Friday, March 15, 2013

Bicycle trip, planning stage

Carol sez:

This blog is to document our upcoming 3800 mile cross-USA bike trip, Netarts, OR to Bar Harbor, ME, June 25, 2013- late September or early October, 2013. Central characters include Carol, her husband Perry, her twin sister Margaret. These three may prove to be the chief authors of this blog. Also attending will be cousin Bruce (aka chief instigator), Bruce's wife Sue, their daughter Ellie, their friends Mark and Dee Dee who we have met, and Rob who we will meet.

Here is some background for the plan: My Mom was one of 6 siblings, thus I was blessed with many excellent cousins, about 22 last time I checked. One of them, who exemplifies excellence in cousins, has previously included us in Grand Adventures. Examples of GA's we have joined: wilderness backpacking at 10,000 ft. elevation, and at least two multiple-day bike trips. These may be tame by his standards, but have consistently proven fun for us. For some reason, though we dream about self-powered adventures vicariously by reading about them, we don't often make a plan and execute it. Plan-to-execution is something Bruce has practiced many times. When he "popped the question" sometime last summer proposing a cross-country bike trip, it didn't take long for us to say "yes!"

Thus, here we are, making lists and crossing off duties of preparation. Among the crossed-off items:
Get passports (necessitated by an excursion into Canada)
Get bikes tuned up
Get bike gear such as racks, panniers, handlebar bags, shoes
Get tent, make quilt
Get rid of job (notice given, two weeks left, woo hoo!)
I've done a trial packing job with an estimated 90% of gear on bike, and made it around the block.
Get bike fit advice from Physical Therapist.

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