Back home in Vernon

March 3, 2022

Hey folks - Well, we returned to BC three weeks ago and have been kept busy taking care of all those things that need attention after being away for an extended time. Taxes, boosters, remembering where we keep things and spending time with family has kept us occupied.

We've also been taking stock of our gear, adding and eliminating a few things. It's like Christmas around here with all the packages being delivered. The biggest change for me has been the addition of front panniers. We both are very pleased with the quality and functionality of our Arkel panniers. Rob has the Orcas and myself the Dolphins.

It has been cooler than we had hoped but there has also been some beautiful, clear days so we have been bundling up in warm clothes and trying to get out on the bikes.

It was suggested that our original date of departure would mean riding in cold weather, so we took the advice of Steve and will now leave a couple weeks later on May 14th, not in June as he suggested, but fingers crossed for a warm spring. Meanwhile, we hope to head out on some overnighters to test out the new gear.

We have a pretty good idea around what our first 10 days of the tour is going to look like as we are under a time limit to get to Port Hardy. We are going to book our passage today to Prince Rupert for May 25th. After that, whoa, we are free to go as slow or as fast as we want. Life is good.

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Keith AdamsI've been very pleased so far with the Arkel T28s (and matching Large handlebar bag) that I got late last autumn. They've been on my bike every ride since they arrived.

If my rear panniers were not in really good condition I might have splurged on a part of the GT42s, too, but that's money I don't currently need to spend. We'll see how the next three-plus months go- that's the period of time I have to change my mind before setting off.
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2 years ago

Leslie and Rob CookeHi Keith - We've had our Orcas for a few years now as we used them on the tandem. They are quite stiff and not at all like the Dolphins I have for my bike. They have softer sides and can be stuffed to over flowing quite nicely. I don't know if that's a good thing.

I've sat and read your journal through and look forward to following you on your trip this summer. You appear to be very organized and dedicated to succeeding. It makes me think that I should start riding with all my 'stuff' every time we go out, as we only have 10 weeks until take off. I did ride over to my daughters house the other day with the back panniers full of cookies, meatballs and caesar salad and surprisingly enough, that felt heavy.

Rob just tried the tandems double legged kickstand on his bike and I think we might be going that route. Do you still use yours on your bike?
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2 years ago