Background

Just a bit of background/explanation for our trips...
Cook and I have both lived in the DC area all our lives- so a bit of a change seemed in order. I want to live near a velodrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velodrome so I can race track more seriously (driving 3 hours to the closest track makes it way to hard to get enough training time in). We've both vegan, and both love to bike. A lot of people inevitably believe that if your not eating animals, you can't possibly be active or even healthy. So this is a part of proving that is quite wrong.

Also coming along is our pup, Surly. She is a 2 year old Australian Cattle Dog. She was a foster dog who we adopted (from Homeward Trails www.homewardtrails.org). When she came to us, she had a torn ACL, and a broken front leg. These were old injuries, so the leg was already healed, but the ACL needed to be fixed. She had a TPLO done, http://vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm , basically her bones were cut, repositioned, and screwed to a plate so when they would heal, her knee would be stable during movement. It seems to have done its job! Its been well over a year and we have yet to tire her out. Surly is an awesome traveling dog- she can go all day, but can also be really lazy. She doesn't need a ton of exercise, but of course loves it. Also, weighing in at just 40 lbs, she can sit on my lap easily, share my sleeping bag and also not be too much of a burden as she rides in a trailer behind me.

So the pup's name is Surly as sort of a joke, she is a really friendly dog- she adores strangers and children, and has passed her CGC (Canine Good Citizenship) and Therapy Dog test - she is a member of Therapy Dog International. She can be reactive to dogs when on leash, but this is a symptom of her surgery and the inactivity that was required a month afterwards. Its also the name of a bike company... and the bikes that we'll be riding for our trips (hence the address of this blog being Surly Surly and Surly).