I'm back in Plymouth, Minnesota again. It's been just long enough so my general feeling is that of boredom mixed with apprehension of going back into the unknown. I only wish I were a person completely above the lure of predictability, loss of responsibility, and safety. I definitely need to get back on the road. Route planning, bike talk, lusting over tech gear, and more route planning are helping me keep in the right mental state, fortunately.
While I was originally hoping to hop up into Canada on the Crowsnest highway in British Columbia, the lack of money is a continual reminder that I lack money. With a passport costing $130, I'd rather wait until I'm closer to Quartzsite and a certain source of income before getting one. Some people can peace out and relax with nothing but a twenty hidden in the left shoe, but I get a bit nervous with less than $500 to my name. I'm well below that, now.
Along with certain other decisions, though, missing a tiny slice of BC isn't such a big deal. I'll get to it eventually. So here is my planned route for the rest of this year:
For the American long distance cyclist, nothing too exotic. With just about all of this route, mile for mile, fitting into the ACA's Northern Tier and Pacific Coast maps, I'm back on the beaten path. Nice and easy. Bet I won't be saying that while climbing up Going-to-the-sun road or riding through days of coastal rain.
Until Portland, I'll be on a schedule, too. I don't know how other people deal with those. Just having one or two commitments in an entire year dictates my travels for months preceding! This time, my mother is coming to visit me in Portland, Oregon. She'll be nearly a year late, since I sorta finished the TransAm last November and that's when everyone else's parents showed up to celebrate. No, but really - it'll be a lot of fun to actually get her out here. Portland is definitely my favorite city thus far.
After Portland, I'll take a slow cruise down the coast, hopefully making some money by way of selling jewelry and trinkets(If I were a bit further along in setting up an Etsy shop, that would be a link), before staying with my cousin in San Diego for a bit. Then it's back to Quartzsite till spring.
