For a daily progress report use this URL.
http://markbrandtjourney.initech.net/
Thanks to Andy Kimura for making this possible
The Route:
San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL
1. San Diego, CA to Tempe, AZ (412 mi.)
2. Tempe, AZ to El Paso, TX (523.5 mi.)
3. El Paso, TX to Del Rio, TX (452 mi.)
4. Del Rio, TX to Navasota, TX (431 mi.)
5. Navasota, TX to New Roads, LA (385 mi)
6. New Roads, LA to DeFuniak Springs, FL (430.5 mi.)
7. DeFuniak Springs, FL to St. Augustine, FL (424.5 mi.)
The Bike:
It's a hand made steel frame welded by a company called Waterford in Wisconsin. Richard Schwinn owns the place and is related to the famed Schwinn family that put so many bikes on US soil.
What's amazing is how different this bike is from the Long Haul Trucker I was previously riding. It's much stiffer, lighter and responsive and it's an incredibly smooth ride with the panniers installed. I didn't know if the three month wait would be worth it but after several test runs I'm 100% satisfied with Waterford's product.
You know the saying "steel is real".
After one frigid night in Bryce Canyon National Park I'm definitely ready for warmer weather. I slept in the car but still woke up enshrouded in a thin layer of ice.
Bring on the San Diego heat!
Bring on the San Diego heat!
Many of you are unfamiliar with the rigors and hazards of camping and for this reason I attached another photo of me roughing it in San Diego. Preparation,proper equipment and a keen understanding of nature is key to survival in the wild. Alright truth be told, I stayed in a suite at the Sheraton, but did make my own coffee with French Press and camp stove.
Hitting the road in San Diego. A bunch of friends and my wife came out to see me off. Awesome!
After the first day of riding we spent the night in an RV park in Lakeside, CA.The place has a store, pool and hot tub. Once again roughing it:).
There is a creek behind our campsite with hundreds of singing frogs. A woman stopped by and said every night it's the west bank vs the east bank. What an awesome chorus to fall asleep to.
I stayed in Boulder Oaks Campground (near Pine Valley,CA) last night and the Pacific Crest Trail runs right through it. Probably explains the frequent visits by US Border Patrol in the middle of the night and helicopters buzzing the place. Don't these people know I need my rest:)
As I stated earlier life on the road is tough and this breakfast is good example of the hardship I'm enduring. A rich cup of French Roast, rosemary bread with a blueberry and peanut butter spread, California almonds, and steel cut oats with alfalfa honey. Do not attempt this in the comfort of your house!
So I made it to the US border and the wall. Now I may be missing something here but there is a significant gap right next to an airport\RV rental on the US side . Doesn't make much sense but it did make me laugh.
El Centro, California. It's hot and dry but also really beautiful out here. A lot of agriculture and not much traffic on the back roads, plus it's flat:)
Had Chile Colorado for lunch, awesome. I need to watch it or I may get fat!
Getting into the desert and it's hot and dry with very few places to get water.The border patrol made me pull into their check point and after determining that I was a US citizen I was free to go. I did ask them to fill all of my Nalgene bottles since there wasn't a gas station within 40 miles.
I Thought about camping here but reconsidered after reading this sign. I always wanted to wake up to the sound of exploding missiles:)
This is my backup water supply (4 liters) for the hot dry areas and cooking. The bike weighs a ton but many of the campgrounds don't have running water. I also have three more bottles mounted on the bike.
Adios California hello Arizona. I took this on the bridge over the Colorado River which is the boundary between the two states.
Parting shot for Thursday, March 7th Palo Verde, California. I took this from my campsite before today's ride started.
Looks like I'm going to get wet today but the tail wind this storm is providing could be incredible. However I woke up late, spent time talking to the retires at the RV park, and am currently eating lunch. It's eleven o'clock and mileage so far today is less than a mile.
I learned that there is a $1000 bingo pot every Friday night at the Quartzite town hall, so I may stick around to show these folks up.
Is it to early for cherrie pie a la mode, heck no! The best thing about riding cross country is I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want, as many times a day as I want. Scary but I've actually been loosing weight.
I've been spending a lot of nights in RV parks because they only charge cyclists ten bucks a night to camp, usually. Not only that but many of the people RVing are pretty friendly and last night a couple invited me over for dinner. Perogis (pasta filled with potatoes), wine, bread and ice cream was what Bill, Beverly and I ate.
It's definitely a lot warmer in the RV than in my tent.
I left Hope, AZ and saw this sign on the way out of town. Damn that's depressing!
Check out the size of this Saguaro. You can use the bike for scale but it's close to 30 feet tall.
A few more desert pics.
I ran into a guy from the UK touring in the same direction so we decided to spend a few days riding together. Good to have some company and hear his perspective on the world.
We rode through downtown Mesa past a baseball field with a bunch of players in Cubs uniforms. Crazy but it actually was the Cubs and I was about 50 yards from the whole team. I should have asked them to sign my bike.
This makes perfect sense, right?
Incredible place, Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction, AZ. This is where we camped for the night. Tomorrow we are heading to a nearby ghost town.
Leaving Lost Dutchman State Park. David from the UK is heading in a different direction so I'll be solo again although we talked about meeting up in Texas.
David leaving the park. It was a lot of fun hanging out with him.
Not enough excitement in your life? Tired of the same mundane television shows and household chores? Spice things up with a visit to "The Tunnel of Death". One ride through this baby and your life will never be the same.
So I rode from Apache Junction to Globe, AZ today on one of the most hellacious roads I've ever seen. No shoulder, trucks, RVs, 6 hours of uphill and to top it off "The Tunnel of Death". I literally was up against the wall in a Spider Man position every time a truck went through.
To top it off people have taken to using bicycle handlebars instead of crosses to remember the cyclists that have been killed here. Now if that doesn't inspire confidence I don't know what will. Check out the photos below.
I had an interesting day near Geronimo AZ on the Apache reservation.
First a guy started talking to me about riding and said it had always been his dream to ride across the US. Then he gave me 20 bucks and said go buy yourself lunch or something.
After that I had some fry bread at a road side stand and then an Apache guy named Jerry started talking to me outside a gas station. He said he saw me ride by twenty miles ago and wanted to give me something. He went to his truck and after a few minutes came back with an eagle feather that was decorated with beads. He said it was for strength and luck and after giving it to me he wished me a safe journey. Pretty cool!
Mining is a big in southern Arizona and New Mexico and major changes have happened with the trucks they use. This is an antiquated earth mover sitting in a modern day truck bed.
Things grow slowly out here due to lack of rain and you can really see the difference between grazed and non-grazed land.
These mini horses haven't seen a guy on a bike in decades.
Starting a big climb east of Three Way, NM on hwy. 78. The campground for the night is at the top of the pass.
It's often thought that the bicycle is a modern invention but as shown by these hieroglyphics from 100 BC that's not the case. OK it's my shadow but admit it,some of you fell for this story.....hah!
Steep going up to No Name Pass. I was racing another cyclist to the top and my training in Colorado paid off. He was nowhere in site when I reached the summit. I guess the challenge started when he said it was doubtful I'd make the10 mile climb before dark. I was thinking, we will see about that.
Goodbye Arizona, hello New Mexico. Not the best photo but hey, self portraits aren't easy.
Hey Apple how come there isn't a timer with the iPhone camera for self portraits? I'm sure there is an app for that.
Ahhhh serenity now!
Found a little gem in the desert today just south of Silver City, NM called Faywood Hot Springs. Camping and the hot springs only cost 18 bucks. Perfect place for the weary traveler.
Hey waiter can I get another beer it's to cold to get out of the water.
I stayed at Poncho Villa State Park and went to the museum in the morning.Great history lesson about what happened in the area.
Leaving Columbus, NM at 12 o'clock with hopes of making the 69 mile ride to El Paso by dark. Luckily there was a strong tail wind and a guy from the Border Patrol that was willing to take a photo. Actually the Border Patrol has been a life saver while riding through the desert as that's where I typically fill my water bottles. Yesterday they invited me into their trailer and a bunch of them were grilling me with questions about my ride.
Goodbye New Mexico hello Texas. Met up with David from the UK again and he donated the border crossing photo since I never saw a sign for Texas.
Crossing the Rio Grande or as I like to call it La Playa, since it looks like a beach in Texas. Bone dry!
Riding through downtown El Paso. This is the old part of town with some food trucks in the background. Seems to be the best part of the city.
I'm eating a lot as you can see by what's on the table but I'm definitely loosing weight. I've lost about ten pounds since the trip started.
Most people think West Texas is one of the great rural areas in America and it's all cowboys, horses and pickup trucks. Not true as you can see by the photo below.
Alright truth be told. We were riding all day and hadn't seen a town for nearly 50 miles, then we ran across a Prada store in the middle of nowhere. I think an aspiring artist is trying to make a statement.
Not a car in sight!
I woke to a strange gobbling sound and two turkeys that were strutting their stuff where we camped. I took a few photos and then the birds started following me around. When I got on the bike to leave they decided to send me off with a full frontal attack.
West Texas is impressive and the scenery here is incredible. Not only that but traffic is almost non existent which is easy to see by this pose in the middle of the main highway.
I salute another fallen rider.
David and I ran into a guy crossing the US to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Fund. His wife drives the RV and he rides the bike, which sounds like a pretty good deal.
Bridge camping 101. Find a bridge and make sure the border patrol is nowhere insight, quickly push bikes through brush and scope out the camping area, set up tents and repair all flats from walking through the cacti. Since its free,repeat whenever possible.
The Rio Grand is dry in El Paso but it has water near Del Rio, TX. One reason is that the Pecos shown in this photo replenishes it.
Drought in West Texas is a reality. Check out how low the Amistad Reservoir is.The dam forms the border between the US and Mexico.
Just had the best beef brisket in my life at this roadside BBQ. I asked the owner how long he had been making brisket and he said "since birth", then he proceeded to call me bubba. He said they call people bubba in these parts when they don't know someone's name. I need to confirm this but I'm not sure how.
I'm starting to think Texas is going to end up being my favorite state. Great State Parks, awesome scenery, roads with barely any traffic and a lot of wildlife.
We stayed at another park tonight that's incredible. It's a former fort with trails, entertainment and a huge pool fed by a natural spring. Cost to camp and swim a meager twelve bucks.
Wild turkeys and deer all over the park.
Biker nirvana in Texas. Fabulous roads with little to no traffic going through Brackettville, Camp Wood, Leakey, Hunt, Comfort, Sisterdale and Blanco. These towns are all part of the Texas Hill Country.
Drive through liquor store. I'll take a six pack of Lone Star please.
Only in Texas! For some reason I'm a little skeptical of the line that states the bull is gentle. Just make sure you aren't wearing red!
Things that make you go hmmmmm. I didn't know fighter jets and farming went together but I guess anything is possible out here.
I can see the Craig's List ad now.
For Sale to Good Home: One slightly used fighter jet, missing wings engine and gauge cluster. Experience in aerospace industry or degree in avionics not necessary, but a big plus. Also willing to trade for Ford King Ranch pick up truck as that would be more suitable to ranching in the Texas Hill Country.
More biker nirvana.
Great food in Blanco, TX at the Redbud Cafe. Lunch consisted of a Reuben, coleslaw, potato and leek soup with bacon, a coconut macaroon, oatmeal cookie and a chocolate porter to wash it all down. Again tough living on the road!
I took a four mile detour to get to a BBQ place in Buda, TX. The reviews onYelp were good and once again this app didn't disappoint. They put a new spin on BBQ by putting brisket, pork and a special sauce into a home made tortilla,and it's unbelievably awesome. Added a side of potato salad and the beennanashugapuddin. Actually I doubled up on the shugapuddin since it's Friday.
Someone once asked me if I was a foodie. I was thinking to myself, is there any other way to live? Why would I eat fast food when there are so many great family run places around the globe? It's so easy to find these gems with a little help from Yelp.
Reunited with Laura in Austin. Started what I expect to be a great weekend with dinner and a trip to a good local ice cream shop called Amy's.
Great to spend time with my wife again!
We took a side trip to San Antonio to see the Alamo and also walked along the river. Both sites were worth the 80 mile drive from Austin. Believe it or not but I still know how to drive a car:)
Texas Blue Bonnets. Spring has officially arrived.
So I'm in La Grange, TX for the night and decided to walk to town to grab something for dinner. In the process I cut across a grass field and was thinking to myself, "I wonder if I still have to worry about snakes now that I'm out of the desert"?
It was dark on the way back and I came to the same field and decided to stick to the street, since most snakes are out at night. Took a few more steps and came across one of the deadliest snakes in North America, the Coral Snake.
As a kid I used to watch a lot of nature shows and remembered there are two snakes that look similar, one is poisoness, the other isn't. To differentiate the following phrase helps. Red next to black is a friend of Jack, red next to yellow can kill a fellow.
Non venomous Milk Snake and a Coral Snake.
The snake I saw on the street. Remember the rhyme? Glad I set my tent up in the grass by the river and the batteries in my head lamp are dead........doh!
Not the best photo but if you look closely you can see a cow standing on the front porch......weird!
Getting close to Louisiana and the food is starting to change. I had fried catfish, twice baked potato, salad, and lemon cake for lunch.
Grand total eight bucks!
The scenery is starting to change in east Texas. Big pine trees and less live oaks.
I detoured from the main route to stay in the Cagle Recreation Area but unfortunately the campground was closed for repairs when I arrived. Since it was the end of the day I went around the gate and back into the woods and it was kind of erie after the sun went down. I heard a banshee\wolf\character from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre howling and woke to the sound of a large pickup truck and gun shots at 1 AM. Luckily they never saw me since I was back in the forest.
I made a video of the howling sound as proof that this wasn't just my imagination:)
A large group of classic cars were heading down the road after I left the"Campground of Death".
I stopped at the state park gate to ask if there was a good restaurant in town.The guy working there asked if I felt like eating with him and his wife as they were in the process of making breakfast.
Guess I'll treat myself to a little southern hospitality! Eggs, homemade venison sausage, and English muffins, perfect.
Parting shot with the chef who is also named Mark. That definitely explains the coolness factor.....hah.
I must have picked up a tapeworm along the way as it still looks like I'm loosing weight, or maybe my head is just getting bigger.
Howdy Looooosiana!
Well I scored big time Marryville, LA. The local museum likes to host cyclists and they provide a place to camp, showers , dinner, and breakfast, free of charge. As an added bonus the towns mayor ate with us.
Question of the evening. Is it wrong to eat four desserts at one sitting? I think not!
Now I need to get to bed so I'm up in time for breakfast!
Saw a couple funny signs near Ville Platte, LA.
Looks like the frog legs for food stamps program is up and running.
....and if you haven't heard "slabbing" and "boom boom" are both illegal in these parts.
I'm guessing but I assume "slabbing" is when you walk around town with your pants around your ankles and hat turned sideways. This is considered an integral part of the Young Gangsters of America program.
Rice production is big here and many of the flooded fields double as crayfish farms. Hundreds of floating crayfish cages dot some areas.
Mud bugs "crayfish" for sale at the local meat market. They were also selling their famed boudin "pronounced boodan" sausage, which is made from rice, pork and a host of spices. This is Cajun country!
This looked like a great place for a swim until I considered that a twelve foot gator might be lurking in the area.
I spent two nights in Chicot State Park and marveled at the scenery by day.
Less than ten percent of Louisiana's original forests remain. Hey you can never have to many strip malls and fast food restaurants, right?
I used the newly opened Audubon Bridge to cross the Mississippi and spent the night in St. Francisville, LA. The bridge has the second longest cable-stayed span in the Western Hemisphere. If you're the engineering type you might know what that means:)
It's unbelievable how much water is carried by this river. Put simply, it's huge!
The Mighty Miss, the Big Muddy, the Old Man. I think this is a line from one of the Chevy Chase Vacation movies.....an American classic.
I lucked out again while staying with a couple listed on the Warm Showers website. Basically people that want to be part of the program open their homes to cyclists.
Perry and Lep have hosted thousands in their thirteen year run. Not only did they give me a place to camp and shower but they also made dinner and breakfast, and did it all for free.
The most interesting thing is Perry designed and built the house and used reclaimed wood to decorate the interior. I have to say she did an excellent job and this place was really cool. She planed a lot of the boards and also left some with this really cool patina.
I met another rider at the Warm Showers camp site and we are riding to Gulf Shores together. He plans to head north in Florida and will finish his ride in Virginia.
Another border crossing. This is getting to easy, just kidding:)
Fond memories of Louisiana, a fried oyster po-boy with all the fixings. Damn good and yes those are grease spots on the paper wrapper.
Down south this is called health food.
No comment!
What's up Alabama?
I'm definitely nearing the cost as there are a bunch of shrimp boats in these back channels.
Finally made it to the Dauphine Island bridge after five hours of riding through the rain.
I need a hot shower and a good masseuse after today's ride. Only thing that made it bearable is it was warm during the storm.
I woke up and caught the ferry to Gulf Shores for an extended weekend with Laura and our neighbor Erin.
Technically the ferry ride isn't cheating since it's part of the Adventure Cycling route. This disclaimer will prevent people from saying I have to do the ride again to make it official.
I saw a lot of drill rigs on the ferry ride to Gulf Shores. They are drilling for natural gas and have to go to a depth of 20,00 feet to tap into the sandstone aquifer that contains it.
Old Glory standing stiffly, crimson, white and indigo. I remember that line from a Grateful Dead song and it's a perfect description for this photo.
Reunited in Mobile, AL. First stop, the local ice cream shop.
I went kayaking with LB in Alabama's intracoastal waterway and we saw a couple pods of dolphins.
Calorie loading at Hazels Buffet in Gulf Shores.
Looks like the white haired woman behind us is trying to cut in line. Ya you're busted lady, just keep your hands off my biscuits!
My final border crossing. St. Augustine and the end of this ride are nearing.
Pulled into my campsite at Big Lagoon State Park and a guy from Quebec walked up and handed me a beer. He said him and his wife are into cycling and I looked like I needed a little refreshment.
Don't mind if I do. Cheers to Canada!
Looks like this sign is fairly accurate.
Some idiot was trying to feed the gator a hot dog. She looked at me and said I know I'm not supposed to do this in the park, but oh well. I wanted to say "add some ketchup and mustard, they really go crazy for that"!
Oh ya almost forgot the beignets and southern buffet we had in Gulf Shores. Mmmm mmmmm!
The Florida Pan Handle and the Black Water River State Forrest specifically have soils with a high iron oxide content. This leads to the red color in the photo below, spectacular.
I rode into Ponce de Leon and really wanted to stay at the State Park, but they don't allow camping.
I was at the gas station thinking this is lame and a guy dressed in a rangers outfit pulls up. So I play dumb (easy for me) and ask him if he knows if I can camp at the State Park. He says no, but then I can see the gears start turning in his head (virtually that is). His voice gets quiet and he says "I'll do you a favor, but it's super secret and needs to be kept on the down low (DL)".
So he tells me he will call his ranger buddy at the park (no longer a super secret on the DL) and tell him I'll be staying in the volunteer camping section (dirt patch\ranger in training hazing area behind the ranger station).
So I ride over there and ranger number two shows me to my free campsite. I basically have the run of the entire State Park since these two seem to be the only guys working here. Not only that but there is a giant spring fed pool I can swim in.
I asked number two if there were any gators in the area and he says no. Then he changes his mind and says "I've seen three in fourteen years". He also says what I really need to worry about are snakes. That's when I say to myself "screw it" and take a walk down to the spring to practice my best belly flop off their make shift diving board.
The photos below give some background on the spring and a look at a place with a coolness factor of ten. Once again tough living on the road.
I noticed this after my swim, ooooops!
Only a really big gator would be a problem as I'm back up to my 165 pd fighting weight.
Super secret camp site (dirt patch\ranger in training hazing area).
In the morning I went hiking and took a swim before leaving Ponce de Leon State Park. For those of you that don't know old Ponce discovered Florida in the 1500's.
Cypress knees (round things sticking out of the mud).
Leaves of the Magnolia tree. One of the most primitive trees in the world.
Water gushes from an area called the Blue Hole in Blue Springs Recreation Area near Marianna, FL.
I was gazing into the spring and a couple scuba divers swam out. They said the underwater cave is navigable for miles.
Somewhere down the Suwannee River.
Stephen Foster, who wrote the famous song actually changed the spelling to Swannee because he was afraid people would mispronounce the "u".
Anyway, there is a State Park on the river and some of the flora and fauna are shown below.
Another great place!
Nearing St. Augustine I rode with Yves from Quebec. He is riding the Southern Tier to raise awareness for Parkinson's and his wife is driving the support vehicle.
Actually I first saw them in California and its crazy that we will finish in St. Augustine on the same day.
My ride finally ended on May 10th in St. Augustine, Florida and I want to thank everyone that supported me while I was on the road. It was great hearing from so many friends and your comments gave me the boost I needed to complete this 3,100 mile journey.
When plans were made to do this trip many people asked what I was riding for. I guess most people ride for a cause, cancer, Parkinson's, world hunger, ect. I chose to do this to build awareness for what I believe to be the most serious issue facing humans in the 21st century. No I'm not talking about terrorism as your more likely to die from a slip in the bathtub than from a terrorist act, but for some reason that's one of the main things discussed on the nightly news. If you really listen to the dialog on our supposed world news stations (CBS, ABC and NBC) don't you ever ask yourselves, "isn't there anything else going on in the world other than the latest shooting or natural disaster"?
As with most touring cyclists I'm passionate about the environment and a bit of a minimalist. Time on a bike gave me a different perspective on the world and taught me how important clean water and air is to a persons survival. Being self supported also taught me that so many of the things I came to depend on in every day life weren't necessary.
Frankly the level of habitat destruction and pollution I witnessed as a rode through each state was a horrifying site. Not only that but over the years I've been to nearly forty countries and the problem is much worse in many of the places I've visited. With the worlds population expected to near nine billion by the year 2050 it's critical to start thinking about these issues as future generations are going to inherit what we leave behind.
There is much talk about climate change and global warming but what I'm advocating for in this post is a common sense approach to every day life. Lets quit debating whether or not the planet is warming and take a look around as we are out and about. Do we see millions of plastic bottles and bags in our creeks, rivers and oceans? Is our air less fit to breath as we add an increasing level of pollutants to our atmosphere and cut down more of our remaining forests to build the newest group of strip malls and fast food restaurants?
Additionally we spend an enormous amount of time talking about our economy and with so many jobs moving overseas wouldn't it make sense to focus on the next great industry in the US? I'm talking about alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and bio fuels and increased energy efficiency in our appliances and vehicles. This is a massive industry waiting to be developed and I say we take advantage of it and be leaders in this area.
I believe we are at a global tipping point and when you consider the health effects human kind is going to face it should be the main thing we are addressing. Will the planet blow up if we don't do something? We all know the answer is no, but ask yourselves what your quality of life will be like in fifty years. Will our oceans be so polluted that we subsist on farm raised fish?
I pasted some interesting facts and photos from my travels below. Many people will say quit being so bleak. I say it's time we open our eyes to what is going on around us and make a difference where we can. Many things like reduced consumption benefit us in the short and long term and are really simple lifestyle changes to make.
Thanks for reading and giving some thought to this!
The U.S.
Consumer
The
United States, with less than 5 % of the global population, uses about a
quarter of the world’s fossil fuel resources—burning up nearly 25 % of the
coal, 26 % of the oil, and 27 % of the world’s natural gas.
As
of 2003, the U.S. had more private cars than licensed drivers, and
gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles were among the best-selling vehicles.
New
houses in the U.S. were 38 % bigger in 2002 than in 1975, despite having
fewer people per household on average.
Environmental Impacts of Consumption
“If the levels of consumption that...the most affluent people enjoy today were replicated across even half of the roughly 9 billion people projected to be on the planet in 2050, the impact on our water supply, air quality, forests, climate, biological diversity, and human health would be severe.”
Today’s human economies are designed with little attention to the residuals of production and consumption. Among the most visible unintended byproducts of the current economic system are environmental problems like air and water pollution and landscape degradation. Nearly all the world’s ecosystems are shrinking to make way for humans and their homes, farms, malls, and factories. WWF’s Living Planet Index, which measures the health of forests, oceans, freshwater, and other natural systems, shows a 35 percent decline in Earth’s ecological health since 1970.
This is the harbor at Halong Bay, Vietnam's World Heritage Site. The problem is just as bad throughout the bay and after stepping on a syringe on the beach I decided to stay out of the water.
Luckily the needle wasn't attached!
In route to Halong Bay. This pile of trash shown below is mostly plastic bags and bottles.
I used refillable water bottles on my entire ride across the US. Doing this over 3,100 self supported miles definitely shows that reusable bottles are a fairly easy way to cut down on what ends up in our land fills. We currently produce over 8 million plastic water bottles a day in the US.
I took the text below from a discussion I found on line. I guess I know what the most profitable business on earth is!
The Cost of Tap Water
I recently got curious as to how much tap water I was actually consuming, which led me to doing this cost comparison. I discovered that my city provides an online water usage rundown. My city water bills measure water usage in CCF’s. What is CCF? It’s a unit measurement of water that is equivalent to 100 cubic feet of water. Distilling that down to units we can all relate to:- 1 CCF = 748 gallons of water
- 748 gallons of water = 95,744 ounces of water
- 95,744 ounces = 4,787 bottles of water
- Basically, 1 CCF = 4,787 bottles of water
- What does 1 CCF cost? $2.10!
If most of what you drink is bottled water, assuming you drink 64 oz. of water per day, you’d consume a little under 3 – 20 oz. bottles of water per day. Those 3 bottles per day would cost you $3/day or $1,095 per year. That same 1,095 bottles filled with tap water would cost you $0.48 PER YEAR. Another way to look at it is that as soon as you buy your first bottle of water, you’ve already spent double what you would for an ENTIRE YEAR of tap water. Wow.
The stream that runs through downtown Bangkok. Even the locals don't drink the water here.
Bangkok stream\sess pool.
Drainage grate along the Southern Tier. Most of the grates I saw looked like this.
Clearing thousands of miles of forest for the Keystone Pipeline. The oil is destined for a port on the Gulf so it can be shipped overseas. Wouldn't it make more sense to decrease our petroleum consumption instead of continuing to look for and transport more sources of dirty fuel? This would help lead to true energy independence in the U.S.
One of the many clear cuts along the Southern Tier route.
When you aren't in a car you realize that much of the road side looks like this. Funny what you miss when you blow by at 60 mph.
Another piece of forest on the auction block. Most land I rode by either had a fence around it, a strip mall on it, or a for sale sign.
After it's cut down if it isn't turned into a parking it will probably become a pine farm. I used to think this wasn't so bad but after reading some books by Craig Childs I realized how lifeless this type of forest is compared to the original ecosystem. In his book Apocalyptic Planet Craig goes into a field of corn and gives a first hand experience of the lifeless environment he encounters. It's truly fascinating to read his book.
