Getting Ready for the Road

I've planned my route and made my motel reservations for the first few days and noted bicycle shops along the route. The next step is to pack.... I roll every piece of clothes as tight as I can and secure it w/ a rubber band... then I group items together and put 'em in a Ziploc bag, squeeze all the air out and seal the bag... it's poor man's vacuum packing but it really works... you can get a lot of stuff in a small space... bottom line is it's all got to fit in 4 panniers, a handlebar bag and a Camelbak backpack. I'm taking a few extra pieces of clothes because even though it's summer I'm gonna be cycling in the Rocky Mountains much of it over 10000' and some of it over 11000' .... and the weather and temps can change in a heartbeat... I'd rather carry an extra 2 lbs of clothes than get wet and cold at 10000'. If I have too much stuff I can always stop at a Post Office and send some
stuff home.... so packing tonight for tomorrow I ride!