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

summer...

teachers all over are coming out of relaxed mode and making ready for students' return to classrooms. at mvrhs, building renovation is still bustling and while most rooms are painted, their floors waxed, and furniture somewhat back in place, the halls and other areas show a different story--one that might add a day or two to the opening of the building.

all that is sort of a moot point for me, i have 'redeployed' and have spent my summer readying myself for a cross-country bike adventure (well, sort of--but definitely having a good time). somehow my departure day and teacher return day match up on sept. 1st. i might even stop by the school if i pedal off a tad later than planned...

if it keeps raining out today i am going to start making piles of things to take when living on and off a bike for a couple of months, after the septic guy pumps out the tank. with any planned absence comes a 'do before you go' list. somehow i thought of digging down to the septic tank as necessary, that and maybe testing the drilled well pump which has sat fallow for a few years of plenty rain. pam added a few things that she would prefer not to have to do as well. i don't feel to much pressure--i have six days!

more to follow...ciao