Round and round we go

Had I the time to obsess over preparations for this trip, life might have been very stressful during my final days in Denver. Instead, I was so very busy wrapping up things at work and home that a series of distressing events translated into something to laugh about and some new equipment.

3 Days to Departure

I had spent the previous weekend meticulously organizing all of the gear required for this undertaking. Some of it I already owned and simply needed to re-pack and/or clean it. Other bits were new and needed to be removed from their packaging and incorporated into the growing pile. All of this effort turned out to be time well spent and the final days appeared to be organizing them into simple tasks such as purchasing personal hygeine and first aid items to suit my needs.My father had suggested treating my tent with long-lasting bug repellent called permethrin. Various accounts suggested this really worked, and given the time that would be spent in malaria endemic areas it seemed like a great idea. The weather was very favorable – particularly for January – and Torrey offered to take care of this on my behalf. She called later that afternoon, presumably to report her overwhelming success. Instead the voice I heard was clearly distressed and anxious – like a 1950’s housewife whose casserole stayed in the oven too long. Apparently one of the tent poles had snapped in half when she was assembling it for treatment. I laughed into the phone at the irony of this, particularly because I voiced this very concern to my colleague only days before. The tent is 4 years old and I had some doubt about its ability to hold up to 120 consecutive days of use. The outfitters (REI)  was more than willing to replace it at  no charge, even going so far as to tell Torrey to “calm down, we will take care of it”.
NET GAIN: 1 new tent likely to fair very well during this trip.
BONUS: The priceless opportunity to look completely inept in front of 60 hearty strangers as you figure out how to assemble this tent for the first time. So much for downplaying the Chevy Chase American stereotype.

2 Days to Departure

Admittedly I awoke to start this day with some serious excitement. One more day in the office and then 130+ days of “vacation”. Sounds great and I know it will be. However, the reality of being professionally motivated imposes a certain tax on such leaves of absence and I knew that today, proverbially speaking, I would “give at the office”.  The day was full of final bits of knowledge transfer, goal planning, and final guidance on technical directions that allowed no respite even for good-byes. There was also the last-minute Benny Hill like escapade of sourcing sufficient malaria prophylaxis – turns out my healthcare provider likes to deal in misinformation and no store in Denver keeps even a 2-month supply. In the end, the people at the Target store pharmacy got creative and coupled with 11 pills that my manager provided, I ended the day with sufficient protection.
1 Day to Departure

Spent the morning re-working the packing arrangement. Using a luggage scale (thanks Dad!) I was able to put some extra supplements and snacks into the bags and still stay under the weight limit of 100 pounds.  Torrey and I ran a few errands to pick up a couple of last-minute items and enjoyed a late lunch at Proto’s Pizza. After taking a pizza tour in NYC (scottspizzatours.com – simply the best), I don’t eat pizza the same way anymore. This meal holds its own against the best.We headed home to tackle the task of packing up the bike. Given the amount of travel I’ve done with my bike over the past 18 months, this was a very straightforward task. It was wrapped and boxed in about an hour and then it was time to get ready for the night’s planned going-away festivities: the Denver Brews Cruise.The beer tour was exceptional. Myself, Torrey, and ten friends met our guide who then proceeded to shuttle us around town giving us access to the production areas and tasting rooms of some of Denver’s finest micro-breweries. Drank too much beer, but hey, you have to take it when you can get it, and I won’t have access to this stuff for the forseeable future. It also turns out that good-byes are a bit easier if you’ve had a few beers.

Departure Day

I woke up early which has been the norm for the past 2 months for reasons I cannot understand. This day was a bit more special as it had snowed overnight and was continuing to do so with increasing effect. After taking care of some administrative tasks, I had a second look at the bike box and decided to reinforce it in a few posts to be safe. This was more for the sake of having somethng to do as the growing apprehension and sadness of being away from Torrey for so many days had taken firm hold. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that I had a lot of doubt that morning about whether or not it was the right thing to be doing. She was fully supportive, and it seemed between that moment and the time I would head to the gate at the airport that the two of us would swap roles repeatedly.

I write this part because I think it is important for everyone to know how much she means to me and that even the prospect of a magnificent adventure does  little to drown out such emotions and the initial sadness of leaving her behind. That said, I know have her support, and if I’m honest, I think she would be quite angry if I didn’t enjoy myself to the max. So pour the beer and embrace the fear. It’s time to go.