Buying an empty bag

New bag

New bag, interior, with maps. 

This kick-butt handlebar bag was Ms. V's Christmas gift to me, by which I mean she said I could buy it. It's waterproof, light, capacious, lockable, and, uh, spendy. But, as Bruce has said of Ortlieb bags, "They're the state of the art."

My mom used to say, of my dad's boats: "Oh, yes, they cruise so nice there on the highway behind the car," which is where they got a lot of their use. This is like me taking a picture of my bike bag on the bike in the house. Sits pretty nice there in front of the filing cabinet.

Taking a look at my maps yesterday, I got a little involved and spent hours at it, lining them up in order, numbering them, trying to figure out the route on a large US map. Planning is the most fun part of any trip. But planning without going is just a form of dreaming.

Not to knock dreaming.

I'm making flight plans. First time in my whole life I've made flight plans four months early. I hope to fly to Seattle the week before Memorial Day, and start riding with Bruce May 29 or so. There's a bike store in Astoria that will take UPS shipment of your disassembled bike and put it together for a small fee. About $100 to ship it in a box, and $50 to put it together. Cheaper than checking it on a plane, even if they would allow it.

So.

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