Hello friends!
Hitting the road tomorrow morning!!! One thing about the 4 day heat wave delay is that I had time to fine tune my set up. I went through every single item I carry on my bike and if it wasn't absolutely necessary I got rid of it. For example, do I really need to take a Rubik's Cube?
I mean really. I know how to solve it, so what's the point. (Actually there is a point. I do it to help me relax. Solving a cube takes my mind off of other things that maybe I need to stop thinking about. I have other ways of doing that though, so I think I'll leave the cube behind.) I did end up saving myself quite a bit of weight by leaving a few other things behind. My rolling weight is now 310 pounds. That may sound like a lot, but that includes everything. I weight 215, Hank weighs 40, and all of my gear/food for 5 days and a day of water weighs 55 pounds altogether. That's how I got to 310. Thinking about nearly 100,000 vertical feet over the entire route shaving off even a few pounds is significant. 310 pounds is actually 40 pounds lighter than 5 years ago when I rode 1,372 miles with a rolling weight of around 350 pounds. I was a few pounds heavier then. My gear was way heavier. Since then I have bought an entire ultralight backpacking set up, which I can use most of on bike tours. Titanium cooking utensils and cups. A sleep system that only totals 3 pounds for the bag, pad, and pillow. Honestly the heaviest thing I wish I could eliminate is food. If I didn't have to eat I could save so much weight! Haha! I could actually save quite a bit of weight if I was willing to eat out more, which I'll probably do more of as I go. More taco trucks and espresso stands! Yay
I hash-tagged one of my riding shirts today to help bring awareness to my charity.
I am really looking forward to getting back on the road tomorrow!
Take care everyone!
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