What comes along.

Hello. Welcome to my Blog. If you are here then you probably know what I am up to. Today, right now as I write this actually, I am flying to Lisbon Portugal where I will reassemble my bicycle and begin a trip that I hope will take me around the world under mostly my own power. 

For those of you that might want to meet me along the way my tentative schedule is as follows: bike along the coasts of Portugal and spain arriving in Barcelona by April, continue along the coast of France and Italy and take a boat to Greece by May, travel north through Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine then across southern Russia in June and July to arrive in Mongolia by August, cross Mongolia and travel south through central china to reach Vietnam in November, after traveling the length of Vietnam I will fly to Australia in December to cycle the East Coast followed by a January flight to New Zealand, after exploring that island I will fly to Chili where I will bike south along the coast and east into Argentina which will take me into February or March 2014. 

If you just want to follow me from the comfort of home there is a link on the right side of this Blog that will update every day to show my latest camping location. Also this page I will try to keep updating with new pictures and stories as I go. 

This first picture shows two days ago when my life for the next year was layed out on the floor before being packed. A quick rundown for anyone curious: various tools, extra chain, derailleur, spokes, tubes and tires, 4 panniers and a handle bar bag. My clothing includes a rain coat, visibility coat, thick and thin down jackets, 4 wool shirts, pants/shorts, rain pants, wool boxers, 2 pairs of socks, shoes, waterproof shoe covers, down booties, gloves, mittens, arm warmers, wool hat and baseball cap. For camping I brought a hammock, 1 man bivy, tarp, sleeping bag and liner and a sleeping pad. My electronics will all be powered off of my front dynamo hub which charges a battery that everything else will plug into. They include a camera, 7 inch tablet, audio recorder, head light, tail light, headlamp, a spot gps tracker, and an emergency cellphone. To cook with I have an international stove, spork, one pot and a cup and a water filter. Lastly my odds and ends are a first aid kit and a travel guitar.