We leave for Scotland tomorrow, and the start of our month long tour. I was debating what camera equipment to bring in my bike panniers, and a phenomenal display of Northern Lights two nights ago decided the issue for me.

The Aurora danced across the sky here in northern Minnesota, and in Scotland. I would have been devastated to have been in Scotland and not have been able to photograph the display. Thus, I will bring both my Canon SX-60 Super Zoom and my small Sony NEX-5T mirrorless cameras. The Sony shines for night and landscape photos. The SX60 lets me get close to birds and wildlife (60x optical zoom). As always I will have a monopod strapped to my panniers.

Many folks might consider this amount of camera equipment excessive on a self-supported bicycle tour, but the world is a beautiful place … and I love to record it! I used to also bring a small tripod, but even I decided that was a bit much!

We start riding on Thursday! An area writer will be enjoying our home as she works on a new book and gets ready for some seminars. Finally, It was great to find a friend who would both enjoy our unique spot here in the Northland, and protect our home by house sitting.

To follow our tour:

• Molly’s Blog: Superior Footprints
• My Daily Bike Diary of the Crazy Guy on a Bike Portal
  (and)
• My blog (i.e. right here!)

Forest Fire Aurora … a remote lake in northern Minnesota. The smoke from both the Canadian fires and our local Skibo fire are evident in the sky.