I've had my Trek 520 since June of last year, but had not made any overnight tours on it.
Until this last weekend.
The plan: ride from my house (in St. Louis, MO) to Hardin, IL and return the next day. Roundtrip mileage about 150-155. My goal was to evaluate my fitness for long-distance touring while testing my bike and touring equipment. I used my previous experience in riding local riverfront bike trails and maps from the state of Illinois to plan the route.
I packed my stuff on Friday night: Tools, clothes, food, personal items, camera, and a book, in an Arkel small handlebar bag and a pair of T42 panniers. About half of the miles were on designated bike trails, a third on rural highways with no shoulder, and the rest on suburban side streets. I also crossed the river on a ferry on each leg of the trip.
The ride up was challenging. I faced a noticeable headwind about 60 of the 75 miles. Since my goal was to complete the ride in good shape, I paced myself and took breaks as needed. I stayed at an inexpensive hotel in Hardin. It was truly a small town - the grocery store was closed before 7pm. I also saw a dog chewing on a deer leg in front of the restaurant where I had dinner
The next day I pulled out of town at 7:30 am. I had a tailwind and needed fewer rest stops and required less food.
Overall the trip was a success. I planned a trip to a place I had never been. I saw some wildlife (deer, hawks, egrets, unidentifiable mammals), had no hassles with people or dogs, and felt reasonably good after riding over 150 miles in two days. I need to change the layout of my barends to increase comfort and maybe the angle of my saddle.
And I had one almost-disaster and survived. About 45 miles into the first day a stick got caught in the rear wheel, jammed into the fender struts and forced the fender to crumple up under the rear rack and against the rear tire. This brought me to an immediate halt, but I kept the bike under control.
The fender was destroyed but everything else was OK.
Next goal - an overnight tour with CAMPING!!