Getting Ready, Feeling Able

One month from today I'll be cruising by British Columbia on the Alaska Marine Highway, hours away from arrival in Bellingham where the pedaling shall commence. As with any big trip, I've been oscillating between excitement and nervousness. Now's (what I hope will be) one of the hardest parts for an indecisive person like me, as I determine what gear is really necessary to invest in. I can kill hours online reading passionate testimony for bringing along almost any product, only to find another blogger bemoaning the same.

The bottom line is, whatever gear I end up with is going to get me there. Some particular model of shoe, mirror or tire is not going to make all that much difference. The hours of daily pedaling will.

Me and my beautiful Raleigh Wyoming, taking a break in front of the mighty Mendenhall Glacier.

Training for the ride is coming along. I ride to work every day, and try to take a couple nice long rides on the weekend. In two weeks I'll be done with work, and will have no reason not to put in 40-50 miles a day. It'll be good exercise but something tells me no matter how much I train, the first week or two on the saddle are going to be a serious physical challenge. The downside is that living in Juneau, I can't very well experience the conditions I'll see down south. While the summer heat is covered in the news as though it's ubiquitous nationwide, here in the Tongass we're having one of our coldest summers on record. If the bike seat and the physical exertion aren't enough to do me in, the temperature surely will be.

A typical view looking down at the pedals in rainy Juneau. Xtratufs will not be my choice for cross-country touring footwear

Which is why it's great that I'm not doing this ride just because I want to. My own desire to bike across the country is a strong motivator, but now I've got a fantastic cause I'll be raising money for along the way. People are giving their hard-earned money on the promise that I'll ride into the Big Apple, so gosh darn it that's just what I'll do.

For about a year I've had a vague hope of finding a cause to raise money for along the way. I'd heard that arranging such things can be complicated, and how do you go about choosing from all the worthy organizations in the world? Then the music of global connections brought ROMP and I together. I never would have heard of the Range of Motion Project if my sister hadn't couchsurfed with Greg Krupa in Antigua for the better part of a month.

Lo and behold, his brother founded the organization, whose brilliantly simple mission is to take used prostheses from the U.S. and get them to (perpetually under cared-for) amputees in developing countries. The more I learn about the organization, the more I'm in awe of their work and excited to be associated with them at all. Their flagship clinic in Guatemala is now completely run by Guatemalans, allowing them to care for people year round.

ROMP takes on projects all around the globe, and every penny you donate toward my ride goes directly to their wonderful organization. How can a person put their money to better use?