So . . . I leave tomorrow morning. I am not really nervous. I am not really excited either. For some reason, the only thing stuck in my head today is that I plan to do a long ride tomorrow. I have not really thought past that. The problem with starting a tour this early in the season is that I have not had enough time to build up my endurance. That will quickly change in the next few weeks, but tomorrow may be a really long day.

I am mostly packed, except a few things that I need tonight and tomorrow morning.

This morning I had to run a couple of errands. My belt broke last night; I needed another. I have also been looking for new cycling gloves because my old gloves are falling apart. The old pair has crocheted backs. I was looking for something similar, but could not find any. That style must not be popular anymore because nobody seems to carry them. I finally settled on some that have a thin, almost mesh back. They will work fine. They have more padding than my old gloves, which may be a good thing on this trip. The extra padding feels odd, but I will get used to it soon enough.

At the bike shop, I told the guy helping me about my plan.  He got excited because he recently crossed from the west coast to the east coast. We talked about his experience and he gave me a few pointers. He mentioned that he really did not like riding through Kansas. I told him I grew up in Kansas and enjoyed riding in the state very much. All he remembered of the state were large feed lots. I guessed he must have ridden through Dodge City, which he confirmed. It is odd what people remember. To him, his whole experience of Kansas boils down to the smell of the feed lots. He also talked about the freedom to go wherever you want, the freedom to plan the trip a day at a time, the freedom to not necessarily take the most direct route.

Other than that, I have been resting all day, laying on my bed under my sleeping bag, nice a toasty warm, listening to the rain outside.

The bicycle is ready. I am ready. And now, I am excited.