Life On A B-I7

Training - Week 7 - April 13 to April 19

Plan

Notes

My weekly acupuncture treatment and strength training continued this week and will continue right up to June 1. The miles were low this week due to unseasonably cold weather and rain at inconvenient times. I’m not discouraged, in fact, I’m as excited as ever; but if I don’t crank up the miles in the coming week the first 400 miles of the tour are going to be a bitch.

Training - Week 8 - April 20 to April 26

Plan

Notes

I’m approaching the final month of preparation! A couple of things to take note of. I finally completed my first real training ride. I describe it here:

<a href=“lifeonab17.me/2026/04/2…”>Emerald City Ride</a>

This week will see additional miles (I’m making a promise to myself here, you will of course have the opportunity to judge me in a matter of just a few weeks. I probably will not finish my training with full panniers, but I’m not too worried scene my sweetheart has graciously consented to sag me the first 400 miles. I’m certainly grateful for that!

Training - Week 9 - April 27 to May 3

Plan

Notes

I’ve been working this week on gathering my gear and getting it loaded onto the bike. The first order of business was my camping set-up. I was pleased that my one-person tent is still in good shape.

I haven’t decided if I am going to go with sleeping bag or down quilt. I think there are advantages to both. I’m tabling that one for now.

This week I got in two rides of 20 miles each. I’ll up that a bit next week. I felt a bit tired after each to be perfectly honest. I am encouraged though because I still have almost a month to go before the launch date.

Yes, the “training plan” says I should be up to 45 miles in a go by now. I’m not there yet. It feels like I’m about two weeks behind in the plan. On the other hand, the plan itself was just a guess and it wasn’t based on much more than speculation. I’m going to have dedicated sag support for the first 400 miles. That is going to be a great help. In a sense, although this is certainly not the way something like this should be planned, that first week of the tour will actually be a training week of sorts.

Training - Week 10 - May 4 to May 10

Plan

Notes

I managed a 32 mile ride this week but it did not present a huge challenge in terms of climbing. I continued to work on gathering my gear ready and my bike prepped. I now have new shoes and new SPD pedals. The old ones were pretty worn out. I’m very excited despite my lack of ability to get out on the road and test my mettle. For the record, my mettle is on the order of pudding…

Training - Week 11 - May 11 to May 17

Plan

Notes

I completed another 32 mile training ride. This one included a 1-1/2 mile climb at about 6% grade. I made it just fine but I’m still not carrying a full load in the panniers.

Training - Week 12 - May 18 to May 24

Plan

Notes

This week was interrupted by a trip to California to visit family. We returned late Wednesday. I did manage to get in a good 32 miler. Training is going slowly but I am optimistic anyway.

Training - Week 13 - May 25 to May 31

Plan

Notes

This week has been intense getting the bike kit ready. I got new brakes on the bike along with two bags for the top tube. A rectangular bag for under the top tube and a small bath for the top of the top tube just behind the handlebar stem. These are going to solve a lot of small carry problems.

I got in a 25 mile ride with two friends. I’m planning to get in another good mileage ride tomorrow, Friday, then it’s off to Anacortes!

There You Go

Jeffrey Epstein wrote in 2017 to former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, “I have met some very bad people, none as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body.”

I did a bit of research on the internet and this is what I came up with:

Regarding this quote, it originated from: “The emails released by the House Oversight Committee in November 2025 as part of a massive, newly disclosed trove of documents (over 33,000 pages) from Epstein’s estate and the Department of Justice.”

If Jeffrey Epstein said Trump is a bad person, that shouldn’t leave any doubt in anyone’s mind about what sort of person Trump is.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 139

When things look dim, stop and take another look. The simple act of stopping and allowing our thoughts to seek a new perspective can often be enough to turn things around. We simply need to give our brains enough space to come up with a solution. Stop, breathe, allow the mind to work through whatever it is that has us stymied.

Internet Wisdom

There’s a lot of nonsense on the Internet. Occasionally you stumble into something that resonates with you. This is a perfect example.

“A wise man was asked, ‘What is anger?’ He gave a beautiful answer, ‘It is a punishment you give to yourself for somebody else’s mistakes.’”

I occasionally fall into this trap. When it happens, I regret it almost instantly. I try to walk away from those situations as best I can. It saddens me is when I see someone I love fall into this trap — and is unable to walk away. Instead they fall deeper and deeper into the pit of anger and keep returning to it over and over. Avoid this if you can and remember, we all fall victim to this from time to time. The key is to recognize when it is happening and do something to break the pattern.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 138

Silence is strength.

Weak people will be the last to subscribe to that idea, but that shouldn’t be surprising. Silence is a sign of intelligence. There are two types of people in the world, those that are fear based and those that are open to learning. It is a spectrum of varying degrees but the point is that everyone can be found somewhere on that scale. It’s how our brains are wired. The key to being open to learning is to listen. There is another way of looking at silence. “The more you say, the more likely you are to look foolish.” Not only that, but the more you say the more likely you are to ignore. The more likely you are to not learn something new. Silence is the guardian at the gates of learning.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 137

Stop blaming life and others and set your terms based on what is right and truthful. Stop following. Instead, choose the path that will lead to respect. Respect for yourself and respect from others.

Too Broke

“Too Broke,” by Tinsley Ellis

This is for all you Accounting Professors and Financial Advisors out there…

Wise man told me back in the day
Just can’t keep unless you give it away.
I’m too broke to worry,
Too broke to worry.
If you don’t wanna worry,
Stay broke all the time.

Give some to me and I’ll give some to you
That’s how it works and you know it’s true.
I’m too broke to worry,
Too broke to worry.
If you don’t wanna worry,
Stay broke all the time.

I seen a lotta weird stuff in my day
But I never seen a bank truck at a funeral parade.
I’m too broke to worry,
Too broke to worry.
If you don’t wanna worry,
Stay broke all the time.

Lke that came a lot you know,
You can’t get to heaven with a whole lot of dough.
I’m too broke to worry.
Too broke to worry.
If you don’t wanna worry,
Stay broke all the time.

Thank you… Here’s a tip, the best way to stay broke is to own a custom overland Tacoma… Also 5 bicycles, 2 pedal kayaks, an overland trailer, and a dual sport motorcycle…

Too Broke to Worry

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 136

Do we need the perfect surroundings before we pursue our passion, or is it good enough to just go do it and not wait until circumstances and the environment are perfect?

Do what we need or want to do and do it wherever you happen to be. The place to do your work is wherever you are. The good life can be lived anywhere.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 135

How do we respond to a turn of fate? That is a question we should all give thought to before it becomes a necessity. The purpose of life is to learn. A difficult turn of events should be viewed as an opportunity to learn. Learn within the space we are granted and accept that which we are unable to do any longer.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 134

Here’s some of the best Stoic advice I think I’ve read so far. I can get behind this. Don’t expect perfection. The keyword there is “expect.”

This morning I took apart one of my favorite framed pictures. I wanted to put a label behind the glass describing where the picture was taken and when. I accomplished that easily. After I was finished and the picture was reassembled and rehung, I noticed that the label I had placed on the mat in the lower portion of the frame wasn’t perfectly straight. At first I thought about taking it apart and placing a new label under the glass, then I realized it was good enough. Not perfect, but good enough. Would other people notice? As soon as I realized that wasn’t likely, I settled down and made the conscious decision to call my efforts satisfactory.

The bottom line: Don’t let petty annoyances distract us from what we should be doing… The world is not perfect. Do what we can to make it better, but at the same time, don’t obsess over every little thing.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 133

“We must not get so wrapped up in our work that we are immune from the reality of aging and life.”

If you are a public servant it is on you to know when to step out of the spotlight and retire. Sadly, many people in public service have no concept of this principle. I can think of many examples, I’m sure you can too. I’m also sure we are both right.

As I was writing this, my cat came and sat by my side as if to remind me what is most important, namely, taking care of those around us that need us. That extends to the responsibility held by public servants as well as us ordinary folk.

Experiences

Calm doesn’t come from controlling your experiences. Calm comes from allowing your experiences to unfold how they may.

I’ll be the first to admit this is not easy for me. I recognize the wisdom in this. I’m working on incorporating this philosophy into my consciousness. I think it would make a good mantra.

Today I will allow my experiences to unfold on their own path rather than try to bend them to my will.

Kindness

When you choose kindness you are protecting yourself. No one can take that away from you. Your path is life is what you choose it. Make it a path that is controlled by you and no one else. Make it a path that is guided by kindness.

Anger

There is too much anger in the world. We all need to take a deep breath, exhale slowly through our nose, and think about what it is we are trying to accomplish. Our anger will only make us and those around us sick.

Writing

“Writing is both a craft and an art: a practical skill that can be taught and refined, and a creative practice through which sustained effort yields insight. The formula goes something like this: We read things, we have conversations about them to unravel their many levels, then we write. In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—are torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happen. We become thinking people, mingling with complex ideas and perhaps coming up with some of our own.”

I stumbled into this piece by Jake Lundberg, a staff writer at The Atlantic. This pretty much describes what I do, for fun, here. He raises an interesting question in his piece. Will AI and Chatbots make the practice of writing irrelevant? Lundberg postulates that writing is vital to the formation of an educated mind. In my case, the writing I do is not vital to the formation of my mind, it’s more for the preservation of it. That’s another story. It does seem though that writing, for the sake of writing, is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

I’m not about to declare writing dead. I love it and it serves an essential purpose in my life. When I can’t write any longer, I’ll have someone use a chatbot for me. It shouldn’t be hard to find a volunteer to do that. That won’t be a huge ask I’m sure. For the record, I don’t use one here and never have.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 132

Real joy takes work. To dismiss the woes of the world to be cheerful is good but to feel joy, the dismissal must be done with proper intention or sadness can result. True joy takes cultivation. Living with purpose, living with excellence, living with an understanding of your duty, that is the cultivation of true joy. That is the joy that surpasses cheerfulness. The beauty of following this path is that others will see that as an inspiration.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 131

There is philosophy, and there is the practice of philosophy. Study can lead to understanding. Practice can lead to a better self. It is essential that one do both.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 130

We are advised by the Stoics to be understanding and patient with other people. The person we are dealing with may not have grown up with the same advantages that we have. The more tolerant and patient we can be, the more helpful we can be. Isn’t that our true responsibility? I admit to failing at this goal more often than I would like to admit. The goal is to keep trying. My desire for myself and for my country is to keep striving in this direction. It begins with our speech and it extends to making sure those we choose to lead us also are also striving in this direction.

Sucked in Again

I got sucked into Substack again. I know better. At some point I’m going to have to remove that app from my phone. But today was another lesson in restraint. Believe it or not, I’m getting better at restraint even though today’s events wouldn’t necessarily lead you to that conclusion… Someone wrote a long piece about Trump’s speech today on the subject of Black History Month. The gist of the piece was that Trump talked about himself instead of about Black History Month. The speech was given before an assembly of black leaders and dignitaries. Oh well, nothing new here really. What was interesting were the replies on Substack. One person in particular was critical of anyone taking exception to Trump’s behavior. That person accused anyone that did not agree with him as having “TDS.” (Trump Derangement Syndrome.) Okay, I probably qualify as deranged, deranged about a lot of things. When it comes to skiing and cycling, I’m pretty deranged, I also have a tendency to be very particular about my bourbon, probably to the point of derangement, but I think when it comes to political analysis, I’m looking through a pretty clear set of lenses. Sorry, I digress. Getting back to the subject at hand, Substack posts, I had to chime in. Against my better judgement I replied. Before I tell you what I said, take note that when I post on Substack (the very few times I have) the posts show under my name “Brad Adkins.” Most posts are written by people who use pseudonyms rather than their real names. That’s the world we live in to be sure. That said said, I replied:

I don’t wear a mask and I use my real name. I prefer to think of myself as having TDNS rather than TDS.

If you look up TDNS you won’t find any references, I made it up. So for your edification I’ll spell it out, and I mean this in the kindest possible sense. TDNS stands for “Trump Does Nothing Syndrome.” That’s a bit of an understatement, I should have said, TDNTMAGAS.