What goes up must come down.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a list of reasons to travel by bicycle.  Now for the other side of the story I will describe some of the challenges that a cycle tourist is up against. 

1. Weather- It's uncontrollable and unpredictable.  You're always under the weather.  When it rains, you get wet.  The wind can fastforward the journey or slow it to a crawl.

2. Private Property- fences and no trespassing signs are a drag. 
It's getting late and I've been searching for a suitable campsite for the last 10 kilometers.  There have been plenty, but they're all on the other side of the fence.  On we go...

3. Heavy Traffic- It's an endless stream of noisy, stinky cars moving in both directions.  They litter the roadside with garbage and dead wildlife.  Sometimes they pass too close for comfort.  Sometimes they honk, and it's really hard to tell what that means.

4. The Unknown- when I do want to make a plan for something, I often find it rather difficult to stick to it.  I never know when I'm going to arrive somewhere, so im usually arriving a couple days early or late.

5.Solitude- This may be experienced by many solo travellers, and some cope with it better than others.  I'm generally happy in my own company, in fact I have some of my best conversations with myself, but I have noticed that the longer I am alone the stranger they become.

      So those are a few things that might contribute to the bicycle tourists madness.  I thought I ought to bring them to your attention before you went and bought bikes and panniers for yourself, to start on an incredible journey with the idea that it would be entirely carefree.  Though I suppose it may be experienced easily with the right attitude, there is plenty of potential for frustration.

       Nevertheless, you may note that this list of challenges is only half as long as the list of awesome, and so it is easily outweighed.  So I expect that anybody riding a bike on the open road with a positive attitude is in for a good time. 

Like it or not, they are in for an unforgettable bite of life.