You've probably read my brothers' first 3 posts (he talks a lot) now it's my turn to talk about myself.

My biking life has not been as long as John's. Naturally as a kid I had a red single speed bike but I pretty much stopped riding it in the 8th grade. My next bike, a Schwinn Super LeTour 2, was bought in 1977 when I was in Idaho Falls studying at the Navy Nuclear Prototype at the start of my journey in the Navy submarine field. My wife had a bike so were able to ride around town when I wasn't working (which seemed to be all the time). From there the bike moved with us to Charleston, SC; Naples, Italy; and Bremerton, WA where it didn't get many miles put on it. I had plenty of excuses such as mosquitoes; crazy Italian drivers; hills; being out of shape, etc. 

When I left the Navy we (including the bikes) moved to Ohio. Some friends of ours from Washington state visited us shortly after we moved. I got home from work, and Jerry told me he rode my bike and screwed up the front wheel. (Another excuse for me not to ride.) The bike stayed in the garage 2nd floor for 13 years until 2000 when, low and behold, the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) (7 day bicycle tour) started in our home town.

I remembered I had a bike and after a major overhaul started riding. Two year later I bought a Klein road bike; and the next year rode in my first GOBA. I had so much fun I convinced John to join me, and we've ridden supported tours in various states together for most of the past 20 years.

I did my first self contained tour with Adventure Cycling in the Michigan UP (with a new Waterford touring bike) in 2012, and in 2015 when I retired I did a lone self-contained tour through Canada and around Lake Erie. Since then, as John may have noted we did both a 300 and an 800 mile tour in Michigan during the past two years. Both of these were in preparation for the cross country tour we start in May.

I currently ride a long wheel-base recumbent, a RANS Stratus XP, with both a rear rack and an underseat rack. It is like riding an easy chair, except when you go uphill. I find it is harder to climb on the recumbent, than on the Waterford I had. For one thing it is hard to slalom going uphill. 

As far as the gear I am taking, it is pretty similar to John's, with the addition of my camp chair, a pocket rocket stove, and some different riding and cool weather clothing.

Whether or not John and I survive each other for 86 days is yet to be seen. Until next time, have a great biking day.