St. Paul - First Day of the Trip

Woke up on time, picked up my dad, and made it to St. Paul today. What a great start.

The Adventure Begins -

I felt a bit like Rick Moranis in Spaceballs!

My dad said he saw seven dead deer - interesting that he kept count. The weather was hot, stayed about 88 most of the trip. The bike is everything I had hoped it would be - the Germans know how to make a machine. In the ZMM spirit - it is a quality bike. I probably haven't recognized or thanked my wife enough for her support of me on this trip. She's at home taking care of the kids, has a test or two in microbiology, is dealing with a broken sewer line at a rental house and even picked up her mother's birthday cake today! How blessed am I!

Saw a few wind farms along the way. Iowa hillsides are beautiful. Aggressive drivers suck.

Looking forward to seeing Pirsig's childhood home and the Sutherland's home tomorrow.

The Adventure Begins Tomorrow Morning

Trip begins tomorrow morning.  Bike is packed, all is ready to go.  Hope I sleep a bit tonight, kind of like Christmas Even when I was five.  I'll leave my house at about 8:30 then pick up my dad at his house and get on the road at about 9:00.  Not sure if we'll make it all the way to St. Paul tomorrow so we may decide to stop a bit short depending on how things are going.  Have been reading a 1946 version of Pinocchio to the kids which was given to my mother-in-law from her father.  After reading a chapter to them tonight, they all got together and said prayers for me for the trip.  It was very comforting and a terrific way to end our last evening together.  The adventure is about to begin!

22598 is the beginning odometer reading.

Day Three - Still Planning

Finished the turn-by-turn directions today, required a lot more work than I had planned.  Very informative as I read through more of Henry Gurr's web site.  Also finished packing and decided going for a "test camping trip" wasn't necessary but I did go for a test drive with the bike fully loaded.  Everything went fine, just took a moment to get used to the extra weight.  Unfortunately, I've passed the cold to Margaret and now she's in bed.

Day Two - Planning

Had my last PT appointment today.  My back should be fine throughout the trip as long as I follow the prescribed excercises.  MANY THANKS to Leslie R. at Elite Physical Therapy for getting me ready for my trip.  She has been fantastic and I would recommend her to anyone.  Finished all my Walmart shopping today and picked the bike up from the shop.  I'm planning to go camping tomorrow night at a nearby campground to see if there may be anything I've forgotten to include.  Also working on final turn-by-turn directions for the entire trip.

First Day of Sabbatical

Although this is officially a vacation day, I'm still considering it the first day of the sabbatical.  Spent most of the day in bed though due to a cold. Have begun laying everything out and preparing my final packing list.  Bike is in the shop getting oil changed and brake fluid topped off.  Return trip has been mapped out, will post a final itinerary before leaving.  Found a great app that will let me take a picture and will then geocode to where the pic was taken.  I can then enter notes and tags about the photo and as I do this a photo-travel map will be created along the route.  When I'm finished, the entire route may be viewed by going to a map and clicking on the pins.

May 22 - Two Weeks Until Embarking

Anxiety is progressing as the trip is now within two weeks and it seems I always have some part of it going through my head.  The only time I remember thinking this much (obsessing) about something was during high school!  I've obtained all the items on my packing list.  Went riding today with Margaret which reminded me of what an adventure I have in front of me.  Only one week left of work, hope to be able to have a good handover.  We've been reviewing my responsibilities and making plans for triaging them to the other team members as much as possible.  Hopefully all will go smoothly while I am away.  Working on final map preparations and have decided to get brakes looked at and the oil changed before I leave. 

My friend Craig gave me a great idea last night.  Most pictures from vacations and long trips are of the landscape or shots of your group.  He suggested I also take pictures of the people I meet.  Everyone from the clerks at the motels to the waiters and waitresses I'll meet.  It'll be a great way to capture and remember their stories.

New idea for a return trip

Was just reading some online ZMM info and someone had taken the return trip via the California and Oregon trails.  I've decided this would be an excellent return trip and will begin working on those changes to the trip plan.  So far, all the planning is going well.  Have just a few items to obtain and then will be ready to see if I can pack it all in.  I called the BMW cycle shop to see about getting the bike in for service before the trip.  But after learning the 23,000 mile service cost was $600 plus parts, I decided the bike was in good enough shape for the trip and I should be able to deal with any bike issues if they arise.  As the beginning of the trip nears, my anxiety level is increasing.  Maybe it's because it is Mother's Day, but one of my main concerns is boredom and loneliness - along with mechanical failure, food choice, theft, etc.  I mentioned to Margaret today that I want to approach this trip as an adventure and not just think about survival.

In addition to a great Mother's Day, my daughter Kate won her soccer league championship - way to go Kate!