Checklists and Packing: Two days and counting

"Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.  We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside." (Karn Evil 9, from Emerson, Lake & Palmer's album Brain Salad Surgery ....way too many years ago.)

For those veteran readers of previous trips, glad you're back.  To those new to my cycling missives, a warm welcome.

There are days when these blog posts will be technicolor travelogues of my cycling adventures.  Other days, they might be ramblings on the state of the nation, of politics, or just stream of consciousness blathering.  Ya never know what's going to come out of my mind.  But, then again, that's half the fun!

So sit back, relax, brew of cup of your favorite tea or coffee, or crack open a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine and read on dear friends.

Laid out all my clothes, gear and essentials.  Now the trick will be to get all of that into one medium-sized suitcase.

A bit of background for you folks as this isn't one of my normal "let's travel across some part of America that I haven't seen before" rides.  How is it that I'm riding through much of Western Europe and the UK (long before the Brexiteers decided to push for their "Leave the EU" referendum, I can still remember my Aunt Dorie, born and bred and British to the core, remonstrating me when I was seven or eight years old, reminding me that the UK was definitely NOT part of Europe!)?

As many of you will recall, I've done a number of shorter AIDS, MS or diabetes rides around various parts of the country; fundraising rides usually between 3-6 days in duration and between 180-500 miles in length.  More recently, I've done a series of rides, run by America By Bicycle, that have included riding up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Minneapolis, riding across the country from San Francisco to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and, most recently, riding down the Atlantic Coast, from Maine to South Carolina (owing to both work requirements and an impending hurricane, the trip would have gone on to Florida).

On those last three rides, I've had to pleasure to know and ride and become friends with three of the ride leaders, Gene and Jane Emborsky and Michelle Sahli.  Michelle, who used to live locally in the metro NYC area and I have gone on to ride the New York City Century together before she moved to Flint, Michigan to accept a professorship in epidemiology from the University of Michigan.

Michelle, Jane, Me and Gene.  My buds for the past three rides.  Never have I met more dedicated and fun people to ride with and to be led on such adventures.

[And, lest anyone think these folks aren't in cycling shape, know this.. those three are just coming off finishing up leading their most recent cross country -- 3300+ miles trip!  I happened to be nearby up in Vermont doing my last days of hill training -- a paltry 600+ miles of training in all -- when I stopped by the motel of their third-to-last day in Latham, New York to say "hi."]

Michelle, Gene and Jane, in turn, also befriended one of the riders on those cross-country adventures, James Kemp, who happens to live in the UK.  James, it turns out, also has a home in the Algarve in Portugal and, being the crazed cyclist that he is, decided one year to ride from one home to the other. James then mapped out his ride and, over time, has convinced his fellow ABB riders to join him in another go at that trip.  Michelle, being the ride leader that she's been for a number of years on ABB bike tours, started rounding up additional suspects to join in this party.  That's where I came in.  Michelle, through texts, e-mails, phone calls and drinks when we got together in person, finally cajoled me into doing this ride.

So here I am.  Stay tuned.  More to follow.