When I was shopping for bikes a while back, I found that the nearest spot to even look at a Surly Long Haul Trucker was in Austin- so check into them if you're already there. The bikes I was looking at were specifically touring bikes. Among other things, they'll have attachment points for racks on front and rear.

On the 2-months- that's pretty variable depending on the condition you're in. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of young athletic guys that never ride that could hop on a bike and ride circles around me right now. If you're one of them, 2 months is probably fine. If you're old, fat, and out of shape, maybe allow 2 years.