Monthly Archives: May 2014

Four wheels rolling – we’re on our way!

Last glance at the apartment, first time rolling with everything!

Last glance at the apartment, first time rolling with everything!

 

 

It is still sinking in, but we are super excited to be rolling.

We wrapped everything up yesterday in terms of work and apartment, and rolled away from State College about 3:30pm.  One of my very best friends, Vishesh, rode with us for the 30 miles to our first camp.  It was wonderful to have him with us, because the road was familiar to us but new to him.

Spring is starting, finally.  We saw baby lambs, blooming trees, and wild mustard greens poking up everywhere.  They are an invasive species around here, but they are certainly delicious this time of year!

 

Baby lambs!

Baby lambs!

We got in to camp around 7:00, and we greeted by more wonderful statistics friends waiting for us.  They had brought food and firewood, and wasted no time in getting it all cooking.  Thank you so much Jeonga (and Won) for all the delicious food, and Jason for dessert! I can’t believe that we didn’t take a group picture!

The adventurers rolling into camp.

The adventurers rolling into camp.

We spent a few hours chatting, deciding where we might in 5 years time (and who we might be with!).  I think we will scatter across the country, but hopefully we can have a reunion with some sort of regularity. When they left the campground, there were a few tears…

Camp in the morning - taming the gear.

Camp in the morning – taming the gear.

 

Rock formations near Huntingdon.

Rock formations near Huntingdon.

It was a chilly night, but we were warm and cozy in our bags.  In the morning the sun was out, the temps were up, and we had to once again tame the pile of stuff and get it packed on the bicycle.  It might seem like a lot, but when I remember that it is literally all we have for the next 1.5 years… well, it doesn’t seem so much.  Also, many items that seem silly now will be wonderful in Alaska.  Like…  the handwarmers, extra gloves, long underwear, etc.  It doesn’t help how many food items we are carrying way too much of because we decided to eat them instead of tossing them.  Like… 1.5 pounds of almonds, 1 pound of gatorade powder, and about 4 pounds of rice. Ha!

Now we are in Huntingdon at our favorite coffee shop / laundromat.  After this, we will be on uncharted roads.  Forward!

All packed up and ready to go!

All our belongings for the next year. It seems like both way too much and far too little.

All our belongings for the next year. It seems like both way too much and far too little.

It has been a busy busy week, and we are finally packed and ready! It is hard to believe that we leave tomorrow.

Daisy is so cool, cleaning the apartment for move-out.

Daisy is so cool, cleaning the apartment for move-out.

We have accomplished more than expected in the past week.  We made fender extensions for both bicycles, crafted waterproof hand covers out of a shower curtain, got our bicycles tuned and kickstands installed.  Both of our commuter bikes found new owners, as did a very large amount of our other belongings.  We had an interview for the university newspaper, wrote and recorded a ‘This I believe’ essay, and did another interview with the local outdoor store.  Oh, and of course, we had a full week of work wrapping up our various projects.

For the next four days we will be riding through Pennsylvania and Maryland, passing through many small towns and spending a night in Gettysburg.  I am very excited for this, because we will take all afternoon to poke around the park and the historical site.  The weather looks to be perfect, and this 4 day ride will be a good opportunity to find out what works with our gear set-up and what doesn’t.  Finding the right pannier for each item is going to be an ongoing challenge, especially once we are in Alaska and have 3 bear canisters that must fit all our food and toiletry items.  Yikes!

Recording my 'This I Believe' essay for the local radio. It will air on May 15.

Recording my ‘This I Believe’ essay for the local radio. It will air on May 15 (and then be available here after that).

From here on out, you will get real stories about the real bicycle trip!  No more of this ‘in preparation’ stuff – we are starting!  Feel free to subscribe if you want to get emails when we update, otherwise you may want to bookmark the site so that you can find it again next time you wonder where we are.

Finally, a time-lapse video of us taming our belongings and packing them up: