Review / Recap and Prep Work for this Leg

Basically I've spent the last week scrambling around getting ready for this next leg of my bicycle adventure - Discovering America on 2 Wheels. Here's a quick recap:

• Finished Leg 1 - 510 miles - Lake Jackson Tx to northeast Fort Worth Tx via Texas Hill Country (Inks Lake State Park) by arriving at my son's apartment in North Richland Hills Tx around 3:30 pm Saturday 12/19.
• I hung out with him for a few days and hiked around his apartment, bought and sent off Christmas presents.
• Left my bike, backpack and all my gear in my son's U-haul storage room in North Richland Hills.
• left with him and his fiance' late Tuesday 12/22 and returned to Lake Jackson Tx
• had Christmas with my family while collating all the text message, pictures and commentary from my trip into a chronology in a Word document.
• talked with my wife about leg 2 - Fort Worth Tx to Santa Fe NM and got her support on it
• upgraded and added to mobile communications - went to an LG VX9900 Env3 cell phone and a Gateway Netbook with Verizon Wireless card built in. My wife and I have been with Verizon Wireless for many years and have always been pleased with the coverage (especially when we're in remote areas of the country) but after playing with my son's Iphone for a little bit, I realized that the best combo was probably an Iphone w/ AT&T Wireless and the netbook I have with Verizon Wireless.... anyway I'm way better off now than when I did the first trip so I'll test fire this combo and evaluate any changes required after I complete leg 2. This leg goes through some of the more remote areas of north west Texas and eastern New Mexico so we'll see how good Verizon Wireless coverage really is.
• returned with my son and his fiance' to North Richland Hills Tx the night of 12/26.
• spent the last 3 days setting up and populating my blog with all the pictures, text messages and commentary from the first trip.
• Last night, I did a "test pack" to see if everything would fit... it looked OK.