Up too late.

Made last trip to REI. Ate a late dinner and was gifted a fantastic assortment of bars from dear friend, Kevin. Packed. And packed. Weird feeling, nervous. I always doubt myself. Terrible habit, I know.

Read up a little on the Merriweather Lewis death on Natchez. Interesting stuff. Doubt of the death as suicide and a family that wants to exhume the body. Marked his final stop on my map for a visit. I want to track my ride, but still don't know what app to use. Maybe mapmyride? It eats a lot of battery though.

Tomorrow morning comes soon. Sleep will be interesting.

Two days...

And I'm back to "under-prepared" as the emotion de jour. Don't have my campsites picked out. Not sure where I'm going to get my meals. Will water be an issue?

However, my hairs are all cut off. My bicycle has been tuned like a precision machine. The wife and I have a plan for the return trip on Sunday.

I just need to keep telling myself this is a well traveled road, with plenty of stops along the way. My bike is in great shape. I'm a resilient person. This will be fun.

one week left

One week from tonight, I will be camping under the stars. As I expected, now I begin to question how prepared I am. Am I carrying too much? How will my bike withstand the weight?

Did I spend too much? No, I want more of this. More bike trips, camping, exploring. More bike frames and gears, mechanics. I can keep dreaming from there

half day off

I took most of the day from work. It was nice because I spent my time doing inventory and applying waterproofing to the outside of my tent's rain slick, sleeping bag, and a few other items I expect may get wet. Won't say I am absolutely confident that the results will be as envisioned, but we'll see.

It's been an adventure in itself to try and prepare myself for this trip. Typically, I ride my bike as a commuter, but I'm always pushing myself to go faster. I average near 17mph on the trek to work (and I do have stops). While it is a great workout and I can make it 9.5 miles in 30-35 mins is pretty great, but I won't survive long with that pace on tour. I guess I'll just have to constantly remind myself to enjoy the scenery.

One more thing for anyone who may be interested in touring. I have found this website by Darren Alf to be a huge help in my planning. What he is doing is just the bee's knees and I would recommend his work for entertainment and information: http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/

Sunday plan day.

Typically, I love to take a nice bike ride on my Sunday. Nashville has been covered in rain all week, however, and today is no different. Can't mow the lawn. Don't feel like pedaling wet (I'm sure that will happen in a week & change). So, I'm spending my afternoon with a little Madden on the Wii and some planning for the big trip.

To those friends and family worried about my going alone, please don't fret. The Natchez is a slow paced drive with no stops, and according to Steve a perfect beginning bike touring trail. There are public stops with water and food along the way, and even some bike-specific camping sites. I'll be checking at the end of each day and have all the necessary identification if any serious issues should arise.

What I'm most excited about is the alone time. For the past few years, I have been working to the brink of burnout. It has been very important for me, as I am still learning and growing as a technician. My troubleshooting skills have improved greatly, as well as my knowledge / interest in power amps, synths, powered speakers, solid state and tube amps. I have helped friends and learned how to better help customers (won't say my people skills have improved as well as the technical side). Point being, I have put many things on the back burner. I formerly wrote creatively and played music, and almost would have called myself a musician. There is a part of me that has been dormant and out of touch, in order to improve one aspect of my life. 

All that being said, I'm not expecting some sort of creative revival that brings me "back to form". Rather, I plan the time will be spent reflecting upon myself and planning my future. Probably will take form in pen and notebook rather than public blog.

17.April Update

Less than two weeks away. I can barely hold the excitement. Unfortunately, there was some bad news. Steve won't be joining me after all. A job he bid on has grown and he won't be able to leave the work behind.

I'm definitely disappointed. It was, after all, him that introduced this tour to me. However, if we were to go together the trip would need to be delayed until fall. To be honest, I don't know that I can mentally hold out that long. My stress load is high, and work isn't slowing down. More and more, I'm losing patience with myself and others. I need to escape.

So, the plan changes. Hopefully, Steve and I will make a future tour together, but this one will happen solo. Now my head goes into full prep mode. I have to complete my checklist. The tent need to be waterproofed. I have to plan out my meals. Snacks must be stocked. Maybe I need to pack my bike and go for a day ride, just to see how heavy it really will be. Already have my ride home secured. Whitney will be flying down and driving up in a rental.

The wheels are turning and won't be stopped.

Bicycle Touring the Natchez Trace

So, this first post is obviously to give you a taste of why I'm starting a blog. On April 29th, Steve and I will begin our 445 mile tour of the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is our pic from last year's Jack and Back:

Most of what I plan to do with this blog is create a place to plan and note places of interest. We'll be leaving the 29th and riding through until Sunday May 3rd. 

There are several places along the route for water, food and emergency gear. We will camp through the trip, and hope to average near 100 miles a day to finish the ride within our allotted time frame. While I won't update the blog during the tour, I do plan to take lots of photos and notes for sharing at a later time.