The companions wanted ads finally did work. Two gentlemen who need to start separately connected with me. One wants to do the Canadian portion, but won't travel alone, a wise decision. To my great joy, a friend of mine has decided to jump into the fray. My plane ticket has been bought.
Some thoughts on the McCoy book: I am not sure it is as important along the ride as the maps, but the truth will tell after I start. He offers great advice on first aid equipment and some details about other equipment. Maybe I will pull out the pages I want.
The Surly Troll now has racks front and back. The Ortlieb panniers needed to have larger spacers exchanged (larger spacers came with them). The diameter of the rear and front racks are different; no spacers are needed on the back. Both racks are Old Man Mountain Pioneers, I believe.
Here is a photo of the Surly almost fully loaded. Missing are the Teva sandals I just ordered and some small toiletries. The bags weigh 34lbs 10oz.
There is a shuttle from the Calgary airport to Banff and Canmore, so you can stay either place. As of this writing, the shuttle has extensive hours and takes 2.5 hours. We will probably stay at the YWCA hostel for 2 nights, which appears to cost $300 for 2 double beds w/out a private bath. This would allow us to assemble and load our bikes under a roof, something which is not available if you use the campground in Banff.
To add to my equipment, I purchased a used Pategonia Down Sweater, which compresses very small and a pair of Teva Churn watershoes. The watershoes are an attempt to replace my Keen sandals, which function really well, but take forever to dry and are heavy. I will add an equipment review of them after they arrive and get a workout.
The fender problem still exists, but hopefully the local bike shop has some thoughts on this. They are a pretty creative group.
No comments:
Post a Comment