Preparing For A Journey Builds Character

Finally! The departure date is here and a train ride North has been booked with our names. Vancouver here we come! Getting to this point has been challenging, to say the least. We have agreed that getting this trip off of the ground could perhaps be the hardest part of the journey. Neither of us had any idea how difficult it would be to plan everything and get it all lined up. 

Organization, we discovered, is an essential component. We have narrowed our lives down to four saddle bags each, and deciding what stays and what goes has been interesting. By interesting I mean its been downright thought provoking, creative, characteristically defining and emotional. Endless trips to REI, scouring bikes stores in multiple cities, attending used gear sales, countless checklists, first aid courses, grocery runs...LOTS has been done to prepare.

Both bikes needed some modifications. We added pedal cages, relief seats, new tires, front rack, rear rack, speedometer, front and rear lights, water bottle cages, new break pads and handle bar grips. And just as that was finished, my bike was STOLEN! Two days before departure... 

Me with my new bike two days before the trip.

This journey started as an idea we both held when we first met.  As soon as the idea was unleashed everything sprung into action. Since then it has been something we have dreamed about every night. With so much preparation already completed, neither of us wanted to let the motives of a petty thief get in the way of our dream. Thankfully Papa Steve was able to support me and helped replace my bike. Big thanks to Encina Bicycles for having my Trek 520 in the size I needed. After spending the better part of the last 24 hours modifying and upgrading, my new bike is now ready to go!

Leading up to the departure date we spent most every night on the phone describing the campgrounds we would stay at, the epic picnic spots we would come across, the feeling of riding with the wind in our hair, the smell of salt, and the freedom and challenge we would inevitably feel. I can't believe this time its real! 

As long distance runners we both understand the power in visualization, and we have done that to the max, but we had better not get ahead of ourselves because we still have no idea what we are in for!