[bignose]

In 18 years, when I turn 50 I plan on biking from the Ukraine to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of China. Good thing I'm planning ahead right?

I'd like to try to find a cyclist living in Mongolia, that is my age that I could befrend/become a penpal and then promise to meet that person when I bike thru some day.

Thoughts on how to find this person?

 

[Pablo]

Why wait 18 years?

 

[dualpivot]

Put an ad in a Mongolian newspaper.

And yeah, why wait 18 years? That's a long way out to plan on anything. You could be dead by then.

 

[bignose]

Cause I have a 2 year old and one on the way. They gotta get out of the house before daddy screws off for a year By they they'll be almost out.

 

[RagbraiNewB]

WEND Magazine just did a piece about this, you could maybe contact the authors of it for advice (or at least read it).

 

[RagbraiNewB]

http://www.wendmag.com/magazine/402/silk-road

 

[bignose]

I thank you! crazyguyonabike also has some fantasticjournals of the place.

 

[dahut]

I take it your tastes run to unusual?

Goals that are that specific - almost 20 years out - are tough to pull off. I'm thinking that if they're doing magazine articles on the thing NOW, who knows... In 18 years the environmentalists may put the kibosh on the whole thing. After all, we can have you traipsing around one of the few pristine deserts remaining by then.

You know how them pesky environmental people are.

But, seriously, how many people can say they reached for the chance to eat stewed yak balls and ride a bicycle across BFM? It is certainly a worthy dream, if nothing else.

Plan for it, baby!

 

[bignose]

dahut : The Hippies might ban me from there, but good luck finding me in a 10 million mile dessert

I have to plan so far out for a number of reasons:
- so kids can grow up
- so I can learn some megre Russian/Chinese/Urdu [but mostly russian i've read]
- so I can toughen up When its raining/snowing out, I say to my self "If i want to do th silk road in 20 years , I have to start doing hard things now]

And yes, my tastes do run to Unusual, given the choice I'll take a 10 out of 5 on the cultureshock scale. I've eaten Jelly Fish, seahorse, alligator etc.

I'm not sure I"m looking forward to a month or 2 straight of Vodka and Mutton, but i'm sure I'll survive.

 

[dualpivot]

I tell you, no need to wait. Check out familyonbikes.com They're cycling the Pan-American Highway from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. With their two kids. Before that they toured all over N. America with a triplet bike (dad & 2 kids) and the wife on a single, both towing trailers. http://familyonbikes.org/

 

[dahut]

I tell you, no need to wait. Check out familyonbikes.com They're cycling the Pan-American Highway from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. With their two kids. Before that they toured all over N. America with a triplet bike (dad & 2 kids) and the wife on a single, both towing trailers. http://familyonbikes.org/

Unless one simply must ride across a barren steppe, hobnobbing with nomads and sleeping in yurts. In that case, it's unlikely any place BUT the backside of Mongolia will do.

Gotta admit, its got pluck....