0000.0

that's what my tripometer says at the moment. when i get back home, according to an estimated route with google maps, it will be somewhere between 7800 and 8000 miles.

tomorrow is the big day. everything is sitting in a pile in my living room and, as soon as this is posted, my laptop will be the last thing added and i will be fully packed. it's been somewhat of an anxious day. i'm always more jittery the day before a big trip or event than the day itself, and this has been no exception. all day i've been hovering around, jumping from one thing to another and rarely finishing anything in one sitting. but it's all ready and tomorrow at 8am i'll be setting forth on the trip of a lifetime.

there have, of course, been some last minute problems. we're having to hit a hotel on night #2 instead of staying with inlaws thanks to an unexpected wedding (cheers!), and the hotel i'm staying at during the tournament in san francisco does not park bikes. at all. yeesh. they recommended a parking garage close by, which may cost as much as $120 for the weekend, which is not so swell in my book. i'm seeing if i can head down to los altos early to park the bike and make it back to the city for the tournament to save some cash. something tells me i might need it somewhere down the road.

every fits on my bike surprisingly well. i have to repeat that i love my saddlebags. they have taken everything i can throw at them and then some. i have room in both sides for shifting and adjusting, and my tank bag is only half-full, if that. the camping gear is quite a bit to strap on top, but it fits well under the net, and shouldn't move around too much. all in all, it should be just fine. here is what vixen looks like, all ready to go:



and, some would say, the most important part of all:


this is a bell that guards against evil road spirits (at work, we call them ewoks. yes, it's a star wars reference). road spirits can mess up your bike, your health, roadside fruitstands, you name it, they are responsible for all types of bad news and, without a bell such as this, you leave yourself vulnerable to them and their mischief. these are extra powerful if given to you by friends, so a big thanks to paul and sandy for this one (i think it fits me rather well, too).

so, for the next month i will be living off of what i have on my bike. this is a remarkable feeling, that i can't exactly describe at the moment. it's very freeing, yet somewhat apprehensive. i'm quite nervous, but that is almost overcome by the excitement. every time i've felt somewhat overwhelmed by all the planning, or the problems, that have come up over the past few months, i've told myself that this is something most people never get the opportunity to do, much less take that opportunity when it presents itself, and i would be a damned fool not to make the most of it. which is true. i'm extremely privileged to get to take a trip like this, and i intend to make the most of it. it could very well be the last of this kind of adventure i get to have (although i have a new plan to do a motorcycle brewery tour through belgium...), and i intend to take it by the horns and suck all the marrow i can out of it.

so, for now, we'll just say i'm looking forward to getting up tomorrow and jumping on the bike. should anything come up that makes me ever not look forward to that, i shall have to reevaluate a few things, especially if it occurs in the next 30 days. but i'm not worried about that. i'm pretty pumped about getting out there. the next time you hear from me, it will be from the road.

ride fast, take chances,

scott