So it begins... but where did it start? Who can say really? Back in 1940-something when Ross was born? Maybe. The first time they all got on bikes together in Burlington? Perhaps. The Ross Guberman Memorial Wave Goodbye Ride? Could be.
The more likely scenario....
We have known Ross for a little while now, and it's been long enough to realize that, someday, he would leave us, and probably from the seat of really small bike. Ross has toured extensively on several different continents, so we really weren't that impressed when told us he was going to the Erie Canal. "Look out buddy! Careful of the slow moving boats!" But when he started soliciting us for riding partners, more than a couple pairs of frozen Vermont ears perked up. West Coast? National Parks? Warmer climes? It took a little convincing (and a few too many Duff Beers one Monday afternoon) and I found I had bought a plane ticket to Oregon. Prior commitments for the summer prevented me from leaving this spring and heading West with Ross, so I'll start my leg of the adventure from Portland. Christine and Brittany claim to be in, and I think I believe them, but I won't bet on it until they have similar poorly thought out travel plans like Ross and me.
I wanted to start writing down my Thoughts and Ideas about the trip for a few reasons. First, I think it will help me get some sleep at night; its been 2 and half weeks now since I bought my ticket and I really need a way to vent some of my excitement. Second, my good Friend Phil Fandel from Burlington did a similar thing, and I really liked that he had a journal of his fun from the very beginning. Also, I have had lots of requests from friends and family for something along these lines. Plus, it'll give me a chance to write again, a hobby that hasn't been exorcised much since UVM.
As the primary author of this, it'll be mostly my own Thoughts and Ideas, but I'll try to solicit posts from my fellow riders, too. I'll also try keep track of Ross's trip west, just in case we need to gather a search party at some point, and Britt's and Christine's preparations from Vermont, as well.
So instead of starting with a bang, it'll be more like a slow and anxious series of anti-climactic clicks; a freewheel coast here, a ratchet there, and lots of late night typing about a really long bike trip that hasn't really even started yet.
