IT looks like Gunton has read the above comment and had some interesting things to say. He brought up his kinship with Trump originally, and I decided to honestly compare him and Trump, AGREEING with him that he and Trump have a special kind of kinship.

Instead of deciding to be introspective and think about how he can improve, he simply decides that someone who would offer an honest opinion has "TDS." From just the few paragraphs, he's decided I have this fictitious thing called, "TDS." I looked this "TDS" thing up. Apparently, anyone who has anything bad to say about Trump has this "TDS" condition. No more needs to be said about it here because nobody takes accusations of "TDS" seriously.

What I find odd, though, is that Gunton says that he was a liberal before becoming "independent." However, his losing customers didn't start until he started dressing his own users down in his forums for disagreeing with him about subject du jour. It's not his web site or the software that is the problem. The people aren't leaving because they're liberals, or commies, or horrible people. They left because he ran them all off. It's that simple. His page doesn't need new features or bug fixes, and there's not a magic piece of code that is going to make it the magical one true site for cycling tourists. He just needs to act professionally and let the site be about bicycle touring without injecting his toxic politics into it. That's the only thing he needs to do.

There are other special interest pages or channels on the internet whose authors and owners have decided to bring their own personal politics into it. Same thing happens there, too. People leave. They may attract a few replacements who are there for the poisonous dialogue and not the cycling or tech. I prefer to stick to sites that fulfill their actual purpose and eschew divisive topics.

Wow! I just read Neil's huge diatribe regarding this entry today Jul 31 2024. I was surprised he brought up a ton of things that weren't even apropos to the April 1st entry. Racism. Trump. Autism. Cats. Assassinations.

As an outsider, it's very easy to see why he feels this kinship to Trump. He and Trump are quite a bit alike. They bring everything on themselves, yet, the consequences of their own actions is never their own fault, it's always someone else's, and they play the part of the poor, poor victim of everything that happens to them, and in both cases, it's an Oscar-worthy performance. "Woe is me! Everyone is out to get me! I'm the only one telling the truth and everyone else is lying! Oh, the anguish and woe! Will this sorrow never end?!"

I'm an outsider, and from my viewpoint, he's absolutely right: He and Trump are indeed soul brothers. Both are weird, immature, paranoid little crybabies. Anyone disagreeing or showing a slight hint of disloyalty is thrown under the bus, even if they're a paying or donating customer.

After seeing how Neil takes absolutely everything personally, to the point that some things that aren't meant as insults do become insults to him, it's very easy to understand how his site has become an utter failure, simply because he kicked all his own customers off.

He simply has no idea that he's running a business, not a social media site, and the cyclists are CUSTOMERS, not USERS. If he'd shifted his thinking just a little bit and acted like a legitimate businessman instead of a "Trump" businessman, he would have started to make money instead of hemorrhaging it. Instead, someone checking a box to agree with someone that said something he doesn't like becomes an act of terrorism or character assassination, in his mind, so he runs everyone off of his web site. It's probably too late, as the word has probably spread through the cycling community that his site can be toxic if you "earn" his ire.

My advice to Neil: Grow up.

Of course, there is a zero percent chance he'll do it. It might simply be too late.

Casey's has the best gas station pizza for sure.

And Domino's has the best online ordering and delivery system.

Pizza Hut's system sucks.

Yes, like so many things that we see while bike touring, it was just some random thing 🙂

I don't know about you, but I've never gotten blisters from riding my bike. Blisters are, I guess, the walker's version of punctures, but a lot more painful!

You are way way, way too kind.
I love getting to take bike tours with you.
I love your eye for detail and whimsy.
And I love your diet on the road.

Some impressive mileage, and a great journal. Thanks gor letting us come along for the ride, virtually speaking!

Jeff, I really enjoyed this journal. A different approach to cross-country rides and it was very engaging. Thanks for doing the homework!

Thanks Jeff, really enjoyed reading along and fantastic photography. Cheers!

It was a pleasure getting to host you for the beginning of this tour especially since you and Joy hosted Peter and me when we toured in Kentucky several years ago. I will miss reading about your daily adventures but it was fun while it lasted…thanks for sharing your journey.

I hope to see you in October when I come back to KY to visit Peter.

It was fun following along - thanks for writing the journal! You certainly had some tough days, but they balanced out with the good days. Rest up, then start thinking about your next tour - there's always another tour ahead! Best of luck,

Great job Jeff! Thanks for all the nature photos! Not many cycle tourists seem to notice nature, let alone take photos and then make the effort to post them with limited time, limited energy and limited internet. You are outstanding.

I enjoyed following along with you. Your updates were a highlight of my day.

Enjoy being at home and sleeping in your own bed!

It was a great tour, with superb pictures, as usual. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks for posting. I really enjoyed your photos and your writing.