A couple of months from now will mark the 15th anniversary of me finding out about bicycle touring. After I initially noticed a reference to something called the "TransAmerica Trail" in a bicycle book I'd received as a Christmas gift in 2005, I did some Googling and soon found, and read, my first few journals.

One of them was by a grad student who was planning to do her coast-to-coast trip in the spring of 2006. She'd already started the journal months before her departure date, and I followed her updates on her preparation for the next months, until she left on the trip. After that I faithfully followed her journal, which she updated mostly from computers in libraries.

I'm probably biased, since I eventually met, and married her, but I think her journal is very good:

CircumTrektion: TransAm 2006

Ah yes, the classic "Boy reads girl's bike touring journal, boy meets girl, girl and boy get married and tour together" love story.  You're a lucky man.

There are definitely a few touring journals that stand out above the rest.  "CircumTrektion" is one of 'em.

Darn it Jeff!  I was planning on doing other things today, but I clicked on the link and started reading the Circumtrektion journal and now I'm more than halfway through and haven't done anything else today!   It's a great journal, and reminds me of the magic of my own Transam tour in 2015.  But I really need to do some other things today - sigh... I guess they can wait until tomorrow so I can finish the journal.

Jeff, thanks for the pointer to Joy's journal. I'm still fairly early into it, but it is really a great read.

Thanks. I mentioned to Joy that I'd posted a link to the journal, and there'd been a few complimentary comments about it. She's a professor who teaches writing, and I think she's amused/bemused that this 15 year-old-travel blog is the most influential work she's created (see here, paragraphs three and four, for example.)

You may or may not know, but Leo made his living as a journalist so it stands to reason that he's better than most with words.

Not long after "Halfway (Not Intentionally) Across America" made its original appearance he and I struck up a direct email correspondence which has carried on to this day.  I even had the pleasure of joining him for a couple of days on another of his forays into North America, a few years ago.  His company is as pleasant as his prose.

Reading all the comments, we'd like to point out that our journal 2015-17 that was deleted from that other site is now on cycleblaze...Racpat RTW. We are working on getting the 2006-07 journal Bali to Boise uploaded.

Racpat

Greg,

Three things:

First, in reply to your "Has Anyone Read Any Older Journals" question, if you haven't come across it yet, Bill Stone's 1983 journal is definitely worthwhile reading. I enjoyed it very much, and suspect you will, too.

Second, I was wondering what the oldest journal on CycleBlaze you (or anyone else reading this) have come across . I suspect there's one older than my 1982 scribblings, but haven't seen one yet.

Third, I know that you've already seen it because you've posted in it, but I wanted you to know that one of the main reasons I added my 1982 journal to CycleBlaze was because of your post here. I wrote paper journals for all of my trips but most of them remain in google docs, gathering internet dust. Because of your original question, I went back and looked at my oldest journal, relived it as I reread it, then (hopefully) turned it into something worth reading.

Cheers

Yes, I've read the journal you suggested, as well as most of Bill's other stuff.  I've been communicating with him on other cycling websites almost since the time I started bike touring and I have the greatest respect for that guy. 

I can't think of a tour older than 1982 offhand, but if there was one here on Cycleblaze, it probably came from either Bill or Scott Anderson.

As to your 1982 journal, I liked it a lot.  I mean, how many people get to attend an Amway convention while on a bike tour?  I think those two posts were my favorites of your many well-written vignettes.

This is one of my favorite journals. I read it in real time. I think of Joy every time I see a Pepsi. I cheered when you caught up to her and it all worked out like a movie. (You could sell the rights!)