Why are you doing this?

By Paul van Deursen

A travelogue describing the adventures and experiences of a male approaching 60 years of age taking a cycling tour from Calgary,Alberta to the Panama Canal and back to Calgary.The trip took about 8 months, covered close to 13000 kms.and was taken solo without any support. Only used equipment was used. After crossing the U.S.A. the tour followed the Mexican Pacific coast,then through Central America to Colon in Panama. The return trip through Central America was very similar but in Mexico and the U.S.A.the route was east of the road south.The reason to take this trip were two fold;a desire to do something unusual and to have a purpose again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul van Deursen
• Release date: Mar 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458163196

Paul van Deursen

Travelling has always been a hobby I've taken very serious,either through business or leisure. After a career in Heavy Equipment sales I had the misfortune to have a serious accident which put a stop to that. Now I just work and go on extensive cycling trips or quests whichever you prefer.This travelogue was written on the advise of many people who suggested just to apply my "derrière" to a chair and get started. To be honest I have no intention to make it my new profession. It is just too difficult.

Book preview

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

BY

Paul van Deursen on Smashwords

<<<>>>

Copyright 2011 Paul van Deursen

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work

<<<>>>

Foreword

The title Why are you doing this? is a question I was asked numerous times often by people who did not quite understand the concept of holidays or any journey to experience adventures. Why would anybody who is past the experience of being middle aged decide to get on a bicycle and point his nose south? Well I did, mostly to have a sense of accomplishment, do something not done by Mr. or Mrs. Average and motivate myself to have a purpose again.

I never have been afraid to try new endeavours, never mind that more often than not these came without any successful results. After a less than successful marriage and an accident resulting having a very heavy concussion or light brain injury, the jury is still out on that one, I basically lived in la la land for a period close to 5 years. During this time I kept alive by collecting bottles, picking fruit in the Okanagan Valley, washing windows and anything else I could get my hands on.

Often I relied on friends to get me over the next hill. I went back to school full time to hone my skills and have a chance to get involved with the IT industry. Prior to these hick ups I was involved with sales involving heavy equipment and lived in different parts of Canada. My reasoning was that knowing more about this field I should have no problems to again be in sales but this time representing software designers.

Sorry to say but I found out that entering a new field without any experience while in my early fifties is not easy. At least I did not manage to do it and only found employment for less than one year, back to the drawing board while keeping alive by doing a variety of jobs.

Finally I became employed as a sweeper with an organization where I knew the owners. This may not have been something I emigrated from the Netherlands for but at least it was steady and allowed me to save money to try my next endeavour. Slowly the idea to go cycling to somewhere took form.

Preparation took a year before the finances to make this journey were at a point where I concluded; just do it. Hardly any new equipment to make this trip was used, including the bicycle. A goodwill store in Calgary was the supplier for only $19.00.

This book describes a cycling odyssey from Calgary, Alberta to the Panama Canal and back again to Calgary.

The journey took almost 8 months to complete. I crossed the United Sates going south through Montana, Idaho, Nevada, briefly in California, back to Arizona and the Mexican border. In Mexico going south I stayed inland but when the opportunity arose I followed the Pacific Ocean, parts of which have been described as dangerous to travel and to be avoided.

I always tried to avoid the well known tourist areas and when in one never stayed more than one day. In tourist areas everything was dearer than somewhere else and I did not make this trip to see places having direct flights from and to Calgary.

Returning to Canada the same road was sometimes used, especially in Central America. In Mexico I cycled along The Gulf of Mexico going west in Monterrey and turning towards the United states in Torreon. The return route in the US went through western Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

Some of the more detailed geographical descriptions are from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia and so are a few pictures. Most pictures are not the best quality for two reasons. The camera I used cost $ 6.95 and was temperamental on a regular basis. Secondly; trying to drag my bicycle through a creek in Costa Rica a lot of undeveloped film became wet and those pictures certainly show it.

Completing this trip was secondary; I just wanted to be someone who finished or tried to finish something not everybody can be expected to do but an awful lot of people would love to try.

Some people will try to cross the Darien Gap on foot; others will try to row solo across an Ocean while still others will try to ascent Mount Everest. We all do it for the same reason; nobody can take the effort to at least have tried it away from us.

Rest to say to say; I have no intention to become a professional writer or photographer. The story itself is interesting enough so please do not be too particular about the style. I never did keep a daily journal and realize that when one cycles every day for almost 8 months there invariably happens an awful lot. I also like to point out that the spelling used is Canadian, ou is used rather than only o and all the distances are in metric. After reading this travelogue hopefully most readers will agree with me that it was well worth the time and effort.

<<<>>>

Preparation

The first day of the September long-weekend is the first day of an adventure for me. I plan to cycle south from Calgary, Alberta. The final destination is still an unknown and there are no plans to stay in hotels or for that matter any kind of established lodgings. To me planning any trip is just knowing that I am going somewhere. This time it is by bicycle and let's just see how it turns out. How can I possible plan something that I have never done before and only have a vague idea what it will be like.

I slowly formulate an idea in my mind what I would like to do and just do it. Naturally business or family affairs trips are completely different affairs and certainly don't fall in this same category. Like the old days when hitchhiking was a hobby and ditches beside the road were considered very comfortable.

For this journey almost all equipment was purchased at goodwill stores or should I say everything except my underwear and socks. For no particular reason I have 7 pairs of each, you never know if an accident is waiting to happen.

My equipment includes a tent ($20.00), camera ($6.95) sandals ($7.00), and panniers front and rear including a spare one ($20.00), camping stove ($15.00) and a variety of rain gear. The stove is built from used parts; an old habit but sometimes I try to re-invent the wheel. I looked for brand new panniers but never did find the right kind in Calgary. They either were too expensive or too small.

I fabricated my own from old style backpacks, one even with a Canadian flag included. I am a firm believer that when you can do it yourself you should do that. The rest of what I carry were just standard items anyone may have a use for. The bicycle itself came with a complete range of spare parts, naturally all used. These spare parts turned out to be absolutely unnecessary and I did not shed one tear when they disappeared into a creek.

Especially my bicycle even after some modifications were made turned out to be the wrong choice. The initial plans were to cycle to somewhere in South America but someone gave the advice that once I made it to the border with the U.S. I should just turn around and call it a day; hmm I had a different opinion.

<<<>>>

Starting out

While still in Calgary I soon discovered that a balanced load is very important and within 30 minutes I did quite a bit of rearranging; now at least the bicycle went where I wanted to go and not the other way around. The first day after cycling too long, it was well past nightfall, I made it to Longview. A picturesque community nested in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I often wondered what the people in a truck were thinking when they saw me sitting in a ditch besides Highway 22 trying to cook breakfast the next morning. They stopped and took a long hard look; a couple of them even shook their heads but quickly left when I waved.

Hwy 22 runs parallel to the Rocky Mountains. It is in the foothills and some sections are quite hilly. It offers stunning vistas of both The Rockies and the Prairies and with the right weather makes for a perfect cycling tour.

This region is also known for early fall days and today was one of them. In the early morning frost was already on the grass but an insulated sleeping bag and being fully dressed kept me from getting too cold while I slept last night. There is a camping ground further south where the road crosses the Oldman River. I visited it before to attend a concert protesting the building of a dam.

The dam would allow irrigating the often-dry region to the east. Not that the concert made any difference, the dam was built and most people probably have forgotten the issues why the concert was held. This region is also known for the Chinook winds always announcing themselves through an arch above the mountains.

They always are from the west and during wintertime can cause a drastic increase in temperatures, sometimes up to 15C within an hour. The record of steepest increase in temperature is held in Pincher Creek, a town in southern Alberta, where the temperature rose by 41C in one hour in 1962. During the rest of the year it is just called a strong westerly. I once stood wearing shorts and a T shirt on a twentieth floor balcony in Calgary in shorts while the people on the sidewalk were dressed ready to tackle the North Pole.

Not too many people live between Longview and the campground at the Oldman River I wanted to get to. I am now cycling through wide open cattle country with soft rolling hills, often bare other than grass but with substantial tree growth where there is less wind.

There is no particular schedule I am following but one thing for certain; I will make it to that campground and unlike last night not cycle till well after the sun has set. I did manage to get there by mid afternoon and cooked my first supper with the home built stove. A good thing I decided to set up my tent because the better part of the night brought freezing rain.

The next morning it took about half an hour to get out of my tent. The zipper was frozen solid and I needed to use my stove inside the tent to thaw it out. There were a few other people including a couple from California who visited Banff and Jasper and were now on their way home. They had the same problem, a frozen zipper. I put a tarp over the tent and used the stove a second time. 5 Minutes later; rather than cutting a hole in the tent, the zipper again could be used.

I was getting used to putting everything back on my bicycle but by now knew there were too many clothes. If anybody found 2 pairs of socks and