Weekend Tour: Kitsap Peninsula + Whidbey Island

Hiya,

I'm taking off for a weekend tour in a few hours. Here's the approximate route:

Schedule:

Day 1 (Fri pm): Seattle to Bainbridge via ferry, ride to Kay Bainbridge Park, get groceries, camp. ~8mi.

Day 2 (Sat): Bainbridge to Port Townsend, ferry to Whidbey Island, ride to Ft Casey Park or Ft Ebey Park. Campsite depends on which is rumored to be more cool and less packed and how much I feel like riding another 5 miles. ~50-55mi.

Day 3 (Sun): Ride Whidbey South, ferry to Mukilteo, ride home to Seattle. ~55mi.
I'm very excited to take my touring bike out for the first long ride since STP in July. Last night, I couldn't get the cassette off of my super fast super skinny super sleek super wheelset (Mavic Open SUP[er?] Ceramic laced to Phil Wood hubs!) to transfer to my giant bombproof heavy touring wheelset, so I'm just going to pack light and hope for no flats - I think the tires are 700x21c as opposed to my normal touring 32's.

With packing light (and missing some crucial hex bolts due to things vanishing while moving and sharing a basement in general), I've only got a rear rack and I'm giving this goofy giant handlebar bag another shot. I bought it before my Australia tour, but didn't end up needing the extra space and never really liked how it weighted the handlebars. I am definitely looking forward to the convenience of having a bunch of crap up front, though, now that I am maxing out on electronic gadgets with my phone, 2 cameras, a solar charger, and other little stuff. Another drawback: I have to get creative with my headlight (currently annoyingly clipped to the left handlebar drop). We'll see how it goes - I do need a way to keep from having all of my weight on the back.

I'm not even bothering bringing my camp stove or really a lot of anything. My bags will be filled mostly with food, water, my tent, ... the rest is odds and ends like spare parts, a couple of pairs of socks... I can't even think of what else is in there. Only 2 nights away and barely over 100mi total, I'm hoping I don't need a lot of stuff!

I also got a new saddle recently! I had a Brooks B17 but it never really got to its rumored legendary, extraordinary point of couch-like comfort and especially got pretty rough after 200+ miles in 2 days during the STP. So, I'm trying out a brand new Selle Anatomica X Series Watershed. Old vs new:

Last glamour shot:

Mike