Everything But The Kitchen Sink

Hi there. Just finishing up digesting a delicious dinner prepared by Chris. The last I'll have at my gracious host's house until the next time I visit. He made us something that he calls General Rufus's Chicken. Apparently, there was a General Rufus in Chris's family who fought in the Civil War. "I just want to honor my family history in some special way," Chris says when I asked him about it. It is a tasty affair and you can ask him for the recipe if you are so inclined. I am.

So I thought one of my final entries from the west coast should be a catalogue of everything (other than the bike) that is going to accompany me on the long ride. I'm also including a display picture of everything (Chris's suggestion). Enjoy.

In no particular order:
1 pair cycling shoes (Specialized MTB)
1 pair (old) running shoes
1 bar of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap Peppermint (ooo tingly) and soap case
1 razor w/one replacement blade (who knows if I'll get around to shaving at all)
1 container of BUTTer (I wouldn't ask if I were you)
16 fl oz No-Ad Sunscreen SPF 50 thank you very much
1 Toms of Maine stick deodorant
1 vial Doctor Saing's Orange Oil (brought back from Thailand and good for aches and pains)
1 container floss
1 tube Blistex 1
container of Carmex (sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't)
1 Rand McNally Atlas from 2005
1 complete set of Adventure Cycling maps (Northern Tier)
1 set of Adventure Cycling maps (Great Lakes connector)
1 bath sized Pac Towel
2 hand sized Pac Towels
Assorted set of bungee cords
First aid kit (everything but the morphine)
30 feet of cotton cord
1 Roll of black Duct Tape (woo!)
1 Chica Bag (birthday prezzie from Jen and Al)
MSR Blacklite camp cook set and utensils
MSR Dragonfly Stove with small propane tank
1 Tripod
1 Canon A560 digital camera (plus extra memory chip)
Pair of Ortleib Bike Roller Classic rear panniers (orange!)
Pair of Nashbar panniers given to me for Christmas about 5 years ago
Pair of Camelback rain covers re-purposed as raincovers for Nashbar panniers
Marmot 2-person tent Kelty 25 degree down sleeping bag
1 10 millimeter wrench
1 adjustable wrench
1 Topeak Alien Bike Tool (gracias, Trixie)
1 bent hex wrench
1 set of tire levers
1 pump
1 patch kit
2 spare inner tubes
1 container Super Glue
1 Leatherman Tool
1 plain old pocket knife
Assorted bag of nuts and bolts
4 oz loose black tea (just to get me started in the morning)
1 tea infuser
1 tin cup
1 magnesium fire starter w/flint (courtesy of Kent Peterson. Thanks Kent!)
Kryptonite cord bike lock + extra length of cord
1 cel phone + charger
4 AA rechargeable batteries + charger
1 Grundig mini world band receiver AM/FM/Shortwave
2 notebooks
2 Uniball ball point pens (Red)
1 copy of Discarded Science: Ideas That Seemed Good at the Time
3 pair cycling socks
2 pair ankle socks
1 pair Thai farmer pants donated by Chris
3 pair cycling shorts
1 pair regular shorts
3 pair boxers
2 cycling jerseys
3 cotton tees short sleeve
1 long sleeve cotton tee
2 cotton button shirts
1 waffle thermal top
1 Marmot Precip rain jacket
1 North Face windbreaker
1 helmet
1 pair cycling gloves (thanks Jen and Al)
wallet
passport
20 Canadian dollars and an Altoids box to carry change in (thanks Chris)
and oh yes, the ROOSEVELT hat. Mustn't forget that.

Whew...and it all weighs less than 45 pounds and fits on my bike. At the end of this ride, I'm sure that I'll compile a list of things that I wish I had taken and items that I wish that I hadn't.