Tara and I spent the evening attending to some of the final details for the trip. We tore down the bikes, test fitted them in their boxes for the flight and divvied up the panniers into second hand duffel bags to check as luggage. Everything is falling into place and we still have nearly 20 days to go!

Tara decided last week that she wanted a front rack and panniers to give us a bit of breathing room for space. They arrived this afternoon and she mounted them without much help at all! I feel confident we will look back and be incredibly thankful for this decision in a few months.

I cannot express how rewarding it was watching her work on her bike like it was no big deal. Just over a year ago she didn't even know what a touring bicycle was and now she can tell you what every part on her bike is, how it works and exactly what it does.

On the subject of learning new things, Tara is teaching me French and it is going much better than I could ever have hoped. I think by the time we reach France I might actually be able to participate in a conversation or two!