Hurricane Irene messed up all the plans

My today's flight to Warsaw has been canceled. Now, the earliest I can get there is September 7.

Provided that

• my employer will let me change my vacation dates "on the fly", and
• the air carrier will agree to change my return flight at no or reasonable cost,

I may be able to start the ride on September 11. It means less daylight and lower temperatures (not something I am very excited about).

This is the second time I am forced to reschedule the ride (the first was from early August to early September because of a work-related schedule conflict). I am very disappointed, to say the least.

Motivation... kind of...

In this scene (in Russian - see the English translation below) Baroness Jacobine von Münchhausen with her lawyer and lover, Heinrich Ramkopf, are trying to make the case that her husband, Baron von Münchhausen, is insane:

Got the bike

At last, a steel 29er hardtail mountain bike is sitting in my basement. It is a Jamis, not a megabrand, but still a fairly known one whose line of steel hardtails seems to have small, but somewhat cult-like, following. You can check the factory specs here: 2011 Jamis Dragon 29 Sport.

Right away, I had the stock Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disk brakes replaced with Avid BB7 mechanical disk brakes and the stock SRAM PG-950 11-34t cassette - with a Shimano SLX CS-HG-61 12-36t cassette (the largest 9-speed cassette there is).

Choosing the right bike

Considering a full-suspension mountain bike

Choosing the right bicycle for a long-distance ride that includes a variety of terrains and riding surfaces is hard. Being on a tight budget makes it even harder. And, since I generally tend to "agonize" about such major decisions, the fact that three months before the start I am still not sure what I am riding should not come as a surprise.

Survivor Man

The other day, I was flipping channels and ended up watching an old episode of The Office (US version).

Google Earth and Google Maps are great, but not perfect

I have absolutely no desire to bash Google Maps and Google Earth. I believe that these products have totally revolutionized the way we plan trips, and I like them a lot. Still, there are some things you need to be aware of, especially if dealing with hilly or mountainous terrain.

More on mattress vs. extreme bicycle touring

If you don't know what "mattress touring" is, read this post first.

A major attribute of "mattress touring" is staying at hotels. Do that, and you are sure to be labeled "mattressnik". I can't say that I don't care, but, I am afraid that my "love" of comfort of civilization "is stronger than pride". I also have reasons to believe that I am not unique (nobody really is), and there are others like me out there who might be interested in re-using my mountain bike route of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains, but are not ready to give up daily shower and sleeping in a real bed.

Bears in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains

A few of my friends are experienced Carpathian hikers. They always make fun of me whenever I bring up the issue of possible bear encounters since they, having hiked in the Ukrainian Carpathians a lot, have never seen a bear (only one has seen bear footprints and excrements once).

Mattress or extreme?

In Ukraine, just like in all of the former USSR, there is this notion of mattress (as opposed to extreme) touring (biking, hiking, etc.). Obviously, “extreme” is good, and “mattress” is bad (i.e. for wusses and wimps). The attitude probably stems from the fact that trekking, mountaineering, bicycle touring and similar outdoor activities in the former Soviet Union have been recognized as competitive sports. So, the more impassable your route is the more recognition you are going to receive for it.

Why the Ukrainian Carpathians?

Although located pretty much in the very center of Europe, the Ukrainian part of the Carpathian Mountains as a tourist destination is practically unknown outside Ukraine and a handful of countries it has common borders with. There are not too many guidebooks for hikers in Ukrainian, let alone in other languages (I have found one... in Polish). Maps are notoriously inaccurate since most of them are reprints of the old Soviet maps which - many believe - were made inaccurate on purpose ("to mislead the enemy" - that's the explanation I've heard). Information for mountain bikers is even scarcer. There is an EU-backed initiative to document and mark bike trails, but those are mostly one- or half-day loops and out-and-backs - not "through trails".