The plane from Chicago kept getting delayed so we arrived two hours later in Paris and missed the connecting flight. Had to take a confusing set of buses to get to the transfer office to get Air France to book me on the next flight. Luckily they were good about it and there was another flight three hours later. That plane also ran late, but did eventually arrive. I was not impressed with Air France's on time performance, but the food on their flights was amazing!

Arrived in Cairo about 8 p.m. that night. My bike in the box made it but Air France lost the other luggage! Basically it was all my clothes and all the equipment for the trip. I filled out a report and got a taxi ride from airport to hotel. The hotel is good. I have been there three days now. Fortunately, the luggage was found in Paris and brought to my hotel at 3 a.m. yesterday. What a relief! The hotel has a nice pool, which I haven't used yet. The complimentary breakfast buffet is great. It fills me up and saves a lot of money. Each morning instead of coffee or tea I have been having Hibiscus Flower juice and guava juice as my drink. Bottled water is plentiful and cheap now that I know the right places to buy it. I have a small refrigerator in my room and I'm going through more water than I ever have in my life -- which is very good for me.

I bought some art -- small painting on Egyptian Papyrus paper. I paid $10 a piece for a few of them and they are really cool looking. I got one of an Egyptian cat -- the guy says it is good luck. He rolled them for me and placed them in a protective cardboard cylinder. I will put that inside a plastic bag and hope it survives the journey.

The same guy I bought the paintings from then drove me around Cairo and showed me some sites. He is a good guy. He then invited me to go with him and his wife to the wedding of a friend that night. It was in and old part of Cairo that I never would have seen any other way. The wedding was simply held in the street between the apartment buildings with all the neighbors attending. It was fun and I was really glad I took a chance and went to it. I knew the guy was trustworthy; it was just a matter of whether I really wanted to go. It was a great
experience.

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I was impressed with how many people approached me at the wedding and made a point of saying, "Welcome. We are glad you are here." That was amazing! Many of the kids were quite curious about me. I was happy to find that getting small kids to give you high fives works equally well here as in America to break the ice and entertain them. People are basically the same wherever you go -- even if some of their customs are different.

Also, some of the older women, conservatively dressed with their heads covered with scarves, didn't know what to make of me at first. But eventually they were nodding their approval. My friend even made me go out and dance when all the men were dancing. It was not unlike family weddings at home. They all got a big kick out of some of the old crazy American dance moves. Those that didn't speak English were giving me the thumbs up sign. I'm sure for months my friend will have people coming up to him asking who was that crazy American he brought to the wedding. I got some good video tape of them dancing. Luckily I am not in any of the videos.

I also did a tour of the pyramids by camel. I had a 22-year old guide who talked me into it. It was certainly worth doing, but the one hour trip around the pyramids and sphinx was not exactly comfortable on that camel. I don't think the camel was happy about it either.

I figured it was a once in a lifetime deal and I only paid $20 for it plus the tip I gave to the guy. I got good photos and video from that as well. The guide got through gates that the other tourists can't go through by paying bribes. It was pretty funny to watch. Even more than the pyramids I really liked going by camel through the side streets of this small village that most tourists don't get to go through. That was quite interesting, but the poverty was incredible. We really do take a lot for granted.

I am staying an extra day at the hotel today and tonight since my tools to put the bike together were in the luggage that just arrived. The bike is now together and seems to be in good shape. I will head out tomorrow morning early for what will probably be only about a 30-mile ride heading south alongside the Nile river. I will head to a youth hostel to stay at for tomorrow night. It should be a fairly easy bike ride. I look forward to now getting to see some of the smaller villages and other pyramids. The pyramids are indeed awesome!

Things are going as well or even better than I could have hoped for. I feel very safe here. The only real annoyance is that everyone in the tourist areas is friendly but trying to sell you something. But, I know how to handle that. It also gives me the perspective of the tourists in Key West when everyone -- including me -- is trying to sell them something. I am very happy I made the decision to come here!

There was just a power surge here so I am going to attempt to send this e-mail to make sure I have not been cut off without knowing it.

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July 5, 2006 -- I left Cairo Three days ago on my bike. My intention was to ride through as many small villages as possible for a few hundred miles heading south.
The first day was great -- many small villages, plenty of places to get water and breaks from the heat, and a lot of curious and friendly people.

After about 70 miles on the day it was getting dark and it was quite obvious there would be no hostels or hotels to be found. I stocked up on bottled water and slipped out of a medium sized town and pulled the bike off into a corn field next to the Nile River.

I pitched my tent under a tree. It was a little closer to the road than I would have liked and the traffic didn't make for great sleeping, but it was a safe place for the night. However, at about 2 a.m. these guys in a truck stopped by to scamper up these trees and cut down the clumps of dates. They were amazing athletes. I was delirious by then and it took me awhile to figure out what the hell they were doing. They were no threat but I couldn't get back to sleep so I packed up and started pedaling by 4 a.m. I'm not a great morning person but it was much nicer riding through the desert in the dark before the real heat of the day set in.

Early in the afternoon I came upon a military checkpoint. The Egyptian soldiers were very polite to me -- even though they didn't speak much English, and they thought I was nuts.  They informed me that the local police would have to escort me through town. They did and even insisted on stopping a small truck passing by and putting my bike inside it to take me to my destination for the night.

The short version of the story is that after a night in a not so great motel (but at least it had a half-working air conditioner) the police informed me that I would need an armed escort from there on out if I were traveling by bicycle -- and most places I would have to sit in the back of the military truck with the bike and three police officers (all with automatic weapons -- not counting myself). In fact, the night before, one policeman stood at the entrance to the hotel and said if I walked to the village he would have to accompany me.

This morning I tried to sneak away from the police, but they found me after about three kilometers of blissful freedom on my bike. I informed them that I would just return back to Cairo. Traveling by armed escort is not exactly my style. Kind of ruins the point of traveling by bicycle.

Ironically, on the way across the desert from El Fayun to Cairo I had an incident in which I actually wished I had an armed escort. In America it would have been called an attempt at strong armed robbery. In Egypt is was seven guys jumping out of a van, grabbing my bike and insisting I needed to buy a mobile phone to be in that part of Egypt on my bike. It was crazy -- even more so because we were standing on a busy desert highway that resembles an American interstate.

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When one of the guys started feeling my pocket to see if I had any money I kind of figured I might be in some trouble. Somehow I managed to just keep talking with them and to get the bike wheeled over to the shoulder. I was actually much more concerned about getting hit by a car than the actual robbery attempt.

One of the guys was fairly nice and somehow convinced five of the guys to get back in the van. But the driver, and I'm sure the instigator, kept a hold of my bike with his hands on the brakes. I kept insisted that I was not going to buy a mobile phone from them. He kept insisting that I needed one. He threatened to call the police. The police being good friends of mine by now, I encouraged him to do so. He pretended to call someone.

I slowly inched the bike away from the van. After ten minutes of enduring a quasi-kidnapping, robbery/ the highest pressure salesman I have ever seen in my life, I saw an opening in traffic and quickly wheeled the bike across the highway and against the traffic. I knew the van couldn't follow me.

They sat on the shoulder and stared at me. They were still watching me from a distance and I pulled out an object that looked like a cell phone and did my own pretend call. That did the trick. They jumped in the van and sped away.

Also, they did not get any of my money. And there was no way in hell I was going to buy a cell phone from this guy or give him a cent of my money. I made that point to him quite clearly for ten minutes! It was all quite amazing. This guy was unbelievably aggressive and stubborn, but he met the west coast distributor of stubborn. The whole thing was ludicrous. I'm sure the show of sheer force and aggressiveness works quite well on 98 percent of tourists.

Once the guys got back in the van and it was me and the two guys I figured it was just a waiting game. The opening came and I took it. And that's the short version.

July 7, 2006 -- Hello from Athens, Greece. I am liking Greece much better than Egypt so far. I can actually wear shorts again! Egypt was interesting for a few days. One week was plenty! Greece is going to be much more expensive though. I would like to hang in Athens a couple more days, but I really should get on the bike and start doing some pedaling. I've only done three days of pedaling since I left Key West on June 27.

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July 10, 2006 -- Hello from Larissa, Greece. Today was 22 miles of uphill climbing (out of a total of 65)! Beautiful, but rough going. My legs are shot. A lot of climbing yesterday also, but got a ten-mile downhill stretch at the end of the day as a reward.

I had a flash from the past: an old ISU wrestling teammate, Mike Jones – nice guy who grew up in a bad neighborhood. He once told me the story of being at a party in someone's basement in a bad part of town. A guy no one seemed to know showed up and was sitting in a chair. A very big guy approached him, said he liked his ring that he was wearing and that he wanted it. Twenty-five years later, Mike Jones' words flashed in my mind during the Egypt confrontation. He said, "Once he gave him that ring he wasn't leaving there with anything."

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July 12, 2006 -- Hello from somewhere in Greece. Without the map in front of me I can't remember names. I got off the main road today again and tried riding along the coast as much as possible. I had a great day of riding along the sea yesterday and tried it again today. No such luck. I did stumble across a couple small beaches, but paid dearly climbing out of those canyons. Those were some steep grades!

But, I still really like taking my chances on the back roads. I have to get back on this National Road to get in and out of the big cities and at times it turns into an expressway with a small shoulder. It is insane bike riding -- the on and off ramps alone would take out any amateurs. And the Greeks (not all of them, but enough to keep things interesting) tend to drive on the shoulder of roads for no apparent reason. Also, in the small hotels I have managed to stumble across in my price range they don't seem to be big on shower curtains. In fact, so far I have not seen a shower curtain in any shower in this country. Believe me, I have tried, but I just don't know how they take showers without creating a flood in the bathroom.

Curtainless showers and shoulder-drivers not withstanding, I still really like Greece. It is expensive, but the people are friendly and the scenery is beautiful.

Can't think of anything else. I should be able to get to e-mail over next three days or so. Turkey might be a black hole for internet for four or five days after that.

July 13, 2006 -- Today I met a family from Canada -- father, mother, daughter, two boys -- all traveling on bikes for one month vacation. Oldest probably 14. Heading to Bulgaria. I rode with them half the day to help guide them out of the big city we both were leaving from. I was really worried for the kids on those busy highways leaving town. Like I said, those on and off ramps are not for amateurs. The father was good though at timing it and urging them all across quickly.

They didn't have a very good map -- I had three, none great. I gave them one of mine. It did have more detail than theirs had. Then I said goodbye. Very nice folks and good parents leading by example on exercise. But, sloooow. Cranked out miles and sensed a thunderstorm just in time to get underneath a roof overhang at a pub. Had to wait there two hours for storm to clear. Intense. But, afterward just enough day light -- got to a hotel tonight somewhere along the sea. Too tired to enjoy it though.

Gotta go. Three Euros per hour here. It has been one everywhere else. Slow computer doesn't allow for much of anything.

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July 16, 2006 -- Boy did I luck out that the guy at the Syrian embassy in Cairo would not give me a visa. He didn't explain -- just said I had to get it in Washington D.C. My guidebook said that The Syrian embassy in Cairo was one of the few places an American could go to directly and get a Visa with no problem by simply filling out two forms and paying them 20 bucks. Perhaps this guy knew something and was just doing me a favor.

All hell has broken loose in that Area (Israel, Lebanon, Syria). A terrorist group out of Lebanon has been shelling cities in Israel and has kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. Israel has launched a counter attack of tanks and mortars shelling civilian infrastructure and killing and injuring civilians.

I literally would have been right in the thick of it all as I would be riding through there as we speak. Syria is taking heat and their citizens have taken to the streets claiming their hatred for Israel. I found out that many Arab and Muslim people hate Americans because our government has been big supporters and allies of Israel. It is all quite complicated. There is never a good time for an American to be pedaling through Syria. (Though I was willing to try to zip through there.) But now would be a particularly bad time -- as if anytime during the Iraq war wouldn't be bad enough.

Also, one of the cities in Israel that used to have a ferry to Greece -- a city called Haifa -- is one of the Israeli cities that has been hit by rockets from the terrorist group in Lebanon. Once turned down by Syria that ferry was plan B, but turned out it was no longer running. I was really scrambling to get out of Egypt and continue some way toward Istanbul once I found out I couldn’t go through Syria. I literally had no way off the continent since my first two options were blocked and I didn't have a return airline ticket from there like most people. Luckily I eventually got a decent price on a flight to Athens.

July 17, 2006 -- Just thought someone should know I'm heading into Turkey. So far so good.

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July 18, 2006 -- I am now in Kesan, Turkey, and was thrilled to find a hotel for the night. Also shocked to find an internet cafe directly across the street. It truly is becoming a global village.

I crossed the border from Greece into Turkey yesterday. It was the longest wait at a border crossing I have ever had. I spent two hours in the hot sun waiting behind vehicles -- some of which had let their kids go to the snack bar -- and they were now needed at passport control and unavailable so everyone had to wait!!!

Then when I finally got to the booth the guy told me I had to first go to a different building and get a tourist visa, and then get back in line! I parked my bike, paid my 20 bucks, got my visa, and my bike was miraculously not stolen while I was in that office.

I then got back in line. More people not in their vehicles when needed!! I was getting close to passing out on that hot asphalt. Then there was another line behind two vehicles. It didn't seem to make sense as we had already been cleared. There were a bunch of truck drivers cutting in line with all kinds of paper work -- simply walking up to the window in front of all the vehicles.

I decided to take a chance and just rode by the two cars in front of me and no one seemed concerned. So I just kept going. Then down the road there was a third line of vehicles stretching for a half-mile. I couldn't believe it. What a bureaucratic fiasco.

Amazingly, a truck driver came to my aid and said since I was standing in the sun I should just ride past all the cars and directly to the booth. He assured me it was no problem. A truck driver buddy of his let me in in front of him and the guy at the booth took a quick look at my passport with newly affixed tourist visa, handed it back and waved me through. This was all after having to first be cleared to leave Greece from their customs and then riding over a bridge with many heavily-armed soldiers. (They were just standing on the bridge -- not escorting me as the soldiers did in Egypt.)

Once through all that, Turkey so far has proven to be a beautiful country. Miles and miles of fields of yellow sunflowers -- great scenery and decent road with little traffic. A lot of hills and climbing. And a lot of poverty. Reminds me somewhat of Egypt in that way. But more people who have cars and things -- a weird split between them. So far everyone has been nice. I think I did get slightly ripped off on my first two money transactions here -- that happens. I negotiated the hotel in US dollars. Thirty bucks with breakfast. More importantly, air conditioning. The guy wanted to charge me another ten bucks for a room with air conditioning. I said I would pay 30 bucks cash (they like American dollars). He relented and I was actually able to sleep comfortably and safely last night.

A couple more days of riding to Istanbul. Then I cross that bridge into what is considered the start of Asia and I will have my fifth continent on the bike.

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So far everyone in Turkey has been nice. It is really a beautiful  country –- but these damn hills! I am actually now in decent hill-riding  shape and they still put me away today. Two more days of riding to arrive in Istanbul. Then I cross that bridge and have Asia under my belt. Should be interesting.

July 20, 2006 -- Made it to Istanbul late in the day. I thought the traffic in Cairo was bad! Pretty much same as here with horses and carts instead of mules and camels. And same crazy bus and taxi drivers.

Hotel I booked on Expedia is good. Nothing fancy but clean and it has BBC on TV so I can keep up with world news. First English speaking channel I have had in Turkey. Nice guy working front desk. Room on first floor and let me put the bike in the room -- also a first for Turkey. Greece was just as bad. Everyone freaks out over bike.

Sorry about question marks appearing in text -- crazy Greek keyboards!! Literally driving me crazy trying to type.

Just like Cairo, everyone here is trying to sell something – carpet, cologne, hotels. I am now experienced at recognizing right away what they are up to and shutting them down fairly quickly. They all approached quite friendly and want to know where you are from. Fell for that a few times in Egypt -- thinking they were actually just being friendly and curious -- no such luck. I don't need any carpet. How much would you Pay? I don't care if it is the best carpet in the world, I don't need it and have no place to put it on the bike!

Tomorrow I cross the bridge into Asia! Man, what a long haul to get here! More as it happens...

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July 21, 2006 -- Just a quick note to let you know I made it to Asia today on my bike! Turns out I had to cross two bridges. The first one was a piece of cake. The second one everyone told me that bikes were prohibited. In fact, no one would even give me directions to get onto the bridge because they said bikes were not allowed and it was too dangerous. After pedaling all the way up here from Athens there was no way I was not riding my bike across that bridge from Europe into Asia.

I freelanced and followed along the bridge. It was hard to figure out how to get on because two expressways led to it. After pedaling up an amazingly steep grade on some small road I found a point next to the bridge where it looked possible to carry the fully loaded (really heavy) bike down a steep embankment, lift it over a guard rail and then jump on the bike and start cranking. So I did. It was not easy balancing on one foot as I lifted the bike over the guard rail. But it was the only way. I was already 15 miles and three hours into getting to, and trying to figure out how to get over that bridge.

Man I cranked. It truly was like pedaling on an expressway. But there was a little shoulder. The legal roads into Istanbul were much more dangerous. It was an adrenalin rush though -- one of the last things on my list is doing anything that might land me in a Turkish prison.

There was one armed security guard standing on the walkway of the bridge about halfway across. He turned and stared at me. I just smiled and waved and kept on cranking. Once I was halfway no one could turn me back! If I had attempted to go on the walkway he would have stopped me.

I made it. Thought I was home free, but at the end of the bridge coming down a steep hill there were toll booths! I stayed as far to the right as possible and just blew by. An alarm actually went off -- triggered by me riding through without paying. There's no way I could have stopped on that steep descent if I wanted to. I just kept going and didn't look back. Luckily no one followed.

I got off at the first exit and kept cranking. I had lunch in Asia, then bought a coca cola and a family running the store invited me to sit at their outdoor table with them in the shade. No one spoke a word of English. I showed them the map of the route I had taken from Athens. They got it and freaked out. They brought out water melon and we sat and ate it and smiled. Everything was gestures and facial expressions. They got it that I had to ride up many hills and that the wind had been bad. I took a photo of the family, thanked them and pedaled until I found a ferry back across the Bosphorous River. I figured trying to ride that bridge twice would be pushing my luck.

Somehow I got managed to get on the right ferry and then pedaled back to where I am staying. The traffic was crazy and reminded me of New York City. In fact, my experiences there really helped. You had to be aggressive with those taxi and bus drivers and let them know you were going straight ahead and no way you were stopping. If they thought there was any chance you would stop they would turn right in front of you.

But, I was in the flow of traffic -- in the zone today. It felt good using all my skills to complete a goal that was important to me -- and to live to tell about it.

Five continents and counting!!!

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July 24, 2006 -- I have actually been able to follow some of the Tour de France from the televisions in my cheap Turkish hotel rooms. That whole deal with Floyd Landis was quite amazing. I'm sure the French aren't too thrilled that another American won this year.

Tomorrow I cross the border from Turkey into Bulgaria. Turkey has been good. The guys at the gas stations (They are over-staffed.) never speak a word of English, but always invite me to sit down at a table in the shade with them. They get a kick out of the bike and my maps. Once they see the route I have taken from Athens to Istanbul they really freak out. Almost without exception they are all chain smoking the entire time. Good guys though.

In one such encounter today I was informed by gestures and miming that I will be doing my own mountain stage tomorrow when I cross into Bulgaria. The one guy tried telling me I should go 100 miles out of my way to avoid the impending mountains. Should be interesting.

I’m shot from the heat and hills today and hoping to get to bed early so I can have a full day to attack those mountains.

July 26, 2006 -- I crossed into Bulgaria successfully. Man that was a serious mountain stage! Mostly on the Turkish side. Bulgaria = horrible roads and drivers! I ended up camping on my own little stretch of beach that some German cyclist told me about. It worked out well.

July 27, 2006 -- Man, have I been riding hills, hills and more hills. Seems the whole first half of today was uphill in first gear. It was hot as hell and I was completely soaked by the time I got in the first six miles! Every time I would get to the top of a mountain, they would send me right back down to the valley. The descents are actually terrifying here in Bulgaria with the horrible drivers and huge potholes and crumbling pavement. Then it would be back up to the top to another town. It is the worst kind of riding –- just shreds your legs with all those packs. I prefer riding over a huge mountain range, then getting the nice downhill pay off for your effort and then having fairly flat for quite a few miles. No such luck here.

I'm not kidding about the drivers. They are the most impatient, reckless and immature drivers I have ever seen anywhere! They will pass five cars in a row on a two-lane road into a blind curve -- and if a car shows up from the other direction, they will flash their headlights as if to say, "I am already out here, get out of my way!" And they will proceed in the other person's lane and run them off the road. And these are all people coming from the beach! I can only imagine to and from work.

It is truly unbelievable. Meet them when they are not in their cars and the Bulgarians are friendly folks. But these guys must have just horrendous accidents just based on the near misses I have seen in just a couple days. The bad driving combined with the ancient and crumbling pavement is a lethal combination. I will be heading into Romania day after tomorrow. I don't expect the roads to be any better -- but the drivers can't possibly be worse.

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Aug. 3, 2006 -- It is 2 a.m. here and I have limited time. I didn't get a chance to get to internet yesterday and of course had a bunch of e-mails today.

Aug. 4, 2006 -- Hello from Costinesti, Romania. It is now 2 p.m. the next day here. I will try to get back on internet again today late afternoon. So far I pedaled from Athens, Greece through Turkey and Bulgaria to here. I have now pedaled more than 135,000 miles on five continents! I have some new color slides of funny road signs from Egypt and Eastern Europe. From here, I will pedal my fully loaded touring bike across the mountains of Romania to Budapest, Hungary. I will then fly from there to Chicago. With internet cafes I am almost always able to respond to e-mails within 24 hours -- even from remote Romanian villages.

Aug. 6, 2006 -- From the looks of things, I will be back in Key West in six to eight weeks. I have just taken 43 minutes at this internet cafe to get Pocketmail open to read messages. That was after spending an hour and a half trying to find an internet cafe in this city. That was after riding 70 miles on my bike against the wind all day on a bad road with a lot of traffic and people honking at me.

You have no idea how hard it is to try to get ANYTHING done on the road while riding the bike. If I can't get some stuff done for this Route 66 Tour, then I will have no option but to just head back to Key West when the Zanies shows are through. I am running out of money fast. I could have done a million things better on this. I'm not good at this part -- never have been. So, I did what I could and wasted a lot of time trying to work with the Route 66 organizations and waiting for word from Good Morning America. Neither came through with anything. I am completely stuck here! Even if I go back to Key West, I don't know if I will have enough money to get through until November.

I am having a really bad day and the internet problems just cinched it!!! I really don't know what to do. I'm in the mountains in Romania and feel more helpless than I ever have. Giving up is not usually in my nature. But without some help, I will have no choice.

I'm out of time on this computer.

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Aug. 6, 2006 -- I just paid for another 20 minutes. This place is closing then. I am on no sleep and it really was an unbelievably bad day! I could really use a positive word or two.

The other handicap I have is not having a U.S. map with me so I can't figure a route too closely when I return to the States. Frustrating doesn't begin to describe it. OK, the guy wants to close down. I am the last one on the computer.

Aug. 8, 2006 -- I think staying at my parents’ place for awhile in Ottawa, Ill., after the Zanies shows is practical. It will give me some time to see what I can develop.

I do want to try to go ahead with the Route 66 Tour if possible because I do need the miles. It really wouldn't be great going back to Key West and honestly only being able to say I did about 1,700 miles since last season.

Also, I am losing weight and getting back into great shape, which was badly needed. I really had gained an amazing amount of weight. Even though these mountains are tiring me out, I am climbing really well and powerfully. It took about three weeks to really get into that groove after all winter in flat Key West.

Two days ago I won a race between me and two 14-year old kids with a horse and wagon. I wouldn't have even passed them but they were going so slooow. I passed them going 12 mph on an uphill. They took exception to it and I immediately heard the horses hooves picking up the pace at the prodding of the kids. I felt bad for the horse, but I had to hold 18.5 mph on an uphill segment for about a mile to blow them out. That was not easy with all the packs. Luckily, it was not an extreme uphill, but it was all I could have handled. Then, the next day I started into the mountains in Romania. Not the brightest move to burn my legs out the day before that. I am still paying for it.

OK, here’s the deal. If I stay at my parents’ place, I would work on stuff for Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and California. Also, there is a time limit to start that tour. Two weeks would be pushing it getting into mid-September heading into Missouri, as it gets cold in the Ozarks and also further west.

If I have to camp more than motel, I can do that in my own country when I know the rules and can communicate. So, I would like to try!

Europe was my choice. I don't regret the experiences and picking up two more continents. No one can take that away. I spent a ridiculous amount of money.

But, for now, I think a little gap after Zanies to stall and hopefully come up with more bookings is the best plan. I am up for any Illinois or Wisconsin stuff but would also like to concentrate on further west on Route 66 stuff. Hopefully I can get some more tourist information contacts before that, and then I can step it up and do many hours a day while in Ottawa.

OK, time is up. More tomorrow if I can find another internet cafe.

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Aug. 9, 2006 -- I was writing a reply and it disappeared. Not sure if it got sent. You have no idea how much paperwork for the Route 66 Tour I have with me!

Here is the deal, I am cutting it really close on money for a lot of reasons. One of which is I am stuck with the equivalent of about $150 of Bulgarian money which no one will Exchange! I was expecting to ride along the Danube River -- some in Bulgaria some in Romania -- on the way to Budapest. I was talked out of that route by four different people who said that it was too dangerous! I take a lot of risks, but they are calculated. And when three or four unrelated people are telling you something, even if it is something you don't want to hear, you need to heed it to stay out of trouble. I will give you more details on that later. I am not destitute yet.

I still have a little Romanian money, probably enough for one or two more days, and I have $200 in U.S. cash on me, but need to save some for the $125 I think Air France is going to get me for the bike in a box on the return flight (and want in hard currency). It would be a shame to make it all the way to the airport counter in Budapest and not have enough money to get the bike home.

All of this is my own fault. However, the guidebook I have for Romania is the current one, but written a few years ago. Almost without exception, the hotels they recommended for budget stays in the towns I am traveling through have ended up literally being twice the rates quoted in the book! Not 10 percent more, not 20 percent, more -- twice the amount! And it always seems I arrive into a big city at 7 or 8 p.m., exhausted at the end of a long day of riding and need to grab the room to be in for the night somewhere. I will be paying for this trip for awhile.

I won't go into it all, but the bike cost $300 to get tuned up and properly prepared for the trip. That bike shop in Oswego was good, but expensive. The flight to Athens and bike luggage charge was also over $300. Two unexpected expenses right off the bat. Anyway, I'm the one who wanted to go to Europe!

OK, that's my story. I am looking forward to trying to get back to America -- and with my bike!

I haven't eaten yet. Luckily, for the first time I finally found a big supermarket and stocked up on great low price food. But I wanted to get to internet cafe before they close. Tonight I have a tube of mayonnaise from the store and some bread and cheese and am going to use one of the tuna packets I have been carrying across two continents. I also stocked up on water and soda for tonight at the best price I have seen in months. And, don't worry, I have quite a selection of bargain priced Romanian equivalent of little Debbie Snack Cakes!

I didn't realize that yesterday I was actually writing from Transylvania. I am now out of that region, but not the hills, and didn't see Dracula or his castle.

OK, food, and sleep call!

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Aug. 11, 2006 -- I had already gone into cutting back on housing and food mode, just in case. It was raining last night and I ended up at a guesthouse in the middle of nowhere that was half the price of recent hotel stays. It was clean and OK, but I had to pay cash, and they have you kind of captive for meals. Their menu featured nothing but expensive dinners.

I still have some emergency food supplies. But I walked a long way to get to a gas station to buy a big bottle of water, one small Coca Cola for the next morning and a bag of cheese popcorn for dinner. The popcorn filled me up, but the people running the guesthouse didn't seem too thrilled about it when I walked in with all that stuff. (The gas station didn't have any plastic bags and I couldn't hide the armload of stuff that wasn't purchased at 2 to 3 times the price at their place (if even available).

They were probably also disappointed that I had breakfast in my room consisting of my coca cola and last bag of M&M’s with peanuts.

I couldn't get to internet last night and was thrilled to find a higher balance today on the one bank account I can actually check! I cannot tell you how much of a relief that is!!! I am now confident of being able to make it through the next five days and nights with what I have to work with -- and of actually being able to get home with the bike.

Tomorrow I cross the border into Hungary. It's always a little unsettling changing countries and currency when you've finally figured out the one you are in -- but I am ready to leave Romania.

I have had only one e-mail contact with Zoltan, the former bellman at the La Concha hotel in Key West, and that was weeks ago. I don't think it looks too good for hooking up with him. That will be twice I have missed him while in his neck of the woods. What can you do?

The next couple days will be a little tough for communication as I am not sure how Hungary is going to be. So far I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of internet cafes everywhere. Perhaps Hungary will be the same.

I hope to be in Budapest on August 15. My flight to Chicago is August 17. I may have a little time there. The difficulty is I don't know where I will be staying. Possibly a hostel.

Aug. 12, 2006 -- Successfully crossed the border from Romania into Hungary on the bike in the rain today. It always seems like an accomplishment just getting through borders successfully.

Had another 14-year old kid want to race me in Romania earlier in day. He was going slow and I passed him nicely and waved. Sure enough, 20 seconds later he went flying by me. I had passed him doing 14 mph. I upped it to what seems to be the magic number -- 18 mph and smiled and waved as I moved away quickly. I knew he couldn't stay with me on that badly fitted and squeaking bike -- especially wearing those sandals. I guess at 14 he just had to pass me back. And, at 45 I still had to repass him. I had to win my last race in Eastern Europe.

The other day it was hot and I was getting delirious. I thought I heard a horse’s hooves approaching (not too uncommon in the places I have been pedaling) and I took off on the bike. Turns out it was a bus -- that was the only race I lost throughout Africa, Europe and Asia this whole summer!

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Aug. 15, 2006 -- I have made it to Budapest and am really cutting it close. I spent all day today and 20 miles of riding trying to find an empty bike box. No such luck. This is the most trouble I have ever had coming up with a box. Glad I was smart enough to arrive two days early.

I am staying at a small hotel (35 rooms) on a boat on the outskirts of Budapest. Got a great deal on it on Expedia. It’s nothing fancy, but OK. The problem is it is not right in Budapest. They said they were only three miles from the center of Budapest. I can tell you from my riding today and trying to find bike shops, that is nowhere near the case!

So, I have come all this way and probably wont get to see much of Budapest. I am inside the city limits, but that is about it. Also, really difficult getting to internet. Also very tired. I don’t know if I will be able to get to internet tomorrow.

Since 11 a.m. I have been looking for bike shops. In those last eight hours, I managed to find exactly two people who spoke any English. I expect that in the small towns. Kind of shocked for Budapest.

Man I am looking forward to getting back to a country where I can actually communicate and get some things done. Gotta head back to place I am staying before dark. It was hard enough to find in daylight.

Aug. 16,2006 -- I get in to Chicago at 3:20 p.m. Not sure how coherent I will be, but I will be at my parents’ place tomorrow night.

I finally found a bike box today. It was nothing short of miraculous! I will tell that story when I am not on the clock at an internet cafe.

I was tired, but made myself face the traffic and miles and pedaled into Budapest once I knew I had a bike box. It is a cool city and it is a shame I didn’t get to spend a little more time there. Put in 20 miles today on bike.