Great ideas overall.

Ive managed the first 1700 miles without incident. The bike cover absolutely isn’t worth it. Even directly behind a suv, it still catches too much wind.

Im not worried about someone stealing my rack. It’s old with rust spots. At around 50lbs, I don’t think the rust it has is structural. Feels like a tank to me. I tighten it to the bumper with a big hardened bolt, though I may add spacers for wiggle.

I use a U-lock and cable. Tomorrow I’m passing by my address, I’ll swap the gravel for MTB. It won’t have the geometry to use the u lock. I do like the idea of one of those monster chains. I’ll look into it.

My biggest concern is coming up. The bike might have to spend some time on the back in both Pueblo and Albuquerque, neither have a great reputation crime wise. I’m brainstorming ideas to get everything inside before our urban errands in each spot.