I spent the summer of 2015 on a bicycle, pedaling alone for 1600 miles through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, camping most of the way. It was a time well spent. I lost 25 pounds while averaging around 40 miles per day.

Planning for this journey began almost one year ago. After several years of ignoring my old mountain bike, I decided to take up something I had heard about called “bike commuting.” It sounded like a good idea, just riding the bike to work a few days a week when the weather was good. The ride itself was only a paltry 10 mile round trip, but at the time it seemed heroic.

But then something changed. I simply wanted more, and so decided to ride the bike every day in any weather. Since it would be too easy to chicken out during rain or snow or ice---and recalling Cortez and his ships---I sold my truck. Now I would have to ride the bike come Hell or high water. My colleagues thought me insane, and on mornings when the weather was extremely unpleasant I would always get this question: “Did you ride today?” My answer was always the same: “Of course.”

My ancient mountain bike was replaced with a Giant AnyRoad 1, a fine machine indeed and an immense improvement over my old bicycle. As I progressed in my cycling acumen, I experienced an epiphany: Why not use the upcoming summer to go on an extensive ride across hills and dales and into wild, weird climes? Why indeed. I discovered a new word, “bikepacking”. This sport combines bike touring with backpacking. So that’s what I wanted to do, to go bikepacking for the entire summer.

But rather than succumb to the ordinary, I hungered for the different, the offbeat, the uncommon. As I had no idea what riding a bicycle and camping out alone for two months in the summer would entail, I pored over maps, perused bike forums and talked to pros. Results: I would head out right after the end of school with a bicycle loaded to the gills with camping gear, clothes, tools, books and assorted stuff to get me through sixty days of bikepacking. I would avoid the usual routes and instead ride on out-of-the-way dirt and gravel roads. I would camp as much as possible.

I acquired another bicycle specially made for journeys such as I had planned, a Surly Ogre. I was off and riding every day, training for the summer of 2015. It was time well spent. When summer arrived I had already put in 2500 miles on both bikes, and many hours with running shoes, dumbbells and flexibility work. Never during my journey was I sore, and neither did I suffer any injury. All that preparation had paid off handsomely.

On the very last day of May I loaded up the Surly, stuffed the panniers with enough gear to hold me for two months, and headed for the Oklahoma Panhandle 12 days away. My route took me on old pavement, dirt, Jeep tracks, forest roads and gravel. From there I continued on to New Mexico, Colorado and Texas.

Basic Equipment

Surly Ogre

Surly racks

MSR XGK-II Stove

One liter fuel cannister

MSR Hubba Hubba tent

Marmot Pinnacle down sleeping bag

Smith & Wesson .40 M&P with 2 spare mags

Nikon Coolpix P6

Brooks B-17 flyer saddle

Mayfly camp chair

MSR 3 liter water bladder

Four 1 liter water bottles

Cotton sleeping sheet

RidgeRest sleeping mat

Bags

Ortlieb and Axiom panniers

Revelate frame bag, Gastank, Jerrycan, Sweetroll, Saltyroll and Mountain Feedbags

Clothes

Two pairs of long pants

Two pairs bicycle undershorts

Bike shoes---no cleats

Flat pedals

Teva sandals

Three long sleeved shirts

Three pairs socks

Merino wool sweater

Two pairs underwear

One long sleeved dress shirt

Full coverage bike gloves

Gore-Tex coat

Gore-Tex pants

Gore-Tex socks

Cap

Balaclava

Camp Cuisine

Ramen

Mac and cheese

Oatmeal

Instant coffee

Instant frijoles

Flour tortillas

Tuna

Jack Daniels

Salted peanuts

Cinnamon rolls

Hershey chocolate with almonds

Books

Catholic Bible, RSV

Plutarch's Lives

Michener's Caribbean

Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad

Miscellaneous

Multi-tools

Two spare tubes

Axiom bicycle pump

Cipro

Aspirin 

Ibuprophen

Water purification tablets

Backpacking medical kit

Rosary