13 days to go...

During a 57 mile practice ride yesterday (it was a perfect day to ride), I had my first flat for the season - happend right next to a bike shop in Pittsford - so they fixed it for me...;o)

Today I packed all the camping gear (tent, 2 sleeping pads, 2 sleeping bags, stove and butane bottles) and put them on my trailer (see picture) - only 24 lbs. The clothing will go in the sattle bags.

Next activity: pitch the tent to make sure everything is there and working...

Preparation Update (June 20, 2010) - 19 Days to start

Things are beginning to shape up !

I have secured a better bicycle for my brother Christoph (brand new Kona Dew Plus) road / trail hybrid bike - has two disk brakes - very sturdy - and I mounted the rack today.

Got a light weight stove to make coffee, etc. (from my kids for father's day) !

Then I split the ride around the lake into 7 riding days of 62 miles to 88 miles per day (just a start - that leaves us with 3 days for weather contingency or sight seeing). The entire round is about 550 miles. The highest point of the ride is 730 feet asl, the lowest point is 240 ft (at Lake Ontario sea level). The total ascent per day varies from 925 feet to 1234 ft (very flat ride).

The first day we plan on riding to Oswego, NY and plan on camping on the lawn of a private house (via www.warmshowers.org - which is a network of bicycle riders that offer their yards, showers, etc. to riders). Second night we probably go to a camp site in Cape Vincent, before crossing over to Kingston, Canada....

More upgrades to follow.