Andrea's massive rack and my dirty laundry.

We are going to carry a lot of stuff on this trip, there is no way around it. Our bikes will have front and rear racks to accomodate all of the gear. Andrea opted for the Surly Nice Rack which is the 18-wheeler of touring racks. It is made of tubular steel and has a capacity of 70 lbs! It took me almost a half hour to install it because there are a lot of small peices, but now that it is together it looks quite bullet-proof.



Also this week, I recieved my first shipment from Smart Wool. I intend to wear mostly wool clothing on the ride, because it is very breathable and does not get stinky. To test this, I decided to wear the same t-shirt for 3 days straight. Smart Wool t-shirts cost $60 each, which even with my employee discount, is a big chunk of change. It will be worth it to carry a minimal amount of clothing and avoid doing laundry on a regular basis. I have been riding to work every day, went to a dance party last night, and slept in the shirt as well. This morning I asked Andrea to smell the shirt and tell me what she thought.

"It smells like you," she said.

"But does it smell nasty?" I asked

"No"

"Good, because I've been wearing it the past three days!"

So there you have it. I'm gonna buy a couple more of these and be set for the year. I also got some great Smart Wool cycling socks, the tall ones that they reccomend for "riding through a bog".