Thanks! The key to riding with someone is to stick to your pace. I forgot to mention how difficult I made it for myself to try to keep up with my friend while going up hill. The more I tried to catch up, the more tired and slower I got. Also, if I happen to be the faster one on the trip, I would have to be courteous enough to either go slower or wait when I get too far ahead. One thing to also remember is that if I'm waiting 5 minutes for someone to catch up, that doesn't mean I should immediately start pedaling as soon as he has reached my resting spot. It's only fair to let him also have a rest break before starting to pedal again!

Everyone tells me how you always end up going to the post office by the third day. Happened to me on my trip last year.

I guess the lock depends on whether I plan to ride around without all my bags. When fully loaded, I usually have to get a cable lock out anyway because the ulock won't reach far enough. I need to look up some reviews on that Ottolock as an alternative.

My dogsitter had no problems at all! She said her dog bosses him around sometimes but I think that's exactly what he needs to get him to behave! She said she can watch him again next time.