In September 2010 I picked up a 1983 Cannondale, my first touring bike. With the cooling weather (north American Fall) and working long hours I was not able to take it out on any long rides (and thus, nothing noteworthy to post—I may in the future reflect on my experiences all-weather commuting through the Canadian winter). As the weather warmed in 2011, I was finally able to take this bike out on a few rides, and to prepare for a longer trip. As part preparation, I rode from St Catharines to the MEC at Burlington and back.

My flight from Sydney (Australia) to Vancouver (Canada) has reinforced some past thoughts—the most clear being that I actually look forward to travelling with a pack and nothing else. As an aside, airlines are getting finicky about travelling with gear.

In planning my return from Canada to Australia I looked into the options available for what to do with my trusty Cannnondale. These ranged from selling in Canada and purchasing another in Australia on my return, through to keeping and shipping it. I quickly determined that purchasing another in Australia was not a viable option. Exploring the latter became something I invested a lot of time into, starting in November 2006.

After spending a few hours in my office (to make up for some of the time I will be riding over the next week), I hitched the Yakima Big Tow trailer, loaded it up a went on a short ride of a little over 20km. This was my first time out with it loaded - I hitched it up (empty) yesterday for a trip around the block to see what the feel was like. At first I could notice the extra weight, but not for long. Acceleration was not as quick, and it still h...