March 10th-11th, 2019 – First test run with our panniers!

(All loaded up and ready for our test ride!)

Ebay, Craigslist, NextDoor, and other websites! That’s where we acquired most of our gear. From panniers to backpacking sleeping pads, from dry sacks to shower kits, from a new tent to a new JetBoil cooking system.

Today, we put all of these new “toys” to use! Packing to simulate, as much as possible, our upcoming Route 66 ride was quite a adventure in itself! What and what not to pack, balancing out the weight both side-to-side and front-to-back all the while hoping it’ll all fit in the bags!

And finally loading up for a 37-mile ride to Rob’s mother’s home in Lodi. It was a great day for a ride. Headed out from home going through Wilton and south on the rural roads of south Sacramento and northern San Joaquin counties. Some light tailwinds and plenty of sunshine! Little to no shoulder on most of the roads, but, traffic was light and the drivers were polite. The bikes rode smoothly as long as we were moving. With the added weight, getting going again after a stop was a bit more of a struggle. But, all in all, a nice ride down averaging about a little more than 10mph.

Set up “camp” in the backyard. It was a cool night which put the sleeping pads to the test!
Next morning, took our time getting ready. We thanked our “hostess” and departed for home around noon. We faced headwinds around 8mph-10mph almost the entire way. Again, another almost cloudless day! We took the same route back arriving safely home around 4 hours later. All in all, a successful first test. Thinking about doing one more, but, we’ll see as we look to refine the items we pack.

Until our next post….