99: Close Out

I’m back. It’s over. Tampa surrounds me.

I wanted to be able to continue this blog all the way from Boston to Key West and then back to Tampa, but circumstance changed that. The laptop developed a virus and no amount of alcohol consumed by its owner could help. It was sent on to Tampa and should be back in my possession for either a reformatting or ceremonial bonfire, tomorrow.

Contrary to popular opinion, not all hotels in America have computers for guests. The majority don’t. Many – a great many in the middle price range – offer wi-fi, but that doesn’t help someone on a bicycle, who no longer has his own laptop.

In any event, many of the hotels I used didn’t aspire to that middle price range and could be described, quite accurately, as shit-hole dumps. In some, I am surprised that water flowed and electricity worked. You don’t get a lot for under thirty dollars per night.

Anyway, all this is leading up to an explanation of the sporadicity (I made that word up; I am almost American and therefore entitled to ruin the English language by doing so) of posts and the diminishing quality.

Anyway, all that aside, I am back. Key West was omitted and left for another day. I detoured across Florida from Flagler Beach and came directly to Tampa, arriving here after 5,163.7miles on the road. I dread to think of the cost of the whole thing, but the technical term would be ‘A fucking lot’.

Of all the intentions listed at the beginning, most were realized. The total punctures was only 4 – all from sharp wires from rotted truck tires on the interstate shoulders out west and patched. Additionally, I lost 2 tubes due to valve separations. Including the initial tires, I used 5 but the final pair still has plenty of life. Armadillos are good, but Bontragers are better.

I have no idea how much climbing I did but, after 5,163.7 miles in all weathers and across all terrain, I lost 28 pounds and 5 trouser (waist) sizes. Being unfit beyond my comprehension at the beginning, I spent around 500 miles in the Crossroads SAG vans on the cross country portion of the trek. There being no support southwards from Boston, that 2,300 miles was all EFI, although there was a danger of ending the trip due to accident after the crash in South Carolina and when my back went out in Georgia.

So that’s all very serious isn’t it? No more. I’m almost finished sorting things out and not at all ready to return to work. Next week or perhaps the one after, I’m seriously thinking of a road trip by car, with my boots in the trunk and a bike on the back. Not far – perhaps around 3,000 miles or so, by way of several national parks.

Anyway, before I close, I’ll mention that, for anyone who liked reading Wheels on the Bike, there’s a new blog:

WWW.GrindingTheBones.blogspot.com