100 days may seem like a long time, but when you have been actively planning a trip for over 2 years it feels like tomorrow.
100 days from today I will get aboard the Amtrak Coast Starlight and begin my 30 hour train ride to L.A.
Why the train? Well, the idea of disassembling my bike and putting it on a plane and hope that it makes it without damage (or at all) and then putting the bike back together and hoping that I match everything back to the millimeter for the correct fit scares me enough that I'm going to take my trusty steed with me on the train.
So here it is a mere 3 months until we point east and pedal and I don't know the names of any of the other 19 riders. These 19 riders will be my roommates, dinner companions, trusted confidants, drinking buddies and riding partners...we will be a team.
We will need to work as a team to get through the Mojave, to fight headwinds, to help with breakdowns (mechanical - physical & mental). These folks are going to be my best friends but I haven't met them yet.
100 Days...it will come quick.
I'm not sure that I'm fully prepared but I am sure that nobody will be fully prepared. We have our instructions, we have our training plans and list of what to bring. We know what expect and we know that we will encounter the unexpected. We also know that whatever happens, we deal with it and ride.
Next week I go to the Doctor ( yes dear) to get the "thumbs up" that everything is good enough to attempt the ride. Being that I just turned 50 I think that this examination comes with a special bonus prize, I will not be reporting the details on this.
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| I need a name for "the bike"....suggestions? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? |
Jeff, we can disagree on a few things, but on this, you da man! I am proud to know you.
ReplyDeleteThanks David,
ReplyDeleteBBBS is a great organization and I appreciate your encouragement.Please follow the blog, it should be fun.
Dream Big.
One of the XC09 riders named his bike, "Boston." My bike remains nameless. The next 97 days will fly by. You will be in El Segundo before you know it. How are you going to get from Union Station to el Segundo?
ReplyDeleteHi Jim, I think I just came up with her name...I'm going to sleep on it to see if sounds good tomorrow morning.
ReplyDeleteMy wife will fly down and grab the rental car and pick me up. We will get in Thursday night to have Friday and Saturday to "relax" she will fly home Sunday after we point east and pedal.