I did the ride last sunday and it was good-only 25 miles. However the roads were rough. I have 700x32c tires which are smooth and I felt every bump. Since that ride I bought Blackburn stainless steel water bottle cages and installed them. Now I need some nice stainless steel water bottles. I wore sunglasses and they were fine and glad I did, since we had a headwind.
Instead of a saddlebag right now I think I'm getting a trunk. My Dh has the Arkel Tail Wind and it's really nice. I still need room to carry more than just repair tools/tube, so the trunk bag is smaller than the pannier. Eventually I'll likely get a saddle bag too as well as a bike specific jersey.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. Keep them coming, and I'll post updated info.