RAGBRAI Raw -- Food I Brought from Home

I've been a high raw traveler for a number of years now, so I didn't have to think too hard about what foods would pack well.  As usual, I brought about 3 each of apples, oranges, and bananas.  I could rely on those to hold up for a few days in the air-conditioned RV. I had made a big batch of homemade trailmix, which I then packaged in 1/2 cup servings inside snack sized baggies.  A couple of those will fit nicely into my biking jersey back pockets. It's fun and easy to put together a trailmix. Into a big bowl I put 1 cup each of every raw nut I can find at the health food store--almonds, cashews, brazils, filberts, pistachios, pecans, and walnuts. (Pinenuts and macadamia nuts don't hold up well in the heat, so I leave them out.)  Then I add 1 cup each of raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Afer that I add one cup each of all the dried fruit and berries that I can find.  I take care to avoid the ones that have sulphur (for color) added to them.  Cranberries, apricots, figs, date rolls, raisins, mulberries, etc., dried mango, pineapple, apple, pear pieces work well, and provide some much appreciated sweet and tart combinations, in addition to their considerable amounts of various vitamins and minerals.  Sometimes I add a cup of raw shredded coconut, but I didn't for this trip.  My favorite thing to add is 1 cup of raw cacao nibs.  They add a little caffeine (my only source of caffeine), magnesium, and the wonerful taste of chocolate.  Somehow that little bit tastes really good after a long day on the bike! This homemade trailmix, while I usually pack some in a back pocket, I typically don't eat until the end of the day's biking, when I appreciate taking the time to enjoy the chewing.  But I do pack some with me, just in case I decide I want it enroute.  More on that later.
Other things that I brought along with me for snacks later in the day and into the evenings after supper were some packages of dried figs, mangos, papayas and  some raw bars from the healthfood stores.  These bars are pricey, so I don't eat them usually, but they provide some variety on a trip, and are satisfying when others are enjoying ice cream or some other dessert.
I didn't need much of the food I had brought from home.  The point is that I knew it was there if I needed it, and that was a comforting thought.
I do tend to overpack food from home, I suppose.  It works better for me to know that I've got plenty of the foods that I know will help me to perform well, than to wonder if there won't be enough along the road and in the towns, and then not have enough calories----and I need plenty of them riding many miles a day. I was able to replenish fresh fruits and vegetables along the way, mostly in the towns where we stopped for the night. These healthy raw snacks from home, however, are much harder to find along the bike routes.  Next time I'll talk about how and what I ate when we did get off our bikes at the end of the day.