Bumps in the Road

So, things have gotten a bit tough since last week. But before I go into all my cycling related woes, how about the good news...

I'm officially a college graduate! Woo hoo and all that other jazz. I just graduated yesterday and the ceremony went real smooth. Not too many speakers and I've never seen a graduation call off that many names so quickly. It's nice to finally have that chapter of my life closed... not that I won't miss Cortland it's just I really won't miss Cortland much.

But, back to the biking. Two real major issues- the biggest one is my gear. I recently went to EMS last week during their huge 20% off sale and bought a ton of stuff. My tent (a nice 2 person you can see here), my sleeping bag, a sleeping bad/pillow and a tiny-ass stove. A lot of gear for ~500 dollars, which is pretty good.

Now this is just the beginnings of the gear I'll be bringing. The issue arises in how to transport everything. There are two major options for carrying gear cross country- saddlebags (called panniers) or a bike trailer. Every person I've talked to has highly recommended the panniers in that trailers have tracking issues behind the bike, and rough road/potholes don't bode well for them. So, I had decided long ego to go with the panniers and last week I had special ordered a pair of Jandd Hugo panniers a nice 200 dollar investment. So, the panniers attach to the bike by a little rack which attaches to the frame of the bicycle. Little did I know my bike is incapable of having a rack attached to it! So here I am with an expensive set of panniers I might not be able to return (special ordered) and I may be forced into playing the trailer card. We'll hopefully see tomorrow when I talk to my local bike shop here in Saratoga.

On top of that, as I began scribing my bike plot into excel for one final complete road map, I realized I have no efficient route from Spokane Washington to Yellowstone. So, now I have to remap that part of the trip. Anyway, I have my work ahead of me the next few days. I'll definitely get some pre-trip fitness assessments done for those who asked so we can compare how obese I am pre/post trip. Let me know if anyone has any ideas/thoughts!