Some Updates....(a Bob Dylan song never written)

Well, well, well...a few updates.

Nothing too exciting I reckon.

First off, I got a confirmation email today stating in bold print that my B.O.B trailer has arrived to the REI store up in Fairfax, VA.  Having it shipped to the store saved me a nice chunk of change in shipping charges.  So, when I head back to D.C. tomorrow to work the weekend away I'll be able to pick it up.  I'm excited to see how the B.O.B. trailer works and think it'll give me more flexibility in regards to what gear I chose to haul with me on the trip as opposed to the panniers.  So, I'll find out soon enough I reckon....

Second off, I bought my plane ticket.  January 8th (thursday) is designated as the date I fly from Richmond, VA to San Diego, CA.  I'll then take a train from San Diego to Los Angeles, CA which is where I'll officially start my trip.  Folks are probably wondering why I didn't make life easier for myself and just purchase a ticket from Richmond, VA to Los Angeles, CA?  Well, I thought one of my friends from college lived out in San Diego....of course I talked with him the day after I bought the ticket and was reminded that he and his wife actually live in Los Angeles.  Arggghhh...Go figure.  Well, it actually works out for the better seeing Loretta's cousin (Lauren) lives out there in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Greg.  They both happened to be on this side of the country this week and we got to talking about the trip and before I knew it I was totally convinced it'd be much worth it to start in Los Angeles where I could, hopefully, meet up with all those folks.   Also, biking a small snippet of the Pacific Coast will be a great addition to the rest of the trip I feel.....

Thirdly, total miles for the trip will be right around 4,450 miles or so....So, a few hundred miles longer than when I biked the TransAm bike route a couple summers ago.  The total trip should take me about 7 weeks or so...give or take a week (?).  I have a general itinerary mapped out and plan to hold to that loosely as the trip goes and will just use it to give me a general idea as to whether I'm falling to far behind or not. 

I was suppossd to hike the A.T., but.....

Let me explain....

The last time I sat down to write a "post" on a blog of any sort was when I had finished my first adventure of pushing the pedal just enough to get me across the U.S.....a trek of 4,200 miles or so...41 days total for the trip....a great introduction to the world of touring the greater expanse of country land by bicycle.  

My plan was to thru hike the Appalachian Trail this coming March and finish up just in time to get married this coming July.  But, as time passed and the more time I had to sit and reflect on my journey across the country via bicycle the more I yearned to embark on yet another XC trip of similar sort.  It was hard to come to terms with giving up the dream, at least for now, of thru hiking the A.T., but I knew that after my experiences in bike touring hiking on the A.T. would just seem to pale in comparison to the amount of country I'd be able to see by the seat of my bicycle.  

It seemed like an obvious choice.  Take the same amount of time I would have spent on the A.T. and turn that time into a bicycle trip.  I'd be able to cover nearly four times as much land, see more, meet more people, etc.  

I went back to the drawing boards this past summer and ordered a set of maps from Adventure Cycling Association and started to hash out a route that would have me starting at Sugar Hollow, VA (where I finished my first trip) and bike for three months with a start date of March 29th.  

Well, in short, between then and now the course my route covered has changed dramatically with no point in detailing every week's change in plans.  The point being that, at least as of now, I plan on flying out to San Diego, CA and cycling back until I finish up at Sugar Hollow, VA.  Rather than starting end of March I'll be starting in early January.  I know, some will bark out, how cold it'll be.....but, ain't it dandy to know that biking the Southern Tier route in winter is actually the ideal time of year to go seeing i'll be hugging close to the southern border of the U.S. where the temp should be avg in the 60s and 70's.  Not bad for cycling conditions if you ask me.  

I still have about two months before leaving on this trip and Loretta and I both agree that it'll be better for me to do the trip earlier in the year rather than later when I would be more useful being around to help plan for the wedding and figuring out logistics for wherever we end up after Loretta graduates. So.  That's the plan, and I'm trying my best to stick with it...at least for the rest of this week....

I'll add another post soon regarding total distance of trip, how many days, major attractions along the route, gear I'll be carrying this time around, etc....

(Southern Tier route below (pic from ACA website) once I hit Florida I'll work way up east coast until I reach Blue Ridge Mtns in Virginia).....