And I'm off

So things have been amazing leading up to this trip. Last nights dinner was great. Sharing food and drinks with those closest to me really made the send off feel right. So many people came out. Cheers to those that came and made the experience memorable. Rachel, Leah, Sillup, Tawanda, Vickie and Daniel. Even Goldy showed up for an after dinner drink. It was so good to share stories, update each other and afirm the friendships I have with all these amazing people.

This morning continued the whirlwind of wrapping up NYC and heading out west. Breakfast for the last time from Bergen Bagels (Jason and Matthew you know the place) was oh so good! Then I headed out to return the cablebox and get one last bike ride in before I packed it up. My sunglasses were finished on time and I imediately got to go pick those bad boys up. They are taking some getting used to but are good all around.

Then the packing happened, like I do, last minute! With 2 hours before I leave I started the packing and cleaning process. Remember how I said I had already done a test pack and everything went amazingly. Well after some advice I decided to try and fit my tires in as well. As a result the packing was not as smooth. It took a full hour to get it all packed and once I finished duct taping it all together I looked down to find my fenders sitting out on the floor. SHIT... I tried packing it in with my other gear in my second bag... but I had too much of that to begin with. So back to the box, cut the tape, insert and retape. What a bummer.

Have you ever seen those comedy movies or cartoons where the character is sitting on the luggage trying to get it to zip closed...? well that was me hopping up and down rearranging my helmet and the 6 bags inside the bag so that the large duffle could close. Wow what a hilarious process. The bag ended up being 64 lbs!! (See picture) That's the wieght I'm supposed to be biking with down the road. The bike was 44 the gear is 64 and I'm 150... that's about 250 pounds traveling down the road powered by nothing more than my skinny thighs. What a crazy but cool thought.

As I was walking out the door my bike computer was delivered by UPS... litterally as I opened the door to walk out, BAM, there was the UPS dude with the little package for me. Only thing was... no kick ass tires were included in the package which were apart of the original order. This turned out to be a minor detail as Seattle and the west coast are huge biking areas. Two calls later and I found a shop that carries the exact tires I want and a guy who has done the journey three times. He knows all the routes and was talking my ear off. One line stood out to me. He said "oh man you are gonna have so much fun, so many people do it there are parties as each campsite. You will see and meet so many fun people you won't want it to stop." What a great thing to hear as I head off on my 1st bike trip adventure alone. Do you hear that worried family, so many people do this trip I will spend very little time alone.

And now here I am at the airport. I have checked in and I'm waiting for my plane. I'm so excited my hands are shaking as I type. I think its partly nerves and partly excitement. This feels like such a huge leap of faith. I'm reaching outside of my boundaries in so many ways. New coast, new journey, new job (who knows what it will be yet), new pretty much everything. Well the journey has begun, its time to settle down and start enjoying it. NYC is all wrapped up and will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully I can rest a big and slow my brain down in preparation. If not I have countless miles on the road for that to happen.

So, As the bud light commercials say "Here we go!"

Pics= 1: everything that's flying and biking with me 2: the total poundage of gear (hoping to get this down a bit when I get to seattle)