There's probably somebody out there who knows how many armchair travelers lurk on internet travel blogs. For purposes of discussion let's assume it's 90% of the readers of travel blogs. Having fallen into the ignoble category myself, I have often wondered why I keep coming back for more. After all most bicycle touring blogs don't make for great reading unless you are really interested in whether they had oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast, or whether they found a laundromat that was open, etc.
Most of these people are remarkable endurance athletes, but poor visitors. They simply crunch miles all day long, and end the day over-accomplished in one activity (burning calories) and impoverished in all others, leaving them with little to say despite all their effort.
So why read their silly blogs? For awhile the explanation seemed to be that theirs is a true adventure, in contrast to motor-vehicle-based vacationers or RV bloggers. But that wasn't totally satisfactory.
Lately I've been on the receiving end of rudeness from motorists, while bicycling. (Nothing dangerous, though.) After all, New Mexico isn't Oregon or Colorado when it comes to bicycle friendliness. There's a delicate balancing act after minor incidents like that.
The first reaction is to salute the motorist with an extended middle finger. But 'Uses of Ugliness' is a theme that interests me currently. The motorist's behavior was not intended as an act of friendliness, but it could be turned into a helpful act, nonetheless. It's a reminder of how careful you must be, and since most motorists are polite and safe, it's easy to forget this. For me at least, it takes a major imaginative effort to do what some cyclists do: instead of anger, they react with a friendly wave and smile and say, "Thanks asshole," and they really mean it. (The motorist can't hear what you're saying.)
This is where armchair traveling comes in beneficially. Rather than be angry or discouraged by jerks on the road, I must think about the incidents that bicycle tourers suffer as they cross an entire continent, and how good they are at overcoming them. My job should be much easier.
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