Getting Ready - 10 Days to Go

Another bicycle trip is about to begin. Although I've done several multi-week bicycle tours over the last 10 years, the same questions and concerns always come to the surface about a week before the start date. Am I ready? Am I prepared? Did I pack everything I will need? Am I physically up for this challenge? Is my bike ready for this challenge? Have I planned everything to the best of my ability? So many questions. 40% of me says everything will be just fine. 60% of me is honestly a little worried. 100% of this overthinking will disappear the moment the trip begins and I start grinding the pedals. After that I have a set of milestones to reach: 

First: every day is a new ride. I know how many miles I have to go and how many feet of elevation I have to climb to reach my stopping point for the day. 

Second: If I make it to the end of the first 7 days I'll be very encouraged because days 3, 4, 5, and 6 involve crossing several peaks of the Cascade Mountains. 

Third: Make it to day 23 and I'm finished with the Rocky Mountains. 

Fourth: Make it to Rapid City South Dakota and I'm finished with big hills until I get to the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. 

Fifth:  Make it to Minneapolis.  Crossing the plains of South Dakota and western Minnesota is going to be difficult.  The roads are long and straight, the landscape is very barren, there's nowhere to hide from the sun or the wind, and there are very few people and resources (stores for supplies) out there. As I approach Minneapolis, the land will be turning greener with more trees and more people to interact with.  Even though there will still be 1600 miles to go, it will feel like entering the home stretch!!

So there you have it. If any of you follow me on this blog please leave a message (where it says "Enter Comment" at the bottom of the page) once in a while. It's always great to hear from friends and family back home. Also, on the left side of this page is a map of my current location. You can click on each location marker on the map to see what date I should be there. A blue line on the map will indicate my last stopping point for the night. I will update it whenever I am in a location where I can get WIFI. Also at the bottom left of this page is a link which says "Map of the Entire Route". You can click on that to see the route across the United States with the accompanying elevation profile. 

Thanks everyone. See you on the East Coast in about 70 days.