My Frustration with Craigslist

So since I've been back I've been looking for a touring bike for BC, and as a secondary role, a commuter for AZ. I don't fancy using my actual road bike unless I absolutely have to (due to problems with spokes / frame breaking under a loaded weight). So I've started by looking on Craigslist. And after 3 days, I'm seriously fed up with looking on Craigslist.

I've been looking at prices between $50 - $250, and searching for 'road bike' or 'touring bike'. Now in my (albeit slightly naive) book this appears to be a pretty standard way of finding either road or touring bikes between, say, $50 and $250. However, I clearly must not understand the complexities of CL's search bar, because it appears I've been searching for overpriced filth. Honestly, the quality of results I've received back could choke a mule:

After 3 days of searching, I thought nothing could shock me anymore. Then I found the tin food, priced at $80 in the Tucson Bike section

WTF Tucson!?! Is my best option really the kids bike!?! Although, if we put a positive twist on things, it does have stabilisers meaning my mum won't worry about me falling off and it's accompanied by a neat paint job. In the picture I can't quite see the gear ratios, but I'm sure it's a barbie standard.

Please don't make me search anymore...

Did Kenya Slow me Down?

Amazingly, it looks like the answer is no!!! I just managed to get up Gates Pass and down 3 minutes quicker than I've ever done it before (1:05)!

*Cue fanfare, fireworks and God Save the Queen*

Yeah, so I'm still not fully convinced, so I better keep the training level high, especially with El Tour de Tucson in mid-November. There I'm expected to ride 109 miles. If I fail to do that, well, I'll have to admit maybe I'm not the best cyclist in the world (an unbelievable thought, I know). I'm sure I'll be talking about it more as the event nears, but for now here is a map of the course:

Oh my god: I'm going to die.

In other news I also bought a pocket knife. I'm going to use it to shank bears.

Follow arrows for optimal shanking motion

Smuggling Jam

There's this jam called Peptang here and it's really good.

"Oh Russ, it must be organic and really high in fruit %!"

Quite the opposite. And by that I mean the first ingredient is sugar, the next some man-made extra starch shit, and then finally the fruit is third. However, on a scale of 1 to 10 this stuff comes in above listening to that "I'm on a boat" song, while on a boat.

You were probably expecting a story about the Kenyan wildlife or local cultures. Nope. Instead I'm thinking how best to avoid detection when I've lined my suitcase with 15 jars of crack-jam.