Weekly countdown: 9

In only nine weeks from today I will be boarding a flight to Chicago to start the adventure!
The route is pretty much planned out. I will book a hotel for the first night in Chicago, and I'll pick the bike up the next day. After that, I will book my accommodation from day to day, depending on how far I get and what I see on the way. The only other fixed date I have is to be in San Fransisco on Saturday 7 May to drop the bike off and get the plane home.

So, all that's left is planning what to take! David Badcock, a friend of mine who has done this sort of thing a number of times once told me: Before the trip, make a pile of all the things you want to take with you, and then make a second pile of the money you have for the trip. Now, halve the size of the first pile, and double the size of the second, then you'll be close to what you need. This sounds a bit harsh, but he is the voice of experience, so on this I'll take his word.

I'm planning on taking as little as I can with me. After all, the US is not a backward country, and if I'm desperate for anything I'll be able to get it there, all I need is a credit card! So, other than my riding gear (need to cater for wet weather and for warm), a few t-shirts and changes of shreddies, I only need to take my techy gadgets.

I'll be taking 2 cameras: my Sony A200 DSLR, and Leica C-Lux 2 compact. I'll also be taking my iGotU GPS tracker to geotag everything, and to be able to plot my trip. Then there's the laptop. This is needed to manipulate the photos, update the blog, and make copies of everything, in case I lose them. It'll also come in handy for a quick fix of on-line poker when I have some time to spare.

To navigate on the bike, I'll be taking my Garmin Zumo 550 sat nav. I need to download a new set of maps, as it only has Europe at the moment. I shall spend many a happy hour loading up the routes and points of interest to that!

And, as far as that other pile is concerned, I spent most of yesterday afternoon listing unwanted items on eBay!

Days to departure: 63
Paydays to departure: Still 2
Funding: $$$Fingers crossed that my eBay sales do the business!$$$