Sarah - yes, 200K. As far as the liquid to solid ratio goes: When I first started rando, I only ate solid foods and had plain water in my bottles. I was opposed to the "science diet" aspect of the various sports-oriented drinks and felt that real food was also quite a bit less expensive. However, a number of things caused me to change my thinking on this, so that now I nearly always have calories in my bottles. I determined that part of my intestinal distress was coming from having to digest so many solids. Solids require more energy to digest, are more difficult to consume ON the bike, and (let's be frank here) PRODUCE more solid waste. Also, solids tend to be eaten in bigger "bursts" if you will. ie, eating half a sandwich at a time, which means your stomach gets a load to work on all at once. By switching to liquids, I get a swig of a small number of calories every time I take a sip (keeping my blood sugar more even) and there are no solids to weigh down my gut. I also find that once the sun goes down or when it cold, I eat FAR less solid food because it's hard to see and/or hard to manage. Eating in the dark (find the thing you want in your bento box or handlebar bag, deal with the packaging, etc.) is challenging. Add to that thick gloves when it's cold (or raining!) and the whole thing becomes troublesome. Instead, handling a bottle or thermos is much simpler, and it ensures that I get the calories I need.

The bacon thing is freakin' amazing, BTW. I can't remember where I saw it, but as soon as I did, I made it. You weave the raw bacon into a mat, then bake it until crispy. Use it as you would bread. I made some for a 200K for me and my friends and needless to say, they were a big hit.

az - "I didn't feel so great an hour after the lunch stop with the Doritos and cottage cheese and the nutella sandwich, but I'm not sure which one upset my system (or if both of them did). " Or, it many have just been too many calories at once. When on brevets, I try not to eat too much at any one point, but rather be continually nibbling. Taking in too many calories at once is hard on your system and may cause nausea, as your body needs to send energy (and blood supply) to your working muscles, which sends it AWAY from your stomach. If you've eaten a lot, it will sit in your stomach like a ton of bricks, making you feel sick.

GLC - another day might have been COMPLETELY different, save for the Perpetuem. I'm also super fond of Allen Lim's rice cakes (from The Feed Zone Cookbook), Larabars (including my own homemade versions, peanut butter banana sandwiches, turkey sandwiches (late in the evening on a long brevet when I crave protein), and lots of other things. I once at a huge bacon cheeseburger at mile 180 on a 250 mile brevet. Damn, that was good. As far as plain water - I don't drink much of it. In warmer weather, sometimes, but generally I always have calories in the bottles so that I don't have to eat so many solids. Sometimes I carry thermoses and make myself a "rando mocha", which is hot cocoa made with coffee instead of milk or water. On winter brevets, having warm drinks is so nice.