gearing up...

as said, it rained and i started making piles. the sleeping bags, pads, and solo tents--that red bag on a yellow stuff sack on the left--will go on top of our rear racks. my pile on the left has clothes included, while jalil's is still wanting most of that. cooking gear is in the middle and i am still toying with which stove set up to take--the msr white gas rig or the dry gas soda can one. all these decisions remind me of going down the cereal isle in the grocery store.

the main reason for this post is to try out the itouch camera uploading system.

i can handle tech, but a lot of the interfaces are new to me as i still have yet to join most social media trends. my go to 'help' is sawyer and we have talked about the relative merits of instagram, picasa, and this and that (shades of the cereal isle again).

another amazing change compared to the last time i did this--besides a doubling of my age--is the specialized bike gear i am using. i can remember sticking circuit board cutouts under my insoles in a pair of running shoes which did make them stiffer, until they cracked. my khaki shorts and cotton t-shirts seemed fine but, they are a heck of a lot heavier and not great when wet. along about minnesota, i finally bought bike gloves, a hand-saver, just much too late. comfort and safety are key, still, i try not to get too obsessive.

back to the 'to do before you go' list...

ciao