I'm not a member but have received some sample issues before but I think now is the time to join as they have just hired Jill Homer from Alaska to get on board with them. Jill has a proven track record of adventure cycling & I've followed her blog for a couple years now putting myself in Alaska with her words & pics, AMAZING stuff!

 She's an excellent writer & I think she'll be an asset to the ACA in so many ways, for any doubters check out her blog at  www.arcticglass.blogspot.com 

 WOW! Let me get my Fargo built up & I'll be on my way to PA! Looks BEAUTIFUL!

 Looks like a GREAT trip! I like the looks of the country & LOVE the lean-to, man I wish we had places like that where I live to spend the night. Are the board walks there on account of the soft ground? My daughter is on her way to Sweden in Aug for a year, perhaps I should try to get over there to visit her while she's there!

 Does Siren Bicycles still make their fred bar? I can't seem to find it on their site, I would try one of those for running aero-bars on an off-road tour bike/mt bike, basically a seperate bar mounted on the steer tube that a set of aero bars mounts on, I believe it takes the place of steer tube spacers therefore it brings the aero bars futher back which to me would me more comfortable than being a little stretched out to reach them as I've noticed on a road bike when I was running them.

 Anyone tried any stuff from them? I see they have Ed Viesturs & Peter Whittaker on board designing & testing, I've been looking at the BC-200 shell for under $200. Maybe Eddie Bauer is going back to their roots with the technical wear like the Everest climbers back in the 70's wore.

 I to am using the Salsa pro moto flat (11 degree) on my singlespeed but want to try the 17 degree bend. On my new Fargo build I'll be using the wide Salsa Woodchippers.

been using an Olympus Stylus 850 sw (shock/waterproof) for over a year now, I'm happy with it though I have a lot to learn on taking pics.


   www.paxtonpeleton.blogspot.com

 GREAT STUFF! I know of a bike shop that has a bike from that era on display & it was rode from central Nebraska to eastern Colorado back in the late 1800's in a matter of a few days, amazing to think this was before a lot of roads were around to, I just found a county atlas/plat map from my county the other day from 1917 & what an adventure it would have been to be cycling in those days judging by the roads.

 The BRAN ride (bicycle ride across nebraska) will be traveling through Nebraska this June through most of the country the soldiers passed through, the Nebraska Sandhills are truly some spectacular country.

 Been a singlespeeder now since '06 on a Surly KM, no loaded touring yet but will give it a try this year. I've done some 60-70 mile rides on my bike as well as the Dakota 5-o, I've got a Salsa Fargo frame/fork setting beside me as I type this & it's killing me as it may be a year before it's built up.

 I'm 44 & thus far my knees are holding out.

 looks like a great time, I hope to be doing a shakedown ride on a Fargo by fall, have a frame/fork on the way, my daughter is going on a foreign exchange program later this year & Finland is one of the possiblities she could go to.

 I've got word that I've acquired my dream frame/fork, a slightly used Salsa Fargo & hope to start building it as I go in spite of sending a son to college & a daughter overseas for foreign exchange this year, so BIG budget! Any advice for building this thing up, do's or dont's? I hope for B+ parts if I can but would love to hear ideas, some of mine so far include Cane Creek Thudbuster seatpost, Salsa Woodchipper bars, Salsa semi rims w/ Shimano XT hubs. I'm not thrilled about this new 10 speed stuff either so not sure what I'll do there, actually been singlespeeding it now exclusively since '06.

 I've had excellent results with my WTB Dual Duty rims thus far so they may be an option to. This thing will mainly be a gravel/dirt road cruiser/weekend RV with some lightweight overnighters & a dab of singletrack, cowtrails & bushwacking thrown in. Oh, I'm also 6' 5" & a Clydesdale at 260 lbs if that helps. This will be fun & looking forward to opinions.

  www.paxtonpeleton.blogspot.com

 While they're at copyrighting the word "Epic" perhaps they should copyright the capital letter "S" for SUCKS!

 is it regular length or a long? does it take their mummy bag shaped sleeping pads?

 looks like some great country to explore, good insight on what worked & what didn't, looks like a fun trip, thanks for the report.

 sounds interesting, I'll check it out but I still have some spots I want to go where there isn't a tree for 30 miles so thinking I'll still invest in a ground shelter. The bigger hammock sounds good though as I've never been in one that was long enough for me, might be an option someday if I'm traveling in an area with trees.

 Hammocks out for me as I'm 6' 5" & we have a HUGE shortage of trees in a lot of places I go (Nebraska Sandhills) I've got a cheapo 1 man tent I'm going to start out with until I can afford a BA 3 wire bivy or the Seedhouse SL2 as the 1 man Seedhouse is just too cramped for my Clydesdale build. Not sure if I can handle a bivy either unless I'm going fast & light which won't be the case in most instances.

 www.paxtonpeleton.blogspot.com

 I'm seriously considering purchasing a BA Encampment bag & Insulated Air Core pad for outings in the mid 20's to low 30's & wondering if anyone has had experience with these & the actual temp ratings (they're both rated at 15 degrees)

 I've read all the reviews on both of them at Backcountry.com & all seem very positive, maybe not the lightest & most compact but I'm more concerned about bang for the buck in my price range & these are in my price range compared to most others.

 Also, is side sleeping pretty much out with this set-up? I tend to snore like a bear on my back, or so my wife says!

 I've been lurking here getting ideas & used a few of them today with a shake down ride to test out some gear & carrying techniques on a day trip over multiple terrain, worked GREAT! I havn't figured out how to post pics yet but the results are here  www.paxtonpeleton.blogspot.com  Can't wait for my first overnighter but it will have to wait as my current sleeping bag is a 40 degree & it's getting in the 20's here at night. That just means more time for day trips to try out packing/gear stuff.

 Issue #14, it may be on their website, havn't checked it yet.

 Picked up the newest Mountain Flyer this weekend & a write up in there about the Tour Divide, looked at the new Bicycle Times & see a little write up on bikecamping also, it's catching on!