Pensamientos

We're juggling the duties of job, parents and planning a long-distance bicycle trip. Share the adventure!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Progress!

Today I dropped off the bike and the box containing the trailer and our camping gear to Big Bang Bicycles to be shipped to Missoula. There was a tense moment when the guy who waited on me with the trailer box didn't seem to have a complete grip on what we needed. Sometimes they just box stuff and people find their own freight carrier; that seems needlessly complicated for us, since once everything is boxed, it involves wrestling it to the carrier or at least home for pickup. So, our equipment has begun the trip without us. As we packed we realized that we were packing our only helmets, which would have meant that we couldn't ride at all until we met the bike in Montana. Had we been thinking quicker, we might have packed the brand new helmets for the trip and left the almost-two-year-old ones here for spares. Oh well. I am now the owner of a new sky-blue (just a shade less feminine than mine with flowers!) helmet that is basically just like the old one. Bob's is still white and, I hope, big enough. After some minor adjustments (like adding a saddle and pedals!) I'll be able to ride my Voyageur next week. That is, if I remember how to steer. There are definitely bonuses to stoking. Next week, we'll pack our clothing. That really is the easy part. Toiletries can be a little complicated, but we just need two days worth of riding shorts and tops. Everything goes in ZipLoc bags; that way if it rains we don't have to worry about anything getting wet. Plus, it helps to keep us organized. Our cold and wet weather gear went in the trailer box along with camping and cooking stuff, helmets and water bags and bottles. The plane trip should be somewhat simple, since all we'll need to take are the set of rear panniers which we'll check, and the front and rack bags which will act as carryons. Last time, we spent a couple of days in Seattle; taking right off from Missoula will simplify this part of the trip. I'm still debating as to whether I'll take the black jersey dress. I'm not sure I'll need it at either end, and I certainly won't need it in campgrounds!

1 Comments:

At 6:17 AM, Blogger Ward said...

Hey Mag, two very different trips but very similar preparation. Terri and I have been making lists for John and Paige and my parents and anyone else that will have to take over our responsibilities while we are away. Lots of loose ends to tie up before tomorrow. I can't wait to leave. Then all you have to do is deal with whatever comes up. That's a lot easier than planning!

Have a GREAT trip! Can't wait to compare notes and share pictures.

 

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