Last training before the trip!

Yesterday we had our last training session before the trip. For that we went to a park called Redencao, not too far from our houses. Check it out:

We also recorded a few scenes that will be used in a small video about the trip I'm putting together for fun. I'll post the result later tonight! :)

Today I'll have lunch with my family, then come back and start packing. Tomorrow we catch our flights to Charleston.

Cheers,

Eduardo

Camping equipment is all set!

We finally settled for all the main camping equipment we will be using!

Here is what we decided to get:


Suisse Sport Adult Adventurer Mummy Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag (Assorted Colors)



ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2 Tent Floor Saver


ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2 Backpacking Tent


ALPS Mountaineering Lightweight Series Self-Inflating Air Pad (Steel Blue, Regular)

Now we just need to synchronize the delivery with the timeframe we will be at the hotel in Charleston and we'll be fine. We're planning to order everything monday before going to the airport. This will enable the delivery to happen on April 4th, just in time.

Cheers,

Eduardo

Planning continues

It seems the more we plan, the more we have left to do! haha We're now finishing our detailed daily routes, so we need to check each road carefully not to get lost in some desert or wild places.

This will be a long night!

Cheers,
Eduardo & Gilberto

Recharging after training

After a long training session, we need to recharge our energies.

So here's how I did it today (this is for one person):

• 1 litter of fat-free milk;
• 2 table spoons of chocolate powder;
• 2 table spoons of Whey protein powder;
• 2 bananas.

Then mix in the blender. This is how it looks:

Now just drink it all and go rest. =)

Cheers,

Eduardo

Kitchen stuff

Hi everyone,
Today we are looking at kitchen stuff. So we decided to make a list of everything we are planning to carry. Here is what we got.

• 1 pan of 8 inches/20 cm across. The lightest, the better;
• 1 small, lightweight electric pan;
• 2 forks, 2 knifes, 2 spoons;
• 2 plates;
• 1 lighter;
• 1 small sponge;
• 1 small container of soap;
• Small container of olive oil;
• Salt, oregano and pepper;
• 1 small towel;
• A few (4 or 5) hooks and plastic baits for fishing;
• A small wheel of nylon to use when finishing as well.
• 1 multi-functional Swiss army knife, with can opener, knifes, a variety of tools and accessories.

We will slit up the weight of all this, of course. Hopefully it won't be too much, but it it turns to be then we will leave the non-essential behind and move on.

Cheers!
Eduardo

Heath Insurance

A very important point to consider before any adventure is a good health insurance covering the kinds of activities you will be performing in your trip. This is important since, regardless of how much planning we may do, we can never be sure what's around the corner.

Today we have settled for a particular one. We will do a 3 months long Explorer package with http://www.worldnomads.com, a world renowned health insurance for this kind of thing. It has coverage for a variety of sports (more than 100 including, of course, bicycle touring) and a very high coverage for any medical emergencies. Their premium is not too high, which is always a good thing. :)

Here s a list of things they cover for residents of Brazil:
http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-insurance/adventure-sports-benefits.aspx?p=e23ea41e72bd4f6990e6085c6bf0243c&c=BRA

That's it for today! Tomorrow we'll order our bikes.

Cheers!
Eduardo

Plane tickets in hands!

We got our plane tickets!

This means we have a final start date for our trip (was about time! haha).

Here is or itinerary: fly from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo April 02, 6:00am. At 11:10am, fly from Sao Paulo to Orlando, FL, and arrive at 7:15pm:

Then we rent a car at the airport and go driving to Charleston, SC. This will be a 7 hours trip including a 30 mins stop to rest, use restrooms, etc.

We are planning to drive on our arrival, and get in the hotel in Charleston around 3:00am of April 3rd. In the afternoon of April 3rd, we will get our bicycles and look for the remainder of the equipment we will need.

On April 4th, the plan is to do a test trip. We will ride for 1 hour and a half to a public location and test our bicycles, tents, GPS, etc. Then return to Charleston.

If everything is OK, we will sleep early to be ready to get started for real. On April 5th, early in the morning we will get started and ride west towards our first stop on the way.

Cheers,
Eduardo