SparkFun Shout Out

Before I get too far along in my planning and preparation, I must give a special thank you to Nate Seidle, founder of and genius behind SparkFun Electronics (why is their brown stuff growing on my nose?!?), for allowing me to take this sabbatical-like leave of absence to satisfy my weird and wacky curiosities! I have been privileged beyond measure to be a part of this amazing organization and, not to mention, the greater DIY electronics / maker community.

When Nate and I talked about me taking time off for this trip I was unsure how he would feel about the whole thing. It turns out that Nate is still fully committed to his belief that everyone should chase their passions and follow their hearts, whenever possible. I am privileged to be in a position that will allow me to rather painlessly pursue this ambition of mine. At SparkFun we talk a lot about "letting your geek shine", which is our clever way of encouraging others to be proud of and to wholeheartedly seek the things/projects/people they love. We happen to be in the business of electronics geekery but I think we would all agree that even the manliest jock is a geek in his own right, he just happens to geek out about whatever happens to be playing on ESPN at the moment, perhaps even cycling. (segue coming...wait for it...wait for it...)

Speaking of cycling across the country, Nate and SparkFun have agreed to treat my road rambling body like a prostitute this summer by decking me out in SparkFun emblazoned gear. Notice how I said that they agreed to it. This is not being forced upon me. It was even my idea. I love talking to others about this crazy company and have no doubts that wearing SparkFun cycling gear on my trip will be great conversation starters with the folks I meet on the road. We've already designed and ordered the custom jerseys and they are being printed by Mt. Borah Custom Jerseys who have been great to work with. Here now, in a sneak peek preview is the hottest cycling gear to hit the scene in years (maybe an exaggeration!):

  

I've been joking that while Lance Armstrong is riding for Team Radio Shack this season, I will be riding for Team SparkFun, the company that is set to put Radio Shack out of business. ;) Only kidding. Although, seriously, how are they still in business?

Well, I'm off to Winter Park this weekend to test out my full set up, BOB trailer and all. This will be the only real trial run I will get in before starting the big daddy in June. Wish me luck...!

Passion Opens Hearts and Doors

I am floored by the amount of support, encouragement, advice, and interest that I've received from friends and family since announcing my plans for this upcoming adventure. A few examples:

One coworker of mine, Justice, is super excited that I'll be traveling along Highway 12 in Idaho because he knows of a couple great natural hot springs along that route that I should stop at. He keeps asking me to bring my maps in so that he can mark the springs' locations on there for me. Can't wait for that soak! My friend, Erika, works at Sea to Summit and is going to help me gear up and stay organized on the journey (Erika, we should talk this week about stuff!). Steve & Lindsay have offered to donate a super powerful lamp for me to use while on the road, just in case I find myself needing to travel at night for any reason. Tony, an equipment rep that calls on us at SparkFun, has friends in Virginia that he wants to connect me with when I'm at the tail end of my journey. Caley, an amazing friend of mine, crossed the country by bike with her brother a few summers ago and has graciously offered up an abundance of indispensable knowledge to me as I gear up and organize my plans for this trip. My grandpa even told me last weekend that, should I find myself in a bind anywhere along the way, he'll drop whatever he's doing, wherever he is, to come help me get out of trouble! And I'm pretty sure he was serious. 

And next week I'm having lunch with my realtor, Chris Ratay, to get his advice on long distance adventuring. If there's anyone who can speak truth to power in this realm, it's Chris. He and his wife currently hold the Guinness World Record for Longest Team Motorcycle Ride. In 1999 they sold most everything they owned and started traveling the world on two motorcycles...and did so for nearly 4-1/2 years, traveling 101,322 miles, through 50 countries and 6 continents! How awesome is that?!?

There are even folks that I've never met before who are willing to meet with me and share their insights and encouragement for the journey that I'm about to undertake. A couple friends of mine know this guy, Ryan Van Duzer, who rode cross-country last year on a 3-speed cruiser bike. That's crazy! My new LHT has 27 speeds and part of me is worried that isn't enough. How did he do it on only 3? Ryan and I have connected on Facebook and are going to try and meet up before I take off so that I might gain some invaluable eleventh-hour pearls of wisdom from him. He showed me this video of his trip last summer:

I'm convinced that a recap video of my trip would look quite similar to this. There's certainly going to be a tremendous amount of singing going on. And probably some white boy dancing too. But definitely a plethora of high fives will be doled out to the strangers I meet on the road!

First Ride on a New Bike in New Territory

I picked up my new pride & joy yesterday. Her given name is the Surly Long Haul Trucker. As I get to know her better, she'll be earning a new one though. Only time and experience(s) can determine what that name will be.

The friendly and knowledgeable folks at Cycle Analyst (great name, right?) in Denver were great to work with. They happen to be one of the only shops in the Denver-Boulder area that actually stock the Long Haul Trucker (LHT). Last Wednesday morning they spent a good hour talking with me about various touring bikes and the many options to consider when gearing up for a long distance journey. Friday afternoon I went back in to make the final decision on a bike. And yesterday afternoon, I picked up the fully built and ready-to-go rig that is to become both my home and mode of transportation for the next 2 - 2.5 months.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty dang stoked about this latest development in my plans for this trip!! It has helped to make everything else more tangible. Now I just need to do my best to break the LHT in before starting out my journey in Oregon. If you're keeping track, this whole thing begins in 28 days. That's not quite enough time to break in my new Brooks saddle, but it'll have to do.

I begin the breaking in process in just a few minutes. Last night my cousin, Chad, got married to his beautiful bride, Anali (congrats to you both!!) in Colorado Springs. Afterwards I crashed at Cousin Bonnie's (Chad's sister) apartment. I woke with a craving for Panera Bread and a little blogging action. So I punched Panera into my typically trusty iPhone in search of the nearest one. But, apparently, the iPhone celebrates Mother's Day by taking this day off. As a result, it took me all over this town in search of the Panera I'm now sitting in. But I'm in no real hurry and it's a beautiful day out. I've used the free WiFi here to map out what looks like a fun little route that will take me in and around the Garden of the Gods, Pike National Forest, and the quaint and historic town of Manitou Springs, all in the shadows of majestic Pikes Peak! Should make for a gorgeous and fun inaugural spin on the LHT.

One last note: for anyone interested in getting into cycling, long distance or otherwise, I highly recommend (as will many cyclists) always carrying a set of Allen keys (not Alan Keyes) with you. This morning, on the way to Panera, I realized that I had forgotten to bring mine with me down to the Springs. So I had to sidetrack in search of a Home Depot in this oddly constructed metropolis. Since today will be my first time on this bike, there are likely going to be several adjustments to the bike that will be needed to perfect its fit to my body. Primarily, I'll likely end up toying with the saddle height and tilt. Honing in this fit is imperative if I plan on spending 500+ hours in the saddle this summer.

On that note, it's time to go see how the LHT feels on the road. This won't be a huge ride, probably 30 miles at most. My legs are twitching in anticipation. Even they can't seem to contain their excitement for this moment!

Ride on...

For Love of Bike and Country

There are many reasons I've made the decision to embark on a two-wheeled adventure across the grand U.S. of A. Some folks will think me crazy. Others may grow several shades of envy-green at the thought of me experiencing the open roads and vast landscapes that will become my home for 2 months.

This blog is going to be my attempt at documenting the highs and lows of riding a bicycle from sea to shining sea. Touching my bike's tires in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans will certainly be highly positive moments and great memories that will be cherished, but the 4,000+ miles in between are going to provide plenty of lows to be sure. I'm an optimist by nature so I continue to remind myself that the less-than-favorable moments along the way are all a part of the experience. 

For a little over a month now I've had a phrase written on my dry erase board at home that reads, "Invest in the process, not the outcome." I'm not entirely sure now why I wrote it on there. But there it is and there it shall stay, at least until my bike journey preparation check list overtakes the entire dry erase board and forces me to erase these words. Anyhow...the phrase continues to take on new meaning for me as the days go by. Early on, the words spoke to me as seemingly ethereal instructions on how to obtain success in any pursuit that I want to take on. But as I have plunged headlong into preparations for this trip, I have come to realize that having an outcome in mind greatly enhances the process along the way. So the outcome of any endeavor obviously possesses great relevance and strong motivational attributes. Where am I going with this thought, you ask?

Well...I work for a pretty darn sweet company called SparkFun Electronics. At SparkFun, we often tell folks who want to learn about electronics that they'll have much greater success if they already have a project in mind. I've always believed this to be true but haven't often experienced the thrills of having my very own project that consumes vast amounts of my free moments and leaves me aching for more at the end of each day. This bicycle trip, which has not even truly yet begun, has been that for me. I've found it hard to sleep lately as my mind continues to race every moment of the day, even as my head hits the pillow. In my opinion, there's no better way to live life than to passionately pursue something you believe in and love. For some, their "project" may be to become a doctor or an attorney and will happily endure medical or law school because it's a part of the process towards successfully completing that "project". Obviously, those folks won't reach their destination if they don't invest in the process (i.e. graduate school) that is required to get there. Seems simple and logical, but I believe this is actually quite difficult for many to apply in real life when a multitude of distractions and challenges meets each of us every morning when we wake up. 

I am finding that committing to this trip has increased and sharpened my focus for all things in life. It's been interesting to observe that transformation in myself over the course of the last several weeks. But seeing how much more alive I am now than I was prior to taking on this "project" has sold me on the idea of living life each day in pursuit of a dream, idea, or mission that is beyond my scope of accomplishment at the moment I decide to chase after that dream.

Okay, that's enough soul searching for now. I'll have plenty of time for that when I'm alone in the middle of Nowheresville on my trusty steed. There are going to be many lessons learned along the way and that's what I wish to share with you all as I make my way across the country this summer. I'll be blogging over the next few weeks about my preparations for this trip. Already, I've made mistakes in deciding how to gear up for a journey of this magnitude. More on that to come in subsequent posts.

Only 31 more days until I board a Greyhound bus with my bike & gear and head for Astoria, OR to begin this adventure...!!!

w00t! w00t!!