I'm bike touring Cuba!!

in #biketouring7 years ago (edited)

And...I haven't done this in awhile.

I'm a little nervous and a whole lotta excited. I'm bound to be a little rusty, but that's never stopped me before :p

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Time to leave the brief but welcomed reminder of the creature comforts of home life, a cozy bed, long mornings of tea, and cuddles with the pups in exchange for 3 weeks of riding my bike in Cuba!!

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Bound to be a little warmer than this Minnesota winter madness!


Teaching a wolfcat to ride a bike, a 101:

  • Leap onto your seat
  • Get in position
  • Keep your tail out of the derailer
  • Keep your gears clear of fur
  • Now steeeady, one paw in front of the other
  • Keep your eyes off the moon and on the road.
  • Now, pinch yourself to make sure this is real,
  • OUCH! yup this is real
  • Ok noooooow...GO!

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I think I've brought enough chocolate to keep me happy... other essentials, spare bike tubes, maps.me downloaded, MSR stove, tent, bike tools, I've been working on my dominos game... maybe i won't get too schooled :)

The rest comes easy... its like riding a bike right?

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The bike itself is questionable...I have a folding bike. It is a pretty funky little Fuji that was made for Marlboro cigarette magazine, back when you could collect points for smoking and trade it in for things like a...bike? This bike could be yours after 440 packs of cigarettes and $110. Kinda strange but I dig it. I bought it second hand for $50 from someone who said they would start wheezing everytime they got on the damn thing...hmm, well anyway! Here goes nothing!

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From my Maine to South Carolina bike tour 11yrs ago!

Last time I bike toured I was blessed by a transportation goddess, no flats, no problems, simply smooooth sailing. I'm not sure how long that kinda luck last :p

Internet is apparently sparce in Cuba so this is simply a send off, not sure if ill be able to update along the way.

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I am sleeping in the airport floor in Miami then tomorrow morning...Havana bound!

Until next time! @wolfcat

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Be very careful with your bike!!! I am from there so I know what I say, do not leave it out side even with lock. Take it always inside the house. To late, I could have give some numbers from friends in Habana. Have a nice trip!!!

Hey friend!! :) I totally should have messaged you earlier and gotten all the pro tips! Im actually back in Minneapolis, I wrote this post 3weeks ago but just now getting it on here. I didn't get reliable wifi in Cuba so its finally making its debut! Ill be posting about the actual trip soon :) Hope you're doing well!!

Ohhh! well, I hope you had enjoyed your time in "Cubita", will read it in your posts, I am pretty sure about that :) And I am doing fine , thanks! Meeting a lot of steemians lately here in Berlin, it is great! ;)
Cheers!!!

Have fun!! :)

Thanks hun! Looks like youre having a blast with the mini steemy crew!!

I dunno, riding a bike in the snow in Minnesnowta convinced me on short order to get a Snowmopucker with heated handle bars and heated boots. Hope you had fun in Cuba, saludos desde los Países Bajos!

Are you a fellow Minnesota dweller??! Id love to get a heated handlebar setup one of these days :) having a real deal winter biking setup would be great fun!

I was in Mn. for 20 years until 2010. All the handle bar heaters I know of require massive amounts of power and wouldn't be practical on a Bicycle without mounting a Battery first, but there are heated gloves that work on Battery packs like the Tour Master Black Synergy 7.4 volt-Battery powered Gloves. Those are available from Dennis Kirk up "nord" in Rush City where I used to buy some of my 'beeling gear. They are not cheap, and you might want to call around local Bicycle, Outdoor and/or Motorcycle specialists to see what they have. REI also has Outdoor Research Lucent Heated Mittens, but be prepared to shop for battery packs as the battery life on these otherwise decent Mittens, has been an issue. I hope this info gives you a start into finding what you need. Greetings from the Netherlands, a little further north, but warmer than Mn.

Wow this sounds like an incredible experience!! You’re quite the adventurous one :) Be safe and have a great time!!

:) thanks!

YES GIRL! You did Maine to SC on a BIKE! Mad respect! Be safe!

(Also, your doggo pack looks SO damn sweet <3- Id be snuggling with them all day if I had the likes of them around!)

Thanks gurl! Ill post soon with pics from the journey! 💛

Wow, have a good time in Cuba, @wolfcat! And good luck on the track ;P I love biking myself, but I've never been on a bike tour yet. Bike is my main mean of transportation lately though, and the more I ride the more I want to ride, so there may be a tour in some future for me. I'm very curious how will yours be, and I've never been to Cuba, it would be cool to see how your journey went :)

Thank you for the cool photos, the first one is very artistic!
All the best,
Klaudia

Youd' love a bike tour :) Its such a great way to get to know a country. Movin slow but not too slow, meeting people along the way, camping nearly every night, movin your body almost all day. Its a dream :)

oh you made me crave for one ;) haha. Cheers @wolfcat and have lots of fun!!!

If you happen to go to Havana look for a place along the malecon called la bedeguita del medio, it’s a mojito shop that is known for being the favorite location in Cuba of Ernest Hemingway

You know what's crazy, I've made it this far in life and have yet to read any Hemingway, although Cuba has given me a push to change that. Do you have a favorite by Hemingway you'd recommend?

For me it’s “a farewell to arms” it’s really such a real in depth experience that I would rather just say that then give a synopsis

Amazing will be following your journey. I am planning a summer trip around England some might get some tip from you haha 💯🐒

Let's help each other grow, follow and upvote! Just a click away @mannymusic
Thank you. I have done the same already!

Nice post! I will follow you from now on. +upvote