DownTheRoad.org
The continuous bicycle touring story since 2002
no plans to stop

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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Alaska / Canada / USA
5-3-08 to present
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New Zealand
9-16-07 to 5-2-08
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Australia
9-15-06 to 9 -16 - 07
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SE Asia / China
11-22-04 to 9-15-06
Index to all pages

South America
6-3-03 to 6-17-04
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North & Central America
3-30-02 to 4-17-03
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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

We have bicycle toured in Central/South America, Asia, Australia, and Canada

1:39 Min. VIDEO

Bicycle Touring Laos in South East Asia

5:15 min. VIDEO

Where do you work and write as you bicycle tour abroad or travel overseas?

1:17 Min. VIDEO

Australian Radio (ABC) Interview with Cindie Travis

5:01 min. VIDEO

See All Videos Here

We have both been to Tombstone before and knew of it's reputation as a very bloody town back in the cowboy days.  We both have seen the movies about Wyatt Erp, Doc Holiday, Big Nose Kate, and loosely knew the story of the legendary shoot out at the OK Corral.  Unfortunately, we also knew of it's reputation as one of the biggest tourist traps in Arizona.  The only real reason we had for riding through this money grabbing place was that it was on the road between Sierra Vista and several ghost towns the we wanted to visit.  Tombstone was never on our list of places to visit and we could have easily just rode through but on a bike you are always needing things like food, water, and ice cream.

Sure enough, everything cost money to get into.  The OK Corral had walls completely around it so you could not even get a glimpse and cost $3 to get in and listen to a recording depicting the famous event.  I would not have paid for that even when I had a job.  The old courthouse cost $2.50 and was probably pretty neat but we are on the cheap so we had to look elsewhere.  Even the restaurants were expensive and always were over done with a tacky cowboy decor.  A "Doc Holiday Burger" for $7 was more than we could spend. 

At the Tombstone Tourist office I finally ask "what can you see for free around here?".  This proved to be a question well worth asking because we were directed to the Tombstone Epitaph which was the original newspaper in town and is still Arizona's oldest running newspaper.  As the saying goes, "Every Tombstone needs an Epitaph".  It cost nothing to roam around the old printing presses and various antique office equipment.  Since paying nothing is in our budget we roamed around and took pictures and talked to the lady working there. 

It was fascinating!  The fist printing press was just that - a press.  I guess that you set up the type and put a piece of paper over it.  Next the printer had to call a few men away from their gun fight to crank the inked metal plate down over the paper and back up.  It must of taken a long time for each paper.  I think that the paper came out weekly and I bet each paper was passed around to dozens of people and places until it wound up on some distant ranch or mining camp - months old and very worn out.  As a teacher, I wonder how many kids and adults learned to read by reading months old obituaries and exaggerated recounts of stage robberies.  We happen to come away with a few papers and highly recommend the paper to western history buffs.

John Clum, the man who started the newspaper was quite a show boat in his previous job as Indian Agent.  To his credit he did come up with the idea of a police force made up with Apache men to handle the various crimes that could be committed on the reservation.   This eventually lead to self rule.  My books were full a many stories about how of stories that depicted Clum as cocky and arrogant.  The Apaches called him the "Turkey Gobbler" because of the way he would strut around. 

Other than the newspaper shop I can not really recommend Tombstone to the traveler.   If you had time to dig deep you could find something of value but if you are just passing through I would skip it.  A lot of history happened here for sure but modern Tombstone is a five star tourist trap.  If the Erp brothers could see into the future and see their town today they would have put down their six shooters and bought as much real estate as they could.  Any bandit could have obtained more wealth in real estate than ever could have been plundered from robbing the Butterfield  Stage Coaches.

Cindie approaching Tombstone

Even the wild west had cyclist.  Notice the small front wheel (for an Ordinary) This bike is either just for "looks" like most things in town or cyclist back then needed a smaller wheel to climb the local mountains.

Distant view of Tombstone with the famous courthouse.

First printing press in Tombstone

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

2 South America
6-3-03 to 6-17-04

3 SE Asia / China
11-22-04 to
9-15-06

4 Australia
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

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

2 South America
6-3-03 to 6-17-04

3 SE Asia / China
11-22-04 to
9-15-06

4 Australia
9-15-06 to 9-15-07