About a year ago I received a letter stating I had purchased some Castelberry CattleDrive Chili at Costco that may have had botulin toxin in it.   Shortly before receiving this letter I had a migraine headache with bright spots in my field of vision.  This only happens when I get sick or if I eat something bad.  Well turns out after I recovered in a day there were no further flu like symptoms.

I wrote them a letter asking them to compensate me.  I did this more probably to inform them than I did in expectation of actually getting any money.

Now a year later I thought it was a one time deal.  I figured that they would have their ship in shape.  The price of the chili is about a buck a can so its hard to ignore.  Its not such a good deal when you factor in the botulin toxin.   Shortly after eating this chili again I got a repeat of last years symtoms.

Thus I council staying away from the CattleDrive Chili.  My opinion is there is something amiss!

An article on the 2007 incident where it details how some people were severely affected.

I am a single man and I eat like it.  I need easy to make recipes.  This one is fantastic especially after a run.

• Measure out frozen fruit berry meddly into a tall glass - about 1.5 cups worth
• Draw an amount of water on top of the fruit till the level is a little above the fruit - let this sit while you are grabbing a container of yogurt out of the fridge
• Add a single portion container of fruit flavored yogurt to your blender - my fav is blueberry
• pour the water / fruit into the blender
• Add a banana if you want - ( try it both ways ! )

Whip up the mixture as little as possible.  The seeds in the raspberries get broken you’ll have a seedy concoction.  I blend it very little and use minimum speed settings.

Just had one of these after a 2.5 mile run while I am sitting breathing oxygen from my oxygen concentrator.  Oooh baby.  This is good.

BTW: You will find that your bowel movements the next day are more healthy.  I know TMI but its true.

Hat Tip to Eric who turned me on to the recipe.

I had a rash a few years ago called pityriasis rosea.  It burns and itches at the same time and it lasts for 3 monthes! Ooh joy.   Its a viral bug and I ended up asking a friend that had herpes if I could try one of their valtrex ( aciclovir ) pills.  Sure enough it really improved the rash and best of all improved the burning itching feeling!   

So I went to the doctor and got a script for aciclovir.   I used it minimally because I knew the sooner my system beat this rash the sooner it was out for good. 

Since then I have found that aciclovir can really lesson the effects of the common cold or flu.  When I have felt a flu or cold coming on I simply pop a half a pill.  It delays the full onset of symtoms by about 2 days.  In those two days my immune system is learning the virus.  Thus what happens is the cold never gets really bad.   Since my system already "knows" the virus before it reproduces alot it never has a chance to get out of hand and cause alot of discomfort.

Turns out Aciclovir is a broad spectrum antiviral in the same sense that penicillin is a broad spectrum antibiotic.  It is one of the 3 antiviral drugs used in the 3 drug cocktail used against aids so thus one could have deduced this property.

I have noticed the commercials on television for valtrex they suggest that if a person with herpes takes valtrex they can lower the odds of their sex partner without herpes from catching it.  The part that I find strange is that they do recommend that the person without herpes take valtrex.  I think its probably a good idea.   Maybe they are not allowed to say it.  Maybe they do not want to be seen recommending people take a prescription drug whilst currently not having herpes.  It seems dumb though.  If I dated a girl with herpes I would be taking valtrex to avoid infection. 

     This is the oxygen concentrator I bought

I get headaches fairly mainly due to having allergies.  In the past I have heard about the immediate effects of concentrated oxygen on headaches and want to try it as a remedy.  This is where I will keep notes on my research.

1. First step is to just try some oxygen when I have a headache: http://www.o2zonearomatherapy.com/contact.php
2. If #1 is promising I’ll try to get an oxygen concentrator:   http://www.specialtymedicalsupply.com/cart.php
3. I will study the effects of the oxygen on attention span while programming.
4. Effect on sleep

 Reference material

How an oxygen concentrator works  -  uses zeolite and is nonhazardous. Produces about 90% oxygen.

Craigslist

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/hsh/876190997.html 

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/for/875365989.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/for/874193892.html   –unit details: http://www.home-med-equip.com/oxygen-concentrator/irc5xl.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/for/868705124.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/for/867368896.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/for/866187230.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/hsh/847280406.html  — bought this one

 Results

• Definitely gets rid of headaches
• helped with neck stiffness caused by tension headache
• resting heart rate = 42. Normally without concentrated oxygen 50 is my resting rate.
• My daily runs are easier and faster.  Blood pressure seems better.
• Memory tests are proving out that memory function is more rapid
• Much better attention span while coding.  Much less likely to distract into an internet browsing frenzy avoiding work
• In the past while staying in Phoenix I have found that I wake up with a headache 50% of the time.  I have had the concentrator 2 weeks now and no headaches
• Lessons my allergy problems in general.  Cuticles about my fingernails are in much better condition as they are much less irritated.

Assorted Notes:

• This is a definite add to your collection of useful household devices.
• Do not smoke while using.  Pure oxygen can make the usually flame resistant materials burn bright and fast.  I found out while testing with a pipe.  The flame lept from the pipe to the exit holes of the plastic tubing which then proceded to burn like rocket fuel.
• Some people are using these machines to make small welding torches with this supplying the oxygen. No need to get oxygen bottles!

My Darth Vader black helmet is on the way!  Get one.  Join the power of the darkside.

The most effective coding regime I have found is to program in the starting in the morning up through about 1pm in the afternoon.  After that I drink 1/2 cup of red wine and start drinking water to thin my blood in preparation for a 3 mile run.

I have done memory tests before and during the run.  I find myself better able to remember obscure memories of the far past after exercise.

One of the reasons for this may be the brain, just like muscles, works harder during strenuous exercise and is fueled by lactate, rather than glucose.   You can read more about the brain using lactate in this article.

I just went to a dermatologist for a small area on my face I suspected to be a pre-cancer.  He mentioned that people experience more sun damage on the left due to that sides proximity to the drivers side door window and the resultant increased exposure to the sun.   So maybe you even need to where sunblock when you drive your car.

I run everyday lately because I wanted to lose some weight and lower my blood pressure.  The easiest way to keep blood pressure down and make the run more easy is to drink 1/3 of a cup of red wine before my jog. Here is the sequence:

• drink 1/3 cup of wine to thin blood and dialate capillairys about 45 minutes before running
• Continuously drink water during the subsequent 45 minutes. This also thins blood. 
• Run 2.5 miles
• do the run in the mid to late afternoon.  I do not wait till evening or I will have trouble sleeping
• The wine will help you your muscles be more loose from the beginning. Warm up time shortened.
• If you want to goose things up a bit you can start your day drinking water then 1/2 cup of coffee - only a little as coffee drys you out pretty badly - green tea is better.

Now you may think this is just another dumb health tip but its not.  There is something in the red wine that makes you lose fat much MUCH more effectively.  I have tried loosing weight running 6 miles without the wine and lose very little and very slowly.  Whereas when I use the wine its much easier.

I am 47 years old and was seeing 130 / 80 blood pressure with resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute before starting running again.  This is not a good set of numbers for me.  After 2 months of wine and training its 120 / 53 with 47 beats per minute.

The last time I did this was when I was 38.  I was combining it with lifting weights and it was highly effective.  The photo below is from 1999 when I was 38.   I do not know what is in red wine that makes it so effective in increasing health and fitness but whatever it is it works for me.   I wish I would have known about this from day 1 of life as I believe it probably extends life just as some scientific reports are finding.  It may be as little as helping people just stay fit. 

Red wine definitely slightly supresses my appetite. 

My father was a large person.  He had man boobs and 4 nipples.   The second set was attenuated but obvious and in the same location below the normal set in the same location a dog has their second.    It was when I saw him with his shirt off I would say to myself  "thank god I look like my mother’s side of the family"

Please refer to: http://www.amarketplaceofideas.com/dermatome-chart-map-of-humans-makes-more-sense-when-human-viewed-on-all-fours.htm

BikerTony included what appears to be a comprehensive of his biking equipment on his now defunct website. I am recreating it here now because I may want to use it in the future. Others may also.

The list is only approximate since I did not write all the details down when I started this trip.

The Ride

The bike was custom build by my friend in Vancouver

1. Titanium frame by Airborne (not sure which model)

2. Marzocchi 2001 Z2 Atom Race front fork

3. Sram X.O. shifters and derailers

4. Thompson stem

5. Rockshox suspension seat post (not sure which model)

6. Race Face crank and bottom bracket (not sure which model)

7. LP carbon fiber handle bar (not sure which model)

8. Selle Italia Gel Saddle (not sure which model)

9. Azonic rims with Shimano XT hubs

10. Sram cassette and chain (not sure which model)

11. Chris King NoThreadSet

12. Shimano PD M324 pedals

13. Shimano XT V brakes

14. Avocet Cross 2 semi slicks size 1.9

15. Axiom Odyssee Tubular Alloy Rear Rack

16. Delta shock treatment low rider front rack

17. 2 generic water bottle cages and water bottles

18. 2 Mr. Tuffy tire liners

The Luggage

1. 2 Ortlieb Back Roller Classic for the rear

2. 2 Ortlieb Back Roller Classic for the front

3. Ortlieb Ultimate 3 Classic handle bar bag

4. MEC Bag of Fundy Dry Bag

Tools and Spares

1. Topeak Alien multi tool
2. Quick release headlight
3. Blackburn mini pump
4. Phil Wood grease tube
5. Bicycle tube patch kit
6. Wheel truing tool
7. Bottom bracket tool (just the socket)
8. Cassette tool (just the socket)
9. Leatherman Squirt mini tool
10. Assortments of nuts and bolts
11. Various different sizes of Allen keys
12. Locktight liquid
13. Screw driver
14. Different sizes of cable ties
15. Duct Tape
16. Spare brake and shifter cables
17. Spare brake pads
18. Spare set of Off-Road tires (Panaracer Mach SS and SK size 1.95 for the rough roads)
19. 2 spare tube with extra long Schrader valve

Camping Stuff

1. Marmot Nutshell tent
2. Therm-A-Rest Ultralite regular sleeping pad
3. MSR Whisperlite International stove
4. Katadyn Mini water filter
5. Evernew titanium 1 liter pot
6. Western Mountaineering Apache Super Dry Loft sleeping bag
7. Integral silk sleeping bag liner
8. MSR Dromedary bag 6 liter

Clothing

1. Patagonia Stretch Element jacket
2. Patagonia Stretch Element pants
3. Patagonia R1 Flash pullover
4. Patagonia Dragonfly jacket
5. Patagonia Capilene mid weight long johns
6. Patagonia Capilene mid weight long sleeves
7. Marmot Windshirt
8. Sierra Design quick dry wind proof pants
9. 2 Patagonia quick dry t-shirts
10. 2 Nike quick dry tank tops
11. 2 pair of Sugoi athletic shorts
12. 5 pair of cheap underwear
13. 4 pairs of DeFeet cycling socks
14. Rocky Mountain Gore-Tex socks
15. Ocean Research lobster style light Gore-Tex gloves
16. MEC lobster style insulated waterproof gloves
17. Teva sandals
18. Sidi Dominator 4 Mega cycling shoes
19. Pair of shoes I bought at MEC that I can’t remember

My Camera

1. Canon S-400 with 1 Gig memory card

Food

1. Breakfast: 1 melon or papaya…etc, 2 banana, 2 apple and a large sandwich

2. 8-10 am snack: 1-2 bananas, 1-2 apples and a sandwich

3. Lunch: All-You-Can-Eat buffet if I can find one, normally that is the best meal of the day in Brazil. If not, same as the morning snack.

4. Supper: Steaks in Argentina if I could withstood my hunger till after 8.00 pm. Lots of ice cream in Argentina.

5. On average I consumed the following per day

6. 4-5 bananas per day

7. 4-5 apples per day

8. 2 full 1 liter water bottles and what ever juice, pop, etc…. I can find along the way.

9. 2 large sandwich, steaks, buffet or what ever I could buy

10. Mix dry fruits and nuts

11. I usually stop for 1 big meal at a restaurant once a day

Luxury Item

1. Garmin Gecko 201 GPS

2. Suunto Observer Multi Function Wrist Watch

Stuff That Doesn’t Work

1. Marzocchi 2001 Atom Race Fork → I really had no choice in this matter. I was running out of time in Vancouver. I needed something quick. It was the easiest fork to service of all the forks I was looking at. Vancouver is not the place to look for touring equipment for your bike. The main problem with this fork is that the front end shakes very bad with front panniers and handle bar bag. At the beginning of this trip, I was actually quite scare a few times. The front wheel started to shake when you are cruising down the hill at 65km/hr with a fully loaded bike just doesn’t appeal to me that much. I know it has to be the fork because I had the same panniers mounted on a Cannondale with Headshok. And there were very little shake then. The major caused of this problem has to be the 80mm of travel on the Atom Race. Together with front panniers and handle bar bag, it makes a very unstable situation. I know that the Atom Race was not design for this. But Marzocchi has the reputation of making the stiffest fork on the market. So I am quite disappointed. But I have gotten used to it now. I had to re-learn how to pedal when I am out of the saddle. How to hold the handle bar when going down hill on rough and paved road. But I will not be changing this fork anytime soon because it does have some redeeming quality for my needs. I put over 14000 km on this fork already. I had not done any service on it at all. But it still rides as smooth as when I started. I will live with this until it dies, then I would switch over to something around 40mm of travel with either elastomer or oil bath with spring.

2. Azonic rims with Shimano XT hubs. These were the deep aerodynamic rims which needed extra long Schrader valve tubes. The rims and hubs were given to me free of charge, so it was a good deal. I had many punctures that I never written down as stats that I thought was caused by the rim, but the real caused was the cheap rim liner. So I had to give some points back to the Azonic rims. But the thing that really pissed me off was that because I needed these special extra long valve tubes and I cannot find them anywhere in South America. I had to keep using the same tube which I had from the beginning of this trip. And some of the tubes had over 20 patches on them. I could get new ones if I stayed and wait for it to be special order. But I didn’t want to wait. Anyway, my front hub lasted 7791 km. The front axle inside the hub was shear in half. I guess all the shaking from my front fork put a lot more extra pressure on the hubs. But still these Shimano XT hubs should be tougher than that. So I bought a new wheel since the rim was always pissing me off. The rear rim lasted about 8630.5 km. It started to split a the point where the rim are join together.

3. Axiom Odyssee Tubular Alloy Rear Rack. It was cheap and it looked semi tough. So I bought it. But the rack felt apart around 12000 km. This wasn’t my first choice, so I wasn’t too surprised that it bit the dust.

4. Nelles Maps. I had the Andes and Argentina maps from Nelles. If my life were depended on them, I would be dead right now. Most of the distances were wrong. Cities that existed on these maps doesn’t exist in real life. Major roads that were in service for more than 4 years doesn’t show up. The reference system was a joke. They list primary highway, secondary highway, etc…..But with this map, the little local highway could be this nice smooth paved road and the primary highway could be this gravel super rough road that stretches for the next 4000 km. Not very useful at all for planning how far I want to go. The list goes on and on. I will never buy these maps again.

5. Shimano XT V-Brakes. They lasted for about 14000 km. I thought that they should last longer as I do not use the brake that much as a tourer.

6. Patagonia Stretch Element Jacket. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the products from this company. But this jacket just didn’t live up to expectation. The first real downpour that I was in. I got soaked and wet in about 4 hours. I have the Stretch Element Pants and they kept me dry. I email Patagonia about the problem and they reply with a bunch of bullshit about how I was supposed to layer and crap like that. Or they were not design for what I was doing. And they try to explain to me like a child how the upper body sweats more than the lower. Come on please, I wasn’t born yesterday. If the jacket wasn’t design for what I was doing then what was it design for!! I am a bike tourer, which means I pace myself for 6-10 hour ride everyday. I do not go all out and sweat like a pig. If this thing couldn’t keep me dry in the rain in the Patagonia, then it’s crap in my book.

7. Suunto Observer Watch. These are very good watches except for one thing. These watches stinks up the whole household if you wear them in the sun all day. Which made these watches ineffective because I didn’t want to wear them and have them stinking up my hands.

8. Topeak Alien Multi Tool. It is a good tool for emergency. But it is useless if you want to do some serious work. I will be getting rid of it and going back to my old way of loose Allen keys, separate chain tool, etc……..

9. Sram X.O. Shifter. This is a great shifter except that they are just crapped in the rain without the proper gloves. I had problem finding quality bike gloves in South America. And I had so much problem shifting when riding in the rain.

10. Teva Sandals. These sandals were very comfortable. But the big problem was that they stink like there was no tomorrow. Forget about the anti-stinking material that they use. It doesn’t work, it starts stinking after about 3 weeks of usage. I bought cheapo sandals from Peru that still doesn’t stink after 6 months of use.

Stuff That Works

1. Chris King NoThreadSet. This thing cost arm and a leg, but they are well worth it. Definitely money well spent. One of those rare buy and forget item. It just works and never needs to be service. Well, not at 14000 km anyway. I will probably send it back to Chris King for an overhaul after Africa. I have all the confidence in the world that it will last that much longer.

2. Thompson Stem. Not the most expensive stem out there. You put it on and the handle bar doesn’t spin. Enough said. Plus it looks so pretty.

3. Rockshox suspension seat post. I think this was a bargain. I originally wanted the more expensive USE seat post. But this has proven to be more than adequate. Still working perfectly after 14000 km without any service.

4. Avocet Cross 2 SL semi slicks. I love these tires. I used the 1.9 size because it can handle more weight and better handling in rougher roads. I only had 5 flats through the tire. All the other who knows how many flats were all caused by the rim. These tires were rated at 80 psi, but I always had them running at 90 psi without any problems. They are foldable for easy storage. They corner great going down all the suicide turns on the roads of Chile. They are acceptable in a downpour. The only complaint I have is that they still sucked on gravel/dirt roads. But then again, I don’t think they were ever design for that.

5. Airborne Titanium Frame. I am not sure what model it is. I bought it at Ebay for about $600.00 U.S.(I think??), which is a very reasonable price for a titanium frame. And so far, I had no problem what so ever related to the frame. I guess I had to get run over by a truck to find out how tough this frame really is!

6. Delta Shock Treatment Low Rider Front Rack. I didn’t think much of this rack when I bought it. There weren’t that many front racks out there that suits my needs. But after 14000 km, I have new found respect for this rack. I had put extra C-clamps for reinforcement for my own peace of mind. But maybe that was not necessary. It is still going strong at the moment. But I will buy a replacement for me as I can never trust aluminum.

7. Marmot Nutshell Tent. This tent was quick to pitch and freestanding. It withstood a fierce rain and wind storm in the Patagonia. What more can I ask for.

8. Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers And Ultimate 3 Classic Handle Bar Bag. My older Back Roller Classic was not made as well as my new ones. The 2 bolts at either end of the Pannier broke on both panniers. This was caused by the weak construction method of using rivets. I email Ortlieb about the problem, and they wanted to send me a new bolt kit. That was just too much trouble for me, I could replace them myself with screws in about 5 minutes. But the new ones uses screws, so I don’t expect anything to go wrong with those. Otherwise, these are the best panniers that I had ever used. My clothes are always dry and these bags are as tough as nail.

9. Western Mountaineering Apache Super Dry Loft Sleeping Bag. This bag is compact, warm, easy maintenance, and semi-waterproof.

My Wish List

1. Phil Wood hubs with Mavic Rims

Using the internet wayback machine I managed to find more material. Click here to search the Internet WayBack Machine for BikerTony Stuff. The results: Mar 22, 2004 * Apr 07, 2004 Apr 07, 2004 * May 26, 2004 * Jun 05, 2004 * Jun 08, 2004 Jun 14, 2004 Jul 25, 2004 * Jul 28, 2004 Aug 28, 2004 * Sep 02, 2004 * Sep 25, 2004 * Sep 28, 2004 * Oct 09, 2004 * Dec 03, 2004 * Dec 14, 2004 * Jan 23, 2005 Feb 03, 2005 * Feb 06, 2005 Feb 11, 2005 Mar 07, 2005 * Apr 05, 2005 May 29, 2005 May 31, 2005 Jun 11, 2005 Aug 09, 2005 Oct 01, 2005 * Jan 16, 2006 * Feb 07, 2006 Mar 30, 2006 Jun 26, 2006 * Aug 03, 2006 * Aug 27, 2006 * Oct 04, 2006 * Nov 09, 2006 * Nov 16, 2006 Dec 05, 2006 * Dec 05, 2006 * Mar 11, 2007 Apr 06, 2007 Alot of really good photos. I have always wanted to do a ride like this.