progress!

On our way home from breakfast with Tim the Taurus this morning, Harriet developed a crush on this hot rod. She sidled up to him sneakily so we could snap this picture for posterity. I wonder what their kids would look like...?

Our preparations are taking a more feverish pace now that we have realized that we have so little time left until Tuesday when we depart for our adventure. I think you would be impressed.

We stopped by Treehouse Toys this morning for some practical updates including a bike bell for my handlebars, a nifty horn for Hope's, and a jar of the best bubbles that money can buy. We also cruised by Cyclemania where they helped us raise the handlebars and rigged on some waterbottle holders with tire parts and zip ties, because Harriet doesn't have as many piercings as some of the new-fandangled bicycles you see loitering about these days. She's au-natural, just the way nature made her (but with a few accessories for good measure).

When we got home, we installed the handlebar bag and made a plan for what is to come. Here is our updated to-do:

Done:

☒ plot mileage, stopping points

☒ install bell, handlebar ribbons, soundbox, airplane flyer

☒ tie up loose ends: births, postpartum visits

☒ find ipod and make sure it works

☒ adjust bike for proper fit

☒ bike tune-up

☒ put racks and panniers on bike

And a thousand thank-yous to Colin for helping us with these things... he was so sweet, and had all the right tools for the job. He even drilled through metal so that Harriet's accessories would fit just right!

Up For Discussion:

✄ packing list- half done, and is it really necessary? We may just end up packing according to inspiration the day before the trip.

✄ sew skirts etc. needed for trip- because we are cutting it close-ish on time, and despite the fact that I bought some beautiful cloth, this might have to be skipped. We do already have lots of beautiful skirts to ride in...

Still To-Do:

❑ plot stopping points for food, water, swimming, ice cream, coffee shops, and libraries.

❑ organize crew to meet us when we arrive at our destination

❑ organize return trip

❑ pack and put gear onto bike

❑ practice riding fully loaded

❑ make playlist and gather books on tape; put on ipod

❑ tie up loose ends: teaching, schoolwork, etc.

❑ weave festive adornments into tire spokes (I woke up yesterday morning thinking RIBBONS! Instead of crepe paper we are going to weave ribbons into our spokes because they won't get tattered when we splash through puddles.)

❑ ensure we have appropriate hats and sunglasses (on a side note, I went into an Asian market yesterday looking for one of those big straw hats. I found something that didn't look quite right, but I put it on my head anyway and went up to the cashier to ask if it was a hat. Apparently it was a basket for steaming sticky rice. Who knew?)

Whew! More to come soon...