T minus 5 and counting...

Finally the blog is up and running...  We've got 5 days before departure from Boston, and still masses to get ready. There seems to always be one more major thing to do... and I'm pretty surprised at how much more there is to think about when you're bicycle touring vs backpacking. 

We could have kept it simpler (maybe).

Gear list is long, so we'll have to post that separately, but I'm pleased that so far our carrying weight (sans bike and us) is still in at under 20 pounds each!  All of this fits into two 13-Liter dry bags, plus some small overflow into other smaller bags. This includes all our camping gear and off-the-bike clothes and bike equipment.  Right now the count is about 18 pounds before food and water, which we'll assume we can resupply very regularly, so we can go light there as well.  

Hitting this target has taken some doing, and there will be some sacrifices on this trip, but I think we will be grateful not to be hauling more than this on our bikes, so we can take pleasure in the actual cycling part as well as the sights and stops along the way.