321

It is hot and humid and I'm leaving in three (count them: THREE) days.

The pre-departure saga hasn't gained much in preparation. Some sunny days, some crummy days, some good rides and some bad, overall having a net zero gain.

I successfully recruited a friend to ride home to NJ. He's coming to Boston on the Eve and we're leaving as early as possible on the Day. I doubt we'll see any setbacks as far as getting to the starting line. So that's a plus.

On the downside, the bike's back tire mysteriously popped last week. I took it to a shop to get it changed and also to get a crash course on changing tires and the like. When I nonchalantly mentioned the trip, Bike Dude stops his work and mumbles something about getting a new bike. I asked him if my bike would make it all the way and he goes, "aueahh...I mean sure, why not? back in the day people did all sorts of trips on worse bikes...with fixed gears and...sure"

"Would you do it on this bike?"

"AhhhhhI'd get a new one."

So I guess that means filling half of my cargo with tubes, tools, and patch kits. I've also been running around trying to find a bike rack. Maybe I should just bring some cash to buy a new bike.....just in case.

I spent the rest of my morning typing up cues from the GoogleMaps and bikely routes. Paul has his GPS, but nothing compares to having directions on paper and tucked away in a sports bra. If all goes well, we'll be moving 80 mi/day and getting home on the third day. There'll be two ferries, one night of stealth camp, and one night at a friend's place in Long Island.

Oh, speaking of which...who knew Long Island was so.......long?

Wikipedia did:

Both the longest and the largest island in the contiguous United States, Long Island extends 118 miles (190 km) from New York Harbor, and has a maximum width of 23 miles (37 km) between the northern (Long Island Sound) coast and the southernAtlantic coast. With an area of 1,401 square miles (3,629 km²), Long Island is the 11th largest in the United States, and the148th largest island in the world. The land area of Long Island is larger than that of the state of Rhode Island and larger than any U.S. territory except Puerto Rico.

That would explain why 2/3 of the entire ride is in Long Island.