Three bikes, two trailers, and everything we'll need for the next 2.5 years!
This is a newsletter from Family on Bikes. The family of four is currently cycling the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina as the 11-year-old twin boys attempt to break the world record as the youngest cyclists to bike the entire Pan Am. See a slide show of the preparations for the journey here.
June 6, 2008
It’s time. We’ll fly out on Sunday – and I’m scared spitless.
We’re doing the last minute things right now – getting the last of our belongings in storage, cleaning the house, and packing the gear that will go with us. It all just feels way too overwhelming.
The other day I sat down to write a blog entry, and this is what came out of my fingers: I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff – about to throw myself off into the abyss below. No safety net, no idea how far down, no nothing. Just jump, and hope like hell someone reaches out His hand and catches us. Now we are even closer to our departure day and I’m drawing ever nearer to that precipice. Soon I’ll take a final deep breath and plunge over the side – and wonder what will happen.
I would like to put out a plea for prayers and good thoughts – there is way too much totally out of our control that’ll happen in the next few days. Although I’ve spent hours and hours on the phone with travel agents and customer service reps from the airlines, I’m still not convinced they will take our tandem on the plane. Yes, I’ve been assured over and over again that it won’t be a problem – we’ll have to pay oversize, but they will take it – but I’m not sure that’s actually what will happen when we get there.
Then there’s the additional problem of everything making it safely to Prudhoe Bay. Each and every item we are taking is critical, and if anything doesn’t make it, we’re stuck – at the end of the earth. Or if a bike gets damaged somehow, I have no idea what we will do.
So – please, please, PLEASE pray as the day comes closer, and especially on Sunday and Monday as we’re traveling to Prudhoe Bay.
I want to thank you all for your notes of encouragement and your support. This endeavor is way bigger than I ever dreamed – I still can’t believe we’re actually doing it. Once we get on the road, all will be well. It’s just the getting there that’s the problem.
We will be out of touch as of Sunday morning, and will update our blog as soon as we arrive into Fairbanks – which we expect will be sometime the last week in June.
Happy trails!
Nancy
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Read our other newsletters here:
Ready for takeoff: June 6, 2008
Dalton Highway in Alaska: June 28, 2008
Alaska Highway: August 3, 2008
Crossing into mainland USA: September 10, 2008
In Montana, Wyoming, and Utah: October 17, 2008
Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico: November 19, 2008
Northern Mexico: January 25, 2009
Yucatan Peninsula: March 14, 2009
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