The Nevada Plan
June 1, 2020 Filed under Advice
I was going to go be riding around Denmark with my nephew this year, but COVID-19 thoroughly derailed those plans. All international travel was off the table for spring and summer. As the months of isolation dragged on, I got obsessed with finding some way to still make a bike trip happen, and eventually the government restrictions loosened up enough for me to put this plan together.
This is what I drafted:
The pins represent scraps of civilization.
And in the end, this is what I ended up riding:
The route I ended up riding.
Ever since my ride across the Oregon scrubland in 2009, I’ve wanted to make another bike tour through a hot, dry climate. The isolation, the intensity, and the alien feel of the terrain appeal to me. This summer I need to keep human contact to a minimum anyway, so why not do it outdoors in the blazing sunlight, in an environment hostile to germs?
A flurry of preparation. Don't try this at home folks: You need to be very careful on those hardwood floors!
I packed up the same touring gear that I used for Iceland – an extremely cold climate – but I left out my thick sweater, hiking socks, hiking shoes, and wool hat. Add in a giant thermos and another extra water bottle, pull the extra liner out of my sleeping bag, and I was good to go!
Except for one thing: My cute nightlight needed repairs. Gotta have that!
Temporary workspace while I attempt to repair my highly customized night-light candle.
It's fixed, but its new name is Peg-Leg Pete The Night-Light.