One month till takeoff

Time is going fast. Bonnie and I are getting excited about our adventures to come. A lot of planning is still necessary before our departure date of May 27th. This week we plan on taking a practice run with our fully loaded bikes and make decisions on gear and equipment before shipping our bikes UPS this weekend to Rosemary Seifried's (Bonnie's sister) house in Marblemount, WA. (Photo: Mike's gear) Our bikes will weigh close to 100 lbs. which includes, the bike, tent, sleeping bag and pad, cooking stove, pots, clothes, bike tools, pump, spare tires and tubes, etc., not to mention food and water. Water weighs 8 lbs. per gallon. Over the next month we will be looking to lighten the load, by cutting back on unnecessary items, and believe me, every pound counts.

Our Plan - Washington to Maine

Favorite Quotes

- Today is the beinning of a new day. I have been given this day to use it as I see fit. I can waste it, or grow in its light and be of service to others, but what I do with this day is important because I have exchanged a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. I hope I do not regret the price I have paid for it.

- The journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step.

- A little uncertainty is perhaps the spice of life.

- Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.

- We are better than we know. If we can be made to see that, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.

- You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop and look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

- There is only one success, to be able to spend life in your own way.

- The bicycle is the last machine simple enough to be understood by its owner.

- It's the journey that counts, not the arrival.

- Tommorrows life is too late, live today.

- What we take for granted can change in an instant. If there's something you have always wanted to do. What are you waiting for? Do it.

- For many of us, undertaking an adventure is the fulfillment of a dream. It may have begun as a wild and crazy idea, but what differentiates those of us who see it as possible from those who give up on it? Easy! We come up with either 10 reasons to do it or 10 reasons not to do it.

- Negative Reasoning, the "what ifs" that will probably never happen, bring some of us into our later years saying, "I wish I'd done that"! It is said that we are rarely sorry for what we have decided to do, but are long time regretting what we didn't do.

- The Answer to Sucess! by: My Dad
Always, always deal from the top of the deck.
Trust everyone but always cut the cards.
Always treat people as you would have them treat you.
Always try to be as helpful as you can, but never ever be overbearing about it.
Never go home from work at night wondering if everyone still loves you, if they do, it means you've been ducking the tough decisions and are afraid of being misunderstood.
And if ever you are torn by matters of conscience, then dig down deep within you, to find the courage, to do what is right.

Bike Preparation

We still have 7 weeks to go 'til our bike trip, but there's a lot of preparation to be done before that time. We got our bike boxes yesterday from United Airways so we can ship the bikes to Rosie. Mike has declared himself head mechanic in charge of disassembling the bikes for packing. I don't like to see my bike broken down into pieces, but it's the only way they can be shipped. Next step is to lay out all my stuff and practice fitting everything in my saddlebags, plus make sure nothing is forgotten. And, even though it's cold and windy today, we're doing a training run. My bike hasn't been outside yet from the long winter hibernation, so it's time to get moving!