Dan Friendly!

Upon waking (somewhat later than planned, as usual) we went over to
the 7-11 from the night previous, and had coffee, donuts, and
banannas for breakfast. Dianne and I were sitting against a wall,
facing the parking lot, and kurt was against the wall around the
corner ... When kurt saw something coming up the road, that made him
exclaim to us that we "should take a look, something's coming!" and as
we didn't look, I remember him wondering aloud, "what's he carrying? A
lawnmower", the subject of his speculation rode into the parking lot
moments later, on top of an old sears bike, all in camoflauge, and
with front and rear racks loaded up with camping gear... Another
touring cyclist!
We said hello's and so became introduced to Dan Friendly, who had been
riding in the south all summer, and from the sound of it, been riding
and camping for a long time... We spoke with him for quite awhile, or
rather, he told us a great many things (I think we talked for an hour)
about touring, which I think I'll list now:
1. Camoflauge is worth a million bucks! He told about how you can get
a hunters tent, and sew tarp to the bottom to keep the ants out, and
that's only $50 at lowe's.. He had modified his so it could be lowered
nearly to the ground if he could only find a field to sleep in that
was close to the road, for example...

2. If we wanted to get across the James river, there were thrift shops
around where for just a few dollars, we could pick up some old sheets,
some paint (which may be old and dried, but we could just mix some
water into it...) and sew the sheets into a big donut tube, coat it
all with paint, and inflate it to make a raft...

3. Further south, it's all swamp, so he carries a pruning saw (which
one may pick up for $12 at lowes) to cut a path, and a clearing in the
swamp for camping.

4. North Carolina has lots of great camping!

5. In the south, there's lots of church meals that you can really load
up on carbs at.. Lotsa pancakes and bacon and all sorts of stuff every
day!

6. To get fewer flats, he uses car tire sealant, which is very
fibrous, and though it will make you a bit slower, will let you ride
for weeks without a flat.

7. Something he told us secretly, which I cannot divulge here, but can
say was very interesting indeed!

8. The later books by carlos casteneda, which tell of techniques to
achieve dreams and rest, which is very important, but sorely
underappreciated in today's world.

He thought he might meet us in chapel hill, or Greensboro, but would
surely see us again, there are so few of us around!
And off he went, leaving us with great inspiration and anticipation
for our remaining journey, which was half over...

Sent from my iPod