It is 5:30 am on the summer solstice and although the sun has yet to rise, it has been light out now for over an hour. When I awoke awhile ago I started to go through the countdown of my last few weeks before my trip, and realized that I am down to less than a month to go and only 3 more weekends. Two things about that. First, were I to leave on July 1st as originally planned I would be in full panic mode trying to keep from exploding. Second, I can now slowly work myself into a panic to still try and take care of everything before my new departure date. Yet, through all that trepidation, I have begun to see what this is all about. After a few weeks of tweaking and ordering parts for the bike, I was finally able to get everything set up this weekend. Yesterday was the inaugural ride on the fully loaded bike. While I didn’t ride all that far, I did not have to quit by the side of the road or drop into my lowest gear. I realized that this trip is not only possible, but will be absolutely fantastic. Now if I can only figure out how to tie up all these loose-ends (it seems to start out as a few, but then slowly unravels until there seems to be a never-ending supply of loose-ends). I am looking into throwing a send-off party the weekend of July 10th, and would love any suggestions on the what, when, where, how. I am leaning towards something at a park (Beal Center, Bogart Pavilion) and then some good yard games and a barbecue. All in all I am trying to balance my many commitments over the next month, keep my sanity, and enjoy myself all at the same time. Wish me luck!