Getting Ready

On Sunday we rode about 40 miles (from Portland to Hollis and back) stopping for a pancake breakfast and some warmth by the fire.  It was a great ride, but kind of strange to look out at the familiar landscape and sights rolling by and see everything covered in snow.  Normally when I am out cycling the ground is at least brownish green, but the flurries around us weren't too troublesome (much nicer than pouring rain).  The first day of spring (later this week) marks two months until we fly to Seattle to begin our trip.  Its getting overwhelming.  We don't have a lot to prepare (of course we are only bringing what we can carry on our bicycles), but while our trip seems far away, like a dream, I think we are both realizing how fast it is approaching.  

I think I have already had some of those dreams I get about trying to leave and being continually delayed and sidetracked so it seems like I can never get there.  I'm sure there will be more nights of imagined misadventures before we depart.  In reality there are a lot of obstacles between now and when we leave: work, planning gardens for someone else to plant, making a bridesmaid dress, brewing beer, sewing bags, making books and other projects.  But we also need this time to get as ready as we'll ever be.  While I am working as much as I can to save money for our trip, I am also trying to get in shape for the hills, headwinds and so many days in the saddle.  Its probably not possible (for me) to prepare for all of this, but I'm going to ride as much as I can in the time I have.  

I've probably said this before but I can't really even imagine what this trip is going to be like.

I guess I am treating it like a looming epic journey and I imagine you are hanging on to every word as I give you the background for the story.*  Well, we'll see.  I was looking at the website of another pair of cross country cyclists who were raising money for the WWF  as part of their ride.  A few people have asked if we are using our ride as a fundraiser for anything.  I think its a great idea, but really I just want to go on this trip because I want to, because its there to try, and because I can.  I've flown across the country but never seen most of what is in between one side and the other, so I'm excited for that.  While we don't have an added noble cause, we will be traveling by our own power, so that will be a pretty amazing (and challenging way to travel). 

Whether this is an epic journey or not, as many of you know, I love to share my travels via letters, postcards, email, and now a blog.  I will continue to do so on this one, of course.  Let's hope that spring begins to show herself soon, so we can have some soft breezes on our long training rides.  Ha Ha.  Its supposed to snow tomorrow.

By the way, I've been so chatty you haven't heard much from Ray.  He's the one who has been making  this site look nice and he made the lovely map which will show our progress along the way.  We hope to get some more pictures up here soon, too.  Happy (almost) Spring!

*Actually right now we only have one faithful reader, thanks Brita!  Sometime in the next month we'll let everyone else in on this.