Give us a home away from home

So far, in Virgina, we've been really forunate staying with friends and family along the way. As we continue to the west coast our contacts get fewer and farther between, please let us know if you or somebody you know might like to host us for an evening.

We'll be bicycling through:
Kentucky
South Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
North-Eastern Colorado
Wyoming
West Montana
Idaho
Oregon

Text/email any of us or comment below with any information
contact me at (267)218.3102

Showering is a treat.

First Three Days

Feels like we've been out on the road for weeks, but nay it has only been three days and about 290 miles.  We're slowly immersing ourselves in the rigmarole of using public restrooms, gas stations, and the kindness of strangers to survive.  First day was little bit of a shell shock but we pushed through to get Chauncey her first century and meet up with our first host Erin Myers and her family.  Second day was some hills, some soreness, and a less organized plan. While chilling outside of a Chipotle and looking through our contacts list for a place to stay, a man named Adam came to our rescue.  As a fellow bike touring fiend he came to our rescue to return the favor of what many friendly strangers have done for him. Third day was our most eventful and most difficult so far. We stopped for ice cream at an orchard, saw a baby black bear that ran in terror from us, saw where the cookie lady lives, and we got through one of the hardest parts of our trip.  The mountains were tough but we were tougher.  The fast flight down Mt. Vesuvius was almost worth it. Then we passed through hell. After getting down the mountains, night fell and we had to put our lights on.  Miles upon miles of flying bugs splatted all over us.  Personally, this was my least favorite part of the trip, maybe because I was head of the pace line for that entire part.  Today we rest momentarily and look forward to the next couple thousand miles.
Stay adventurous my friends.

Wizard of the Oz (ounce)

I was able to get the weight of all of my gear to around 31 lbs. I'm a gonna teach the novices a thing or two about the O.Z.'s. Lose the ounces in little places and you'll start losing pounds of unnecessary weight. Got a tooth brush? Cut off the bottom half of the handle, you don't need that ish to reach your molars.  Got anything with packaging, or individually packaged things? Take that jank off, and if you need to, shove it in a ziploc  bag which is probably lighter. Decide between what you want and what you really need. Our top girl Chauncey has been learning these lessons real quick after realizing a kitchen sink is unnecessarily painful to drag up a mountain, even when rolling on two wheels.  She's a trooper though and is still keeping up with us (and pushing us) with all of that extra weight.  Today she's putting a package of useless stuff together to send home!
Below are some Pics of ways I shaved weight.

This is Chauncey's jank that she'll send home (3.4 pounds BLEH!)

Gear

 First off I want to thank people who've donated gear, gifts, and cash towards our honorably narcissistic(we're awesome) cause. I'll be thinking about my aunt every time my a$$ is sore, thanks to her donation of a Brooks saddle. My shawty Sophia saved me by letting me borrow an ish ton of her gear... and by not breaking my legs and forcing me to spend the summer with her, she's a saint.

On my general gear list I have: 1 Tent/Hammock combination,
1 pair of Keen Commuter shoes,
1 helmet,
1 sleeping bag(45deg) and liner,
1 sleeping pad(woman's),
1 head lamp,
1 bike tube,
1 dry bag,
2 short sleeve shirts (including jersey),
2 long sleeve shirts (athletic and button-down),
1 Revelcloud jacket,
1 rain jacket (clear, to accentuate my nipples),
1 pair of gloves,
electronic gear (including a solar powered phone charger),
parachute chord,
1 warm hat,
1 buff and 1 ear warmer,
1 leg and arm warmers,
2 water bottles and 1 camelback,
bungee chords,

multitool and leatherman.

I spray painted my helmet white!

sending mail on the transam bike route

let's face it, you love me. and what better way to show your love for me than sending me package of care whilst i'm off doing something so narcissistic like biking across america i hardly have time to think about you?

here's the down low dirty deets:

From the USPS website: General Delivery is available for customers if carrier service or a PO Box is not an option. Individual mailpieces will be held up to 30 days and can be conveniently picked up by presenting identification. This is also a great option if you don’t have a permanent address. To find which office is designated for General Delivery at your location, please contact your local Postmaster.

Format of address:

*Recipient Name (Jacques Li <3!)

c/o General Delivery

*City *State *Zip (fill in the city state and zip applicable)

Locations on route (i purposely pick places in bumblefack nowhere b/c it's easier to get the package):

Sonora, Kentucky, 42776

Estimated date passing through: June 5-10. Recommend sending by May 25

Cambridge, Idaho, 83610

Estimated date passing through: July 20- July 30. Recommend sending by July 10

Ness City, Kansas, 67560

Estimated date passing though: June 15 – June 25. Recommend sending by June 5

more locations to cum!

SB011!

This is spring break, a time for rejuvenation and new growth. What better way to do that than to ride to myrtle beach? so we did do that, it was a way for bunder (brian) and i to test out our spankin new tour gear and the touring way of life. we set out in hopes that our friends, who are there for spring break, will take us in with open arms like children returning to a mother's womb.

after a quick detour in duke (for a cycling race, chump change), we were off to a good start. Me stephan bunder and xtian took to the streets on our bikes. We geared up and started out from Kyles place, xtians friend who lives in north raleigh. With bunder as our fearless leader/mapper we trekked through the heart of north carolina. It's true Dixie country out here to the max with more bible buildings that gas stations. After enduring periods of sideways rain/hail, a hobo, and couple of dog attacks, we finally decided to unsaddle at a small raunchy town called Stedman, NC. There is nothing here, besides a church and a drug store. No beer at the gas station either, so we just hunkered down in a baseball dug out behind an elementary school. And it's only 9pm.

"there are Yankees, and there are damn Yankees..." - wise words of a old dude outside of gas station shootin the shit

next day, woke up at six just about when the primary school kids were getting dropped off. Like a clan of hobos we rolled out of the baseball dugout from the back of the school. Off on the back roads of nc we rolled through large plots of swiny farms. Now I finally see why there are more pigs than people in this state. After cranking through 70 miles we stopped in a small town a mile from the nc sc state border for some grub. Six dollar buffet for the best southern cooking I have ever experienced. Southern folk are so nice and hospitable, it's so easy to fall in love with the heartwarming southern twang.

114 miles later, we have arrived in myrtle beach

i leave you with a picture of brian's questionable touring wardrobe

Incentive for Adventure

Okay, we laid down some goals for our fund-raising (as shown on the right) but those are just for starters. As the beginning of our journey nears, we'll be spouting out some more challenges and general goals to complete along the way.  These challenges are a means for us to break from our shells and give us a form of obligation to have a more eccentric experience.

Challenge Accepted!

Hello and welcome to le Tour de Awesome.  As the name implies, we will be embarking on a bicycling tour full of awesomeness and adventure.  This summer we will be biking from the friendly and familiar eastern shore all the way to the mysterious unknown that is the west coast of the United States.  To make things even more interesting, we will be accepting challenges upon reaching incremental fund-raising goals.  What this means is that if you feel so inclined to donate moneys to our cause, we will do crazy/fun/weird/uncomfortably awesome things to compensate you for your love and support.  For different amounts of money raised, we will accept challenges of varying difficulty to perform whilst hitting the dusty roads of this great country.  Be reassured that funds raised will go towards supporting our travel expenses and hardcore drug addictions.  Full details on challenges and donation information to follow, thanks for visiting.

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