The story of how we saved money, quit our jobs, sold our possessions, and set off to bicycle tour and travel around the world

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New Zealand
9 -16 - 07 to present
Index to all pages

Australia
9-15-06 to 9 -16 - 07
Index to all pages

SE Asia / China
11-22-04 to 9-15-06
Index to all pages

South America
6-3-03 to 6-17-04
Index to all pages

North & Central America
3-30-02 to 4-17-03
Index to all Pages

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Equipment Pages Index

Introduction
How Much to Bring and Weight
Some Advise About Advise
A Note to Perspective Sponsors and Gear Suppliers

START HERE for Touring Bikes and Commuting Bicycles
Bicycle Touring Frames 
The Steel Repair Myth.
Steel and Aluminum Derailleur Hanger Repair.
Bicycle Touring Wheels
Phil Wood: The Best Bicycle Hubs

Panniers / Bike Bags
Cargo Trailers Vs Panniers
Tires for Bike Tours..
Bicycle Touring Saddles.
Cindie's Women's Specific Bike Touring Saddles
Brooks Leather Touring Bicycle Saddle Care and Conditioning
Bike Computer
Touring Handlebars, Bar Ends, Adjustable Stems, and Padded Grips.
Sealed Cartridge Headsets

Camping
Buying Camping Equipment
Tent and Ground Cloth
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Camp Stove
Pots and Pans
Water Filter

Clothing
Bike Touring Shorts

Health and First Aide

Electrical
Short-wave Radio
Computer
Internet
mp3

Books
Packing list
Pictures of Equipment Failures
Shopping

Lost Dutchman State Park MPEG

We never found the mine or even a few gold nuggets that we could sell.  What we did find was the natural beauty that the Arizona desert has for all who care to come explore

We went to The Lost Dutchman State Park expecting to find artifacts and other information about the famous mine and how its location has been lost for years.  When we got to the Lost Dutchman State Park we found it mostly full of hikers and Birdwatchers.  The Park is just a few miles from Apache Junction or on the far east site of Phoenix.  Indeed - the very far east side and is very much out of town and surrounded by beautiful desert. 

We arrived after a two day ride through the largest metropolitan area in Arizona.  The "Valley of the Sun" is what the locals call Phoenix and all of her adjoining cities.  From west to east we road through urban areas for nearly 100 miles.  This was made very pleasant (for city riding) by the areas abundant bike lanes and even separate bike trails.  We arrived very tired and hungry so we immediately started taking showers and setting up the stove to cook.

In the crisp morning we found hikers loaded up and heading out on the many trails that start from the park and head into the Superstition Mountains and Wilderness area.  We have done many backpack trips in the very large Superstition Wilderness area and knew of the excellent hiking but we also saw many people walking around with binoculars and bird identification books.  The Hiker / Biker campsite, where we were camped,  had a man made pond next to it.  That pond attracted every kind of bird in the area as well as deer.   It would not be a total surprise if a Mountain Lion or Bobcat came to drink and hunt in the night.  We slept through it.

What we did not find was any information about the Lost Dutchman's Mine.  There was a fake ghost town near by that used the famous story to draw tourists.  We think that it was fake because there was no mention of it in any of the books that we carry about Arizona ghost towns.  It cost some money to get in so we never went. 

We have read and even carried several books (sold on this page) about the mine and the mysterious Dutchman Jacob Waltz.  If you comb through these books you will see that there is some evidence that there was a large gold deposit found and but the only man to know of it vanished.  Later some explorers even claimed that they found his bones.   If you study the violent history of this area and take a look around you can see that finding human remains in this wild land would not be out of the question.   Whether they are the remains of  the Dutchman Jacob Waltz or some other prospector, gunfighter, desperado, or careless hiker that ran out of water is anybody's guess.

Although we were disappointed with the lack of information on the legend we were very impressed with the park itself.  The scenery and wildlife are truly Arizonan desert at its best.  We highly recommend this area for any visit to Arizona.  It could be visited during a long layover from the Phoenix with a rental car.  The drive (or ride) past the Lost Dutchman State Park along the Apache trail to Lake Roosevelt is well worth the effort.

So, the only treasure that we found was captured by our eyes and camera and will stay with us longer than any gold that we could pick up.

See our first MPEG movie

The Superstition Mountains

Scene from the Lost Dutchman State Park - AZ

Unknown desert bird

Cindie (at the bottom)  Looking up at a Saguaro that many birds lived in.

Our Camp at the Lost Dutchman State Park

INDEX #1
North and
Central America
3-30-02 to 4-17-03

INDEX #2
South America
The Andes
6-3-03 to 6-17-04

INDEX #3
SE Asia
and China
11-22-04 to 9-15-06

INDEX #4
Australia
The grand tour
9-15-06 to 9-15-07

(Before March 30, 2002)
Life in Prescott Arizona, USA

Cindie's Daily Journals
Life in Prescott Arizona

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Good bye Letter

Other essays by Tim
About Us
Our Bicycle Wedding
Riding In Prescott
Hiking in Arizona
Favorite Bike Movies
The Great Zorr Dog
Life in a $500 RV
The Plan
Good bye Letter

(March 30 - May 12, 2002)
The States of Arizona, USA
Prescott to Douglas, Arizona

Cindie's Daily Journals
Cindie's Journal in Arizona, USA

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Our first week Down the Road!
Enjoying Arizona
Heading into Mexico

Other essays by Tim
The Day We Left
Lost Dutchman Mine
Ghost Towns
Tombstone
Chiricahua National Monument
Portal Arizona
Backpacking in the Chiricahua Mountains
Apache Wars

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page for Arizona Pictures

(May 13 - 31, 2002)
The States of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico
Agua Prieta to Cuauhtemoc, Mexico

Cindie's Daily Journals
The States of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Greetings from Mexico!

Other essays by Tim
The Problems with the Border Area Between Mexico and the USA
Paquime Ruins Casas Grandes, Mexico
Barranca del Cobre or Copper Canyon

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico Pictures

(June 1 - July 17, 2002)
The States of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, Mexico
Zacatecas to Guanajuato, Mexico

Cindie's Daily Journals
The States of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, Mexico

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Hello Guanajuato
Adios Guanajuato

Other essays by Tim
One Fine Day Down The Road
Learning Spanish at Casa Mexicana in Guanajuato, Mexico
Cindie's Car Crash: a Mexican Experience Guanajuato, Mexico

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Zacatecas and Guanajuato Pictures

(July 18 - Aug 22, 2002)
The State of Michoacan, Mexico
Guanajuato to Toluca, Mexico

Cindie's Daily Journals
The State of Michoacan, Mexico

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
The Great Secret of Michoacan!
Toluca

Other essays by Tim
Into the Mist State of Michoacan, Mexico

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Michoacan, Mexico Pictures

(Aug. 23 - Sept. 17, 2002)
The States of Mexico and Morelos, Mexico
Toluca to Amecameca, Mexico

Cindie's Daily Journals
The States of Mexico and Morelos

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
So Close to Mexico City Yet So Far From Anything

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of The States of Mexico and Morelos, Mexico Pictures

(September 18 - 27, 2002)
Mexico City Area
Including the ruins of Teotihuacan
Mexico City, Mexico

Cindie's Daily Journals
Mexico City Area

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Six Months Down the Road

Other essays by Tim
Looking Deep Into the Eyes of a Thief Mexico City Metro (subway)
The Velodrome in Mexico City

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Mexico City Area Pictures

(Oct.  12 - Nov. 8, 2002)
The States of Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico
Villahermosa, Tabasco to Cuauhtemoc Chiapas, Mexico

Cindie's Daily Journals
The States of Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Our Final Weeks in Mexico

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico Pictures

(Dec 2 - 15, 2002)
Guatemala #1: The Highlands
Quetzaltenango to Antigua

Cindie's Daily Journals
Guatemala #1 The Highlands

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Guatemala: Riding Through the Highlands
Guatemala: From Paradise to Despair

Other Pages Tim Made
Escuela de Idioma Español Utatlan, Spanish Immersion School in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Guatemala #1 Pictures

(Dec. 16, 2002 - Jan. 6, 2003)
Guatemala #2: Northeast Towards the Caribbean
Antigua to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala

Cindie's Daily Journals
Guatemala #2: Heading Northeast Towards the Caribbean

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Antigua, Guatemala to the Sea

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Guatemala #2 Pictures

(January 7 - 31, 2003)
Honduras
From the Guatemalan Border to the Nicaraguan Border

Cindie's Daily Journals
Honduras

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Honduras: From the Guatemalan Border to the Nicaraguan Border

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Honduras Pictures

(Feb. 1 - 19, 2003)
Nicaragua
From the Honduras Border to the Costa Rican Border

Cindie's Daily Journals
Nicaragua

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Nicaragua: Travels Through a Troubled Land

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Nicaragua Pictures

(Feb. 21 - March 14, 2003)
Costa Rica #1
La Cruz to Rancho Mastatal, Costa Rica

Cindie's Daily Journals
Costa Rica #1

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Costa Rica #1 (incomplete)

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Costa Rica #1 Pictures

(March 15 - April 10, 2003)
Costa Rica #2
Manual Antonio to Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

Cindie's Daily Journals
Costa Rica #2

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Costa Rica #2 (incomplete)

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Costa Rica #2 Pictures

(April 12 - 17, 2003)
Panama
Panama City, Panama

Cindie's Daily Journals
Panama

Tim's Emailed Newsletters (Join  List)
Panama (Incomplete)

Best Place to see Pictures
Thumbnail Page of Panama Pictures

INDEX #1
North and
Central America
3-30-02 to 4-17-03

INDEX #2
South America
The Andes
6-3-03 to 6-17-04

INDEX #3
SE Asia
and China
11-22-04 to 9-15-06

INDEX #4
Australia
The grand tour
9-15-06 to 9-15-07