Packing: Phase 1

[Adele]

Bags.
Bags inside of bags.
Bags inside of bags inside of bags.
Bags inside of bags inside of bags inside of bags.

I am not going crazy.  No, I am getting all Type A on this situation.  In my typical, everyday life, I would describe myself as, well NOT Type A.  I laugh at my friends who are (sorry if that's you, I still love you.)

But as I prepare to set off on the epic-est bicycle trip of my life thus far, I need to plan ahead.  Way ahead.  And this stuff needs to be organized.  I will need to know precisely where my dental floss and toothbrush is when we are bandit camping in the dark of some vast wilderness somewhere in Wyoming with wolves howling in the hills.  (Did you know that only about 500,000 people actually live in Wyoming? I can't wait to meet them. All of them.) I cannot get away with throwing everything into the panniers willy-nilly and hoping for the best.

And so, I have been getting cozy with my sewing machine over the past few days.  In typical Portland fashion, I am incapable of throwing anything away, and thus an old pair of rain pants has been re-purposed into:

2 tool bags
a sunglasses case
mesh toiletry bag

Furthermore, I have stitched together a small canvas cover wherein dwell my credit cards and ID (because I get embarassed every time I pull out a ziploc baggie at the grocery checkout; my regular wallet is too huge for a bike tour) and a cloth bag which I can stuff with my clothes and use as a pillow.

Tomorrow is the last day we have to pull everything together.  Whew.  Deep breath.  Drink another glass of wine, and keep packing.

Wherever you are, I hope you have a good bag by your side.  I have 20.