Lone Peak First Graders
Hi Lone Peak First Graders!
Thank you so much for your interest in my bicycle tour!
If you have a question that you’d like to ask me or if you would simply like to say hello, please fill out the comment form below. Even though I’ll be quite busy riding my bicycle, I will try my very best to review your emails every day.
March 22nd, 2006 at 5:13 pm
What will you do if there is lightning? Will you go in?
Thank you for a fun going away party. I liked the red carpet!
March 22nd, 2006 at 5:17 pm
This from Zack a preschooler actually. “You are a good rider of 2 wheeler bikes.”
March 22nd, 2006 at 8:38 pm
Hi Jessie!
Good question!
Lightning is dangerous. And one of the things bicyclists do a lot of is keep an eye on the weather. Before a bicycle ride and during, I watch carefully for bad weather. So, if I see lightning in the area before a bicycle ride, I won’t go out. If I’m already out on a bicycle ride and I see lightning approaching, I will search for cover in a building. For example, a rest area, a convenience store, a restaurant, or whatever building I can find.
March 29th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
Hi Pete. What if you get a flat and you already had a flat?
March 29th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
Hi Sami!
I tried to be prepared for this things because you never know what might happen on any given day. So, I carry two spare tubes in my repair kit that I have with me when I ride. I also carry a spare tire in case one of the punctures is big enough that I can’t use it anymore. If I use both my spare tubes and I have another flat, I have a tube patch kit that I can use. In 22 years of bicycling, I’ve never had more than two flats in a single day, so I feel safe with my two spare tubes and patch kit. Still, if I have a very bad day, I always carry my cellphone with me and I can call Pat, my wife, and she can bring me another spare tube.
March 29th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
What do you do if you run out of food?
March 29th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
Hi Tanner,
For a person with diabetes, that would not be very good. So, I take every precaution to avoid that. When I ride, I’m usually carrying enough food for a ride about twice as long as I have planned. I bring two or three energy bars, a couple bottles of joice (apple is my favorite), a bagel, and on this tour, I’ve been bringing a bag — about a cup or so — of raisins
We’ve been going through some remote areas recently, so Pat meets me about half way through the ride to make sure I have enough water and food and then she proceeds in the car to the destination for the day.
If I did run out of food, I do have my wallet with me so I could go into a convenience store. And, I have my cellphone, so I could call for help too.
March 29th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
What if your car runs out of gas?
March 29th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
While I’m out riding each day, Pat and I occasionally talk with each other on our cellphones. If she ran out of gas, she could call me on the cellphone, tell me where she is, and I could go find her. Then, I would have to ride to the gas station, buy a small container of gasoline, and carry it on my bicycle back to the car. Then, we’re back on the road again!
March 29th, 2006 at 6:04 pm
What if the road is blocked and you can’t go any where else?
March 29th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Hi Allie!
That’s probably going to happen at some point. It might be road construction or it might be a road that’s just too busy to be safe for riding a bicycle.
If this happens, we have an atlas that has maps of all 48 states. We also have a laptop that has a computer program on it that draws maps for us on the computer. With these two things, we can find an another route for us to use.
March 29th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
What if it floods in Texas?
March 29th, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Hi Jackson!
If there is flooding in Texas — or anywhere — we’re probably going to have some closed roads. In that case, we’ll have to reroute around the flooded region. With the atlas and the computer program that I described in the answer to the previous question, we can do that.
March 29th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
What if your tire falls off?
March 29th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Hi Zack!
Hmmm. That would be very bad. It would also be very unlikely, but IF it did, it would be very bad because I would probably fall off the bicycle. The good news is that even though bicycle crashes are very scary, you don’t usually get hurt badly because you’re not travelling very fast.
You can be sure I’m doing everything I can to make sure my tires don’t fall off!
April 5th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
What if there is not a building around and you see lightning?
April 5th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
Good question! As I am travelling through southern Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, I am realizing that there are a lot of times when I can’t see any buildings, so this is a good thing for me to think about.
From what I’m told about lightning safety, the “30-30″ rule says that if the time between lightning and thunder is less than 30 seconds, then you should seek safe shelter. And then you should wait 30 minutes after lightning has stopped before going outside again. If you’re outside with lightning in the area, you should look for a low area as shelter. Also, you should avoid water, avoid open spaces, and avoid all metal objects. For me, that means my bicycle!
April 5th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
What if there was an earthquake?
April 5th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
It probably depends on how severe it was and how close it was. If it was very close, we would have to change our plans and get out of the area, if only to not be a burden on local relief efforts.
If it were a minor earthquake, we probably would be able to continue and the earthquake would just be another interesting thing that happened to us on our journey. If there is an earthquake, let’s hope that’s the kind it is!
April 5th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
What kind of animals have you seen?
April 5th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
One of the great things about travelling by bicycle is that you travel quietly. So, I often am able to approach animals along side the road without frightening them.
I’ve seen lots of cows and horses. They must not see very many bicycles because they seem very curious about me as I pass by.
I’ve seen lots of dogs. In southern Utah, northern Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, there are many herds of sheep and they are often being tended by dogs. Many of these dogs must think I’m part of their herd because they chase after me, trying to get me to rejoin the herd. So far, I’ve avoided become part of any sheep herd.
I’ve seen many, many rabbits, mice, gophers, and other small animals as they scurry around on the side of the road or even cross the road.
I’ve also seem many birds. I’m not very good at identifying birds, but I can tell that some are some variety of hawk. There are also lots of blackbirds, crows, ducks, and geese that I’ve seen. One day, I had some kind of bird — I think it was a blackbird of some kind — travel along with me about 20 feet above my head for a couple miles. It was almost like he was trying to figure out how to land on my helmet.
One thing I haven’t seen that I expected to see is deer and elk. Maybe they’re too shy to venture near the highway during the day, I’m not sure.
April 5th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
What if you come near a tornado? You are approaching “Tornado Alley”.
April 5th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
I grew up in Minnesota, so I’m familiar with tornados. And, as I mentioned in the answer to an earlier question about lightning, one of the things that bicyclists keep a close eye on is the weather.
So, if it looks like tornado weather, I won’t be heading out on a bicycle ride. If I’m already out on a ride and it looks like a tornado might be developing, I’ll have to seek shelter in the closest building. And, if there’s no tornado-safe building in the area, I’ll seek some place as low and out of the wind as possible.
April 5th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
What should your blood sugar level be when you test it? What is the safe or normal range for you or any diabetic?
April 5th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
A couple of people have asked this question, so I’ve posted a new page on the web site containing my blood sugar goals for various times during the day.
A person’s blood sugar levels (whether they have diabetes or not), changes throughout the day. That’s why there’s no single answer to this question. Click on the link below to see a table of my daily blood sugar goals.
Every person with diabetes is a little bit different. For me, any blood sugar test below 70 is too low and any blood sugar test above 180 is too high. I don’t always succeed in staying away from those ranges, but I do my best to avoid them.
April 5th, 2006 at 8:47 pm
How many tires have your fixed?
April 5th, 2006 at 8:51 pm
Hi Noah,
I’ve had three flats. One required a new tire, the others I only had to replace the tube.
Fixing flats is all part of the bicycle touring game. I hope I don’t have them, but it’s really just a minor inconvenience.
April 5th, 2006 at 8:52 pm
How do you survive getting all those flat tires?
April 5th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Hi Sharon,
Well, like I mentioned in the answer to the previous question, getting a flat isn’t really a big problem. It’s an inconvenience for sure and I hope I don’t get flats, but it’s not a big problem. With most flats, you can hear the air escaping the tire and you have plenty of time to slow down, stop, and get off the bike, even before it deflates completely. Then, if I’m quick about it, I can fix a flat in under 10 minutes and be on my way again.
April 5th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Where do you sleep?
April 5th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Hi Jon!
We’ve been staying in hotel rooms mostly. Once in a while, when the weather has been good, we have been camping in campgrounds. We brought a tent, sleeping bags, and other camping equipment so we can do this.
April 19th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Hi Pete. What do you eat when you are riding your bike?
April 19th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Hi Sarah!
I eat a lot of different things, but the priority for me is to eat good, healthy foods that my body can use while I’m cycling. Today, for example, I had an energy bar made from natural ingredients, apple juice, raisins, and a bagel. Along with that, I had plenty of water. I drank almost three quarts during my 3 and a half hour ride today.
April 19th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Where do you go to the bathroom?
April 20th, 2006 at 5:16 am
Hi Braydon,
There an amazing number of bathrooms in the world! As I’m cycling around the country, there are parks, convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, museums, roadside picnic areas, and that sort of thing. And all of these places usually willing to let you use their bathroom. Sometimes you do have to ask, but usually they’re perfectly willing to let you use their facilities.
April 20th, 2006 at 5:17 am
How many miles have you rode so far?
April 20th, 2006 at 5:56 am
Hi Jayden,
I have a small computer on my bicycle called a cyclometer. It records all kinds of information about my rides. Like how fast I’m going, how long I’ve been riding, and how far I’ve gone. According to that cyclometer, I’ve ridden 1644 miles since I left Salt Lake City on March 18.
April 20th, 2006 at 6:00 am
How much fun are you having?
April 20th, 2006 at 6:12 am
Hi Hailey!
We’re having the time of our lives! It is a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work and there are some days that are less fun than others. Like the days it snowed on us and the days when it’s really windy.
This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time, so I’ve given the idea of it a lot of thought and I knew that there would be good days and bad days.
On those difficult days, I just think about how I’ll be able to look back on this day, think about how hard it was, and probably laugh about it.
May 25th, 2006 at 6:31 am
How many hills have your been over?
May 25th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Hi Garrison!
Wow, I have no idea. Some stretches of road have a lot of ups and downs and other places are what I call “table-top flat”. Let’s say that on the average, there’s one hill every mile of road. I’ve ridded about 3300 miles so far on the tour. That would be 3300 hills.
May 25th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
How many friends have you met?
May 25th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Hi Tessa!
Wow, another question to which I can only estimate the answer. I think every place we stay overnight, we make at least one new friend because people always ask about the colorful car we have. We’ve been on the tour for 70 days so far, so we’ve met at least that many new friends. Then I get email almost everyday from people that visit the web site. And the web site has had 2002 unique visitors. Even though I haven’t met most of them in-person, can I call these visitors my friends?
May 25th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
What if you run into a river or something that you can’t get across?
May 25th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Hi Jennifer!
That actually happened! Back on May 5, we crossed the Mississippi River. Here’s my entry for that day:
Bicycles were not allowed on the bridge that crossed the Mississippi River. There was so much traffic on the bridge, it wouldn’t have been safe for a bicycle rider. So, when I arrived at the bridge, Pat came and picked me up in the car, drove me to the other side of the river, then I got out and started riding again.
I hope I don’t have to do this very often, but I’ll do it again if there’s a busy bridge that I need to cross.
May 25th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
What kind of bugs have you seen?
May 25th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Hi Allie!
I’m no bug expert, so I don’t have a good answer for you, I’m afraid. But I can tell you there are lots of bugs everywhere. There are mosquitos everywhere. And flies. And gnats. And grasshoppers. I saw quite a few dragonflies in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama.
One time in Mississippi, I stopped along side the road. It was kind of a grassy area next to a nice green pasture. I wasn’t there but 5 or 10 minutes and I had little ants crawling up my ankles. They weren’t very big, but they seemed very interested in crawling up my legs, for some reason.
May 26th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
How many snakes have you seen?
May 26th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
Hi Brody!
Not very many! I’ve seen maybe six or so on the road, but they didn’t look like they were doing so well. I think they were unfortunate victims of being run over by a car.
But, as it turns out, I saw my first live snake today! It was just a tiny thing though. Maybe 6-8 inches long and not even as big around as a pencil. He was slithering towards the edge of the road as I went by.
May 26th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Which state is the most beautiful so far?
May 26th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
Hi Mrs. Petersen!
I’m not sure I know how to answer this question! We’ve visited 16 states so far. Each one of them was beautiful in their own way. Each of them has some things and scenery that you don’t find anywhere else. I suppose it comes down to what kind of things you like. If you like high mountain desert scenery, then Utah, Arizona, New Mexico might be what you consider the most beautiful. If you like mountains covered with big trees and lush green forests, North Carolina might be what you consider most beautiful.
May 28th, 2006 at 6:36 am
How many different flowers have you seen?
May 28th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Hi Allie!
I can’t even begin to count! I wish I could name them all. We’ve been so fortunate to pass through many areas of the country near the peak of their spring flower season.
I’m not very good at identifying flowers, but we visited an arboretum recently (in Asheville, North Carolina) and spoke with a naturalist who helped us out a little bit. We learn more names of flowers as we travel to more areas.
Some recent examples of flowers that we’ve seen:
May 28th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
Congratulations on your ride so far. Keep on going!!!!
May 28th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
We really enjoy hearing about your trip. Thank you for taking time to answer all of our questions. Be strong!
May 29th, 2006 at 11:49 am
Hi Pete. How do you like the views from the mountains?
May 30th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
Hi Kate!
I love the views! I know we have a lot of mountains in Utah, but they’re different here. First, there’s a lot more trees on the mountains. Second, in Utah, when you look at the mountains, you tend to see one, maybe two, ridgelines before the horizon. Out here, the Appelachians, offer ridgeline in front of ridgeline in front of ridgeline before you get to the horizon. I’ve tried to capture that in some of the pictures that I’ve put on the web site. I think a photo rarely captures the scenery as well as being there in person, but I keep trying.
May 30th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
Have you seen any deer yet?
May 30th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Hi Raichle!
I’ve seen a few deer, but not as many as I would have expected. I thought because I was on a bicycle, I would be able to sneak up on them because a bicycle is so much quieter than a car. But, I think the deer must know that the roads are a bad place to hang out, even when there’s no cars around.
I remember seeing a few deer in New Mexico. I didn’t see any deer as I passed through the South, but I did see a couple deer today. There was an adult deer and a fawn crossing the road about 100 yards ahead of me. It was a nice thing to have seen. I wish I had been quicker with my camera, so I could show you a picture.
May 30th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
Do you ever feel scared?
May 30th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
Hi Trevor!
That’s a great question! We’re travelling into parts of the country that we’ve never been to before, so there are a lot of unknown things that a person could be scared about. It really helps to have my wife, Pat, along with me! It helps to have someone with you in scary situations, don’t you think?
I don’t think I’ve ever felt scared on this bicycle tour though. But, I’ve had anxiety about some things. I’m not sure if you know the word “anxiety”, but it’s a unpleasant feeling that something bad might happen. As an example, I get a little anxiety when I think I might be riding my bicycle on a busy road, especially when it’s in a big city that I’m unfamiliar with. I find that my anxiety about the road passes soon ater I get started riding though because I discover that it’s not as bad as thought it might be.
June 3rd, 2006 at 7:32 am
How many cats have you seen?
June 3rd, 2006 at 7:37 am
Hi Lexi!
We’ve seen a lot of cats, but I’m afraid I’m not counting, so I don’t have an exact number for you. As I’m cycling, I see cats sitting on porches, looking out windows, sleeping on chairs, and hunting in roadside ditches. Occasionally, I see one cross the road, but not very often.
Pat and I have met some cats in the hotels we stay at. Interestingly, a lot of innkeepers have pets (sometimes cats, sometimes dogs, and sometimes both) and those pets are usually very friendly.
June 3rd, 2006 at 7:40 am
How many dogs have you seen?
June 3rd, 2006 at 7:53 am
Hi Sadie!
Well, just like the question about cats, we’ve seen a lot of dogs on our trip, but I’m not counting, so I’m afraid I don’t have an exact number for you.
Quite a few innkeepers have dogs (and cats and sometimes both) as pets and thoy’re usually very friendly.
Compared to the cats we see, one thing that’s different about the dogs is we’ve seen a lot of dogs running loose around the roads we’re travelling on. This is something I don’t like to see. First, roads can be dangerous places for any animal, not just dogs, so I hate to see animals running loose around them. Second, sometimes these dogs like to chase me on my bicycle. Most seem like they are just trying to get me to come and play with them, but a few seem like they’re trying to protect their territory and chase me away. Knowing that dogs are territorial is very helpful to me because I know that if I can get past their territory, they’ll stop chasing me. But I’ve found that most dogs, even the ones that are being protective, aren’t energetic enough (especially when it’s warm out) to give much of a chase.
June 3rd, 2006 at 8:00 am
How many rivers have you crossed?
June 3rd, 2006 at 8:07 am
Hi Alex!
Too many to count. Especially in the South, there a lot of rivers, some small, some big and we’re crossing them all the time.
We’ve crossed a number of rivers that are quite big. You’ve probably heard of some of them. Others might not be familiar to you, but they’re all BIG rivers:
June 3rd, 2006 at 8:54 am
You are doing a good job. Thank you!
June 3rd, 2006 at 8:54 am
You are doing a great job!
June 8th, 2006 at 10:11 am
What types of different animals have you seen?
June 8th, 2006 at 10:12 am
You should go exploring for animals on your next tour. Thank you.
June 9th, 2006 at 6:17 am
Hi Sarah and Brendon!
I’ve seen quite a few animals, some of which I have no idea what they are! I’ve seen deer, cows, sheep, goats, llamas, chickens, roosters, ducks, geese, hawks, crows, robins, bluebirds, cardinals, vultures, blackbirds, mockingbirds, sparrows, elk, mice, gophers, foxes, squirrels, snakes, worms, turtles, armadillos, opossums, and those are just the ones I remember.
One kind of animal that you see a lot of east of the Mississippi River is squirrels. We have them in Salt Lake City too, but not as many as there are around here. And they’re much bigger around here too.
One kind of animal that I know they have in the South, but I didn’t see one in person is the alligator. Maybe I should be thankful I didn’t see one, but I expected that I would see one lying along the banks of at least one of the many rivers I crossed in the South. Maybe I should have looked harder, I’m not sure.
Brendon, that sounds like an excellent idea. An animal-watching bicycle tour would be very interesting. I’ll have to put that one on my list of things to do! Thanks!
June 9th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Hi Logan!
I get tired everyday I ride! I start out fresh every morning and over the course of my 60 to 80 mile ride, I wear down so that by the end of the ride, I’m pretty tired. Some days I’m more tired than others, but every day I get tired.
June 9th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
Have you seen any people walking along the way?
June 9th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
Do you ever get tired?
June 9th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Hi Steven!
I’ve seen people walking every now and then. As I get closer to towns, there are people out for walks in the morning sometimes. As I was cycling through the Appalachian mountains, I would occasionally see people hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Most people hike just portions of the trail, but there are also people who hike the entire 2175 miles of the Appalachian Trail. It usually takes someone from spring until fall to hike the entire trail. Wow, that’s a long hike!
June 11th, 2006 at 6:14 am
How many times has it rained on you?
June 11th, 2006 at 6:27 am
Hi Brody!
We’ve been very lucky with the weather. While we were in the South, especially Mississippi and Alabama, there seemed to be a lot of thunderstorm activity every day. But, lucky for us, the rains came either before or after I was out riding my bicycle.
I did get rained on once in Arkansas back in late April and once in Virginia just a couple weeks ago. For about 70 days of riding and 4000 miles, that’s pretty good, I think.
June 11th, 2006 at 6:30 am
Has anyone been out flying kites?
June 11th, 2006 at 6:35 am
Hi Bryce!
I don’t recall seeing anybody flying kites. Until yesterday that is. Yesterday, Pat and I were out seeing the Washington Monument here in Washington D.C. Guess what I saw? People flying kites! It wasn’t a really windy day, but there was enough of a breeze to get some fancy kites up. I think I counted 4 of them around the Washington Monument. I wanted to get a picture of them for you, but they were high enough up that you wouldn’t have been able to see much of the kites.
June 11th, 2006 at 6:50 am
How many busy roads have you been on?
June 11th, 2006 at 6:55 am
Hi Logan!
I’ve been on a few. Usually, if I find myself on a road that’s busier than I feel comfortable with, it’s only for a short distance to get me to the next side road that isn’t as busy. The side road might mean a longer ride for me because it’s a less direct route, but I’d rather ride the extra distance in order to stay safe.
I remember maybe three or four times when I had to ride an extra distance in order to avoid a busy road.
There have been a couple times when there aren’t any other roads that are reasonable alternatives. In those cases, I have to take the risk and ride the road anyway or hop in the car and have Pat drive me to the other side of the unsafe stretch (usually only a few miles) and start riding from there. I did this once at Harper’s Ferry. The road was nice leading up to Harper’s Ferry, but narrowed to a single, shoulderless lane in each direction. I had Pat drive me a few miles down the road to where it was safe to ride (two lanes of traffic and a shoulder).
There have been a couple times when I simply couldn’t ride on a road because the local laws wouldn’t allow bicycles on the road. And for good reason — the roads were very, very busy. For example, when I crossed the Mississippi River. I had to hop in our car and Pat drove me to the other side of the river to a road where I could ride again.
June 11th, 2006 at 6:59 am
Tessa says…..Good job! Sami says…Great job! Colby says…Really, really, really great job!