European Bike Tour

Getting ready for my big trip this summer which will be a self-contained bike tour in Europe carrying a 45-50 pound load. I'll fly to Birmingham, England and stay with friends in Market Harborough about 40 miles away. We plan to shuttle our bikes south to Portsmouth on the English Channel and catch an overnight ferry to St. Malo in northern France. From there, we'll ride our bikes south to the Loire Valley region, then travel east along the Eurovelo 6 Route, an establish bike path which meanders east from western France to the Black Sea following three of Europe's largest rivers, the Loire, Rhine and Danube Rivers. Our ending point is Passau in southern Germany, a distance of around 1,000 miles. There will be 9 riders, 4 from the U.S. and 5 from the U.K. The last time I rode with members of this group was during our 2010 End-to End Bike Tour in the U.K. Many thanks to our U.K. friends for organizing this tour. I'm definitely looking forward to our adventure. Don't know if I'll post any pictures along the way since I don't know what type of phone data service I'll get, but see how it goes. Pictured below is my Bike Friday set up for the tour before everything is disassembled for packing. Since we will be camping a lot, I decided to try using a Goalzero solar charger to keep my electronics running. I attached a Nomad 7 solar charger to the top of my rear panniers and will be charging a Guide 10 Plus Power Pack during the day. In the evening, I'll use the power pack to charge up my smartphone. This will be a good test for the product. Cheers.

Our Spring Trip Revisited

During Spring 2013, we flew to Chicago, staying 8 nights in a high-rise apartment on the 28th floor within the "Loop", followed by a second flight to Buffalo, NY and an airport shuttle to Niagara Falls, Ontario where we spent two nights. Niagara Falls wasn't part of our original plans, but I could not imagine visiting Toronto without also seeing the falls. Although it was my second trip to the falls in 3 years, its stunning power and natural beauty was a must see for Kay. From there, we rented a vehicle and drove by the scenic route, to Toronto where we had rented a 17th floor apartment for 8 nights on north end of the financial district. What I remember most is Chicago's towering city centre of majestic high-rise buildings and the friendlier than expected people while Toronto stood out with its multi-ethnic culture and vibrant street life. Both active walk able cities have a lot to offer aesthetically and are worth a visit. My original postings were done using my phone camera, these are the pictures for my Canon S100. Below are some favorites from each place. Click on the link at the bottom of the picture to see all the pictures in PICASA.

Chicago

From Chicago 2013 Revisited

Niagara Falls

From Niagara Falls

Toronto

From Toronto 2013