Sunday August 14, 2011
My goal this week was to load, ride around 60 miles, and unload. It went quite well except for a few thunderstorms which delayed me to take shelter. The loading/unloading is super easy with the Tubus racks and QL2 Ortlieb panniers. Now that I am riding during the week I am also getting used to more traffic which at times can be pretty scary. On one day I went west out on SR 520 which goes over the St. John’s River into Orange County. The truck and bus traffic is huge and requires holding on tight as they pass you. Last week I was knocked down when a huge beer truck raced by me and crossed the white shoulder line. Fortunately I was able to unclip quickly and fell on grass. My right leg was pretty torqued though.
We have about three weeks to go and the logistics of this trip is a nightmare. There is so much to get, try out, and sometimes return. Most of this is done through internet shopping. I have a huge list yet to purchase. Jocelyn has a sleeping bag that we found locally but I still need to order one. And I just thought of pillows, towels, etc. My last camping trip was around 30 years ago so this will be a pretty new experience.
I attempted to do this update on my new Samsung Galaxy pad. That didn’t go over well so I am on my laptop. I am not a real techy guy so I need some time to learn the Droid system. My problem is that I do not like to be inside unless it is storming outside. Today is a perfectly good day for some beach time but I have too much to do now and want to ride tomorrow. It sure would be a lot easier to take my 13 inch laptop but it is so heavy and the Galaxy pad will connect through Verizon.
On one of the days two guys from California passed me while heading east. They were excited to be “almost there”. They seemed to be in a hurry so we really didn’t talk. Something about leaving California in June. How exciting!
