Gearing up

I have said this year-in and year-out, that if I ever won the lottery my first stop would be REI where I would buy a trip to [everywhere] and all the gear to support it. I still feel like a kid in a candy store everytime I walk through the door. Tonight's mission was to pick up a backpack to lug all my stuff around Europe for 22 days. I have a true backpacking pack but it's much too large and has too many straps to safely make it through the airline baggage handlers. So I got this:



So yea, it's a pack to hold your junk. But I particularly like the zip-off daypack on the front side and the shoulder straps and hip support belt all zip into an enclosed pouch so they won't be eaten by the nasty airline baggage handlers. It also opens like a school backpack so you can leave everything neatly packed and grab out what you want. Top-loading backpacks require you to unpack literally everything to find what you need--a serious downfall when you're living out of it for an extended period of time. REI had it for 30% off so it found its way home with me along with a nice inflating neck pillow for sleeping on the plane, a lightweight microfiber towel and a couple other odds and ends. Beyond Europe this will be my bag of choice for the trips to Canada as well. I know, I know...I am expressing way too much enthusiasm over a backpack.

So where is my time going? Trip planning, working out at the gym, dinner/happy hour with friends, BBQs, physical therapy, some time helping a friend on his classic Datsun 240Z, home improvement and time with a super cute, intelligent and fun tri-athlete I recently met. We're taking full advantage of the holiday weekend and doing what everyone else in California is probably also planning to do--go camping.

One final trip-related piece of excitement...look what has happened to the value of the euro compared to the dollar. This pretty much equals a "22% off sale," resulting in a savings that just about equals the cost of the plane ticket. Bonus.

pre-vacation excitement

I made a mistake. I scarfed down a grande soy mocha earlier this morning and now I am spending my lunchtime surfing of the island of Corsica via Google Streetview. This has left me excited beyond belief, like a kid in a candy store, a Ricardo with a new super smart smartphone, an Ellie with a suite of Dora whatevers or a Mike with a racing bike made out of bacon...yah, that excited.

Bonifacio, France:


Random section of road on the west coast of Corsica:


Corsica Streetview Map (click me!)
I find Streetview to be an amazing tool for trip planning. Having the ability to check out a hotel from the street reduces the possibility of an overnight stay in the foreign equivalent of the Bates Motel. At the same time I'm trying to resist the urge of looking around too much since I want to be surprised by the beauty when I'm actually there.

When I started researching rental cars I found their Citroen models have really cool panoramic roofs, which we would be able to take full advantage of on their roads.


Today is my friday and I have a weekend full of outdoor fun planned with great people, including mom of course!