Intro: Another Bike-Tour in the Offing

May 20, 2013

THE TOUR HAS BEEN PLANNED MANY MONTHS. NO. THE THOUGHT JUST CAME INTO MY HEAD LAST NIGHT. Life's been pretty awful this last six months; what with a relative threatening to take me to court. Yes indeed money can change certain people. It's a long story and you don't want to hear it. I've got them off my back now, and I've come out of this stressful episode with money in the bank. It's time to think positive.

This is the house Is building............

My six goats called: Molly, Daisy, Blue, Snowy, Black Billy and Mini Goat. Because I'm going away, they've gone to a new home. The field seemed empty when I went out the following morning after their new keeper collected them. I felt sad and I longed to see them in their usual place all that day.

Jubilant that it was all over, it was suggested to me that now I should get away; so, I didn't spend much more than five minutes last night coming up with the thought of cycling to Iceland. The next morning I went to the local bike-shop to order a new bike. Proprietor Tom said "I can get you in a Dawes Galaxy". "Dawes" I said, my eyes lighting up. I knew that the Dawes Galaxy has been around a long time and is a sound bike. I went away and checked the Dawes touring-bike-site on the Net, scrutinizing each model, then returned a couple of days later with enough money to pay a deposit. Tom put the Dawes brochure on the counter and we flicked through the pages of Galaxys. We came to the Galaxy Classic, in racing green which I'd already decided on.

The new bike will be a regression from pulling a BOB YAK trailer, which I've used since 2006. The bike trailer is a compromise in my opinion. The one I had broke twice at the swing-arm; furthermore, the mesh floor welded to the lower tubing of the body, broke the whole way around during its first tour and ended up being held together with wire-ties.

August 2000: Crossing a Sandur (sands) on route F910 south west of Askja, in the eastern highlands; 32km of pushing in which I took off the front wheel and pushed the bike trolley fashion.

The most enduring factor currently in the news which can effect me out on the road is the weather. I'm hoping this Summer won't be a repeat of last Summer, grey skies and rain every day. Some one said "Iceland gets more sunshine" From experience of four previous visits to Iceland and also having been to Northern Scandinavia, that far north tends to get more high pressure weather systems; perhaps the air being cooler, means there's less build-up of cloud like in warmer middle Europe.

As said, the thought came out of the blue and it's ten years since my last visit to Iceland; and I'm green as I'll be travelling by bike from home, though obviously there'll be ferries to catch as I haven't got into solo ocean-going crafts yet.

Finally reader I'll be using my NETBOOK together with a dongle to keep this journal updated as often as possible. I'm hoping you follow along on this adventure and will be grateful if you care to contact me by leaving a message in the guest book, as its always nice to get feedback.

July 2001: route F910 on hardpacked volcanic pumice. The trailer I have wouldn't survive this. I took this snap-shot while riding.

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