68 Hours Until Departure!

We’re now just 68 hours from our departure, and the final pieces of this adventure are falling into place. On Monday, we’ll drive up to Houlton, Wisconsin, where we will stay at Lisa’s brother Adam’s house (Adam and Danelle are away in Budapest, helping their daughter settle in for her pro hockey career). First light Tuesday morning, their son Tyler will shuttle us to MSP for our 8:50 AM United flight. Because we’re flying economy, our checked-bag allowance covers both bike boxes at no extra cost, but we always call ahead to confirm that they’ll count them as standard sports equipment. Occasionally airlines tack on a $100 fee each way for special equipment, which can add $400 to the ticket price, but this time United’s policy works in our favor.

Packing for a 7-week long cycling tour in Japan is like solving a Rubik’s Cube. Each bike box weighs 9 lbs, the frames run about 25 lbs, and we pad every component meticulously—bubble wrap, zip ties and all—to protect handlebars (turned sideways) and front wheels (removed). Our goal is to keep each box under 50 lbs, but we’ll stretch the limit to 54 lbs with a 4 lb daybag tucked on top, ready to slide into our carry-ons if the gate agent asks us to lighten up. Those backpacks themselves are already bursting at roughly 30 lbs each, filled with gifts for friends, and gear for the trip.
Every segment of our route is pre-loaded into our cycling computer with GPS so we can savor the scenery instead of digging for directions. We’ve color-coded each “spoke” of our trip and pink denotes rest days. I’ve even created a “Diff” index (0–100) to rate each day’s challenge based on miles and elevation gain. Since our hotels and guesthouses are all reserved through Booking.com and Airbnb, there’s zero wiggle room: slip one day and the rest of the itinerary unravels. Feel free to explore the entire route here and zoom in on any section: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52452648

Last night we capped off our packing and Lisa’s work with a 30-mile sunset ride, then gathered friends for a low-key going-away party. Today’s agenda is laundry, a quick house clean, haircuts, installing new cleats, and those final boxing maneuvers—measuring, weighing, adjusting—until everything clicks under the airline’s limits. If time allows, we’ll sneak in one ride before loading the car. Next post: a deeper dive into the gear we’re carrying (spoiler: no camping kits or WarmShowers stays this time—comfort and efficiency are our on the agenda for this trip. Drop any questions in the comments, and I’ll tackle them in the next post.Read more