There was a young woman from Connecticut (sounds like the start of a bad limerick) staying at the campground last night. She has just started a six month solo cycle tour of New Zealand, to be followed by another six months in Australia. I was chatting with her about cycling while making dinner last evening. She and a friend had completed a three month cross-country US cycle last summer and she's been badly bitten by the cycle touring bug. She has a six month working holiday visa and has signed up with some group that has places where you can work part-time for a few days for room and board.

 

She must cycled across the US with a now ex-boyfriend since she said that he insisted that they carry no more than seven pounds of gear and only one water bottle (except in the desert). They had no maps, but picked up a state map as they entered each state and he systematically tore off the parts of the state they'd passed as they were going through. She almost apologetic that she was carrying 27 pounds of gear. I was almost embarrassed to tell her that I carried 50 lbs plus a trailer on my NZ tour and about half was stuff like computers, books and maps.

 

She said that she really liked maps, but only had a large scale map of New Zealand and the Peddlers Paradise guide. She was told that the AA District maps were the ones to have and her dad have given her is AAA number, but she couldn't get them with just the number. I just happened to have gotten a new set, so I offered them to her, since I can get more--she eagerly accepted them.

 

She seems to be going on the very low-budget tour, as she had an old Myata bicycle with well-worn panniers and bundle packed in a plastic bag on top. Her food supplies seemed to consist of lentils, polenta and a selection of spices. But being a 20-something, it seemed all part of the adventure.