The First Leg: Part I

I've now parked my car for the summer. The next thing to do is get on my bike and ride East. Up until a week ago this had been mentally where my adventure began, on my bicycle. But things have changed, mentally. My road trip to Pullman, WA became epic, and therefore got mentally stitched to my bike tour as its first (and surely most eventful) leg. So here, for those who would know, is a catalog of events, a breakdown of the minutes, a breviary of the tour thus far, in (my goodness) eight parts:

Tuesday 28 April, all day, CO Springs -- Brett buys two sheets of Lexan and cuts out backing for panniers. Rebuilds panniers to fit onto bike rack. Engineering looks shady, but will have to do.

Thursday 30 April, am, CO Springs -- Brett discovers tongue on bike rack doesn't quite fit into receiver on Volvo. Drives up to shop of previous employment and grinds bits off of the tongue to make it work. Engineering looks shady, but will have to do.

Friday 1 May, pm, CO Springs -- Brett gathers bike gear together. Chooses appropriate clothes. Bags first 4 days of food into Ziplock baggies. Sorts all of this into meaningful packets and bags. Packs everything into panniers. Gear weighs in at 50lbs. Bike & racks weigh in at 30lbs. Brett weighs in at 150lbs. Two friends bring dinner by. Another friend stops by to say, "Bye." Brett hides the fact that he's already eaten, and gorges himself again, twice.

Saturday 2 May, all day, CO Springs -- Brett spends rainy day packing 3 cubic meters of possessions into 2 cubic meters of space. Throws away vast quantities of once-significant items. Uses pieces of bicycle tube to jerry-rig roof rack so he can strap kayak to the top of the car. Attaches hitch rack and three bikes. Volvo bottoms out on rear axle and expresses Swedish angst with quiet engine hiccups and pleasantly glowing warning lights. Brett waves a dismissive hand. Packs final items into saved front seat space: 4 meticulously packed bike panniers & 1 handlebar bag, box of ~25 books to read over the summer, tupperware of resupply items to deposit with various friends and family, and a big duffel full of summer clothes to leave in VA for wedding and playing.