Today we biked from Denver to Fort Collins. I drove in the morning, so I stopped by a breakfast place called Snooze. Afterwards, I brought groceries then drove to a park in Longmont where we stopped for lunch. After lunch we had a really short day -- only 20 something miles? Once we got to Fort Collins, we took all our bikes into a shop. We soon found out that we all had lots of things wrong with our bikes. After talking through each one, the guys at Recycled Cycles said they'd have them ready by tomorrow, so we left them at the shop and took a car to our host's house.
Other than that, today was pretty uneventful, so I wanted to talk on the blog today about packing! Here's a picture of everything I brought on this trip:
Today's blog episode will be sort of an eye-spy so I can talk about all the things I've packed and how useful they've been.
Green microfiber towel: I bought this towel at some point in the past year for trips. It's fairly large, dries quickly, and packs really small (think slightly larger than a soda can).
Black Sambas: These are my "normal" shoes, but I've probably only used them twice on this trip. Both times I've used them have been hikes, but since they're what I use for playing soccer, they don't really have any traction. Maybe I should've left these in Boston and just skipped out on the hikes?
Bike Jerseys (2): For the trip, I bought two bright neon green bike jerseys. I guess they're pretty essential since we sometimes aren't able to do laundry every day. Unfortunately, one of them has been shrinking so I can't lift my arms without showing my stomach. I also now have a pretty solid farmer's tan, so maybe I should've gotten sleeveless shirts.
Bike shorts (2): I also brought two bike shorts for the trip. Since they're different lengths, I now have a two-toned bike short tan. Sometimes I think one is more comfortable, but honestly I don't think I can tell because my butt just always hurts now.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: I bought this book in Farmington, MO and I'm almost done. It's been a really great read so far. Would recommend.
Laptop & Charger: I have a Dell XPS 13 which is pretty light, small, and hearty laptop. I probably only use it once a week to write my blog posts and email our Learning Festival hosts (I'm in charge of coordinating these).
Blue Bandana: I bring this bandana with me everywhere. I've used it for lots of random things on this trip including a facemask, headband, blindfold, and bag.
Bike shoes: We got these bike shoes together and they've been really comfortable. They're wider than normal bike shoes (less legit?) but I think they're nice to walk around in / wear for many hours each day.
Shirts (2): I brought two synthetic shirts (only the black one is pictured). They're both very comfortable, dry quickly, and pack light. Again, since we do laundry every other day, two has been the perfect number.
Shorts (3): I brought two synthetic shorts and one pair of nice shorts. The latter I meant to use for teaching, but I've actually hardly worn them at all. I probably would've just been fine with the first two.
Sandals: I've had these sandals for many years now. They're really comfortable and fairly waterproof, so I use them every day after biking. I also now have a pretty defined sandal tan.
Gray Journal: I just finished up my last notebook, so my brother bought me this new one for the trip (thanks Kason!). I've been able to use it some for journalling, scratch paper, and drawings, but I definitely wish I could use it more. Sadly, we've been really busy recently and haven't had too much free time.
Blue Multitool & Lock: For people that know me, I carry a small leatherman with me almost everywhere I go. It has pliers, small scissors, and a knife, and comes in handy at lots of random times. Maile also taught me how to whittle the other day, so now I have a new hobby! My lock on the other hand has only been useful once when we took showers in a YMCA.
Socks (3 pairs): Lots of people have lost socks on this trip, but somehow I've managed to keep track of mine.
Laser (in the tupperware): I brought a green laser, extra batteries, and charger with me for stargazing! I've gotten to use it a few times, which has been great, but generally we sleep before it gets dark, so I haven't gotten to stargaze as much as I would like.
Toiletries (blue bag) & Glasses (black case): These are all pretty standard and have been pretty necessary.
Phone Case: This would probably be super useful because I've dropped my phone a few times and cracked the screen protector, but I have a popsocket on the back of mine, so it doesn't fit in the phone holder on my bike. Basically from the first day, I had to take the case off and store it in my bag.
Bike Helmet: This was also bought in Boston altogether. Maybe I should've gotten a lighter color so it would get less hot?
Fleece & Rain jacket: It's been a lot colder than I thought it would be on this trip. Summers in Texas (where I'm from) are usually 100 F days and 75 F nights. Here, especially in the mountains, we've woken up in the 40s or 50s, so it's been really chilly. We've also had a fair amount of rain this trip, so my rain jacket has come in handy.
Blue Cotopaxi bag: This is my biking bag. I keep bars, spare tubes, lights, tools, and my wallet in this bag. It's the bag that I should be able to survive out of when I'm on my bike.
Red Folder: Mostly this stores some piano sheet music I brought with me. I have gotten to play piano a few times on this trip, but I haven't really used this sheet music. I otherwise use this at the bottom of my duffel bag as a hard liner.
Black & Green String Bag: I mostly use this as a liner for the bottom of my duffel bag. I only really brought this since I needed another bag when I flew down to join the team.
Small Duffel Bag: This is my main storage bag. I'm borrowing it from a friend (thanks Sophie!) and although I was worried about the size, it's been the perfect size for all my things. Basically everything (except shoes and helmet) I store in this duffel bag. At night, I also use it as a pillow. At some point on the trip, the strap started tearing, so I learned to sew with a quick patch job (sorry Sophie D:).
Bluetooth Earphones (black circular case): These have been great for this trip! Since we spend so much time together, it's really important to have some time to myself / block out the world around me. Occasionally, I'll use one if we're on a quiet road to listen to a podcast or audiobook.
Sunglasses: These have been really useful and important while biking. Sometimes we'll go on gravel roads that are white and really bright, and it'll get hard to see.
Bag of leftover stuff: This is mostly extra toiletries I brought that I'm not going to need. I tried to send it home with my parents in Kansas, but accidentally forgot.
Most of the things I brought have been really useful, but there are a few things I sometimes wish I had:
Sweatpants: On our cold nights/mornings, my lack of sweatpants has been pretty sad.
Water bottle: Though I have two bike water bottles, I usually drink more than the 1.5 L they carry. I wish I had a water bladder or larger bottle to keep in my pack. So far, I've been using empty Gatorade bottles.
Battery pack: Sometimes (especially when we're camping), we won't have access to electricity, so sometimes we just let our phones die. Though I carry a charger with me everywhere, it would be nice to have a battery pack and not worry about charge.
Other than this, I'm really happy with how I've packed. It's nice to know I can carry all my belongings wherever I go.