Final preparations

So now I am seriously trying to pack, which is difficult because while my body is in western
Mass my head has already left for San Diego! Who knows what all I'll find in my suitcase when I arrive!

More poetry for the road....

Challenge

I’m obsessed with high mountain passes,

With snow-capped peaks and alpine grasses,

Grazing sheep and diluted air,

Marmots whistling everywhere.

The longer the climb the better I like it.

Point out something that’s steep and I’ll bike it.

When things are flat I’m bored and antsy.

It takes a challenge to suit my fancy.

Forget all the lightweight shit you can buy.

Pack up your panniers and give it a try!

Do it in rain or better in snow.

Pray for a headwind before you go.

Why do I do these ridiculous things?

Perhaps for the endorphins exercise brings.

Perhaps it distracts me from things that I fear

And I get to feel brave in my climbing gear.

(Hope the sentiment of this poem, written after several challenging and exhilarating climbs in the Rockies and Cascades a few years back, will resurface as we ride east from the Pacific Coast.)

Number 1 Fan

Me and my number 1 fan!  She's used to my "adventures" but still her comment was "Two months, Meme?!"  I hope that when she is my age that her adventurous spirit will be alive and well.