A Day in Our Lives

Some of you may wonder what we actually do all day.  I know that I sometimes wonder.  It's crazy how a day can just disappear.  So, we took the time to record everything that we do, in detail, to give you all a chance to see just how a somewhat typical day of cycle touring goes.  It's quite the glamourous lifestyle, as I'm sure you'll see.  

October 1st, 2008

6:30 am - alarm goes off, but decide it's still too dark, and re-set alarm

6:45 am - alarm goes off again, and this time wake up and start quickly packing up sleeping bag, and everything inside the tent, hurrying to get out of the tent to go to the bathroom

7:00 am - get out of the tent, go to the bathroom, and start packing up camp.  Eat breakfast of:

• 2 packets of oatmeal (320 calories)
• 1 honeybun pastry (220 calories)
• 1 oatmeal creme pie (170 calories)
• 2 fudge cookies (160 calories)

8:10 am - leave campground, and begin biking

8:30 am - 8.01 km - stop to take off sweater and biking tights

8:47 am - 13.05 km - stop at top of hill for a water break, and eat a granola bar (100 calories)

9:02 am - 17.57 km - stop for water

9:08 am - 18.95 km - stop to take a picture

9:21 am - 21.47 km - stop at the top of a big hill to go to the bathroom, and eat a cookie (80 calories) and take a drink of water.

9:38 am - 27.03 km - stop for a drink of water after a big downhill.  Compare scary stories of hitting drainage grates with logging trucks passing us.

9:53 am - 31.84 km - enter town of Reedsport.  Stop at Safeway and go in to buy some groceries.

10:20 am - 31.84 km - exit Safeway with groceries, put on sweater, and begin eating lunch on bench outside of it, which was:

• 8 slices of 5 seed bread (960 calories)
• 2 servings of deli turkey breast (140 calories)
• 1 bottle Powerade (240 calories)
• 1 fudge cookie (80 calories)

11:14 am - 31.84 km - finish eating lunch, and pack up bikes with the rest of the groceries.

11:30 am - 37.32 km - stop to take off sweater again, drink water and go to the bathroom

11:50 am - 42.91 km - stop to take some pictures and drink water

11:53 am - 43.17 km - stop to go the the bathroom

12:04 pm - 44.49 km - stop for water after a very steep uphill

12:10 pm - 45.36 km - stop at viewpoint, drink water

12:41 pm - 56.84 km - stop for water and a granola bar (100 calories)

1:04 pm - 62.05 km - stop to tie shoe

1:22 pm - 69.41 km - stop at viewpoint before bridge to take pictures, go to the bathroom, and eat a granola bar (100 calories) and oatmeal creme pie (170 calories).

1:36 pm - 69.41 km - finally leave after eating

2:00 pm - 75.76 km - stop at a 7-11 to fill our water bottles.  There is no washroom to do it in.

2:08 pm - 75.95 km - stop at a pharmacy and fill water bottles, and eat a granola bar (100 calories)

2:18 pm - 75.95 km - leave from pharmacy 

2:29 pm - 77.30 km - stop to check map.  Turn around.

2:34 pm - 78.68 km - stop to check map again. It's all good this time.

3:16 pm - 91.61 km - stop for 2nd lunch, which is:

• 2 onion bagels (600 calories)
• 1 serving deli turkey (50 calories)
• 5 slices of raisin bread (300 calories)
• 1 "cosmic brownie" (280 calories)

3:59 pm - 91.61 km - leave from 2nd lunch

4:09 pm - 93.55 km - stop after very steep uphill

4:26 pm - 102.55 km - stop for water after long hill

5:02 pm - 109.67 km - stop for water

5:14 pm - 112.70 km - stop for pictures

5:45 pm - 123.72 km - arrive at Bullards Beach State Park campground

5:50 pm - start unpacking, sent up tent, eat yoghurt (170 calories)

6:20 pm - go for shower

6:50 pm - get back from shower, set up clotheline, start eating supper, which is:

• onion bagel (300 calories)
• the rest of the turkey (20 calories)
• 5 slices of raisin bread (300 calories)
• yoghurt (170 calories)
• 5 fudge cookies (400 calories)
• carrots (50 calories?)
• cucumbers (20 calories?)
• brownie (140 calories)
• mixed nuts (60 calories?)

7:50 pm - keep eating, get out maps to start planning California

8:30 pm - start packing up everything in the dark, go to brush teeth, use washroom

9:05 pm - get into tent and start writing in journal for the day

9:27 pm - lights out.  Get ready for a similar day tomorrow.

Total distance for day - 123.72 km

Average riding speed - 21.61 km/h

Total elevation gain - 1107 m

Total calories consumed - 5900

It would be nice to say that's an average day, but to be more honest, that's a pretty good model day.  We knew we were on the clock all day, recording everything, so it made our breaks all a little bit shorter.  Looking over the numbers, it's pretty crazy to see how often we stop to go to the bathroom.  That one's just surprising.  We maybe ate a little more than usual this day, but not much.  We're usually over 5000 calories.  We don't always shower every day, but we try to take advantage of that whenever we have the option.  And we don't always ride that long, but try to whenever we can.

Today, if we kept the statistics, it would have been a completely different story.  We've faced an incredible headwind all day, terrible rain, and poor shoulders.  We are in a public library now, soaking wet and cold.  During the heaviest bout of rain, I got a flat tire.  Days like yesterday are fun.  Days like today, are not.  But, we just keep going, every day.

Now you've had a good look at our day.  In detail.  That's life for us on the road.  It's a pretty fun life...