My original plan was to depart New Hampshire on the road bike and tour Canada into America, until I ran out of energy/money. But the road bike doesn't have rack eyelets and the wheels are Bontrager Race Lite's with 24 bladed spokes. They aren't stupid lite so they'll probably last but...
So my plan changed and I decided to join any organized tour for my first attempt. This way I'll pick up a few tips from others. Then when I get back I'll have enough confidence to do a solo. The only camping gear I own is a sleeping bag the size of a large photocopier. No lite tent, no stove, nothing. So I'm looking at a few hundred dollars investment there as well. One of the attractions of touring was to get away from financial concerns for a bit, and now I'm looking at buying racks, panniers, trailers, camping gear, maybe a used touring bike.