On Day Away

Well the last minute preparations are drawing to a close. The house has been surrounded by neighbors who are going to keep an eye on the house. Very close friends are checking on the inside of the place for possible emergency issues. There is a lot to think about when you are planning to leave your place for 3 months. Someone to mow the grass, you must stop the paper and the mail, call your credit card company to tell them you are traveling, turn off all the stuff in the house, etc. What do you pack in the camper? What do you not really need to pack? How much food do you take? What clothes do you pack? What clothes do you really need to pack? How many pairs of shoes are you taking?  Is it going to be cold in the mountains?  Do I need a coat and gloves?

Oh yes, and don't forget to keep riding your bike to stay in shape. I have been completing a couple 50-65 mile rides each week, mixed with an additional two 35-45 mile loops. A week ago, I rode 73 miles to Ft Wayne without a problem, other than it was hot. As I have been training with minimal gear on the bike, it would probably be a good idead to try to ride with some weight on the back. So, I loaded the panniers with lots of stuff and set off. Wow, what a difference the added weight makes and not in a good way. So, I got back home and paired down the items in the panniers to what one might need in an emergency (i.e. bike parts, camera, water, tools, snacks, first aid kit, and the like). The ride with the reduced load was much more tolerable. If my wife has to abandon the adventure before the end, I hope I will be ready to ride with the additional load of essential equipment, instead of just emergency stuff on the "black stallion".

So, we leave Friday to start the drive to Astoria. Enroute camping will include stops in Minnesota, Montana, Idaho (plus a couple hours at Mt Rushmore), before arriving in Oregon. If I did not mention it earlier, my wife is happy that she will have company along the trail as her parents are joining us (riding in their own camper). They seem to be just as excited as we are about the adventure. We will meet up with them in Ft Wayne as we pass by on Friday.

I will try to make updates to the blog as internet access becomes available.

So, we ask for your prayers for safety as we embark on the bicycle adventure...