Great first post: what we're about to do and what we've done so far.

After nearly a year in the planning, our US perimeter ride is so close I can almost feel the road beneath my wheels. Andrea came up with the idea- rather than attending grad school, she did some deep introspection and came up with something close to both of our hearts and dreams- a year long, unsupported bicycle tour of our native land, of which we have each seen precious little so far.

To date, the planning process has consisted of psyching ourselves up, saving every last dime not spent on Old Style or rent, building and testing a couple of unstoppable touring machines, researching, reading up on and testing every piece of camping gear, apparel, and equipment that we can think of, and stressing about everything that we can't.

The details of our plan begin with a ride through Michigan, starting in Chicago, heading to Flint for a week with Andrea's family, continuing North to the UP, West through Wisconsin to my home town and family, then embarking on a great Westward journey through the Northern tier states to the coast.

This blog is intended as a link to our family and friends, during the process, and as an excuse for me to keep a detailed log of our time on the road. I intend to make at least weekly updates, so bookmark this page and follow our progress.