Here are a few questions and answers about my trip. Most of them actually have been Frequently Asked in the months leading up to my departure, but some I just made up myself. Feel free to contact me if you have a question isn't here, and I'll make sure to add it. I always enjoy talking with people about my trip, and am usually ready to answer more questions than they're willing to ask. It will be interesting to see if I return with a different attitude, after receiving the same questions over and over again out on the road. I hope so, but if not, maybe I'll just start passing out the URL to this page!

Why Atlanta?

I'm headed to a two-day music (heavy metal) festival there, called ProgPower USA IV. But really, that's just because I wanted a destination to ride to, and this was a perfect choice. It should be a lot more fun than riding somewhere aimlessly. So the journey and the destination really depend on each other. If I wasn't going to ride my bike to Atlanta, I probably wouldn't be going to ProgPower, and if I wasn't going to ProgPower, I wouldn't be riding to Atlanta. If I was somehow unable to make it to Atlanta in time, I would be disappointed in missing my first chance to see my favorite band, Rage, but I'd survive, and I'm pretty sure the experience of the journey would more than make up for it.

How do you have the time to do this?

The company I work for has a very cool "Anniversary Bonus" system, where every five years we get four weeks off (in addition to our normal vacation time). A few years ago I figured I'd just take the four weeks and spend it bumming around, but as I got more involved in biking I realized that I had to take advantage of the time to do a long-distance tour, since coming up with long blocks of time off is one of the major obstacles for touring cyclists.

Have you done anything like this before?

Not really. I've rode my bike long distances, have been riding to some degree for most of my life, and have been bicycle-commuting to work (and most everywhere else) for the last two years, but I've never done anything of this kind of length or distance. This summer I rode from home to Madison, WI in two days, and went to Milwaukee, WI and back over a weekend, so I know I can do it for at least 3 days - so 30 days should be no problem!

How far do you plan to ride each day?

I'm hoping to average 75 miles per day. My route is fairly flexible, with the biggest constraint placing me in Atlanta during ProgPower. So if I find I can do more than that, I can either slow down, or take a more interesting route. If I find that to be too much, I can take a more direct route.

Where will you stay each night?

I hope to camp as much as possible. I'm carrying a tent and cooking gear, and I don't want to carry that weight around for nothing! I have a motel booked for my days in Atlanta, and if those end up being my only nights in a motel, I'll be really happy with myself.

How are you going to shower on the road when you're camping perhaps every night?

Showers are overrated! Really, I can go an abnormally long amount of time without bathing. It doesn't bother me, and as my existence will be mostly solitary, it shouldn't bother too many other people either. More developed campgrounds have shower facilities, and then there's always sponge baths, the rain, etc.

What will you do if it rains?

Get wet. I have fenders, lights, rain covers for all my gear, and a rain jacket if it gets cold. If it's a real strong storm I can always stop for a bit, but otherwise it's no big deal riding through rain, and it can often be refreshing.

How much does all that stuff weigh?

The bike plus all the gear weighs about 85-90 pounds.

How will you update this site?

I'm taking a computer with me, and hope to use a cell phone as a modem to connect to the Internet around once a day.

Will you just ride on regular roads?

Yes, as that's generally the most efficient way to get anywhere. I have a few specific destinations in mind, but in general, I'll plan out each day's route the night before, after figuring out where I am and where I want to get to.

You're going alone?

Yep. Even if I could find someone crazy enough to go with me, I think it should be a cool experience to do this solo. While I will keep aware of safety and security issues, I don't think that's something to be overly worried about.

You're doing this for fun???

Definitely. Ever since I came up with the idea for this trip a few months ago, it's been one of the only things on my mind. I think it will be a great way to see the country (or at least small strips of it), and I just love the idea of spending a month of my life doing something completely different than I normally would do.