My very first blog!

Ooh...Aah...The first blog. I set up this blog so that my family and friends can stay up to date on my bicycle tour across the U.S. I'll be bicycling solo from Oregon to New York. On good days, you'll hear about beautiful places, the people I meet, how many miles I go, and how much ice cream one can eat while still losing weight during a long ride. On bad days, you may hear about bicycle mishaps and ugly weather and tired Tapia parts. I'll also post pictures and let you know if I'm coming your way so you can make me dinner and warm up your shower;)

Please feel free to pass this blog address on to mutual friends. Please check with me, though, before you pass this on to folks I may not know. Due to the nature of solo travel on a bicycle, I would like to keep my postings (and therefore my whereabouts) from becoming public knowledge. Thank you for your understanding in the matter of my safety.

The details:

• Mabel, the bicycle, is a Surly Long Haul Trucker (that's their steel-frame touring bicycle to which I added cro-moly racks for a seriously depressing overall weight). She's decked out with Surly's "Nice Rack"s on front and rear and Axiom panniers and handlebar bag.
• I'll be taking a one person tent, a lightweight sleeping bag, a sleeping pad/chair, a MSR whisperlite stove, a water purifier, necessary bicycle repair goodies, food, food, food, and coffee. And...my favorite face wash (to hell with ounces!).
• The route (roughly) - OR, ID, MT, WY, SD, MN, WI, MI, Ontario, NY

Things I would love:

• Places to stay, hot showers, dinner invites
• People who want to join in for a leg of the journey
• Suggestions

That's it for this one. Stay posted. Thanks for your support! Blessings.