Hello from Holland! Really enjoyed going through your videos! Got a kick out of seeing how well prepared and meticulous your planning was. Stuff like knowing the exact newton force you need on which bolt, spare parts for everything imaginable, knowing the exact specifications of all your parts. You may just be the most prepared bike tourer I've ever seen! Congratulations on completing your ride!
Mark, I have enjoyed all of your videos on the cross America series. This video may have been my favorite, as you summarized all the great things about bike "touring". I am an avid bike traveler as well and we are about the same age. I was on the GAP/C&O canal this past summer....perhaps about a month before you. I will say that I am surprised that you have not covered in your retrospective the weight of your bike and gear. I cringed when you stated your total weight before you set off! Are there not any items you would leave home the next time? Every trip I manage to get leaner. I look forward to more of your travel videos.
Hi James! Yes, I dropped some net weight as I traveled, but still ended up at about 80 pounds fully loaded with a bit of food & water. I actually lost more body weight than gear weight during the tour! I will be doing some gear reviews this year, and in the process I'll talk about things that I recommend adding and dropping from my original gear list. Cheers, Mark
Mark - I have very much enjoyed watching your videos all day today. You have a new subscriber & I look forward to the other videos coming soon! Very interested to hear more on your retrospective on what you would do differently. Cheers!
Thanks for documenting the trip. Ive gone back and watched most of the videos. I'm headed on a simialr trip next year. Did you ever consider the Great American Rail Trail route? That's what I am going to do, with a similar detour to the Katy Trail. I was interested to see you bailed on the St Louis to OH piece. I've been scouting a reasonable route for that. There is a reasonable route from Massiilon to Steubenville OH in road which I have ridden in the past. Also do you have an "as ridden" track on Strava or RWGPS? BTW, I am a CWRU alum also ('84 and '88)!
Greetings! I did study the Great American Rail Trail route and incorporated quite a bit of it. I also looked hard at various Adventure Cycling routes. A lot of my decisions were based on hills, traffic, sites I wanted to visit and being able to drop in on friends along the way. I recorded each day's rides (sometimes combined across a few days) on Ride with GPS, and they're all public. E.g., ridewithgps.com/trips/127894162 I really should visit the Case campus; I haven't been there for a LONG time. Especially my dorms up on the hill: Michelson & Glaser. Ride safe!!
@@marktgreene thanks! I've been to Case a bit over the last few years (I still have friends in Cleveland) and it's changed a LOT. You'd still recognize it, but it's definitely less gritty. I lived just down the hill in Howe (and on Overlook in Cleveland Heights as a grad student and Lakewood for 10 years after). The part you wouldn't recognize is the north eastern part of campus over by E 105th, it's all *very* different.
@@marktgreene another question that I have been grappling with: did you have good luck wild camping outside of the small trail towns you mention in the videos? That's one aspect that makes me a bit nervous about.
@@marktgreene and another: did you look at dirt/gravel roads from Lincoln to Kansas City? I've mapped it and it looks fine, but really really rural and am wondering what kind of reception I would get knocking on a farmers door asking if I could pitch my tent and get some water.
I was accompanies by a friend in Oregon and part of Idaho and he felt positive about wild "camping." Once he went north into Wyoming he did quite a bit of it with success and no problems. I was nervous about it and never found it necessary.
Mark I really enjoyed your videos about the trip and the honesty why you skipped certain parts for safety reasons. I am also an Eagle Scout and enjoyed how you inserted the teaching moments for those who may not have been involved in scouting. My daughter and I are currently planning a very similar trip cross country to do next year after she graduates from college. Are you on Instagram or Facebook? Would love to get your advice on the planning process.
Awesome place to ride 😊
Absolutely!!
Hello from Holland! Really enjoyed going through your videos! Got a kick out of seeing how well prepared and meticulous your planning was. Stuff like knowing the exact newton force you need on which bolt, spare parts for everything imaginable, knowing the exact specifications of all your parts. You may just be the most prepared bike tourer I've ever seen! Congratulations on completing your ride!
Mark, I have enjoyed all of your videos on the cross America series. This video may have been my favorite, as you summarized all the great things about bike "touring". I am an avid bike traveler as well and we are about the same age. I was on the GAP/C&O canal this past summer....perhaps about a month before you. I will say that I am surprised that you have not covered in your retrospective the weight of your bike and gear. I cringed when you stated your total weight before you set off! Are there not any items you would leave home the next time? Every trip I manage to get leaner. I look forward to more of your travel videos.
Hi James! Yes, I dropped some net weight as I traveled, but still ended up at about 80 pounds fully loaded with a bit of food & water. I actually lost more body weight than gear weight during the tour! I will be doing some gear reviews this year, and in the process I'll talk about things that I recommend adding and dropping from my original gear list.
Cheers, Mark
Mark - I have very much enjoyed watching your videos all day today. You have a new subscriber & I look forward to the other videos coming soon!
Very interested to hear more on your retrospective on what you would do differently. Cheers!
As I do my gear reviews, I will talk about what I would add and drop from my original plan.
Cheers, Mark
Great decision on the EFI mindset. To quote DTI, "When it stops being fun it's time to stop."
I miss your videos. I’ve really enjoyed them all and hope you’re doing well. Anymore videos in the pipeline to look forward to?
Funny you should ask! Today I am headed to Kansas City with eight friends to do the Rock Island Trail and the Katy Trail. I will be posting.
@@marktgreene Have a great time and have fun! I’ll look forward to those videos.
Thanks for documenting the trip. Ive gone back and watched most of the videos. I'm headed on a simialr trip next year. Did you ever consider the Great American Rail Trail route? That's what I am going to do, with a similar detour to the Katy Trail. I was interested to see you bailed on the St Louis to OH piece. I've been scouting a reasonable route for that. There is a reasonable route from Massiilon to Steubenville OH in road which I have ridden in the past. Also do you have an "as ridden" track on Strava or RWGPS? BTW, I am a CWRU alum also ('84 and '88)!
Greetings! I did study the Great American Rail Trail route and incorporated quite a bit of it. I also looked hard at various Adventure Cycling routes. A lot of my decisions were based on hills, traffic, sites I wanted to visit and being able to drop in on friends along the way.
I recorded each day's rides (sometimes combined across a few days) on Ride with GPS, and they're all public. E.g., ridewithgps.com/trips/127894162
I really should visit the Case campus; I haven't been there for a LONG time. Especially my dorms up on the hill: Michelson & Glaser.
Ride safe!!
@@marktgreene thanks! I've been to Case a bit over the last few years (I still have friends in Cleveland) and it's changed a LOT. You'd still recognize it, but it's definitely less gritty. I lived just down the hill in Howe (and on Overlook in Cleveland Heights as a grad student and Lakewood for 10 years after). The part you wouldn't recognize is the north eastern part of campus over by E 105th, it's all *very* different.
@@marktgreene another question that I have been grappling with: did you have good luck wild camping outside of the small trail towns you mention in the videos? That's one aspect that makes me a bit nervous about.
@@marktgreene and another: did you look at dirt/gravel roads from Lincoln to Kansas City? I've mapped it and it looks fine, but really really rural and am wondering what kind of reception I would get knocking on a farmers door asking if I could pitch my tent and get some water.
I was accompanies by a friend in Oregon and part of Idaho and he felt positive about wild "camping." Once he went north into Wyoming he did quite a bit of it with success and no problems. I was nervous about it and never found it necessary.
Mark I really enjoyed your videos about the trip and the honesty why you skipped certain parts for safety reasons. I am also an Eagle Scout and enjoyed how you inserted the teaching moments for those who may not have been involved in scouting. My daughter and I are currently planning a very similar trip cross country to do next year after she graduates from college. Are you on Instagram or Facebook? Would love to get your advice on the planning process.