NOLA bound! I’ve paid JetBlue for the carbon footprint I’m leaving and then offsetting over the next month. Thinking about how successful long distance endurance anything is 97% mental. Nothing but confidence in that regard, though I’m angling on how to properly negotiate the other 3%, which I’d break down into three critical failures:

1) Mechanical break-downs:

Pretty straightforward here. Something about my bike, tent, or another piece of crucial gear malfunctioning. My Raleigh Sojourn bicycle got a total makeover last winter and my North Face Tadpole tent got several new water-proofing upgrades. Both are 12+ years old, but I’ve got a lot of repair tools — including the always-present duct tape wrapped around the saddle stem and the super magical kevlar spoke.

2) Physical break-downs:

Weighing in at an all-time high of 188 lbs; what kind of shape am I really in? No matter how I cut it, I’m almost 10 years older than the last time I completed a tour of this magnitude. Whew! My knees ache a little just typing that and I haven’t forgotten how much saddle sore and numb hands I have to look forward to in the weeks to come. At least my ticker is still ticking well.

3) Climate break downs:

Uh. Yeah. Can’t do much of anything about this one. Motherfucking Mother Nature. It’ll be hot. It’ll be wet. It’ll be windy. We shall see and I will do my best.

All in all, I’m a mile up in this tin can of a bird, harnessing the energy to persevere. My dude Blueprint has even provided me with the soundtrack for it below. Hoping that will take me all the way back home – with the help of a possible tailwind, of course.

Blueprint – Persevere

I’m talking about hard work

I’m talking about patience

It’s a celebration of your journey

Even when you don’t know your final destination

I’m taking about hard times

I’m talking about blood sweat and tears

Recognize that the reason that you’re here

Is only cause you figured out a way to persevere