the making of panniers / first ride fully loaded

Thanks to somebody genius over at crazyguyonabike, I found the plans to make panniers (bike luggage, essentially) out of squarish plastic buckets. After two mostly fruitless searches at the local recycling center for kitty litter buckets or the like, I was finally able to find some buckets via the help of the esteemed Mr. Caleb Link and the not-as-esteemed BMA sewer plant. They're used chemical buckets, not sure what their exact function is. I cleaned them out very well, and then did it again, and then got all the supplies I needed at the hardware store for $2.85. I had to cut out some parts of the plastic that runs around the buckets, and then drill holes so i could bolt on hooks on the top. It took me a while, because I'm slow like that, but the finished product looks so great:

They even have watertight (maybe, we'll see) lids, and handles! Soon after I finished, I loaded up pretty much all of the stuff I'm taking on the trip, (equipment list coming soon) and weighed it all. Turns out it's not much more than 35 pounds, which is pretty good. Then I headed out into the foggy dusk. It's quite different, riding fully loaded. Steering is a little more squirrelly, and it's much harder riding up hills, but much faster riding down, due to the extra weight! Momentum carries one much further as well. I had an excellent, invigorating ride in the gathering darkness, with no near-death experiences for once! I felt connected and inspired out there in the cool breeze, even though it turned into a headwind when I turned around. I even got to honk my silly kiddy-horn that sounds like a duck at some girls in a car in Shartlesville. It was wonderful to hear them laugh.

When I returned I decided to take some sweet shots of ANTONIO!!! THE BULLFIGHTER / BULL!! (Oh, that's the full name of my bike.) Sometimes he charges people with his rider crying out "ANTONIO!!" Those two are really hard to keep in check....

Nifty, eh? If I get some time, I want to paint & stencil the buckets. And leave room for everyone we meet to sign them.

Preparations are going well, if a little rushed. Time is a Ferrari...

-Dan