Long distance touring (north east Canada/US)

[SyrLinus]

I'm curious if anyone has done any solo bicycle tours (that is, no SAG vehicle). My biggest concern is, of course, food. Not wanting to lug all my food with me (while fruits and veggies could be bought along the way I'd probably bring the basics of rice, oatmeal and couscous with me).

I haven't done any tours this year but will likely do either a 700-1000 mile tour next year. Previous tours I did were as an omnivore so food wasn't an issue.

So I'm curious as to how others dealt with this and what challenges, if any, they met.

[Bios]

We (my husband and I) have done a lot of SAGged touring, but one trip across Missouri's Katy Trail was unsupported. We stayed in bed and breakfast places, so we had a chance to talk to them ahead of time about our needs and get their input on other dining options within easy cycle reach.

The thing I find most difficult is protein. I hate to sound the old 'protein' horn, because really when we're cooking for ourselves it's no issue. We do have trouble on cycling trips though. I've come to packing peanuts and energy bars. The peanuts are also good for boosting salt ... I lose a lot of salt in sweat and tend to cramp if I don't eat a lot of it on hot cycling days. I'm too much of a weight weenie to bother carrying grains; those can usually be had.

[SyrLinus]

Good advice and good reminders (I'm not a total weight weenie and I found oatmeal ok to keep :) ) But good reminder on the nuts and energy bars (although I tend to find them really dry and not tasty at all). Perhaps a baggie with soy protein powder to add to the oatmeal would be an option. ;)