good points, and yes I am a little afraid of camping across Canada unarmed. But, the ALCAN will not happen before April/May 2017 and it may end up being a trip where I drive my jeep and bring the bike along. Yes, that is wimping out...LOL

But for now, am trying to extend my rides and start doing overnighters. Since I don't have any lightweight gear and am still building stamina, will start doing credit card camping. Not sure where to start, but know I need a different set up for a bike. Am riding a Felt V85 bike now that has 105 road stuff on it but was told by several folks that I need to be thinking of a lower geared bike that is more set up for carrying more weight that 30-40 lbs, if I ever want to start camping. I can't afford to buy a stable of bikes so am selling all my old bikes and trying to get into a touring bike that I will ride mostly on the road, maybe down a path or two in a camp ground or a bike trail. I do want disc brakes after a narrow miss on a wet icy road in Switzerland. So bottom line, a bike that is much better than I am now and will give me the inspiration to grow into it and actually get to the point of being able to do much longer trips. Plan will be to build up the stamina for the rest of the Summer and start extending my trips this fall and even do some credit card camping along the cascades or sierras over the winter. Hope that helps.