE we thought it would only take 3-4 hours so we packed our food pretty lightly. About 45km into the ride a very strong headwind blew in dropping the temperatures in a matter of minutes and almost halving our speed (25km - 13km p/h). About 50km in Ben B got a puncture. Just as he had finished pumping up the tyre he realised that the tub was not sitting right on the rim and just as he was reaching to deflate it the tube exploded!

As the wind was so strong our ETA had increased from about 2-4 hours and our food suppplies were running rather low. Dave had ran out of food and the two Bens had one muesli bar each which they wern't gonuig to touch until the 80km mark! On our maps we were told that there were no services for 100km, but 65km in we passed through a very small settlement that had just opened a store in the last 6 months. This couldn't have come at a better time as we bought some treats and a loaf of bread and ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches which got us through. If that store hadn't been there things would have been quite different by the time we got to Sanderson! No matter how many times you learn those lessons about hitting the wall on the bike we somehow continue to not take enough food. The following day we were alot more prepared!

Day 28 - Del Rio - Langtry (95km)

After demolishing yet another buffet we rolled on out onto wide shoulders, a tail wind and very rough chip on the road! The landscape is now becoming more and more desolite and resembles scenes out of Western movies. We stradled the border for most of the day seeing alot of border patrol cars pass us and even going through our first boder checkpoint. These desert areas are something we are going to have to get used to for the rest of the trip, with long straight roads and very dry scenery (excuse the pun!). We sped through the first 50km to Comstock in well under 2 hours and after a quick refuel we were on our way. About 9 miles up the road we stopped at the highest spanning bridge in Texas, over the Pecos river. The bridge was similar to skippers canyon with high canyon walls and a surprising amount of water for such a dry area.

We arrived in the metropolis of Langtry (population 14) around 2pm and had a quick look around the visitor information centre before chowing down on some hamburgers at the local petrol station (not sure what type(s) of meat were in these burgers, but that was the only thing we could find!). After lunch we went bak to the visitor centre to see what Langtry had to offer. Langtry is a real western town and was originally formed because of the construction of the railroad, but became more famous for a certain justice of the peace who was introduced to deal to petty crime in the area. Judge Roy Bean was some character and became known as the Law West of Texas. He used to use his own rules and sometimes dealt out (from his bar/courthouse severe punishments for the smallest of crimes like hanging).

We camped out at the local community centre where 3 Mexicans lived. They were nice guys and gave us some beers, but we could hardly understand them. It is surprising how much conversation you can make without having to speak many words!). In fact, one of them had been bitten by a scorpion the day before and had a nasty cut on his leg! As there was no grocery store in Langtry all we could find at the gas station were cans of 'ranch style beans' which had to do for dinner!

The weather in Langtry was very hot (30s), even though a passing thunderstorm sent rain our way for about 15 minutes! The low for the night we were told would be in the low 20s so we were in for a rough sleep in our tents!

Story from the Greenville Herald-Banner

Just rolled up to the town of Marathon, have a bit of spare time & the local library has internet so I thought I would throw the story you have all been waiting for up on the blog!

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On the road again
By Tracy Chesney

They were hungry and exhausted from their long trip. After 70 miles of bicycling in one day, all they wanted was a place to crash for the night. So they ended up in the middle of nowhere, camped in the midst of nature¹s beauty and received some great Southern hospitality. While visiting my daughter at Lake Tomahawk Baptist Encampment in Livingston last week, three men showed up looking for a place to stay. Nothing unusual about that. What was unusual is that they¹re from New Zealand and are on a cross-country bicycle tour. Not for fame or fortune or some great and worthy cause. They¹re just on a holiday, wanted to tour the Southern states, meet the Southern people and have a little fun.

Dave Aitken, 27, Ben Blundell, 26, and Ben Schurr, 25, are 10,000 miles from home. The men met in college, and Aitken is now a lawyer, Blundell is a corporate accountant and Schurr is a corporate manager.

They started their cross-country tour in Charleston, S. C., on March 28, and their goal is to be in Newport Beach, Calif., by the end of May. They travel about 70 miles a day and carry about 40 pounds of equipment apiece on their bikes including camping gear, tools, clothing, toiletries, food and water. They have traveled close to 100 miles in a day.

“The general consensus is that we’re crazy for doing this,” Aitken said. “Our friends do consider us crazy,” Blundell said. “But they also think it¹s pretty cool.” Schurr said they’ve received a lot of recognition in their country for attempting such a feat. “A few of our friends would like to do something like this, but they don¹t have the physical capability,” Schurr said. (He only said this to rub it in on his friends who couldn’t join them.)

The men heard that the South was famous for its hospitality. “And it has lived up to its reputation,” Aitken said. “Their hospitality has really helped us out.” I tried to convince the men to come to Greenville, telling them I could make them front page news. I even rolled up my sleeves and offered them some Southern hospitality - the best hot chocolate in the world and some home-baked chocolate chip cookies. They did consider it, but it would have been a four-day trip out of their way.

The men generally get up around 7 in the morning, and it takes them several hours to pack up their equipment. They’re usually on the road again by 9 a.m. and take several breaks a day. “We decide how far to go that day and aim for a town,” Schurr said. “By the end of the afternoon, we stop at a supermarket because we’re hungry. We start asking around about campsites or churches to stay at. And what we found is that people will take us in.” “I don’t know if they feel sorry for us or what,” Blundell added. “The people in the States, however, have been super, friendly and welcoming.”

The men said the American women seemed to go crazy over their heavy New Zealand accents, but some people find it a little hard to understand them. They, on the other hand, sometimes have trouble understanding the Southerners. “The people in South Carolina had a southern drawl,” Blundell said. “The people in Louisiana and Alabama were hard to understand, but the Texans are a little easier to understand.”

All three men have been in triathlons, and they call Schurr the Iron Man. “We should be in the best shape of our lives,” Schurr said, “but not right now. By the end of the trip, however, we will be.”

By now, the men would have just left Austin after a short two-day visit. Now, they’re on their way to Del Rio. They also plan to make a detour to the Grand Canyon. They estimate that they will travel more than 4,000 miles. They are, however, dreading the mountains and hills.

Aitken said the first part of the trip was tiring, but now they¹re getting used to their 70-mile-per-day ride. “It’s been quite smooth with no hitches or hiccups (a New Zealand phrase) and not too many problems,” Blundell said. “Although I did have a flat tire on Thursday,” Aitken said. “But after a quick change, we were back on the road again.”

The men have no immediate goals once they cross the country. “I just plan to get a real job, earn some money and get a haircut,” Aitken said. “Right now, I’m just worried about the few thousand miles that we still have to travel,” Schurr said.

So if you’re traveling in the Southern states in the next six weeks, be looking for the three bicyclists from New Zealand. They’re sure to be on the road again.

Day 27 - Rest Day - Del Rio
Not much to do in Del Rio as it is a classic border town so just a quiet day of laundry, bike maintenance and eating! We were tempted to head across the border into Ciudad Acunia, but will probably leave that until El Paso which has a much larger town on the Mexican side. We enjoyed the novelty of making our own waffels for breakfast at the Inn as well as the usual breakfast buffet delights.

Dave's decision of not shaving for the rest of the trip lasted all but a week when the itching got the better of him. The Bens thought that he was going to be fully shaven, but has skillfully left a dirty mostache and a few other trimmings so will see how long that lasts! Ben S is still sticking to the no shaving decision and is now supporting some pretty long designer stubble and is showing no sign of caving into the pressure of the razor! (like the hammer, it was left at home).

Plan for tonight is a sirloin steak buffet - we went in to have a look and it is intimidating! At least the oversize meals for little $ are well suited to the cycle tourer.


Day 26 -55km - Braketville - Del Rio
We originally thought that it would take 5 days riding to reach Del Rio, however a couple of bigger days & some mis-calulation meant that it was only 4, with the last day an easy 30 miles! When I say easy, it was the easiest ride of the whole trip - pretty much dead flat, with a strong tail wind, reasonable road surface & good shoulders! Now anyone who has ever ridden a road bike will know - when you get these sort of conditions you put the hammer down!! Hard to beat the sound & feeling of a bike when it is ripping along in its biggest gears with relatively low effort! For some reason Dave (who was at the front) wasnt feeling the need to make hay while the sun shines in the great conditions we had - however after a few derogatory comments from behind regarding his suspected personal features and sexuality, Dave sped the pace sped up, and we coasted into Del Rio at a good rate covering the 50 odd kms in well under two hours!!

All along the wide shoulders of the highway into Del Rio are graded dirt roads. We learned later that each day the US border patrol drag tyres behind their vehicles to groom these roads and come back later to check them for footprints so they can persue an 'illegal aliens' that have crossed the Rio Grande (termed 'wetbacks' over here!)

We are also now using the 'adventure cycling' maps - an organisation over here which publishes routes & guides cycle tours around the states. The reason for this is that civilisation (& water) starts to become a lot more spread out, and road choices become very important. Up till now we had chosen our own roads, but from Del Rio until the Grand Canyon we will be mainly sticking to these! And there are a lot of geographic features to 'experience' between here and there, making adequate water & food of vital importance...

Also of news is our story has apparently been published in the Greenville Banner-Herald!! We have not yet seen it, but Tracy (the reporter) sent through this photo taken at Camp Tomahawk which she was trying to get published with it. Unfortunately the photo got cut, but the story is in! Will try and get a copy up when we get hold of it (p.s. Libby I think there are some in the mail to you). International media superstars...

On arrival into Del Rio we checked into the La Quinta Inn (as included a buffet breakfast of course!) then quickly made a line for the pancake restaurant conveniently located next door to our accommodation. One word of warning about ordering pancakes over here. If you order a full stack of pancakes at one of these joints you will really be in for a decent feed! After literally rolling ourselves out of the restaurant Ben S went down to check out the gun selection at Walmart while Ben B and Dave headed to the bike shop to pick up some supplies. Conincidentally, while at the bike shop a NZ lady phoned to check whether she could pick up her daughter's bike. Once she learned about some NZder's in the shop she told the guy over the phone to wait as she wanted to meet us (apparently kiwis are hard to come by over here). Sure enough, 15 minuites later we were talking to one of our own who invited us around for a home cooked dinner. Carole (the Kiwi) picked up from the Inn and drove us to the Airforce Base for a look around (where her husband works - helicopter pilot who now trains jet pilots in planes that look like private jets! As could be expected the security at the base was very high and we were greeted by a lady brandishing an M-16!

At Carole and Todd's place we were treated to some of the best Pizza we had ever had. Todd had somehow come by the recipe for 'deep dish' pizzas from a famous restaurant chain in Chicago. The Pizza closely resembled a pie with cheese on the bottom and tomato and sausage on the top. If you have never tried one of these - we all thouroughly recommend it!! (not something you want to eat all the time though if you want to live more than 5 years into the future) After stuffing ourselves she announced that there was stilll dessert which was chocolate pudding which we had just to be polite of course!

Todd and Carole were such a nice couple and gave us some pointers about the terrain we will be facing in Arizona (big elevation gains!!). We also got to have a look at one of Todd's cars which was a flashed up Corvette Stingray which he uses for a few sunday drives!

Day 25 - 145km - Lost Maples to Fort Clark (Bracketville)

We rolled out early from the Campsite, the clouds still present & the air a bit nippy. 5 minutes into the ride we found out the hill country was going to have the last laugh on us - the first climb was at last as steep and gnarly as the one we had descended the night before & probably a bit longer too. The area description for the next 30-odd miles was 'very difficult' - while not get of your bike and walk type of stuff (will be a sad day for the first person to do that!), it was the hardest set of hills and hardest gradients we had encountered. The hills are really where you notice the extra weight on the bikes! We had two good hill ranges to cross in the first 20 miles, after which the weather cleared (hot) and we moved into flat(ish), dry, cactus-clad, dry river, sparsely populated land. I think the term used to describe it is 'scrub rangewood'.

The roads on the last leg narrowed, but were fairly quiet. The only exception was the large sized chip which seemed to tendarise our backsides so we were pretty glad to get off the bike at the end of the day!

We rolled into Bracketville to the news of a powercut - the supermarket was closed - a true calamity to the thirsty, tired cyclist! In fact we had all calculated to just run out of water when we arrived in Bracketville so the thought of not even being able to use a vending machine (uses power!) left us pretty shattered! The supermarket manager was extremely nice to us however, making available a tap for us to use & giving us some chilled water & some ice! Once the power came back up, we repaid the generousity by spending up in the store. Purchases included a gallon of chocolate milk - nothing quite hits the spot like that after a hot ride around here!

Tempting the devil, Ben B made the innocent remark that he had not had a flat on the journey today, the first day in a while. Half an hour later he went back to check the tire pressure for the day ahead - only to find that he infact did have a flat tyre - it had just been a slow leaker... out came the punture repair kit again (the boys will be restocking on patches in Del Rio - puncture count BB - 6, Dave - 4, BS - 0).

This was a big day for us - our hardest climbing day & our first real taste of the dry heat & extended plains of the west texas area. A massive range of difference over the range of 80-odd miles. We have even seen alot of Antelope in the fields in what seem like clips from an African documentary. Apparently some of them are even considered to be native!

Day 24 - 137km - Stonewall to Lost Maples State Park (near Vanderpool)

This day would have to rank as one of the best days riding I have had. After the strong winds and storms last night, we rose to mild conditions - no rain, but a good amount of low cloud with fluttering winds. The route today would take us over a bit of a plain and then through some hills, following the Gaudalupe river for a while and then along the top of a hill pass to the state park.

As we made our way along the plains the winds began to pick up and the clouds lowered & filled the sky. Soon we were strapping on the leg warmers & jackets and turning on the lights as the rain began to fall. And not just rain - we were in the middle of a thunderstorm! Lightning (sheet and fork) cracked across the sky & between the clouds and earth all around us (literally!) as we made our way along the flats. While not something you want to do everyday, this was an experience not to be missed - the touring kiwis as storm chasers, riding into the eye of the storm...

We entered the hills, stopping at a small town & lunch at probably the best chinese buffet ever - at least 60 dishes to chose from all for the low price of $5.99 - and while we were there the wind changed direction, disapating the storm into just normal, steady showers. We spent pretty much the next 1/3 of the journey following the Guad. River, a really nice ride, stopping to pick up dinner supplies (not many towns in these here hills) at Hunt. This was their first real rain in nearly 6 months!

Overall, the winter & spring in Texas has been unusually dry & hot - we are told that nomally the big plains like the ones we rode across on this morning are covered will blue bells and yellow/red flowers which are similar - however, this year the paddocks are covered with short grass & the blue bells can only be seen in the drains on the sides of roads.

We continued on, really starting to get into drier territory now. The river crossings from this point were mainly ford-like - they allowed the stream to trickle through a couple of small pipes, and were clearly made to allow the river to run over as it rose, with flood markers & warning signs on each one. Ranches became the norm and a lot more cactae (? -cactus') were evident. There are a lot of wild deer around these parts as well.

After a solid days riding through some good hills, our final decent was down a steep cut-rock road to the state park. The decent was quite steep, and we joked at the end that it was lucky we didnt have to ride up that way! (this was to prove a case of only fools count their eggs...).

Anyway, we had a relaxing evening at the park. There were a few other people there, including a group of girl guides on camp. We had to have a chackle at the games they play - not the sort of games we played as cubs/scouts!! At this stage the showers had reduced to a few spits.

Update on the flat tire count - Ben B 5, Dave 4, Ben S 0


Day 23 - 107km - Austin to Stonewall

Back on the road. Last night in Austin was fairly spectacular - an awesome electrical storm with some of the best fork and sheet lightning us group of tourers had seen. The morning brought with it a last breakfast with Doug - we went to a local breakfast/burger joint (a quality establishment - they even serve on non-disposable plates) and tucked into a feed of biscuits and gravy (sort of like a scone covered with a white sauce which has pepper and sausage added) and some breakfast tacos. I wouldn't really recommend the bicuits & gravy for the active sportsman as it is a meal which tends to sit in the stomach... We then parted with the busy student and clipped into our freshly serviced bikes.

We made a fairly smooth exit from Austin heading to Del Rio. For most of the exit we had a fairly good shoulder or light traffic. As we exited the city we slowly made our way into the so-called Texas Hill Country. A look at any contoured map of Texas will show that this is a reasonably large patch of hills in the middle of an otherwise flat (rolling/flat) state. The geography changed a lot from the other side of Austin, a lot drier, more rock and some big rolling hills! Weather for the day was hot, around 30 deg c.

Dave managed to strike another flat at an opportune time - he has the uncanny knack of punctering a tire whenever he needs a break (or wants to extend his break!). The flat and a few other stops meant we were running a bit behind target for the day, so we ended up pulling stumps at Stonewall - after a lady by the name of Connie offered us a place to stay beside the river which ran beside the town. She said that we could stay for free in a little cabin which was situated there. Connie is into breeding sheep and had a number of them at her property we were staying at. Out of pure coincidence (or to the cycnic maybe not) we were able to help out with a few jobs - the first was simply getting some hay out for the sheep which was easy enough; the second was piling up the branches of a tree which had been cut down, ready for burning - not quite so easy after a long day on the bike... 2-3 hours later we finally got to have a shower & some food! Dave was so polite when talking to Connie that he wouldn't even move when talking to her even though he was getting bitten over and over by fire ants!

Overall though it worked out for the best - that night there were some extremely strong winds and some more lightning - a night not to be camping! The dryness of the surrounding area was shown by the fact that when we awoke the bikes were covered in a milimetre of dust - which had blown through the nooks & crannies of the cabin! Good thing none of us have dust allergies or sensitive lungs!

Ben B made a fitting comment - up to now we have been experiencing the people & culture; now we are moving into experiencing the geography - and from my past experience anything to do with geography experiences or 'scenic' places involves big hills & mountains, so we will be 'experiencing' at a very slow speed!

Photo update!

We have been able to upload our photos to Doug's computer & have updated the previous posts (go right back) with some of these. Feel free to peruse for your pleasure...

Leaving Austin in the morning - destination Del Rio (on the Texas / Mexico border)

Day 21 & 22 - Rest Days in Austin

A break well earned. The two days were pretty event packed, getting some neccesities nailed & also getting a bit of sightseeing etc in.

The bikes got dropped in & picked up after servicing and repairing, ready for the long roads ahead. uite a bit of cycling etc around here - after all it is the home of Lance! A good visit out to UT (University of Texas) - Doug's school - whilst suffering under sweltering temperatures (new records for April here). Some general looking around etc.

A feed of beautiful bbq pork ribs...

A feed of cajun, and a feed of crawfish...As per usual a lot of eating over the rest days, fuelling up for the days ahead! Also managed a visit to a few of the local dive bars (classic stuff). Haircuts for the Bens (none for the princess...). Full credit to Doug for the hospitality - great times thanks!

Day 20 - Carmine - Austin (110km)

The fist sentence Ben B said to Ben S for the morning was "I didn't sleep very well last night". An ominous sign for things to come on this particular day!

The ride started off with Ben B's 4th puncture in 3 days! The patching & tube changing skills are rapidly increasing! Something sharp slit his tyre and tube open resulting in a 'bang' and a fully flat tyre within seconds. As a result both tyre and tube were rendered garbage! When Dave and Ben S walked back to check what caused the explosion they couldn't find anything except for the dead snake lying on the road. After a tyre and tube replacement we headed towards Austin in the soaring heat.

After lunch on turning into a gas station Ben B went to cross a lane and didn't realize that Ben S had stopped and was waiting for a car to yield to us. Ben B road straight into Ben S's rear pannier and bent it a little (luckily this was fixed up by the shop in Austin a few days later).

20 minutes later Dave had his 2nd puncture of the trip. With temperatures up around the mid 30s we were pretty keen to arrive in Texas where Doug had a leg of lamb in the oven for us. What a day on the bike!

Ben B developed a bit of a stomach problem, a 24 hour bug or just heat overdose we arent sure, so wasnt up to much for the night. The other boys, while reasonably shelled from the day, were loving a few cold beers. After the roast & pudding it was off to check out 6th St - a line up of over 40 bars on one street. Turned out to be a good night out - good bars, good music & cheap drinks. Find of the night by Dave was 3 vodkas for a total of 75 cents! Rounds went down! The bartenderess didnt take to us to well though - as the round only cost 75 cents, we would tip the quarter - while in % terms (33%) it is pretty good, she didnt seem to agree... The night ended with a visit to the local Mexican shop for burritos.

Day 19 - Lake Conroe - Carmine (130km)

Today would have been one of our most physically challenging days of the tour! We passed through what seemed like endless rolling hills into a stiff headwind. At lunch Dave spotted a sign for all you can eat pizza for $4.99 which broke up the battle nicely. After stripping the buffet we headed out and within a short time Ben B had his 3rd puncture of the trip (another staple!!!). We now have 4 flats from staples (100%); another point to note here is tire choice - full credit to the boys at Sheppards & cousin Mark- the armidillo tyres on Ben S' bike have taken two staples which have successfully been pulled out with zero flats (touch wood going forward).

At Carmine we camped at a Campground called 'Dixieland' named after the owner's wife. We had a good old chat to the owners and they told us that they had some spare beers. Sure enough, after a few minutes they rolled up with a cooler and 10 beers which was really nice of them.

Day 18 - Lake Tomohawk - Lake Conroe (130km) (A lot of lakes in the states...)

After finishing off the newspaper interview and a photoshoot (Dave 'fair weather princess' Aitken was in his posing element!) the newspaper reported packed us with some cookies and hot chocolate sachets and we were on our way!

We are now beginning to experience some of the heavy Texas traffic, but the good thing is that Texas has some of the best roads in America (well actually according to locals, it is one of the best highway systems in the world. We have not clarified whether that is Earth = World or the more usual USA = world...). The verge is as wide as a car lane which is a dream for cycling! However we did experience some very course chip (think NZ roads!) on the roads which definately slowed progress a little. Texans show some very strong state pride behaviours etc - for example all the beers like Bud, Miller etc have a Texas or Lone Star State unique can.

As we are told - Texas is about the same size as France - we will spend about the amount of time in Texas as it took us to reach Texas...

Over a lunchtime feed of BK we learned that a cross country cyclist heading in the other direction had been killed the previous day at that same intersection. The reality really did hit home about how careful we have to be on the roads! (The accident sounded like it was a case of cylist error showing the need to concentrate at all times)

Before getting to Conroe, we passed through the town with the most interesting name to date - Cut And Shoot - we noticed there were no town name signs on entry, most probably a popular sign to procure.... On arrival at Lake Conroe we learned that the lake was actually man-made. It was a huge lake and was flooded with punters on their jetskis and wakeboard boats enjoying their easter vacation.

We had a couple of new records for the trip. After a sly 'fill your drink bottle from the BK drink machine' Dave consumed 1.75 litres of Coke. Ben B got two punctures from tiny staples like what Dave's flat was (how these get on the road we have no idea!).

Day 17 - Texas Border - Lake Tomohawk Baptist Encampment (near Woodville) (120km)

While Ben S and Dave were in the grocery store getting lunch Ben B was approached by a guy who demanded money from his bags. After telling the guy that he had no money the individual's girlfriend got a bit nervous and told Ben B that he was only joking and a few words were exchanged before the guy disappeared. On a more observatory note, we are noticing a large increase in Mexican food in the supermarkets - this equates to our observations about the towns in general - we are in rough terms making the transition from black America to hispanic America.

On our way across a lake we spotted our first Alligator of the trip which was a bit of a novelty!

While heading to our anticipated camp site at an Indian Reservation we saw a sign for a Baptist encampment so we headed off the road to check it out. Turned out they let us camp on their grounds on the banks of a really nice lake. The camp (although quiet when we were there) hosts thousands of kids each summer and had a few good facilities like a 5m platform jump into the lake which we had to try of course! That night we had an interview for the 'Greenville Herald' (whilst tucking into some decent cookies & hot chocolate - true old school camp style) about our travels with potential for a piece in the Dallas Morning News so we will have to wait and see...


Day 16 - Alexandria - Texas Border (115km)

Before we had even left the motel room we had our first puncture of the trip. Dave had a slow leak that must have gone down while we were chilling in Alexandria (a paper staple in the tyre was the cause - a real worry as no-one had encountered a flat from a staple before & they are impossible to spot while riding along, something the next few days would show to be very, very true...). About half an hour later we were ready to roll (poor effort - a good benchmark is 7 minutes for the full change).

It was nice to roll out after a rest day into a light tail wind, wide verges and flat roads. About 15kms from the Texas border the road narrowed, verges disappeared and large cracks appeared (enough to easily swallow up a front tyre!). Just before the border a guy on a Harley pulled up along side us to have a friendly chat; at the border we noticed he stopped to remove his helmet before riding on (the law requiring wearing helmets was repealed in Texas...).

After crossing into Texas we headed about 2 miles up the road to a rest area hoping to camp for the night. Turned out that this rest area was right on a fairly busy road so we retreated back to the border and found a primo spot on the banks of the Sabine river. After checking with the locals about the presence of gators we had a much needed swim then cooked up a feed of chilli and rice, topped off with some Devils Food (like chocolate ginger kisses - 8 for a $1!).

Probably the biggest event of the day was the paper, rock, scissors. After we had posted the last update in Alexandria, we held the rock-off for the solo bed at the hotel - and Dave won!! The fact it took two whole weeks aside - Dave was an extremely happy boy! This brings me to the rock-off on this day...

Dave and Ben B managed to make it to the final and then Dave, somehow, won the single tent - as shown above with paper over scissors - to make it two in a row!! Absolutely unbelievable.

Day 15 - Alexandria, Louisiana - Rest Day (no kms!)

Spent the day doing a whole lot of nothing! A nice sleep in, followed up by a massive breakfast including pastries, multiple bowls of cereal, a dabble of grits, some eggs, bagels, waffles, coffee, orange juice, cranberry juice, and toast. Followed that up with a bit of laundry (much needed) and a trip to the local bike store and then some sandwiches for lunch at the deli across the road.

Gave the bike a bit of a wipe to remove some of the built up grime, and then we went and had a bit of a swim and a game of frisbee in the hotel pool. Fairly relaxing day overall. Temperatures for the next week are forecast for the mid 80's (roughly mid twenties cel.). Current big current affairs issues over here - immigration & a college lacrosse team gone wild on the chop!

Bring on the lone star state!!

Day 14 - Jonesville - Alexandria (80km)

Bit of a sleep in today as Bill's lawn felt like a wollen underlay! Cruisy biking day with a light tailwind as we rolled into Alexandria and checked into the Ramada for some much needed R & R. Stopped off at a diner along the way for some burgers for lunch (hit the spot nicely!) and then rolled the final 30 kms into Alexandria...

We are now getting used to the terror strip which surronds each major city we visit - usually a busy road/highway with limited shoulder and plenty of debris to dodge... perks the senses up for a good 5-10kms each time!!

For dinner we made our way along to a mexican restaurant close to the hotel - was quite 'authentic' and served a good feed, along with cheap draft beers - very much welcomed after a solid week of riding! Unfortunately the draft beers are usually Miller Lite or Bud Lite (lite = low calorie), not the greatest, but beggers certainly should not be chosers...

On the paper/rock scissors front, Dave has now lost 14 (100%) on the trot. You do the math.


Day 13 - Clear Springs -Jonesville, Louisiana (102km)

From Clear Springs we passed through the historic town of Natchez (the first major trade town on the M River) before heading over the Mississippi river and into Louisiana.

The Mississippi must the biggest river I have ever seen! Seriously, it is massive!



Along the way we visited a real working cotton farm and although closed had a walk around and picked a few balls of cotton (just to say that we had!).

Going back to the M River, they used to hope it (& others) flooded to cover the flats that the cotton is farmed on with silt, rejuvinating the soil which they used to plant cotton continuously on, raping the soil of all nutrients (no crop rotation here).

On arrival in Jonesville we met areally nice guy by the name of Bill who let us camp in his yard. Bill and his wife Martha were raising their Grandchildren who assisted us setting up camp and introduced us to all their pets. They we all kind enough to let us shower which was hugely appreciated! We shared stories to Bill and Martha about New Zealand and in turn they filled us in on life in Louisiana. Bill isa very interesting guy - an ex counter-sniper now in the petroleum science area.

We also learnt about the 'rattlesnake round-up' competition they hold each march in Texas - thosands of live rattlers are caught in this competition... apparently they find over 100 snakes in some nests...


Day 12 - Prentiss - Clear Springs Recreation Area (near Meadville) (119km)

After the previous days events getting into Prentiss we were not looking forward to riding on the 84. It turned out that the traffic was quiet and only 40km was two lane which was a relief.

We are starting to see a few snakes on the road now (most of them dead), but we all saw a live one at the last minute and had no time to react. We rolled within a foot or so of it, but didn't seem to phase it!

The campground at Clear Springs was really nice and opened out onto a lake. After a day on the saddle we were prettty keen to go for a swim. After walking out onto the jetty and staring into the muddy water we chickened out as the locals had warned us previously that most waterways had 'gators.

A quick stop at the 'Dollar General' provided a welcome addition of a frisbee which we were also keen to try out. In what could be called "Shane Green" styles (ask Ben B - Shane found out the hard way that aerobies do in fact not float...), within two minutes Dave had sent the frisbee soaring into the lake and out of reach. Luckily for him and after the Ben's threats that he could not come back to the campsite without the frisbee the wind blew it back to shore.

Day 11 - Waynesboro - Prentiss (132km)

Rolled out this morning into a tornado warning in effect for the counties we were going to be passing through. Weather luckily passed a bit further north and we had nothing but sunshine. The road into Prentiss was pretty stressfull. The road narrowed from a 4 lane divided highway into a two lane undivided highway with heavy traffic. Late in the day a gust of wind sent Ben B off the road into the ditch and over his handle bars to claim his first racing stripe of the trip. Two minutes later a truck roared past giving us no room and sounding its horn which sent Dave off the road. Consequently, we were pretty relieved to get into Prentiss. Outside the grocery store in Prentiss we met a fantastic sister duo called Gloria and Lucille who invited us to camp on their front lawn. Gloria was 65 (but you wouldn't know it) and had raised 6 kids . They also cooked us some grilled cheese and Lucille brought around a pound cake which we demolished with some ice cream. Once we had put up our tents the neighbour told us that there was a tornado effect in force until 4am the following morning. We looked at each other as if "what can we do now?", but Gloria was kind enough to let us come inside if the tornado siren went off or if the thunderstorms got too bad. After waking up to every sound of thunder Gloria woke us up at 4am and said that the storm was quickly heading our way. Within minutes we we camped on their lounge floor and the thunderstorm hit the area pretty hard. Luckily no tornados went through the area that night, but neighbouring Tenasee wasn't so lucky with 11 killed by tornados!

Day 10 - Holley's Ferry State Park - Waynesboro, Mississippi (153km)

Crossed into our 4th state today. About 30km up the road we passed a guy on the other side of the road who we thought was our first bike tourer who we had encountered. As we crossed over to greet him his bike was not like any other loaded up bike. We had never seen a bike so fully laden with gear! It turns out that this 'nomadic' type bloke had actually walked this bike thing from El Paso (Western Texas) He had removed the seat and peddles and had made some panniers out out of chicken wire. He had started in June 2005 and wintered over in New Orleans before heading into Mississippi. He averages about 20 miles day. He gave us some good tips on how to avoid rattlesnakes and other hazards on the Texas highways.

After some local advice to avoid one of the highways we had an early lunch and turned off onto a country road with no amenities for 50km. This county road, although quiet had some of the biggest hills we had seen on the trip. The combination of heat and hills took its toll so by the time we arrived in Coffeeville (how ironic!) we each downed 2 litres of Gatorade (cheaper than water over here). With 60km more to go we peddled our heavy legs into Mississippi.

As we limped into Waynesboro late in the day we struggled to find anywhere to camp so the easy decision was made to check into the Budget Inn. We also tried some catfish in Wayesboro which wasn't bad, but the thick KFC type batter kind of dominated the taste so we hope to try some more as we go along. Biggest day of the trip so far. There has been a bit of banter already about the double centry ride or even a 250km day (hoping for the perfect storm - perfect roads, tailwind & downhill). Stay tuned......

Day 9 - Montgomery - Holley's Ferry State Park (136km)

Pretty smooth riding today - good roads, little to no wind and no hills. Nothing really happend until we found our campsite at the end of the day...

On our arrival at Holley's Ferry we discovered that it was literally a boat ramp down by the Alabama river and there was barely a blade of grass to pitch a tent! After a failed bushwaking attempt to find some suitable ground we cut our losses and pitched the tents on some dirt at the side of the car park. This of course sparked a bit of interest with the locals who use this area to launch their boats in search of the great southern delicacy - catfish. The first guy who approached us was weilding a handgun which was a bit intimidating to a couple of kiwis! He turned out to be a real decent bloke. He explained to us that he carries the gun for protection (not uncommon here) and given that he is not as mobile as he once was it gives him a chance to even the odds, so he had appropriately named his gun the 'equalizer'! On his way out he reached into his cooler and gave us a couple of ice cold beers each. The beers went down pretty well with a wholesome feed of 'rice-a-roni', broccoli and cans of tuna! Some other locals had just caught a 50 pound catfish which was still alive in boat which was a bit of a novelty with the tourists as well!

Hi all, we just arrived in Alexandria, Louisiana for our next rest day (tomorrow) and should be posting an update sometime soon.

Just in response to some of the comments, we have been successfully dodging tornados and hurricanes (some great thunder and lighting to be seen...) & no, I do not have a shaver with me... Do you know that shaving causes lower energy levels as your body races to regrow what you have shaved off? I need all the energy I can get... (we set a new p.b. this week of 155km in one day as well!)

Oh, and we are actually on the sore butt upside now, as we have been through the adjustment period and are turning into touring cycling machines! Fatigue has also be reduced after dropping off the hammer after the first week...

AND THEY'RE OFF!!




(Sorry this is a little delayed... ran into some technical difficulties.)

We were lucky to have the guys begin their epic journey here in Columbia, SC... as always, it was so great to catch up and Dave's stories of the South Carolinians dealing with his accent are pricless! :) After a few days of hanging here - helping them get ready for their trip and enlightening them about two truly American pastimes - NCAA March Madness basketball and Nascar - it was off to Charleston to send them off in true Cross-Country Fashion, with a dip of the toes in the Atlantic...

As Ben mentioned in his post, we arrived in Charleston mid-afternoon & explored a bit before heading home so they could get started on the packing. As personalities began to show through packing styles, I enjoyed a glimpse - albeit brief - into what the road will bring... and thoroughly look forward to the stories!

We enjoyed some "Blue Moon" beers with orange slices - a delicious treat - and the guys got to packing. Have to say, I was impressed with the amount of gear they had... here's Ben with ALL the gear... no overpacking here!



Up early Tuesday morning, and after a balanced brekky of Honey Nut Cheerios (only the best), the boys finished packing and we hit the road. One last stop at Walmart for some bungies and the EVER-important roll of Emergency TP - I believe that's a Bog roll, or something of sorts for you Kiwis - and we headed to Sullivan's Island, a charming little island off the coast of Charleston.



After one small hitch... Ben's valve broke off his tire before it had even been ridden, the bikes were loaded and ready to go. No "yardsales" this morning, though I'll be surprised if the neat packing jobs of the first day can continue throughout the trip... Looking good boys!






Despite this being the first time on loaded bikes for each of them, somehow the guys avoided the "Wobbles"... a common symptom of virgin load-riding... and looked like pros from the start. After a quick test ride - an a small attempt by me to try to lift Dave's bike (no way in hell!) - we headed for the ocean to officially kick things off!






Some dolphins greeted us, a good omen for the start to the trip, for sure! Feet dipped in the ocean, a quick photo-op, and then back to the guys' homes for the next two months...











One last photo, and just like that... THEY WERE OFF! (Unfortunately, I couldn't quite squeeze myself in a pannier).

Wishing you the best of luck on the road guys! We are envious, and while too large to fit in a pannier, will definitely be with you in spirit... watch out for the mullets, the crazy dogs & the flying beer cans!!! WHOO-HOO!

Day 8 - Montgomery, Alabama - sightseeing day

After yet another night of Ben S and Dave sharing the same sleeping quarters we chowed down a decent breakfast and went for a walk in search of the local sights. After a visit to the visitor info centre we boarded the local trolley bus and had a narrated tour of the city. Montgomery is a town full of history. Many events happened within the town as it used to be a primary hub for the cotton trade and during the civil war as well as more recent civil rights actions like the famous bus boycott by Rosa Parks and where Martin Luthur King began to preach to his followers.

During a walk around of the impressive State Capitol Building the three of us had a chat to the Governor of Alabama who was popping out for lunch. We then visited the First Whitehouse of the Confederacy which which housed Jefferson Davis for a few years while he was president of the Confederacy. He later became one of the ideas behind the Smithsonian Institute and the building of the Panama Canal!

- The State Capitol Building -



Plan tonight is to take it easy and head out across the backblocks of Alabama for the next few days then into Mississippi.

Day 7 - Columbus, Georgia - Montgomery, Alabama (142km)

The day started off with a much anticipated buffet breakfast at the 'Sleep Inn'. To give you an idea of what the three of us would eat for breakfast before embarking on a leisurely 140km bike ride with 10-15kgs of additional gear each I will try to summarise as briefly as I can....
1. 6 bowls of cereal
2. 10 pieces of toast
3. 2 pancakes
4. 2 English muffins
5. 6 servings of scrambled eggs
6. 2 bagels (for the first hour snack)
7. 3 Oranges
8. 5 Bananas

Once we had satisfied our ever increasing hunger we rolled out to the threat of rain which wasn't good considering we had just heard reports of tornados and high winds killing 26 just a couple of states above!

After a suprisingly smooth ride through Columbus we crossed the Chattahoochee river and into Pheonix City, our third state and also first change in time zone.



Riding through Alabama for the first time was like stepping back a few years which was somewhat different to may aspects that we encountered in Georgia. As soon as we crossed the Chattahoochee river the verge became non-existent. The first 50km was like being on a small rural NZ road except for the fact that this was the main thoroughfare for traffic between Colmbus/Pheonix City and Montgomery. After a few too many encounters with with trucks and their deafening horns we took a detour on a much quiter road which proved to be the winner. Over 25km we were chased by more dogs than actual cars passing us (you decide which is worse!). Had a lunchstop in Tuskagee and as we were feeling good decided to push onto Montgomery where we could rest and take in the sights. Rest of the day was very hot and into a headwind which proved to be pretty taxing. Dave got through the last 40km on 1.5 litres of coke and Ben B suffered some decent sunburn (even after 3 applications of suncream!).

Day 6 - Rest day - Columbus, Georgia

Finally a day off! After dragging into Columbus late yesterday afternoon, we have now got a day off! Good as it is about 30 degrees and high humidity outside, but not so good as about 80%+ of places are closed on Sundays around these parts & the roads are deadly quiet and great for riding on. Like a ghost town in fact.

The rest day has been well recieved by all members of the group, with some weary muscles after a shock to the system through a grand total of 601 kms for the five days riding! this was in stark contrast to our plan at the start - given our training leading in & our experience cycling with racks and pannier bags (zero) we thought staying under 100kms a day was sensible for the first week. not to be at all! I also want to emphaise the fact that we are carrying our own gear on our bikes - once we get some photos up you will see - which makes it extermely harder than the average sunday morning bunch ride!!

So it was great to stay in a real bed lasty night after a long day on the road (we are averaging 20-25kms/hr at the moment, in flat to rolling terrain). A bit of a sleep in, and then a buffet breakfast. We then rocked into central Columbus (ghost town on a sunday morning!), where we waled along the chatahochee river and then went along to the national civil war naval museum - a pretty interesting place. While at the museum we were lucky enough to coincide our visit with some civil war reinactors - camped out in the full confederate uniform, old school tents, chowing down on a lump of dried cracker - authenic to the smallest detail. Interesting to observe the armoured boats used in the war - 4 inch thick plating over 2 foot of timber! Cannonballs just bounce off!

Columbus overall is a very nice place, wide open spaces, nice old buildings and real relaxed people!

Will be an easy night tonight, then back on the road tomorrow!


Day 5 - 143kms - Warner Robins to Columbus (on the Georgia-Alabama border)

Another mammoth day. Was a stiff headwind for the first few hours and a pretty slow pace! Even looked like rain for a while. Luckily it came right in the afternoon, a lighter headwind/sidewind & it was hot! The ride was marked by a change in eating habits - we are now finding a decent morning tea/second lunch sets us up better for the day (followed of course by a big lunch!!). takes a fair amount of energy to propel those bikes along, especially in any sort of wind other than a tail wind, as the bags & stuff on the racks creates massive air resistance (and they are heavy!).

Finally got the passport question while buying lunch - the lady serving us loved the accents & asked where we were from, to which we answered NZ, to which she replied - gee, does that mean you need a passport?, yes we answered, gee that must be a big hassle having to get one on those things... hard to answer & had to come sometime... however, NZ is a bit smaller than the States...

Overall the roads we have chosen to date have been fairly good - nice wide verges for cycling, better surfaces in NZ, and most drivers are a lot more considerate than in NZ! We have only had one redneck throw a bit of rubbish at us in the whole ride (on day 1), and a handful yell abuse. fingers crossed for the rest. Things got a bit worse as we got closer to Columbus, as the verge reduced to rubble and rubbish we quickly exited the highway & made our way to a petrol station where an absolutely boozed man helped us find accomodiation & pretty much everthing else in the whole town.

As we were now getting pretty high in the km count, we were all on the black gold - coca cola - for the last bit; ironic that coke would fuel us into the home of coke (Columbus is where the inventor of coke comes from).

A pretty cruisy night followed - burgers at a local burger joint and then watching the semis of the March Madness college b'ball tourny back at the hotel.

The hotel room only had tow ful size beds - so once again the rock off was on for the top & tailing - Ben B dominated again, leaving Dave scoreless in rock paper scissors after 5 rounds!!

Day 4 - 125 km - Adrian to Warner Robins (airforce base town)

Following the 80 then the 96 (mostly) - we originally hoped for a 100 km day (the story of the week!) - but forgot to turn at a small town called Danville and ended up doing a bit more (some more got added on at the end as well when we were in search of a place to stay...). Hot today again! Passed through the town of dublin and had a decent lunch of fesh pizza and some subs - easily the best lunch to date. was good to have a chat to some of the locals at the diner as well. on arrival at our destination we made it to the local supermarket - we started talking to some people about places to camp - and a nice guy (Joe) offered us a place to stay in his backyard. A couple of minutes cycle from the store and he even took our groceries in the car for us! legend. His place turned out to be really nice, overlooking a bit of a lake, and Linda (his wife) was really nice also. Joe turned out to be a bit of an antique gun maker and target shooter, which was pretty interesting stuff. The boys however were starting to feel a bit jaded after 4 long days on the road!

Day 3 - Georgia Border - Adrian (143km)

Our original goal on this day was to bike to a little town called Swainsboro (about 115km) away, but we went quite a bit further partially assisted by some smooth highways and tailwinds, but also limited camping options. Once we arrived at the visitor centre in Swainsboro we were pretty tired, had already exhausted our coke reserves and were faced with two options. The lady at the visitor centre had kindly offered to let us camp at her place (5km in the other direction) or we could push on to the next town to a camp site. We decided to push on and arrived in Adrian just before dark. Needless to say we slept pretty well that night. As we have two 2 person tents there is the daily task of deciding who will have the tent to themselves by a game of rock, paper, scissors has become quite a competitive process. After 3 days Ben B has had the single tent to himself with Dave and Ben S beginning to talk about alliances to eject Ben B out of the single tent.

Lucky for Dave there werent too many people around while he got into a bit of a sponge cleansing...


Day 2 - Walterboro - Georgia Border (90km)

After another reasonably smooth day we crossed our first state line and moved into Georgia "the Peach State". The kind ladies at the Welcome Centre loaded us up with goodies including some priceless Georgia lapel pins and we were on our way to Campsite number two down by the Savannah river to meet and greet the local mosquito population.



Day 1 - Charleston - Walterboro (100km)

After a great stay in Charleston we headed off for Sullivans Island where we performed the ritual dipping our toes in the Atlantic as well as exchanging a few photos. From the beach it was a bit of a shaky start as none of us had ever ridden with a load on our bikes before! Charleston is a fantastic town filled with grand old homes so it was a pleasure getting lost here for a while before finding our way onto the open road. Other than one tub of tomato sauce that was sent our way out a car window the day went pretty smoothly the cars and trucks especially gave us plenty of room which was a relief after hearing a few stories of the dreaded Highway 17. Fortunately on arrival in Walterboro we were lucky enough to meet Karl and Beverley who let us camp at their place and shower up and relax to a little tv after our first day in the saddle. This was an awesome way to get started and we hope to be able to return the favour when Karl and Beverley move to NZ one day (no pressure). Thanks heaps guys.