Le Tour de Dyslexia: Basic Information

As everyone should know, since I mentioned it like maybe 4 times, I am going on a bike tour at the beginning of the summer. Actually, it is not just I, it is Lexi, Dan, and I, who will be going on the tour. We plan on devoting about two weeks for getting from Newark to Portland, Maine, which will probably end up being around 500 miles. The exact route is still in progress (we only have up to day 3.5 completed). The general plan is to ride up through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York and then cut East to the coast of Massachusetts where we will ride the shore North into New Hampshire and then Maine. To get back, we are taking a train from Portland to Wilmington. I have not been updating my blog a lot, but this will probably keep it going strong, at least until school is over. I intend on updating it with the official route and landmarks, gear lists, and pictures. Since I don't have any of that stuff ready as of now I'll just cover the basics today.

For those who don't know what bike touring is, as I didn't even know six months ago, it is basically going on a long bike ride with everything you need to survive with you (tent, clothes, food, etc.). Below is an example of what a moderately loaded touring bike looks like.

There are many options when it comes to the amount of stuff you bring with you on a tour. There is what is referred to as "Credit Card Touring", which means you pack very little and buy things as they are needed, such as food and hotel rooms. Then there is "Light and Fast Touring", which is self sustaining in that you bring your shelter and cooking supplies with you but you try to keep the weight of your load down by packing moderately. The other option for touring is to just put as much on your bike as you can.

For our tour, we will probably be somewhere in between "Light and Fast" touring, and pack whatever you can touring. Not to get into the Equipment List that is to come but we will be bringing tents, sleeping bags, cooking supplies, some food, and a moderate amount of clothes.