last of the preps, first of the sponsors

My last few weeks in Boulder were a whirlwind of chaos.  Hikes, bike rides, a going away party, tearful goodbyes, packing my house, evenings with friends, dinners with family, paperwork, insurance, banking.  Mostly I was too busy to get excited.  When I thought about everything I needed to do before I left, I’d get nervous and think it was impossible so I tried to stick to a one-day-at-a-time outlook.  Often I was scared and questioned whether I was doing the right thing.

Different friends had different words of encouragement and with everyone’s support here I am, happy and excited to be on one the longest bus rides of my life.  (I’m taking the bus from Denver to Miami where I’ll get on an airplane to cross the ocean to Berlin.  And guess what?  Wifi on Greyhound!)

My parents showed up for the last week.  Once I saw all the work that they did to help me move out of my apartment I really wonder if I could have been ready on time without them.  Knowing they were coming, however, allowed me to procrastinate a bit and get out for more fun than I would have had time for otherwise!

The unusually large snowpack in the Front Range made for a couple beautiful hikes:

I said goodbye to a bunch of friends over a 13 hour margarita party at my house on the summer solstice.  Friends like Barbara:

Kurt and Scott:

and people with funny socks:

At one point in the evening Mandy and Scott showed up, and Scott who works for Pearl Izumi had a large box under his arm.  Wow, bike shorts, fancy biking shirts, shoe covers, and long finger cycling gloves.  Snežana and I will be decked out in some Pearl Izumi style for the start of our adventure!  Thanks, Scott.