First New Friend - Right in my own back yard!

Well, today has been really cool! This trip requires items I simply do not have, and can not afford to buy at the moment. Because of the timing of everything, I decided that I would just ask for what I needed instead or wait - again - for things to be "better" for me to go. So I put up a "shopping list" of sorts on craigs list and freecycle of several items I need. And from that I have made a friend!

This is Mary, my first new friend as a result of this adventure.

Mary's pretty cool. She's an author, a naturalist, and once-avid hiker. She has a really cool blog an Mary's Detroit Photoblog, showing and telling of things in Detroit I think we all need to know and see. I have lived in the Metro Detroit area for 27 of my 40 years, and her blog, a person who has lived here for less than 5 years, has views I never knew were there, and she offers perspectives on things that a native might never get otherwise. I was going to mention another few of her blogs, but when I said she was an author, yeah, thats kind of like saying Lake Superior is a lake! Her name above is a link to her Blogger profile, which will open you up to a vast and varied world or writing and photo blogging, well worth the time! She is also generous, funny, and not playing with a full deck either according to the stories she shared with me! Thats cool with me since, well, you all either know, or will soon learn, that my deck is entertainingly incomplete as well! The only cards you can be sure make it into my deck at all times are the Jokers, and an ace or two ;-)

She responded to the ad I put on freecycle, offering me a tent. Not just any tent now, but a Northface Tadpole. And a cool little sleeping pad. They are both very light weight, the tent sets up easily, has plenty of space for me, and packs away into a light and compact package. And not just any Tadpole, but the one she has used for years on her own hiking adventures. Thousands of miles, including when she hiked th Northville-Placid Trail in the Adirondacks of upstate NY, alone! And I get the sense that if she had the ability and opportunity to do it again, she would not think twice before packing up and heading out! In spite of discovering on one trip that a food stash of hers, 5 days worth, was found and fully enjoyed by local bears long before she got back to it! No stores around, no pizza delivery. Just a bear-tooth-dented can of tuna, and the kindness of fellow hikers along the way!

This is me holding what I am now calling "The Merry Tent".

And this is the Marry Tent, all set up. My accommodations for the 50 or so days of my trip, minus the time I am at Pa's. Cozy huh? It's gonna be great!

  

See, compared to Mary, don't I seem totally reasonable? Hush! Yes I do! lol

All joking aside, Mary is such a sweet woman, and I'm glad to have her tent with me along my journey, and her support and encouragement as I lay down to sleep each night.

Riding and Relationships

This kind of a trip takes some planning. It's amazing how many things we use on a daily basis that we don't give any thought to. The purpose of this trip, among other things, is to clear away distractions. To simplify. To Focus on what matters most. And to not focus on what doesn't matter. But, it is also about getting back to me. To the man I set out to be all those years ago. A man who liked people more. Who embraced every chance to meet new friends. Who thrived on seeing someone grow emotionally. Who loved helping people, just cuz it was the right thing to do. Who lit up a room with his presence and posture. Who didn't really care what most people thought of him, who didn't try to impress people, but still left an impression. And the guy who was always welcomed back. I was a different person 20 years ago. If I could have the charm, the confidence, the posture, the strength, the humility, the kindness I had then, and the life experience I have now, with a healthy dose of wisdom, I'd be pretty stable, focused, successful, and complete. I'd be the man that some of the most important people in my life do or will need me to be. So thats where I expect this trip to begin to take me.

Along the way to Florida, I will be meeting lots of new people. I will be blogging about them too. But I have a few friendships right now, and some that I want to grow and develop further. For any relationship to mature and deepen, there has to be communication. On a trip like this, with todays technology, that means a cell phone. And as I said, I will be blogging all the while I am on this trip. That requires a smart phone at the minimum, and preferably an internet connection for the laptop.

During my trip, I will have both, and they will both be handled by Lightyear Wireless. I will have my Windows Mobile smartphone for talk, text and web, and for the laptop that I will use for most blogging and picture uploading, I will be using a MiFi device to give me a 3G or 4G internet connection, depending on where I am along the way.

I'll have lots of time as I ride and explore, so I will test the boundaries of "unlimited talk" for sure lol! Texting will be reserved for times that I am not in the saddle riding. As dangerous as texting while driving is, I bet texting while riding is more dangerous! So if u text me and it takes a while to answer, you know why!

I hope to take lots of pictures and have a picture journal to reflect back on after this trip is finished. I expect to upload them pretty much every day, but I wont tag or comment on them until one of my resting days. So I'll be pushing the boundaries of my unlimited data plan as well :)

So my goal is to be connected to the relationships in my life while disconnecting from the influences that distract and distort me. A much taller order than it sounds for sure, but I will see.