Final Wrap Up

Sorry for the gap in posting! Tomorrow is the big day! I'm leaving at sunrise to begin this eastward trek. I hope to finish tomorrow in Dubois, WY, a ride of 85 miles. Definitely doable. I only have one mountain pass to ascend, and that's the Togwotee pass. I'm planning on arriving there long before the heat of the day so it should be no problem.

Thank you so much to the people who have donated money!!! This is a huge help. I've got some miles to do in the name of a few people so it's just a matter of getting the finishing touches.

But the first leg will be in the name of Suzanne Finn! My sister, who I'm incredibly proud of! She's going to be attending Yale to become a Nurse Practitioner after working as an ER nurse at Yale and several other Hospitals in the North East for the past five years. The first leg of my journey is going to be for her, the Suzanne Finn leg.

Which brings me to the next point. On the right hand side over there is a paypal button, and basically that is a buy a mile/leg of the journey fund raiser for me. This is to raise money to support my ride, it isn't a donation for my cause, the equity campaign, but is a direct contribution to me personally. I came up with this idea after trying to figure out how I was going to survive this feat. As in the process of planning for the ride I was relieved of my employment. Which turned out to be a blessing because of the amount of planning and preparation that I needed to undertake, but I'm digressing. When you purchase a leg of the journey or mile I will ride that distance in your name, the name of a cause that you like, or the name of your company. I've had some incredibly generous donations this far, and just really want to say thank you!! It really does mean a lot to me that people are willing to support me in this cause!

But now for the ride. I finished moving out of my house today. My bike is packed up. I've got a head cold, but other than that I'm ready to go. I'm ready to get this ride on the way! I have a lot of nervousness, and a lot of questions I think as anyone does before undertaking large adventures. But for now I've got to go drop of my car and ride back into town, get some sleep, and then get to pedaling. It's kind of nice to know that my only job for the next month is to: Eat, Sleep, and Pedal. (not excluding all the stuff that you have to do but I think the point is there) The next time you read one of these posts it will have been written under a different sky, and probably from some internet hub out there on the road, and so I sign off for the last time from the comfort's of houses, showers, and home cooked food.

Oh and I thought I'd throw my packing list in there for good measure:
4 h20 bottles
tools
stove
fuel for stove
rain gear
tent
sleeping pad
sleeping bag
3 bike shorts
5 bike jerseys
1 casual short
4 pairs socks
1 casual shirt
food (rice, beans, etc)
1 book
4 pens
2 pads
laptop + charger
cell phone + charger
memory card reader
digital slr camera + charger + 50mm lens
small digi cam + chrager
toothbursh
deodarant
baby wipes in bag with alcohol
toothpaste
chamois butter
sunscreen (30 spf and 60 spf)
first aid kit
knife
drugs (AD, antihistamine, ibuprofen)
paracord
flipflops
small tarp
Water purifier and nalgene for water purifier
4 spokes with 2 nipples

NPR and the weather

In news today. I was on NPR! I put the audio on the right hand side. The interview was pretty cool. I was really nervous and pretty much sweated through my shirt, but thankfully as Matt pointed out sweat doesn't come through on the radio, haha. The only bad thing is that my website was referenced, but she forgot to say the website address.... oh well.

Though I haven't done much training, I have been packing my things, as I have 8 days before departure, and I need to move out of my house by then also. But things are coming along slowly but surely.

It's been raining a little bit here in Wyoming, it's beginning more like Florida with this humidity. Hopefully it's the start of a cooling trend that will also span across the Mid-West, that would be awesome!!

You can also read the NPR article here, I've emailed them to see if they can place my URL in the article online.My NPR Interview

Jackson Man Will Bike for Mental Health Coverage
Elsa Heidorn

LARAMIE, WY (2007-07-24) A man from Jackson will ride his bike 2,800 miles from Jackson to Burlington, Vermont to raise awareness of the lack of insurance coverage for mental health services.

Twenty-eight-year-old Fred Finn says most health insurance provides little coverage for mental health, while covering physical problems extensively. Finn says leads to huge problems for millions of people.

"It really truly does affect everyone in this country. I know everyone can think of at least somebody who is affected," he said.

Both the US Senate and House will likely consider legislation this session that would force insurance companies to cover mental health services more fully. Finn will leave August first from Jackson and ride about 80 miles a day for nearly two months. His supporters can track his progress on a Web site.

© Copyright 2007, wpr

117 Mile Test Ride

Just returned from my first full load test ride. It went really well! I rode a total of 120 miles. I started out the ride at home in Jackson, WY. Went through a total plan and pack with food and water to last two days. The first half was an easy 30 miles down to Alpine, WY. It was hot so I drank lots and pedaled a lot more. The original plan was to camp down at Alpine ending around 5-6pm. But I made really good mileage and found myself at Alpine around 1. I decided to do what's in Jackson they call going around the block, it's a 100+ mile loop through Idaho and back to Jackson. After Alpine around 40 miles from home I hit some construction.

The flag lady told me I might have to ride in the pilot car, this is after I turned down an offer for a ride from a pickup driver who was also waiting at the stop. Eventually they let me ride but asked me to go at the end of the motorcade. Luckily they told me I could ride on the new pavement where the traffic wasn't yet allowed to drive. I ended up having 20 miles of highway with my own traffic lane!!! It was nice to not have to worry everytime I heard a truck approaching from behind. Around 5 pm I got to the South Fork damn on the Snake River. I pulled into a campground and jumped in the river for a swim, I can't remember anything that has felt soooo good! The 60 degree river greatly made up for the 95 degree riding all day long! I checked into a site at the campground and the "host" would only let me stay if I paid the RV rate which was 10 bucks. I really wanted to camp on the river so I could swim some more, but not enough to pay that much so I pushed on through into Swan Valley only another 10 miles down the road.

I found another RV camp that was closed. But what sold me were the trees, they were everywhere. I found a nice shady spot and set up camp. I ate bland minute rice, with mashed potato flakes, and the savior of the meal refried beans!! Yummm. I think they're going to save me on this ride. I forgot a book and found myself really bored so I took some pictures. This is the cokpit of my bike. You can see the computer, headlight, aero bars, and underneath is my bell! The aero bars are because I have a slightly broken wrist. I broke it in December, the scaphoid specifically. A very slow healing bone. Here is my camp. By 8 that night I was falling asleep, but forced myself to stay awake until at least the sun went down.With a plan to leave camp by 6 I fought my eyelids until 9:30 and then crashed. I woke up at 4 and tried to nap for another hour, eventually getting up at 5:30 and ate breakfast. I got on the road by 6:20 hoping to beat the grueling 95 degree temps of the previous day. I started pedaling and was so cold I had to put my rain gear on. I didn't have gloves so I had to pedal through my hands going numb from the cold. This kept up until about 9 when I reached the first pass and climbed for around 2 miles. Then it was a cruise down into Victor. But something odd happened once I got into Victor. I was looking for a place to eat breakfast and I started to not feel so well. I finally found a place to eat, I sat down, and when the waitress got there I was feeling light headed and dizzy. I attributed it to calorie deprivation as I had only eaten two packets of oatmeal that morning, and no shops were open in Swan Valley when I left. So I scarfed down eggs, bacon, home fries, toast, 3 glasses of water, and an order of french toast and called it even. I headed out onto the last leg of my journey which I knew was also going to be treacherous, the Teton Pass. As I was approaching the pass I was feeling very sluggish and not at all recovered, it had only been a mile since breakfast but I was feeling very drained. I pulled over at a gas station bought a small coffee, filled it half way and chugged it. Then as I stood out front waiting for the caffeine to kick in a little, I got this familiar sensation, diarrhea.

So I ran to the bathroom and did what I needed to do. My lower intestines and I battled through most of the approach to the pass. I was talking to them out loud telling them, "You have to absorb that water. You have no choice. If you don't absorb that water then I don't survive, if I don't survive then you don't survive." I know it was a little harsh, but I really didn't want to toy with having this problem through the 6 mile climb. Needless to say I made it to the top! It was grueling, it was hot and it was long!! A lot of the climb is on a 10% grade! And I've never been more happy to be at the top, I mean I don't like driving up it, nevermind pedaling a bike up that weighs 80lbs with gear! (on the way up their is a truck scale. I stopped and weighed the bike, the bike with me, and just me. The measures are: me:160; bike:80; bike+me:240;)

If you've read this far, thanks for reading. I know it was a long one, but it had a strong impact on me. I also learned a few things and came up with some rules.

Rules:

1- Always pack a book even one I may not like
2- If I am feeling anxious or stressed I'm pedaling too hard. slow down.
3- Get up VERY EARLY and beat the sun, half the day can be done before it gets hot
4- If I can ride over a mountain pass up 6 miles with diarrhea I can complete any task on this journey

Testing and planning

I tested the camp stove tonight for the first time. It worked very well! Boiled a camp pot full of water within 3 minutes. It sounded like a rocket engine taking off!

It's coming down to the line. Tomorrow I plan to do an almost full load test ride along with overnight camping trip. Tomorrow is also the 14 day countdown point! T Minus - 15 Days. Hope everyone is doing well! Wish me luck in wrapping up the last details in the upcoming two weeks!

Salutations and zen

I went for a ride tonight that was more casual than anything else. The purpose was just to dial in the bike and keep the legs loose. On this ride I found what bicycling is really about, what it used to feel like to ride a bike as a kid. I was just riding for the sake of riding! I had no purpose, no goal, no destination. I found this zen like place that was pure relaxation. It was zen. It was exactly what this ride is all about. Just me and the road. No worries, no bills, no bosses, no due dates, no hounding customers, no favors asked, just the wind, the road, the bike, and me.

Zen.

Good to know that the only turn you can make is the Right Turn!

Thank you to those who leave comments. I like reading them.

Maiden Voyage, Probable Cause, and Road Rage

My bike came in yesterday. I spent the night building it and putting on the racks and panniers. This morning I then drove to Pocatello, a three hour dive, and sold one of my other road bikes!! A financial blessing. So of course today I had to take the new bike out for a ride.


I threw my camera and tripod into the packs, filled three water bottles and headed out. I thought I'd do it at the hottest point of the day so that I can work at bringing up my tolerance to the heat. And damn... it was hot. I was going through water fast, and my mouth was still dry.

I find myself always thinking about drivers on the road. I know so many people who have stories about close calls with cars almost hitting them, drivers harassing riders by throwing bottles at them, water, garbage, swerving at you, etc. The other night Julia and I rode our bikes to go out to dinner. As we were coming home a pickup truck pulled out of a parking lot. He made the turn really wide and was in the wring lane slightly. Then when he saw us he swerved at us, crossing far over into the lane. Then today I was riding across the bridge over the Snake. Traffic was slow and these young men were driving along side me when they sprayed their windshield washers, which were aimed out the side, and hit me, while yelling out the window, "Hey want some water?" Needless to say I wasn't too happy. I caught up to the car and asked them a few questions, then they drove off.

It made me dread something about this trip for the first time. It made me dread dealing with all those immature/dangerous drivers who feel the need to make close calls/harass cyclists. Something that I've known is a problem for a long time. In Europe they have a 5 meter rule. Drivers have to give cyclists a 5 meter girth! I wish we had that kind of protection.

So I headed home with a rush of adrenalin to get me up the next few hills. Then I decided I give the bike and racks a good weight test and I headed to the grocery store. I stocked up on all the needs and loaded them into the packs. I only had 6 miles of uphill riding left so it wasn't exactly grueling, and the bike and racks passed with flying colors.

Maybe you noticed the new logo on the right hand side of the page? That's my cause! This is what I've decided to ride for!! I'm riding for the Equity Campaign. This is a piece of legislation that is going through congress to end the discrimination of Americans with mental health and substance abuse needs. You should check out their website for more information! There is so much you can do to help! Stuff as easy as writing your senator! I'm going to be writing about this more in the future, so I'm going to leave you with this for now.

The Grand Teton and Cross Training

Outside of the world of cycling I accomplished another long term goal this weekend. I climbed and summited The Grand Teton! Here are some pictures from the trip. This is Julia climbing the first climbing section up to the lower saddle (base camp area)

Here I am tying in for a short traverse.

And here is one of the climbs we did, that's me climbing up.


Here we are at the summit.
And then the 90 foot rappel down. Definitely fun!!


This was an amazing experience that came to be in a matter of two days. James Keller was awesome for guiding us. We left the parking lot for the climb at 3:40 am and climbed for 15:30 hours straight!! It was an amazingly long day, but well worth it! You can check out more pictures at www.fredfinn.com/grand . This post is pretty short as I'm still recovering physically as well as needing sleep.

T Minus

3 weeks and 4 days until my date of departure. Things are happening and fast. All the pieces are coming together and almost taking on a life of their own. It seems as though all I need to do is move towards the goal and it just happens. But despite this apparent charmed nature I'm finding myself a little wrought with anxiety. I'm sleeping less and thinking more, usually not my favorite combination. In fact I prefer sleeping more and thinking less. I know this anxiety is a combination of excitement and worry. I can be a bit particular when it comes to details, and I try to anticipate every need/problem that may arise so that I already have a solution at hand, or know how to get one. I would now say it is a sense of control that I am needing, or the ability to let it go. To allow it to become it's own monster or poodle, whichever it may be.

I got a couple more necessary pieces of equipment today.



A headlight,









a tailight,

and two pairs of cycling socks.

The lights all run on AAA batteries so I should be able to find replacements easily at any gas stations or general stores along the way. The socks are moisture wicking, and black. Black is good because it's going to hide the growths of dirt and other deposits that I know I'm going to pick up on the ride. I bought these things through performancebike.com. As I no longer have a LBS (local bike shop) that I support and that supports me.

Trials and Tribulations

It seems as though the ride might not take as much time as was originally thought. At least as current planning/scheduling looks. Matt's map estimates 32 days for the ride, ending in Larchmont, NY. For me I need to decide where I'm going to end my trip. As my original plan was to end in Burlington, VT, which I think will be an amazing bike ride. I remember the smell and cool air of fall in New England as a child, and always loved it as my favorite time of year. Even know thinking back to those times a feeling of joy and excitement comes over me, and I can't help but smile.

Now for some fears. I fear the Midwest. I lived in Nebraska for year, just after college. I remember summer in Nebraska. It was the first time I had ever been exposed to 100+ temperatures as a regular occurrence. I know we'll be able to handle it though, and may even get some reprieve as it will be approaching September as we make out way through the Great Plains. This lighter sleeping bag will definitely be a necessity, most likely I'll spend my time sleeping on top of it. Also in news: my thermarest had been leaking after a week long back packing trip in Moab. I must have slept near or on a cactus needle. The hole was tiny and very slow leaking. I would inflate the mattress then usually by the morning it would be empty, but it was only slightly annoying as only the pressure points (hips and shoulders) felt the ground through it. But it is fixed!!

My previous post had left off with me talking to my current employer. And now I am posting a blog when I'd normally not be allowed to use the internet or my cell phone. I've made four phone calls since 9:15. So you basically get the idea. But anyway, every cloud has a silver lining. Always pressing forward. My most previous employer was kind enough to honor my bike and equipment purchases, which I am thankful for. And their are no hard feelings, just a bit of shock at first.

But moving on, I'm still excited about the ride. VERY EXCITED!! This is merely a hill on the road, only one of many I am sure. And I'm ready for them!

Procurement, tribulations, and the process

This morning I bought a sleeping bag , and a multi fuel backpacking stove . I got them for fairly cheap the bag on Sierratradingpost.com and the stove on rei-outlet.com .

The sleeping bag should allow me to sleep better (no night sweats from cooking in a too warm sleeping bag) and the camping stove should allow me to cook worry free. Julia had told me about these Beverage Can Stove cooking stoves that you can build. They run on alcohol, they are a really good idea, though one site talked about the lack of durability and them not being great for extended trips, so I spent a little more money, although not much, and a lot less time (as this stove I don't have to build). Now for some juicy stuff.

I talked to my current employer last night after work. I wanted to give him plenty of notice about my trip and leaving. It did not go well. I'm not going to go into details, but basically I was told that he would have to think about what he's going to do. Their were some others statements made as well. But this is all that I'm going to write about. The truth is, I understand the frustration.

But I keep asking myself, "If I die tomorrow will I regret this." And every time the answer is hell no. I definitely wouldn't regret this. I feel like I am making the right decisions. I was offered a full time job at another place of employment. Accepting the position would mean that I couldn't go on the trip.

I was incredibly torn, and in fact I still am. This job had been a dream of mine for the past 4 years. But I've been thinking about doing this ride for 9 years. This ride to me signifies my continual development and challenges. It feels to me like the right decision, and that I must listen to and trust.

Preliminary Route

Here is the preliminary route. The drop down into Colorado is to meet up with my co-rider, Matt. Though I haven't cleared that with him yet.

Route map: Route Map

Today I will order my bike. Talk to my boss. Walk my dog. And work out a plan for dog (from here on I will refer just to Lucy when I'm talking about my dog). The plan is that Julia (my girlfriend) will potentially bring Lucy with her when she heads East in potentially mid August. But Julia could end up staying in Jackson for all of August, potentially. But the point is, Julia can't have dogs at her apartment so I need to find a loving dog sitter in Jackson for a couple weeks (up to 4). So that's today. Exciting!!!!

To do:

Lately I'm laying in bed trying to sleep and instead thinking of these things. So I thought they'd be good to stick on my blog as a trip to do list.

To do:
-Buy touring bike7/2/07
-Buy panniers and racks7/2/07
-Buy warm weather sleeping bag (i sweat like crazy in mine in any temps over 45)7/4/07
-Training rides with said bike, racks, and panniers with increasing loads (i've also been riding hard all summer so the idea of riding slowly is actually a very welcoming thought)
-Buy backpacking stove7/4/07
-Raise money
-Find a spot for Lucy to stay for a month (my awesome dog who won't be able to make the journey with me, and if you're a dog lover she'd love to stay with you)
-Find a spot to park my truck for a month it will contain my worldly possessions
-Procure/buy bike tools7/1/07
-Get in touch with more sponsors
-Create packing list
-Create financial budget
-Plan route7/2/07
-Tie up lose ends (talk to friends and family re:route plan and logistics and say goodbyes)
-Ride across the country

It's just that easy!!