Fri Jun 9 18:29:01 2000
Hi! This is the first posting, a testing of this publishing
system that I am trying to hack together to allow field reports
from any browser I happen to run across. I really ought to learn
perl or something one of these days instead of trying to do
everything in shell scripts. But hopefully this works.

It is friday evening... I still havent decided quite what Im
about... I may leave tomorrow around midday or sometime early
Sunday morning.

More soon!

Fri Jun 9 18:47:55 2000
This is the second report

Fri Jun 9 18:52:24 2000
Here goes number three

Fri Jun 9 19:45:10 2000
Okay, seems to be working okay now.

Spent a little more time than I wanted to updating the site,
putting in navigational server side includes for all the pages.
And getting this form page-updating thing crudely usable.
I started to send a note to a bunch of Bay Area cycling lists
but then I got kind of self-conscious and didnt do it. Maybe I
should, I dont know. It would be really cool if a whole bunch
of people decided to give the ride a try... on the other hand
Im concerned that it might seem kind of show-offy. What do
you think?

Sat Jun 10 14:02:54 2000
Just did some last-minute work on my bike. And a good thing! As I
was adjusting the front brake, the cable snapped! I replaced it,
but fear a burr in the housing may cause the new one to fail as
well. Better take along an extra.

Also changed the granny ring to a 34. Darryl originally set up
the bike with a 24, but it made for a rough shift and I never
used it. Dont know what to expect in the offroad sections... a
usable granny might be nice.

Also bought a cyclometer so I can try to get some mileages, a
new rear tire (I guess the old one lasted 4-5K or so... not bad.
I decided to leave the old-style Top Touring on the front -- its
worn but I like those better offroad than the newer Top Touring.

All that remains now is to pack and to leave. I think Ill try
to get all ready to go today and leave at 5A.M. tomorrow.
Maybe Ill see if I can find a lightweight
sleeping bad.

HK

Wed Jun 14 21:29:45 2000
My first real field report! Finally tracked down a Net
connection in a very unlikely place... an ancient former
brothel in Dunsmuir! Its right across from the tracks,
an old building nicely fixed up with a bar downstairs and
basic rooms up... very convenient for the railroad workers.
I believe some of my people worked on the RR around these
parts... one of the fountains in Dunsmuir bears a family
name of ours -- Belknap. Interesting to imagine ol great
great grandpa having a night or two of wild abandon here
before me! My prospects are slightly less exciting. Dinner
and a few hours of sleep and back on the road.

Well, but no, bike touring IS exciting... about my favorite
thing in the world. I had road fever for the first couple
of days... until I caught up with Darryl. A leisurely 180
miles to Jackson the first night, a tough 165 to a campground
north of Truckee the second, a brutal 170 to Manzanita camp-
ground... where Darryl also slept. He found me in a cafe the
next morning (today) and we rode together and apart (exploring
different courses) most of today.

Tomorrow its into the real California Outback, the Shasta
Trinity starting with Castle Craggs. Ill *try* to find another
computer at some point... meanwhile, if you ever make it to
Dunsmuir, for sure you want to stay at the Castle Rock Inn,
right across from the tracks on Sacramento.

--Henry

Sat Jun 17 12:22:28 2000
Greetings from Covelo. Here after a difficult ride through the
steep, steep country. Yesterday rode to Weaverville,
then to Hayfork, then over a really neat road called Rattlesnake
Road. (There are some really yakkety ladies who have no idea
libraries are supposed to be *quiet* places... %3A-) Can you tell
the ride was difficult enough to make me a little cranky?)
After Rattlesnake, I climbed the South Fork Ridge, longest
continuous ride in the continental US (46 miles). From there,
I decided to try a slight variation from the published Milly
course. I split up with Darryl after a couple of days of nice
riding... I just had to go a little faster to make it back to
work on Monday. Darryl has a whole other week off. Anyhow, I
figured he would get most of the mileages for the published
route, so I took Van Duzen Road, the Zenia Road, then Kettenbom
Road, and then this 44 mile roade from Kettenbom to Covelo. I
thought I could ride it at night under the full moon, but I just
didnt have the stuffing in me. I feel asleep along the side of
the road, and when I woke up in the morning I discovered that
I was sleeping right underneath a %22No Trespassing%22 sign. From
Hwy 36 to here I probably saw less than a dozen cars. Most of it
was paved, although the last 20 miles were dirt. Dirt or paved,
all of the climbs were quite steep, including one dirt stretch
marked %224 1%2F2 miles, 10%25.%22 That was a lot of fun, uh-huh.

My light bracket broke on one of the steep gravel road descents,
so I cant delay too much. Ill have to make the most of the
daylight hours in order to get back in time for work the day
after tomorrow. I think I still have almost 200 miles to go.

Its still fun, especially these little tiny roads, but every
time I get back on the bike or start pedalling again after a
long descent, theres this biting ache in the legs... its been
a while since Id felt that! I dont mind having to go fast all
that much, but sometimes I do think it would be fun to try a
tour at a slower pace some day. Although I suspect Id still end
up with road fever all the same.

My how these library ladies carry on. Its really something.
Just on and on about nothing. Ive got to get out of here!

--Henry, who just ate a pint of Wavy Gravy and is about to
polish off a box of Better Cheddars. MMmmmm.

Sat Jun 17 12:24:22 2000
By the way, Darryl and I rode Castle Craggs together day before
yesterday... it was 35 miles but took us all day! It was
insanely steep and hot. But pretty.

Okay, I have to escape the yakking library ladies now!

Sun Jun 18 17:15:44 2000
Just rolled back into San Francisco... heard the long-distance
blues from the Juneteenth and checked it out for a while over in
the Fillmore. Just a quick stop for now to say Im back safe and
sound (I know my readers). Cant wait for work tomorrow. When I
was in Covelo in the supermarket shopping for some food the
country music song there got stuck in my head%3A something about
%22Sure is Monday.%22 You know the one. Where the guy has too much
fun on Friday, Saturday Sunday... then it %22sure is Monday.%22 I
think thats how Im going to feel tomorrow. Except no pickup
truck bed to go take a nap on at lunch.

I took a little notebook with me, and now Ill try to put
together some course information and maybe some stories from
that. Darryl should be back towards the end of the week, and Id
imagine hell have a lot of good information as well. Ultimately,
it sure would be swell to make like a database system where
anyone who registers as a Milly rider can add in information
they discover about the course, such as recommendations for
places to stay and eat and where not to stay and eat. But that
would be a ways off for me, technically, I think. Maybe if I
quit riding I would have the time to figure it out.

Okay, well, I had better have a look at the dreaded post-vacation
email.

--Henry