Final packing in progress. Clothes go in a waterproof bag that will get strapped onto the back of the bike. Other stuff - tools, spare parts, binoculars, bird book, extra shoes, rain jacket, spare layers - stay accessible in the hard bags. Maps, camera, cell phone and charger, sunglasses, sunscreen (for my long, skinny neck!), notebook and pens, and water bottle go in the tank bag for easy access. I'll be wearing a hydration unit under my jacket.
Mowed the lawn this evening. I'll drop the doggies off at the kennel first thing tomorrow. Will stop for gas and check the air in the tires on the way out tomorrow. Oil is good and so is the fluid in the primary drive.
Tomorrow's destination: Des Moines. DM is about 5 hours ride time from home. If I can get out by 2:00, I should roll in well before it gets dark. I'll be staying with my friend Robin tomorrow evening. Thanks, Robin!
The ride into Iowa tomorrow and back out again on Friday, will be a good intro to the trip. Iowa was once probably the state with the highest percentage of land covered with prairie, but now has some of smallest percentages left. Where did it go? Under the plow. That's a story I'll hear repeated everywhere I go during the next two weeks.
I made a map of my route in Google maps, but I'm old-school enough that getting it posted here is not quite as intuitive as it would be for most second graders. If anybody wants to offer suggestions, I would gladly accept them.
Looking forward to continuing the discussion from the road!
An idea for posting your Google route map. Take a screen shot of the map and save it as a jpeg in Paint. You can also trim the picture down to make it look nice in Paint. Then upload the jpeg just like a picture. This has worked for me when trying to create quick, reproducible maps for seasonal employees.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link on imbedding google maps in to blogger: http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2009/02/how-to-easily-add-interactive-google.html
ReplyDeleteIt has worked for me in the past.
Great posts. Looking forward to some bird pics.