G'day Anthony and Alison

Well done you two and a great journal. I am sad about some of your experiences but think that if there were more Black cycle tourists they would just be seen as cyclists and a source of tourist dollars. I live in Australia and we have a shocking record in regard to our treatment of our First Nations people and we still have a few red necks of our own.
Re travelling light, Mary and I work on the basis that we only tour for a week at a time and only stay in a place one night at a time so one set of off bike clothes is plenty as nobody is going to see us twice wearing the same outfit so good to see you doing the same. As others have written those backpacks can get uncomfortable. With your loads you don't really need racks and panniers but have a look at some bikepacking frame bags.
Looking forward to your next journal.

Mike

Hi Anthony,

You provided everything I look for in a journal, which basically boils down to just three things: a sense of fun, a few exciting twists & turns, and a breezy, unpretentious narrative.

I'm guessing there will be more bike tours in your future. Every one of them will be memorable in their own way, but I think the excitement of the first one--like a first kiss--can never quite be repeated. True, there is something to be said for learning from experience. On the other hand, experience sometimes subtracts from the novelty. On the third hand, bike touring experience is how I learned that bike touring experience subtracts from the novelty. (So much for being unpretentious.)

Anyway, as I said, nice journal.

Hi,
Well done! And I agree with Andrea. I mean, just a back pack for five days? Zounds , folks. That’s travelling light! At a minimum, I would get the load off my back and onto a frame rack. If you want advice, just ask on the forum, and you’ll get a head full.
And I admire your courage to face the lack of diversity outside the big cities of America. The pigeonholing of people by color, class, or religion is the most despicable aspect of humanity. Good on you for pushing past it.
Cheers,
Keith

Hi again,
Trail angels, for sure.
Cheers,
Keith

Hi Anthony,
Welcome to the wide world of cycle touring. What you describe for your first day is sometimes referred to as class two fun: not fun at the time, but growing in interest with age. A story to tell later that will mark you out as a real cycle tourist. You are lucky to get Allison to go with you. My wife has resisted all efforts to go cycle touring for the last fifty years. Hope that she continues to enjoy the ride.
Cheers,
Keith

You two are carrying the least amount of stuff on your bikes than I've ever seen for a multi-day tour. Is there anything you wish you had brought along that you didn't have with you? I'm pretty much in awe of that because we tend to carry a lot, I mean, I carry more on a ten-mile jaunt around town than you did for five days, ha.

That sounds kind of painful, these interactions you're having. It's easy for me, a white woman, to say, "Everybody should get out there and do what they want to do!", but it really isn't easy for folks of color in a lot of places. I'm sorry it's this way. I'm glad you're sticking with it and letting the beauty of your ride buoy you along. That beauty belongs to you.

Congratulations! I too am glad you are touring while black and hope to see a lot more diversity on the trails.

Appreciate it, Rich. And agreed fully, concrete plans definitely remove the element of surprise(especially after a long day). Fool me once as they say! Thanks, glad to have figured it all out!

It definitely prepped us for challenges to come ahead! Great learning lessons. Much appreciated!

Thanks a lot! It certainly had its challenges, but I'm glad we saw it through - it made us that much more appreciative of a smooth day, ha!

Thanks! And agreed. Looking forward to doing this route again soon in its entirety, and taking our time to check out and enjoy both places

I had this « no hotel at the end of the day » experience once many years ago. Like you, we figured a way out of it. But I felt so badly about it that ever since I’ve booked all our nights in advance. It takes some of the adventure out of the trip, but it makes me a fundamentally calmer travel partner. Like you say, everyone has a different idea about what constitutes a vacation. Great job working through the challenges!

This is a trip we've wanted to do for quite a while. Thanks for sharing your experience on it. Sounds like the mountain bikes were a good idea - I wonder whether our tandem could handle it?

I really enjoyed your journal and hope you continue to bicycle tour and maintain a journal on cycleblaze. Scott and I have seen more black cyclists on the West cost and in Europe. I sure hope that we can see more in the rest of the USA. I admire you both for what you’re doing!