This list caught my attention.

 A post from Audax Australia. I’d change the word ‘Commandments’ to ‘suggestions’ but the listed points seem to be eminently sensible.  They are aimed at endurance riders, however they appear to also apply to cycle tourists.

“The Seven Commandments of Vélocio.”

1.. Few stops and short, so as not to lose your “drive”.
2. Eat little and often. Eat before getting hungry, drink before you are thirsty.
3. Never ride until you are so tired that you cannot eat or sleep.
4. Put on extra clothing before feeling cold; take some off before getting hot. Do not be afraid of exposing your skin to the sun, air and rain.
5. Do not drink wine, eat meat or smoke, at any rate while in the saddle.
6. Never rush things. Ride within yourself, particularly during the first few hours of a ride when you feel strong and tempted to force the pace.
7. Never pedal out of vanity.

Do not be afraid of exposing your skin to the sun - not such a good idea in Australia, both for short term sunburn and longer term melanomas!

MIKE

Good point Mike. That means you only have six Commandments. Me too as I had to drop the no wine /no meat Commandment. 

Thanks, Graham; and Mike too, for your critical adjustment for the effects of the sun.

I liked the "Eat before getting hungry."  An Irish guy I knew used to say, "You eat so that you don't get hungry, not when you feel hungry."

I'd add another rule I've learned to follow religiously these past few years:  Stretch before and after the day's ride.

Cheers, guys. 

PS:  Hope you're seeing & feeling some rain, or at least cloud cover. Freezing rain here -- happy to send you some, if you like.

I have one that I like to obey on all rides, but especially for some reason on long rides and tours. It can probably fit under 6 or 7:

"If you see a child's lemonade stand, stop and buy some."

I'm a lousy tourist, in that I really enjoy the on the bike, pedaling part, and rarely stop to take pictures or investigate cool stuff. But, I will always stop at a kid's lemonade stand and buy and drink what is usually pretty nasty tasting stuff! 

I always imagine that when I do I help plant (or water) a seed that helps grow either a future cyclist or entrepreneur, or at least a future driver who respects cyclists.

Several times in the past few years a kid has said "Thank you" and handed me a  business card! Maybe I'm actually funding some secret cabal funded by Kraft Foods, or whoever makes Tang and Crystal Light these days...

I will always stop at a kid's lemonade stand.

Yep :-)

Fortunately, we have several in our neighbourhood.  They make a nice stop at the end of a day ride in the hills across the river.

We also stop at lemonade stands, but we have been struck by low quality - as you mention - and what seems like high prices.  However after encountering the price show below, we whined in our blog but were assured that this is the market rate.

I think they saw all the expensive electronics on your bike and quickly turned 15 cents into 75 cents on their sign...