Trimming the fat

I had many ideas for the title of this post: Traveling light(er), Downsizing, Bare essentials.  After two weeks on the road, I found that there were several items I had brought that just didn´t get used.  So they´re staying here in Burgos before I take off again.

 

CARGO (changes as of Sep 5)

• Right Pannier: Got rid of 1 pair of cycling shorts, 1 pair of nylon pants, 2 pairs of socks, 1 long sleeve top, 1 polyester shirt, tie down straps, and the frisbee.  Added a new Quechua 40-degree sleeping bag.
• Left Pannier: Got rid of Marmot 30-degree bag and Bikamper tent.  Replaced with new Quechua T2 ultralight tent (with poles) and a Quechua A200 ultralight self-inflating sleeping pad.  (Quechua, the home brand of Decathlon stores, seems to be the best widely available brand around here.)
• Trunk Bag: Replaced Moleskine journal with a small quad-lined notebook which is now in my handlebar bag.  Replaced Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest sleeping pad with new sleeping bad now in my left pannier.  Now the top of the TrunkBag can be used as a drying rack for clothing.
• Handlebar Bag: Replaced Topeak 1W light with rechargeable battery and charger for a Topeak WhiteLite which is smaller and just used regular batteries. 
• Backpack: The backpack is gone altogether!!  The guitar and Camelbak are staying home.  The Crocs are now in the TrunkBag.

The first two weeks on the road served as a great test of what are the minimum things I need to travel by bike and be comfortable, both on and off the bike.  Other than the actual traveling, it was really nice to have my comfort be the top priority of my thoughts every day.  It makes life very simple.  That simplicity is a big part of what appeals to me about bike touring.  Besides the material simplicity of carrying as little as necessary, you also start realizing that there are a lot of other things that you can live without (24/7 internet access, long hot showers, and hot food are among these, but they´re really hard to give up!)  Also, it makes you appreciate the comforts of home a lot: sleeping in the same bed and the same place every night, being able to easily be in touch with friends and family, and not having to pack up everything everyday.

 

Today I filed the paperwork to extend my visa until my departure date, and hopefully this will be fairly straightforward.  I can´t veer too far away from Burgos until I hear back from the Foreigners' Office, but I think today or tomorrow I will head out on the bike in the direction of Logroño where tomorrow's Vuelta a España stage will end, and maybe make a loop through Pamplona and Bilabo before retuning to Burgos on Sunday or Monday.