Surly Long Haul Trucker Bicycle. Taking One For A Test Ride!

Sunday afternoon I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the bike store to again ponder the imminent purchase of the nicest and most expensive bike I could imagine owning. After much research on bikes and touring it became apparant that you can tour on anything (one gent has pedaled the world for 25 years on 40 dollar bikes) but a nicer ride will make the trip smoother and more enjoyable. Less chance of sitting on the side of the road in India wishing you had moved up the quality scale a bit.
Gearing that sits lower to the ground, a longer chain, proper geometry, and a steel frame for strength were the main attributes I sought in my bike. Surly makes a bike called the Long Haul Trucker that fit the bill. Online reviews were excellent. Check out this interesting gallery of loaded touring bikes sent in from around the world. The are no shortages of Surly LHT's. Those pictures are votes of confidence right from the road.
Surly themselves gave the bike shop West End Bicycles in Houston, TX a high rating for Surly knowledge and with great tredpidation I visited the store. I should explain. I am not a Lance Armstong wannabe, I don't crave high tech gear or lust to shave milliseconds off of my speed. It's highly unlikey you will ever see me in spandex tights of any color, but even less chance I would wear those shorts that seem to encomapss all colors!
I explained all of this to Chad, the clerk at the store, and I have to say he and the others there have been great. Chad actually listened to my thoughts (rare in retail sales), validated the choice of bike, offered great advice, even showed me a line of padded seat biker shorts that looked like us folks that just like riding slowly could tolerate being seen in. Looking for a bike? Stop in and visit them.

Click On Images For A Larger ViewSo here is the pricey little beauty. West End Bicycles had the same price as any online source so I prefer to keep it local where I get personal service and advice. The bike sells for... hold on if you shop at Wal-Mart... $1,050! This is easier to swallow if you visit the other rows where the bikes go for $2,000, $3,000, $5,000 and up. Understand that I drive a Ford Escort that might be worth $1,500. Ah well, it is my vehicle, home, and comanion for the coming months, and I am going to sell the Escort to buy the bike. Anybody need a dependable little work car? Ladies, buy this Escort for your man and no other woman will look at him. Ever. I guarantee it.


Of course I had to work in a picture of my beautiful daughter Alexia holding my beautiful bike... um, well, you know what, I think any bike making an around the world trip needs a name. I think I will make up one of those polls again and let people send in suggestions and vote on the best name! But the bike. Like any expensive and finely tuned machine it always looks better with a pretty girl beside it. Of all the things in my life Lexi is what I am most proud of and the thing I am going to miss the most while away.


Zipping through the Heights neighborhood where the bike store is located was great. She rides like a dream. Several years ago I bicycled the MS150 charity ride from Houston to Austin and I recall that one of the guys lifting my bike into the truck for the ride back to Houston said "Wow, that's the heaviest bike I've lifted all day". It was a $20 dollar Goodwill ten speed! In my research several riders said the Surly Long Haul Trucker was a little heavier than the bikes that cost, well, a few thousand dollars more. It may weigh more, but when Lexi lifted the bike easily over her head and then lifted it with one hand, well, it's all relative, isn't it?
Again, my aim is to enjoy a trip, take my time, see as much of the world and meet as many people as possible.
No rock solid goals on distance.No need for 100 mile days.Keep the schedule loose and free.
Hope to meet some of you out on the road. If interested write to me, I would love to get an invitation to visit or stay the night.

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Art Car Parade. Houston, Texas. May 9, 2009.

It's still a couple of months before the most likely starting date for my around the world trip but it seems I am already trying to live more like a traveler. Today Houston, Texas hosted the annual Art Car Parade, a huge three day extravaganza of folks taking their creativity out on their vehicles. It was a perfect day, a bit hot, and Lexi and I enjoyed the artistic labors of over 200 projects in the parade near downtown Houston.

Yes, it's the Batmobile, and I mean THE Batmobile! This is the actual car used in the movie, the one actor Michael Keaton sat in. The lady with the company that owns the car alluded to the fact that it gets the most ooohs and ahhhs but she said it "ain't nothing under that shell".

Yes, that's me next to the car wanting to be a superhero.


A classic type of art car with over-the-top ornate detail.

'Venus Hairse'A hearse filled with ladies dying for a good time.

The cars are always more amazing when you get in to see the details.

You would not want to be in front of this scary creation.

The Blues Brothers, and they actually were pretty darn good. Funy too.

This car was completely covered in mirror shards. Look close and you can see my white shirt and jeans, even my eye in one of the pieces. (By the way, note to travleling self, jeans... HUGE mistake in the heat!) The reflection of legs and red on the right would be my daughter Lexi.

Grand Marshall of the parade was Kinky Friedman, writer, recent Texas gubernatorial candidate. marketer of salsa and cigars, and all around unique human. He seemed to be wildly popular with the crowd and also to be having a good time himself.Kinky's car was decorated with steer horns, pistol door handles, and the inside was covered in silver dollars. Kinky, Texas style.

It's hard to tell from a photo but this creepy monster had animated head and mouth and snarled it's way through the parade.

In the past I had seen this car at Houston's Art Car Museum. One of those incredibly ornate art cars it is set apart by the huge and bizarre beast attached to the front end!

An evil easter bunny. And yes, this is just for you Charli in Cambridge, MA, we both know how you like bunnies.

The very portable porta-potty. Believe it or not this laid-back gent drove this crazy car all the way from Waco, Texas to Houston at 4 miles per hour!Enjoy the Crapper Mobile short video below.



Silly rabbit slippers come to life as art cars.Sorry Charli.

Yes, he did crow, often and loudly.

Small balls on springs bounced back and forth as the car moved but the coolest thing about this car is the strange shadow it casts.

These cars with hydraulic lifts almost seem like they are out of control. Very popular and very cool. Check out the short clip below.



Brass this, that, and everything else covered every square inch of this entry.

I am going on an expedition, how did they know? It's more of a peace of mind expedition though.

Some folks can't be bothered to get out of bed on parade day.

Red horses. I don't get it either, but I like it.

Houston has a few giant cockroaches but this is the only one that has a horn that plays that classic tune 'La Cucaracha'!

Cute dogs are popular art cars. This panting pup was one of several in the parpade.

Very dramatic, and titled the Onaminivanapeida.

Wow. Silly singing fish and harmonizing lobsters were totally animated, lit up, and incredibly, sang the most unlikely tune... Handel's 'Messiah'.Here are the vocalizing sea life on video as they passed.



Even the police patrooling the parade played along as they rode on their Art Horses!

TP! I may be looking and wishing for that in foreign lands.

Surprising to me as I thought it was all cars but there were walkers, skaters, and a wide variety of odd and unique bicycles.

High handlebars.

A chopper. There also was a woman on a bike with a cage around her. I tried to get the shot but she was fast! I hope my bike doesn't start to feel like a cage.

Tail plumage opens up on this peacock car just as on the real bird.

All of this took place on Allen Parkway (nice name, spelled wrong) which abuts Eleanor Tinsley Park, a wonderful strip of green in Houston stretched between the road and the Buffalo Bayou. (I'm from Louisiana and we say By-you. Here they say By-YO. What I am saying is that they say it WRONG!) Nice park though, great for skating, biking, and an incredible view of the Houston skyline.Thanks for stopping in. I will be posting more about my trip preparation, some snippets from e-mails I have been getting, and how the plans are firming up and coming together.Hope to see you somewhere out there on the road.
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Photos By Category

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Favorites

Travel Goals

North America

--United States

----Texas

----Road Trip (Texas)

--------Austin

----------Pedernales Falls State Park, Johnson City

--------Houston

----------Art Car Parade, 2009

----------Bats!

----------Beer Can House

----------Forbidden Gardens (Katy, TX)

----------Topiary Garden

--------San Antonio

----------The Alamo, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum

----Utah

----Arches National Park, Moab

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Quote Of The Day. Or Week. Maybe Month!

"Wherever you go, there you are."
(Carl Franz and Lorena Havens, 'The People's Guide to Mexico')



"Don't be so afraid of losing your Frisbee that you never throw it!"
(Source Unknown)

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Contact Alan!

My trip is a couple of months away from starting with a tentative departure date in July. For now the site is being developed. Please feel free to sign up for Feedburner e-mail updates, contact me with ideas or suggestions, or even to invite me to stay the night with you!

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