Where it all began

It all started with a walk up a mountain. At 49 years old (and I mean old) I hiked up Mt. Crested Butte with my family. It was a pathetic experience complete with wheezing and shortness of breath. My lifestyle had caught up to me and it was time to change some things. I counted calories and started eating better and over an eight month period I dropped 60 pounds.

At the end I started working out and for my 50th birthday I bought myself a bicycle. Love of two wheels blossomed and in September of 2011 I bought a custom titanium road bike from Seven Cycles. Her name is Lucky. We've ridden over 15,000 miles together since then and never been hurt. That's Lucky.

A few months back an idea formed to ride a bike around the country. I considered a touring bike and panniers and carrying everything on the bike but it seemed a drag to leave Lucky at home and Lucky wants to go fast. My nine year old Prius is due to be upgraded to a new plug-in Prius but before I do that, I decided that the old car could do a damn good job of hauling Lucky and me around the country so we could do a little exploring. That way I can haul all the gear I need, avoid the roads that are stupid to ride on and Lucky and I can go fast with just the things we need for that ride whether its a 3 hour ride or a 3 day ride.
I'll carry a 10x10 popup screened enclosure, a three man tent and a small one man bivy tent for when Lucky and I break free of the Prius for a few days. All the flexibility I need for a trip that will be almost 7 months long.
My wife and my boss were both very supportive. In fact, a lot of people have supported the idea of me leaving. Hey wait a minute...... never mind.
I'll try to blog about the trip here and I am hoping that this is the longest blog post but if I ramble "shrug" sorry.