Getting closer.

Ten days until we leave. My dad says to me last night, "So, I came home all excited to take mom's bike for a ride since it doesn't have all the weight that ours does, and when I walk in the door, I see that you put all of the bags on her bike with the tools in them!" After a good chuckle, he said, "So I just took them all right back off and went for a ride." He told me his average speed was 19mph instead of the 17mph of his bike and so me being curious took it out today got the same thing! And really, two miles an hour doesn't sound like a big deal at all, but it is. Oh, trust me... it is. A mile down the rode, a song came on that I couldn't help, but sway a bit to, and I was reminded real quick that a bike that is not packed down is much more responsive to your body movements. And there I was, in the middle of a nicely paved road on the verge of wiping out.

Our dining room table now acts as the landing site for alllll our equipment. We now eat standing up...:

Tent/sleeping bag test run in the basement. 

Thank god I'm not claustrophobic. 

Training

It's been interesting training in upstate. My dad and I have been researching and buying our camping equipment, getting our bikes setup. Getting all trained. We've been riding at least thirty miles after work, days off, we try and go sixty+. Since we only have a month left to train, we've been upping our mileage as much as possible. Labor day will be here in no time. So far, we have:

2 Salsa Fargo II

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 Tent

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Tent

2 Big Agnes Roxy Ann Sleeping Bags
1 Big Agnes Lost Ranger Sleeping Bag 

3 Comfort Light Mats

MSR WindBurner Stove

GravityWorks 4.0L Water Filtration System

Giro Riela Mountain Cycling Shoes

2 Pearl Izumi Bike Shorts 

3L Camelback Water Reservoir

Giro Verona Helmet & Gloves

Ka-Bar Becker Crewman Knife

Garmin Edge 810 GPS

Adventure Cycling Great Divide Map Set 

Arkel Panniers

Old Man Mountain Rack

Revolt Design Bags

Salsa Anything Cages

On my rides alone, I find myself either cursing or laughing at the terrain. The other day as I yelled at the hill coming up, how much it sucked, I look over and there walking along his fence, a nice older man, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, his hand in a jerky wave. I looked at him, apologized and kept riding and for some reason I always encounter people as I'm swearing at the wind, instead of laughing nonsensically because I finally get to ride downhill. All the past uphills just go away and you have the air pulling the water from your eyes and you wonder how steep the hill has to be before you aren't able to pedal anymore. 

That little dot on my leg is a ladybug. My main support team. He stayed there for twenty miles. 

The Bike

my bike.

dad's bike.

And so it begins. My training in the North Country starts in just over a week. After training in Tallahassee, FL, being in higher elevation will be a welcome change. I'll be meeting my new bike, a Salsa Fargo 2, with some of the gear I'll be using for the ride.