Powered by peanuts and cinnamon rolls (Part 2, Day 7)

24 June, 2021, 4 min, 731 words

Tags: biking transamerica-2021

The last four days, since departing Glacier, have been a bit of a blur. A gorgeous, scenic blur, but a blur nonetheless. I'm writing now from Sandpoint, Idaho, a thriving metropolis (population 7365) and the start point of my final stretch.

A lot of people on the road (and following along from home) have been asking about what I eat on tour, so this is a shorter than usual ramble on that topic.

In short, eating enough on tour is HARD. I estimate I need about 4500 calories per day, and stopping for a big lunch often feels like a bad option, since it requires me to re-warm up. So usually I eat:

A normal to large breakfast: oats, chia pudding, granola with dry milk, peanut butter and jelly tortillas...
100-200 calories per hour while biking, in various snack forms. Recent highlights: hot and sweet peanuts, trail mix with m&ms, snickers bars, clif/luna bars, chex mix...
If I'm passing through a town, a larger pastry or other less travel-friendly snack (cinnamon rolls, apple fritters, muffins, etc.)
After stopping for the day, an immediate 200-500 calorie "snack" high in protein. Often another snacking-as-I-go snack, or maybe a packet of tuna
Dinner centered around a grain – pasta, rice, couscous, cracked wheat, fleshed out with olive oil to up the calorie count and dehydrated veggies for flavor and nutrients.
As much snacking as I want around camp – again trail mix or sometimes extra servings of oatmeal with dried fruit.

On special occasions I'll also eat a full meal in town, maybe stopping by a cool restaurant or eating with a local host.

All told, I think I'm doing at least okay on the food front, and I've learned a lot about the kind of fuel my body needs for this sort of exertion.

Final note:

Because of likely difficulty finding lodging on the weekend around July Fourth, I've pushed my schedule a bit forward and made up a day. That's meant some longer days, so thank goodness for my new bike fitness! My last four days have been 81 miles, 67, 80, and today a leisurely 55 (I was worried about thunderstorms in the afternoon, which didn't materialize in the end).

In no particular order, a few photos that might not even be my best ones from the last few days, but I'm tired and need to sleep.

I don't even remember where this one was, but it was pretty there!

A lake with mountains and
blazing sun in the background, with grasses in front.

The woods here are gorgeous

grasses in the foreground
accent a generously spaced wood of evergreens, with clear blue sky visible
through gaps in the trees

Lake Koocanusa, a lovely remote area with glorious views.

A teal lake with a large hill
in the backgroundn that looks like it was struck by wildfire in the last
few years. Clear blue sky with a couple fluffy clouds, and grasses and
trees in the foreground

Morning light makes me look taaaaaalll

A road bends into the distance
with trees on either side. In the center of the frame is the shadow of Zeph
on their bike, extending quite far in the early morning light.

Little fleet of mini mergansers

A calm lake with one adult
merganser and no fewer than eight tiny ones, each leaving a wake behind
them as they swim toward the left

I went through a drive through! For ice cream, no less.

Warmly yours,

Zeph