Okay, I mounted a new handlebar bag. I took one of those nylon padded lunch bags that come with a hard plastic tub inside, drilled holes in the backside, used a thin metal plate to catch the screw heads inside. On the outside I mounted a couple of bent wire hooks to grab the handlebars, and held them in place with big flat washers and lock-nuts. If I hadn't punched holes in this thing, it would have wound up in the trash anyway, because nobody wanted it.
Iain is supposed to be working on a front rack, if he can make any sense out what I sent him, and if he can make the materials he has fit what I requested.
I got my cheap solo tent out and inspected it. Then I walked through a set-up in the living room. The instructions were about half useless, leaving out critical details, which is typical of Chinese made stuff that, if made in America, no one could afford it. At any rate, I can now probably set it up out at a campsite. A couple more times and I could do it in the dark.
My sleeping bag and mattress should arrive tomorrow. I hope I never have to mess with Amazon again. I have collected a bunch of tiny hygiene items and all I need to find now is a compact boiling pan with a lid, and I have to make a Sterno stove.
We have a start on the fund for the new bike. I'll probably shuffle it off into a savings account to protect it; I suspect this is going to take awhile given how much it will have to be. Then again, if this attracts the wider support I'm hoping for, I'll need a separate account like that, anyway. It becomes technically self-employment if I ever receive more than break-even on what this project costs, so I'm keeping track of every dime I spend for it.
Tomorrow should be my first long ride around town. In the near future, I'll be planning my first over-nighter to Red Rock Canyon, Hinton, OK -- about 60 miles away. I'll come back a different route and there should be lots of nice pictures and a grand story to tell. This will show me how my body responds to repeated long rides. The goal is to be able to do this for a week or two at a time.
Iain is supposed to be working on a front rack, if he can make any sense out what I sent him, and if he can make the materials he has fit what I requested.
I got my cheap solo tent out and inspected it. Then I walked through a set-up in the living room. The instructions were about half useless, leaving out critical details, which is typical of Chinese made stuff that, if made in America, no one could afford it. At any rate, I can now probably set it up out at a campsite. A couple more times and I could do it in the dark.
My sleeping bag and mattress should arrive tomorrow. I hope I never have to mess with Amazon again. I have collected a bunch of tiny hygiene items and all I need to find now is a compact boiling pan with a lid, and I have to make a Sterno stove.
We have a start on the fund for the new bike. I'll probably shuffle it off into a savings account to protect it; I suspect this is going to take awhile given how much it will have to be. Then again, if this attracts the wider support I'm hoping for, I'll need a separate account like that, anyway. It becomes technically self-employment if I ever receive more than break-even on what this project costs, so I'm keeping track of every dime I spend for it.
Tomorrow should be my first long ride around town. In the near future, I'll be planning my first over-nighter to Red Rock Canyon, Hinton, OK -- about 60 miles away. I'll come back a different route and there should be lots of nice pictures and a grand story to tell. This will show me how my body responds to repeated long rides. The goal is to be able to do this for a week or two at a time.