As my GAP ride quickly approaches (yay) it was time to pack the bike and do a fully loaded test ride. I laid out most (I found out after loading that I forgot a few things plus I only had a sample of the food and clothes I would be bringing with me) of my gear on the picnic table in our back yard. 
I then proceeded to pack the bike. Everything fit snugly. A little too snugly. Nothing else could possibly be added to the bike. In previous trips I had a large basket on the front or rear, but I don’t have those anymore. SO I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to need a front rack and new panniers. 
PROBLEM. I put the rack and bags in my shopping cart. The total was exactly $100 cheaper than a piece of gear I’ve been eyeing for a long time, the B.O.B Yak trailer. I had some tax refund money to spend, so i bit the bullet and bought the Yak.
I took it for a test ride (link to come soon). It doesn’t even feel like it’s there. I had more weight than I put on the bike before (I had full water bottles and a tripod and DSLR camera loaded) and it pulled like a dream. One problem, hills. I could feel the weight on the hills and I was grinding away in gears 1-1 and had to get off a few times due to my knee aching badly (I hope that doesn’t become a problem). Luckily for me, the GAP doesn’t have any hills like I encountered on the Perkiomen Trail yesterday, so that should not be a problem.
I’m looking forward to this ride soon and will be taking the bike in to get a tune up so its in tip top shape for this journey.
