A Call to Adventure

[El Fiji Grande]

As many of you already know, I recently withdrew from the vast majority of my activity here on NS for a few main reasons. The big practical reason for doing so has been and will be an epic IRL bicycle adventure that may, if I'm lucky, span continents. In summary, I will depart October 4th by bicycle from northern KY bound for New York City. From there, I will fly to Dublin, Ireland to continue my journey across Europe. My planned route will take me from Dublin west to Galway, north to Belfast, across to Scotland, south through England, across the channel to northern France, through southern Belgium, to Germany. I'll visit family in the Aachen/Cologne/Bonn area and head south, to the base of the Alps, then east through Bavaria and Austria and later Slovakia and Hungary, seeing capitals of the old world I have yet to see. I'll double back west through Croatia and Slovenia, then head south through Italy. At the boot, I'll cross via ferry to Greece, then proceed north past Athens and east to Istanbul, and then Ankara in Turkey. That's assuming I make it that far, that is, and I'm not saying I'm confident I will. But that's the goal. And... frankly, if I make it that far, I'm not sure I'll want to stop. I'm still considering two routes from there. One would take me across Turkey to Georgia and Azerbaijan, along the Caspian Sea north to Russia, then an immense trek across Kazakhstan and Mongolia..... it scares me how empty those countries are. Alternatively, I could fly from Ankara to New Delhi, India, and continue east through Uttar Pradesh to Nepal, then Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. Though there are problems with that route too, from the potential for disease to the ongoing crises in Myanmar. Or I might just decide that Turkey is far enough, and fly home. It all depends on how much fun I'm having, or if I get totally sick of bicycling, or if I run out of savings to fund the trip.

I promised a few folks here that I'd try to provide updates when possible - the same promise I made to all the friends and family I'm leaving behind to pursue this adventure. As a result, I've decided to start a blog where I'll post these updates, and that'll make it easier for me to update everyone all at once, instead of messaging everyone individually. You can find it at acalltoadventure.net. It's very much still a work in progress, but I'll do my best to keep it up to date as the trip progresses. I may also post specific article links from the blog here for you to all enjoy.

 

[Monkemafiatopia]

come to Australia!

 

[Ayuzh]

Good luck for the journey

 

[Albion(NBU/TVD)]

Exciting!
Have a safe and happy travels, and who knows? Maybe I’ll happen to see you cycle past from the window, haha.

 

[Ayuzh]

Exciting!
Have a safe and happy travels, and who knows? Maybe I’ll happen to see you cycle past from the window, haha.

I was just thinking that..

 

[Empty]

As many of you already know, I recently withdrew from the vast majority of my activity here on NS for a few main reasons. The big practical reason for doing so has been and will be an epic IRL bicycle adventure that may, if I'm lucky, span continents. In summary, I will depart October 4th by bicycle from northern KY bound for New York City. From there, I will fly to Dublin, Ireland to continue my journey across Europe. My planned route will take me from Dublin west to Galway, north to Belfast, across to Scotland, south through England, across the channel to northern France, through southern Belgium, to Germany. I'll visit family in the Aachen/Cologne/Bonn area and head south, to the base of the Alps, then east through Bavaria and Austria and later Slovakia and Hungary, seeing capitals of the old world I have yet to see. I'll double back west through Croatia and Slovenia, then head south through Italy. At the boot, I'll cross via ferry to Greece, then proceed north past Athens and east to Istanbul, and then Ankara in Turkey. That's assuming I make it that far, that is, and I'm not saying I'm confident I will. But that's the goal. And... frankly, if I make it that far, I'm not sure I'll want to stop. I'm still considering two routes from there. One would take me across Turkey to Georgia and Azerbaijan, along the Caspian Sea north to Russia, then an immense trek across Kazakhstan and Mongolia..... it scares me how empty those countries are. Alternatively, I could fly from Ankara to New Delhi, India, and continue east through Uttar Pradesh to Nepal, then Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. Though there are problems with that route too, from the potential for disease to the ongoing crises in Myanmar. Or I might just decide that Turkey is far enough, and fly home. It all depends on how much fun I'm having, or if I get totally sick of bicycling, or if I run out of savings to fund the trip.

I promised a few folks here that I'd try to provide updates when possible - the same promise I made to all the friends and family I'm leaving behind to pursue this adventure. As a result, I've decided to start a blog where I'll post these updates, and that'll make it easier for me to update everyone all at once, instead of messaging everyone individually. You can find it at acalltoadventure.net. It's very much still a work in progress, but I'll do my best to keep it up to date as the trip progresses. I may also post specific article links from the blog here for you to all enjoy.

Hope you can go through all of the hardships and make it safely home!

 

[Loh]

Nice! I'll be following you

 

[Treekidistan]

Stay Safe throughout the Journey

 

[Great Bights Mum]

Sounds so amazing! Hope you have the time of your life.

 

[Robespierre]

What an experience! Knowing you, you’ve probably already considered the travel restrictions when it comes to flying from country to country, but I sure hope that you’re able to get where you need to go when a bike won’t suffice

Good luck to you! I’ll be following that blog

 

[Koopa103]

Enjoy your journey Fiji, you will be missed. We will always be here if you need us. If you see Cretox, tell him "hi" and "why did you abandon Koopa".

 

[El Fiji Grande]

For those curious about the cycling and camping equipment I'm bringing with me, I created two posts to help illustrate that. Note that clicking on images will take you to the amazon affiliate links for each respective product (but don't feel in any way obligated).

Cycling Equipment — A Call to Adventure

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means if you click an image below that contains an Amazon product description and make a purchase, I will receive a percentage of the cost of the product. You will pay the same price as you would otherwise, and your purchase will help

acalltoadventure.net

Camping Gear — A Call to Adventure

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means if you click an image below that contains an Amazon product description and make a purchase, I will receive a percentage of the cost of the product. You will pay the same price as you would otherwise, and your purchase will hel

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Eve of Departure — A Call to Adventure

One of the things I know about myself is that I have the tendency to forget past experiences. The rhythm of daily life often robs me of particularly noteworthy moments for memories to latch on to. But even exciting past adventures that I’ve had, like my CA bike trip from SLO to San Jose and my 2016

acalltoadventure.net

 

[Ayuzh]

Isn't it's 4th Oct today??

 

[El Fiji Grande]

It's Oct 4 as of 40 minutes ago for me. I'll catch some sleep, and when I wake up around 7 later today, I'll get going.

 

[Ayuzh]

It's Oct 4 as of 40 minutes ago for me. I'll catch some sleep, and when I wake up around 7 later today, I'll get going.

It's morning time of 4th Oct . But I understood this is just timezone problem..

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 1 — A Call to Adventure

October 4, 2021: Today was a good day. I was up bright and early, having slept well, but perhaps not quite enough. After brushing my teeth and getting dressed, Mama served jaegerschnitzel for breakfast – my favorite! I packed the last few items into my bike, just barely fitting my wallet, phone, an

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 2 — A Call to Adventure

October 5, 2021: I awoke to dense fog shrouding the lake. The tent cover and surrounding foliage was damp and the occasional heavy drop fell with a splat from the trees. I put on my shoes and brought all my empty bottles and water filter over to the beach. This was the first non-test time I’ve used

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

I added vlogs to each of the posts that shows recorded footage from each day.

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Still need to add pictures to these, but here are Days 3 & 4:

Day 3 — A Call to Adventure

October 6, 2021: After yesterday’s big push to get into and then out of Dayton, I decided to take it easy today. Overnight, the big blister on my right thumb had opened, despite my efforts at first to get it to heal with a bandaid. This necessitated I wait for the bicycle shop in Beavercreek to ope

acalltoadventure.net

Day 4 — A Call to Adventure

October 7, 2021: It had rained overnight. I heard it in the early hours of the morning before the sun had risen. From the looks of it, rather hard too, since the sealed asphalt of the trail was covered in large puddles of water. The tent had fared a lot better, and I was thankful for the roof that

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 5 — A Call to Adventure

October 8, 2021: I was up in the wee hours of the morning to have a wee. For some reason, I just didn’t feel very tired. I eked out another phone charge from my power bank, depleting it so fully even the flashlight didn’t turn on anymore. I’m not sure when I fell back asleep, but the next thing I k

acalltoadventure.net

 

[Albion(NBU/TVD)]

Day 5 — A Call to Adventure

October 8, 2021: I was up in the wee hours of the morning to have a wee. For some reason, I just didn’t feel very tired. I eked out another phone charge from my power bank, depleting it so fully even the flashlight didn’t turn on anymore. I’m not sure when I fell back asleep, but the next thing I k

acalltoadventure.net

Ouch.
Sad to hear that the computer suffered a bit of damage, but don’t sweat too much over it! With or without pictures, the blog will always be an exciting read, and what truly matters is the personal experiences on the way!
Good luck for the rest of the journey!

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Yeah, I'll live

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 6 — A Call to Adventure

October 9, 2021: I got up pretty early, at around 4 am to take a slash. Just as I was getting back to sleep, I heard something, faint at first. A ringing sound, like metal bending. I knew immediately what it was: it’s the distinctive sound of a train approaching on the tracks. About a minute later,

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

I spent a good bit of time this morning updating pictures for previous blog entries

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 7 — A Call to Adventure

October 10, 2021: I woke up at dawn, the sunrise initiating increased activity on the road past Y Tavern. I used the bathroom quickly, then returned to the tent to work on my blog. I had internet from Y Tavern across the street, and my laptop was still fully charged from the night before. I wanted

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 8 — A Call to Adventure

October 11, 2021: I woke up just before dawn. I packed my bags immediately, eager to make back the 11 miles I had sacrificed for my bike gloves the day before. I devised a method to better keep track of my gloves. I took two of the key rings I brought with me, and attached one to each glove via the

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 9 — A Call to Adventure

I woke up at around 8:00 am. As I gained consciousness, I realized there wasn’t a minute to lose. I scrambled to throw on my clothes, then put on my shoes. I grabbed my toilet paper roll and ran over to a log I had seen the night before. Pfew. Made it. I read a few Economist Op-Eds before getting

acalltoadventure.net

 

[Sanjurika]

I just saw this, and it's so cool! Best of luck on your adventure ^-^

 

[El Fiji Grande]

I just saw this, and it's so cool! Best of luck on your adventure ^-^

Thanks!

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 10 — A Call to Adventure

I slept well in a warm bed. The bunk bed was a bit creeky, but comfortable. My sleep schedule now dictates that I was up at 7, so I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and clean myself up. I relayed my plan to carry on today, so I packed my bags and refilled my bottles. I had a great time with my

acalltoadventure.net

 

[Great Bights Mum]

It was really wonderful to see you! Now I feel like I've had a small part in your fantastic journey.

 

[El Fiji Grande]

It was really wonderful to see you! Now I feel like I've had a small part in your fantastic journey.

Yeah, it was great seeing you. Thanks for having me.

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 11 — A Call to Adventure

October 14, 2021: In the morning, I called Dada to say hi, that I was well. After packing my things (this is already starting to get old), I extricated my bike from the hills I had pushed it up and cycled to The Edge bar to throw away my trash. I looped back around Export and followed the hilly roa

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 12 — A Call to Adventure

October 15, 2021: The gurgle of the creek woke me up eventually. I listened to it a while. My tent was shaded from the rising sun, but I could tell it was light out. Checking the time, I saw it was around 9:00 am. I played a few rounds of computer hearts on my phone, then got dressed and left the t

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 13 — A Call to Adventure

October 16, 2021: I awoke to the sound of rain dribbling off the roof of the barn, making a splattering noise as it hit small pools of water on the ground. I didn’t hear any thunder or see any lightning, but I was nevertheless grateful to be dry. I got dressed and left the tent, looking around for

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 14 — A Call to Adventure

October 17, 2021: Today was a slow day. I woke up a bit late, feeling warm and snuggly in my sleeping bag, feeling like my body needed a bit more rest. I was happy to oblige, and curled up inside. I brought my phone under the covers and caught up with friends, then checked the map, considering how

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 15 — A Call to Adventure

October 18, 2021: I was up at dawn, in the twilight minutes before the sun rose above the horizon. I was glad to have been unbothered during the night, but wanted to be up and on my way before anyone came around to ask unpleasant questions. With that sense of urgency, I quickly packed my things and

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 16 — A Call to Adventure

October 19, 2021: Peeling open my eyes, I noticed the bed was a mess. Sheets were strewn about me, my clothes were on, and my laptop was open to one side, totally out of power. Also both the lamps were still on, allowing me to see the room. It was 5 am, and I’d passed out for the last eight hours,

acalltoadventure.net

 

[El Fiji Grande]

Day 17 — A Call to Adventure

October 20, 2021: I slept in a bit longer than I had intended, and enjoyed a little while resting in the tent. I packed my things, noting that the rear tire felt a little soft. I cycled uphill, past the concrete barn, and into the hills west of York. I watched the tire carefully as I went, feeling

acalltoadventure.net