six days left...

Nick flies into LAX tomorrow morning at 10am… from there we’ll have five days until our adventure begins.

Its very odd for me to remember this same time four years ago, when I was the age that Nick is now, days away from my first bike trip. A part of me wishes there was no advice I could give him, or stories I could share… as if anything I might have shared with him in the past might have spoiled the best parts that lie ahead. But mostly, I worry that this trip won’t be long enough, or challenging enough, that it won’t drain us, both physically and mentally, to the point of exhaustion – the kind that leaves you in tears on a viscously steep hill somewhere in the middle of a dry and lifeless 500 mile stretch of desert.

My first bike trip holds so many powerful moments and memories for me, because it was so long, because it held many days that pushed me further than I would have ever imagined – I just hope this trip doesn’t come off simply as a scenic joy ride… but, in the event that it does, there is always next year.