Today I packed all day.
I don’t think I’ve ever spent this much time packing for anything. The constraint of the 44L pack really forces a lot of decision making and compromise.
I ended up needing to use my small daypack to hold my thermal and windbreaker for my jacket. But I like this setup since those will now be easier to access on the road.
I also had to find some new ways to pack things smaller. I found out that those “mio” water flavoring thingies make for great small squirt bottles. I used one for chain lube and one for olive oil … let’s hope I labeled them correctly. This is the kind of spatial penny pinching that isn’t as necessary when traveling via car or even a better-equipped bike.
I also ended up purchasing a “Nemo Tensor Elite” sleeping pad at REI, as I could not find my old sleeping pad for the life of me. It was painful to see $220 drain from the fund, but I think this will make for a good summer pad for years to come. Also it’s elite so I think I’m in good hands here.
Many other choices were made today but I’ll spare you the details and me the typing. In short it’s become more clear that the romantic idea of hopping on the bike and hitting the road is great, but practically speaking there is a lot of preparation to make it all work. Hopefully it will have been worth it when I get out there, and even still I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.
Tomorrow I’ll be on my way to the Olympic peninsula to enjoy whatever sights be seen. It’s been very go-go-go today, so I hope I can take it easy on the road for my first day and settle into the meandering. It would be a tragedy to let this turn into another box checking activity.
There’s a possibility I won’t have data where I camp tomorrow. If so, I’ll post an update on Saturday. Stay tuned.