Over by Missoula I met a bike tourist going east who was only 6 days out of Seattle! He was going 110 miles per day, if you can believe it. He had a road bike, just rear panniers, no stove ("I eat cold food") and looked really light and fast. (It looked like he had tent and sleeping bag and nothing else!)

It got me to thinking about the tradeoffs we make. I'm carrying 60-70 pounds of gear and food and can stop wherever I want. I have a much heavier rig. I can go on dirt roads. I can go cold places. He can't do all those things. But he can sure travel fast. It made me a little envious. I'll have to try it his way sometime.