Day 39: Pinedale (Rest Day)

We hit up the car wash and cleaned our bikes before bringing them to the A to Z Hardware to get the chains cleaned.  Nate and I have a good system for getting both bikes done in the short 4 minutes they give you at the do-it-yourself car wash.  Then, while they were being worked on at the hardware store, we hit up The Wrangler for breakfast.  Good choice.


Afterward, we went to the outdoor shop and then to the library.  I was fortunate enough to sit next to a local guy who had his girlfriend working on his resume for him.  His email address was something along the lines of lovin_the_ladies@yahoo.com or something like that.  Good luck getting a job...


Nate's on a constant search for magazines, so he inquired at the library about their discarded magazines.  They directed us to the recycling center, and Nate jumped right in, looking for something to read.

Nate dumpster diving in search of magazines

Then we bumped into some other GDR riders, two of whom were riding Fargos, so we had to get their picture.

Other Fargonauts we met in Pinedale

T Minus Whenever It Feels Right

We leave for the Divide this Saturday this is what I think I will have in the frame bag on the large Fargo and gas tank. 
On the right is the gear for the gas tank. Alien2, Griptillian, tripod, camera in an Aloksak, a trapezoid of bubble packaging for extra padding.
The top pocket of the frame bag is much bigger than it seems. It has the tent poles for an Emerald Forest SL3, road morph pump, headlamp, Ay-Up light charger, camera charger, camera cable, small sketch book, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
The lower pocket has the cook system, an insulator that I just made, a PCT bear hanging setup, padlock and cable, and two more fuel bottles.

'Stallis to Waukesha

We had a great ride this morning from our apartment past Calhoun Road along the New Berlin Trail.  It was our first time out with our bags on and almost fully loaded.  We did about 20 miles in under two hours and had a great time riding through puddles and saying hi to the on-lookers.  I think we look rather funny cruising around on our bikes.

The Fargo feels great, especially loaded down with weight.  At one point, I told Nate that I feel like I'm riding a tank.  I have a tendency to fall off mountain bikes, so I'm especially pleased with how sturdy I feel on this one. On the way back, right before we got onto Lapham, a deer jumped onto the trail about 20 feet in front of me, and I didn't fall off in the excitement, so that was reassuring. 

Four weeks until we depart and it'll be interesting to see how much riding we get in before we hit the trail.  We'll be biking to Edgerton, WI Memorial Day weekend, and that might end up being the longest trip we take.

It's All Going to Fit...I Swear

Here's my bike with all the bags on it.  You can see that the handlebar harness bag will hold my sleeping bag and perhaps the tent.  The triangle-shaped bag is the frame bag and Nate's frame bag will hold the tent poles.  We're trying to work out how the Super Twinkie (the bag that hangs off the seat) is going to stay off my rear tire.  I think Nate and Ian, from Cory the Bike Fixer, are going to design some sort of support.  Going for a ride today--it's 66.

Woodchipper Handlebars

Here's my Fargo complete with Ay-Up lights, Woodchipper handlebars double wrapped with leather tape over gel cork tape.  Robyn has the same thing on her bike, and of course, she thinks this is overboard, but I'm sure she'll appreciate it on the ride.  We're waiting for our bags to come in from Eric from Epic Designs!