I made it to SAN DIEGO! But not without a little drama. After Beth dropped me off at the Minneapolis airport, they told me that taking my boxed bike on board would cost an extra $200!
I threw the challenge flag, and after a 15-minute gap, a supervisor finally agreed with my interpretation of the Delta web page was correct, and that bikes were an exception to the oversized luggage surcharge. I guess sometimes it pays to be a Karen.
My host David picked me up at the San Diego airport, and brought me to REI so I could buy a fuel canister for my JetBoil stove and a few other small things. Then he took me home so I could reassemble my bike in his garage.
Any time I told people I was going to stay in the home of a guy I met in Facebook, they freak out. But David and his wife Anne could not have been more gracious hosts. They are both avid bicycle tourers, and have done many long treks in the USA and Europe.
My bike box was damaged in the rain and a TSA precheck, so the bike was not quite right. The front wheel would not spin freely and the back brakes were squeaking. Fortunately, Black Mountain Cycle was only a couple of miles away, and we still had an hour before closing.
When we walked into the bike shop, it was like Cheers where “everyone knows your name.” David is a regular! It took them about 20 minutes, but they got it all fixed up. Then they said no charge! I coudn’t sleep with that, so gave them a $20 for beer money.
Back at the house, I finished repacking all my panniers while David and Anne cooked a delicious. Kung Pao meal — my favorite!
We ended up talking way too late, about bike trips and routes through the mountains and backpacking and careers. Anne has a PhD in Forestry, and David and I were sort of classmates — he was working on his PhD in Economics at the U of Minnesota at the same time l I was working on my bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering! He knew about the first Cray supercomputer installed at the U of M in 1981.
They have made many photo books of their travels. My favorite page was a big spreadsheet that had a row for each day, including miles, hours in the saddle, average speed, elevation gain, and elevation gained per mile. EXACTLY THE SAME DATA THAT I RECORD! I knew we were kindred spirits.
Oh, and they met in Kalamazoo, Michigan. So for the first time in my life, I met someone who could truthfully sing the song “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.”
Tomorrow I ride! (In the rain.)
Hi Tom – I am a German cyclist – you Met my host Cliff yesterday at the San Diego Airport. I will start on Sunday 16th on the ST – my finishline is Austin, where my son lives. May be we see or hear each other along the route. Günter
Great to hear from you, Gunter! Yeah, it was funny that Cliff that that I was Gunter, and I thought that Cliff was my host, David! I am starting today, but starting off VERY slowly, so maybe you’ll catch up to me.
That had to have been an awful feeling to see the mangled bike box upon arrival — that’s definitely a “new fear unlocked” for me. But glad everything worked out with the bike shop and hosts! Good luck on your trip!
Thank you for the information about your trip. Great resource for future travelers and bike travel wannabees. Glad you were able to stand your ground over the $200 oversize fee. Enjoy the rest of your ride, how far are you going?
I’m planning to go to El Paso. I rode the eastern half of the Southern Tier last year, from Austin to Jacksonville. This year I’m doing the west, but have to bail in El Paso due to time constraints.