My bike and stuff...

Just a heads up before I get going with seven days of updates: my Internet connection is dreadfully slow so I'm just going to post up text for now - I'll add photos later to make things look pretty!  The first two days should already be up on Facebook.  Before I get going with 8 days of updates, here's a list of all the stuff that I brought with me.

Bike:

64cm Windsor Tourist

Front wheel swapped for a Shimano 2.4 watt dynamo hub laced to a 32 spoke wide Velocity rim

ReeCharge regulator/battery to transform (and store) the AC power from the hub into useable 5v power to charge electronics through USB cords

Rear triathlete water bottle mount for two spare bottles

30x39x53 by 11-32 gearing

Cockpit switched out for more comfy bars and Tektro brake levers with Shimano 9 speed friction bar end shifters

2 spare tubes

10 patches and rubber cement

Chain whip and cassette tool

Spare spokes and nipples

10mm combination wrench

Adjustable wrench

15mm open ended wrench

Zip ties

Roll of electrical tape

9 speed chain quick link

Chain tool

Multi-tool

Small Philips head screwdriver

Frame pump

Screw on Schrader adapter

Loctite

Clothing:

1 JL Rowing heavy duty long sleeved shirt – the warmest high-tech shirt that I own

1 long sleeve loose high-tech t-shirt

3 short sleeve t-shirts

1 pair of underwear

1 pair of nylon cargon shorts

1 pair long cotton socks

1 pair ankle cotton socks

2 pairs long wool socks

2 pairs of heavy Underarmor tights

2 pairs of bike shorts

1 pair of arm warmers

1 balaclava

1 beanie

Marmot breathable rain suit

Army coated nylon poncho

Neoprene winter and rain shoe covers

Down jacket

1 pair winter cycling gloves

1 pair thin silk gloves (can be worn underneath other gloves)

Waterproof disposable food prep gloves that can worn over cycling gloves

Sneakers

Cycling shoes

A bunch of hand and foot chemical warmers

Cooking/food

Box of Fig Newtons (courtesy of Victoria and Dave – thanks!)

Met-RX protein and meal replacement bars (courtesy of by brother and wife as well as Victoria and Dave – thanks!)

Box of powdered milk (emptied into freezer bag)

Box of oatmeal (emptied into freezer bag)

Large, 3 pound resealable bag of raisins

Bag of walnuts

Bag of almonds

Bag of pecans

Bag of coconut

Presweetened powdered drink mix packages

Vanilla extract

Small jar of peanut butter

~100 bite sized Clif Bars

A few old MREs, some eaten on the drive out to Seattle

Light weight fuel canister stove, Ti cup, pot and spork + 2 canisters of fuel (courtesy of my brother – thanks!)

Tin foil wind shield for stove

4 cycling water bottles

One water bladder with hose

Lights and Security:

Cable and padlock

U-lock

Planet Bike 1 watt dynamo light (thanks Aaron!)

2 red rear Knog Frog knockoffs

1 white front Knog Frog knockoff

1 red rear clip-on rear blinky

1 Chinese 700 lumen 18650 Li-Ion flashlight and head strap (can be woven through air vents on helmet)

Six 18650 batteries and charger

Bright LED keychain light and numerous spare batteries (also for heart rate monitor and Knogs)

Sleeping:

Kelty Aero2 two person tent (courtesy of my dad – fits one pretty comfortably with room to move around and store stuff)

-10 degree down sleeping bag – fairly large and a few pounds heavier than other options, but better safe and warm than sorry and cold! (thanks Dad!)

Inflatable Thermarest sleeping pad

Electronics

Spot Messenger (thanks Mom and Dad!)

Virgin Mobile LG101 'candybar' phone – lasts more than a week per charge and is small, light and durable

Toshiba Portege laptop – 13.3" screen, less than 4 pounds with power brick

Sandisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player with cheap earbuds

Garmin Edge 800 bicycle GPS and heart rate monitor

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 – rugged, water and drop proof 12MP, 28mm wide lens camera – not super small, but it can get banged around and get wet. 2 spare batteries and charger

Light bulb socket electrical outlet (can be screwed into a standard light bulb socket to gain two electrical outlets)

First aid/toiletries/random

Disposable razor

Toothbrush and tooth paste

Contact container, contact fluid, and spare contacts

Soap and shampoo

Bath towel

Chapstick and lotion

Deodorant

Toilet paper

Nail clippers

Water purification tablets

Mini-first aid kit

Dozens of feet of nylon parachute cord

Spare trash and freezer bags

Pocket knife

Full sized knife/trowel/saw combo tool

Scissors

Small 'athletic' backpack for my laptop and valuables if I leave my bike outside somewhere or to pick up groceries.

Two reading books

Overall, panniers and gear came to around 75 pounds. Let's say 80 with full water bottles. I didn't weight the bike but I believe it is advertised at 28 pounds so with racks and the dynamo hub around 30 pounds or so. 110 pounds in total, making for a close to 300 pound rider/bike/gear combination! So far things that I brought that I haven't used and am unsure if I would bring next time would be my U-lock, the stove and containers as well as the pot and cup (I use quart freezer bags to eat oatmeal as they don't need to be cleaned – they can be thrown away when done with). Perhaps get some heavy, waterproof walking boots and platform pedals with toe cages would prevent the need to carry both cycling shoes and walking shoes (which I have rarely used other than the drive out to Seattle). Or perhaps some sandals to be worn with thick socks? I probably only needed one short sleeve t-shirt and could have forgone the long cotton socks. The regular bath towel would probably be better to switch out with microfiber towel that is lighter, more absorbent, and quicker drying. My shoes have held up so far to the cold and rain so I'm unsure if I'll ever use the shoe covers either. I didn't need to bring all that food with me, but figured it would mean less stopping along the way and would be cheaper than purchasing it at convenience stores or pricier grocery stores. With more planning and time to research, an Android tablet of some sort with a collapsible/roll-able external keyboard would have made a better alternative to my laptop, but I didn't get enough time to figure out what I wanted and needed or how to use the Android software and download the apps that I wanted. If you could attach a keyboard to a smartphone that would be nice as well and I could have gone with a pre-paid data plan, but again, I didn't find one in time and the HTC HD2 that seemed like a capable but inexpensive smart phone would have required some time and effort porting Android over onto it. Being able to charge with the 5v USB ReeCharge dynamo system would be nice as I wouldn't have to worry about finding a 110v electrical outlet to charge my laptop battery.

What are everyone's thoughts on how I should write each day? After the fact and once I have some time to reflect on the day's activity, or should I write them each day (still to be posted whenever I have the time and an available internet connection)? It takes me less than an hour to type each day out so I should be able to get multiple days done on one battery charge and so far I've had internet and power access more frequently than that. Organizing and editing photos takes some time, but the big time suck is trying to optimize the photo layouts in Blogger. I downloaded a batch photo-resizing program that should make it easier and quicker to upload which should speed things along somewhat. Onto day one's post!