Packing List (as of now)

PACKING LIST
Documents:Valid PassportLicense
New debit card &/or credit card
Camping pass/card**
Train pass**

Gear

Bike:LOCK!!!
Comfortable saddle
Handle bar bag*(highly recommended)
At least rear rack w/ pannier
Front rack w/ pannier*
Rack-Tubus, Axium, etc.Panniers-Ortlieb, Axium, etc.
Spare tubes (2+)**
Spare tires**
Camel back ( one liter+)
Reflective triangle (Adventure cycling)
Spare cleatsBento box (small compartment that attaches to your top tube)
Lights:Head lamp*
Tail light(red)
Head Light(white)- Cats eye, light in motion)
Camping:Sleeping bag (20-30 degree down)
Sleeping pad (therma-rest)
Tent (one person, three season)
Stove/cook wear (one for group)
Clothing:
Bike shorts (1-2)
Rain pants- Showers pass, etc.
Rain shell
Wicking long sleeve shirt
" " short sleeve shirt
Ultra light down jacket* - Patagonia, or marmot
HELMETGloves (for cold weather)
Cleats(shoes)/ spares parts
Shoe rain coverBra (1-2)*
Underwear(1-3)*
Socks (2 pairs, tall and short)
Sunglasses
Light PJ/off bike pant*
Flip flops*
Shorts*

Miscellaneous:
Journal,pen, pencil
Duct tape
Camcorder
Digital Camera
Ipod/ other musical device*
Chargers and adaptors
Tarp (for covering bikes)
Knife
Water bottles
Bandanna (2-3 crucial)
Stuff sacks (2-3*)
Travel towel

* - Optional ** - Undecided

Composed by Gen & lucy

THE BIG CITY

We have had a very busy month since our first blog updates. On Thursday March 4th Gen, Lucy and I woke up super early to take a trip to the city. Our mission was well planned out, first to B&H to check out video cameras, from there we would hop on a subway down town to look at some bike shops as we walked to a raw restaurant Gen wanted to check out. We took the 7:20 train from Ronkonkoma station and as we boarded the train we once again felt just a little out of place in the commuter rush. With a mad dash to the ticket kiosk we got our tickets and ran to claim our seats on the train crowded with business suits, briefcases and newspapers. We got to the city around 8:30 and emerged from the underground to find ourselves in the bustling city. Since B&H didn’t open until 9am Gen and I decided to look for our banks. Before even walking a block, to our surprise we found our banks right next to each other. By the time we were done with the banking, B&H was nearly open so we set off to arrive there right on time. I have never been in B&H before but boy is that place amazing the first thing I noticed was the extensive system of conveyor belts above our heads whizzing merchandise from one place to another within the store. Since we were nearly the first people to walk into the store, finding a salesman to answer our questions did not prove to be all that difficult. We checked out several models of camcorder from Sony, Cannon and Panasonic. Sony was quickly tossed out off the picture, due to its lack of compatibility with Mac. After asking tons of questions we decided to wait on line to ask some more questions about microphones and wide-angle lenses. For some reason the line was moving very slowly and there was a lot of drama behind the counter about someone who was late for work. When it was finally our turn Lucy and I stepped up to the counter and before we could even say anything the guy exclaimed, “You must not be from around here because you are awfully patient!” It did seem like the people on line before and after us were awfully impatient. After milling about the store for over an hour, we were able to decide on the Canon HF-S 10. Not wanting to make any rash decisions (or have to carry a camera around the city), we decide to come back after our bike shop tour of the city, and with a full stomach.

From B&H we went back to Penn Station and Caught a Subway down to Chambers and W. Broadway where our first bike shop stop was. Here we tried on ultra lightweight and packable rain gear made by Gore Bicycle Wear. Even though they didn’t have exactly what we were looking for it still gave us a good sense of what the product was like. I really liked the Jackets and after having done some more research over the past couple of weeks I am pretty sure I will buy one of their jackets. Our next stop was a small Travel Book store where I was able to check out a few different types of maps. Unfortunately they were completely sold out of the Europe Road map that I wanted to see. We continued on our journey and stopped at a couple more bike shops and also EMS before we arrived at Quintessence, a raw restaurant on East 10th and 1st avenue. Personally I did not have a very great raw experience. Although I have had plenty of raw food I have enjoyed the chili I ordered was just not doing it for me. The Taco was extremely delicious but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough of it and too much of the soup. Gen enjoyed her burrito, which is good because she is the true raw foodist of the group. From here we hopped back on the subway to make one last stop at B&H. Although we knew what we were going to purchase it still took us over an hour to finally decided on the camera, UV filter, microphone, wide angle lens, and a hood. After checking out and retrieving our backpacks from the bag check we headed back to the train with some new excitement in our step.

Since this day we have begun to take footage for a documentary we are making about this bicycle trip.

MORE TO COME SOON…

Written by: Emma Woodward