The busy Holiday season is here and I feel swamped! Plus the economy has tanked and I've had a lot of major expenses at my house which have eaten up all my savings for this ride. But I still intend to do it. I guess there really isn't a good time to go without an income for several months unless you are already independently wealthy - which I am not. Nobody ever said an adventure was easy.

On the plus side - I survived the layoffs at work and my company has said they are willing to work with me to make this ride possible. Even if they support me enough to just hold my job during my absence it will make the actual adventure that much more enjoyable.

Meanwhile, I've collected most of my camping gear and a good friend has loaned me some cold weather riding gear of his which will save me a lot of money. The next big step, which I have put off until the end of January is to get a new or previously owned bike capable of this journey. Either that or rebuild my older bike for the job. This will be one of the larger expenses and a careful decision will need to be made. Plus, there are a LOT of choices out there for touring bikes.

As 2009 arrives quickly - so will May. I've got a lot to do! Stay tuned for my progress updates. During the ride I intend to do a mostly video blog at this site. I've enjoyed watching some from other riders very much.

Happy Holidays!