Prepping in San Francisco

Yesterday my friends threw me a surprise going away party, which happened to be the first surprise party I have ever had in my honor. I had a great time, but the realization of my plan is starting to set in. I am leaving behind a comfortable lifestyle and great friends for a whole bunch of unknown. I by no means regret this plan; however, leaving is a lot harder than I'd like to admit.

My plan: Ride south from San Francisco to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I'll stay in San Miguel until I am a little more comfortable with my Spanish. The second part of the journey will include traveling as far south as I can get by May 2011. I have a wedding in San Antonio, TX on May 7th so I will catch a flight from the nearest airport, which I am hoping is in Buenos Aires. After the first wedding, I plan to ride from Texas to Traverse City, MI for another wedding on August 14th. This should be the end of my ride as B school classes will start sometime at the end of August.

My inspiration: When I moved from North Carolina to California, I knew that I did NOT want to live in San Jose where my office was, but instead, I chose to commute from San Francisco via bike and Caltrain. Before moving to San Francisco, I had never been on a road bike. My friend Ashley let me borrow her road bike to go apartment hunting in SF. I immediately fell in love with street biking. After some time of working and commuting, I was helping my friends Donna and Dennis paint their new house, and Dennis told me about his trans-Canadian bike ride. I didn't think I was ever cut out for something like that, but I started to take longer and longer bike rides until I felt confident I could do a ride like that. I read Tim Ferris' book, The 4 Hour Work Week, and the ideas inside the book gave me the final push for me to plan and take this journey.

What I am bringing: Surly Long Haul Trucker Bike, 4 Ortlieb Panniers, Waterproof Handlebar bag, and 100 oz Camelback. The panniers will hold my clothes, bike repair equipment, medical supplies, and food. The handlebar bag will hold my electronics and valuable items like my maps and passport. My bike has 3 water bottle holders and in conjunction with the 100 oz Camelback, I should be okay in the hydration department.

Tomorrow I will ride to the New Brighton State Beach in Capitola and camp for the night. I should check back in when I get to LA County.