THE PLAN

The first question I am always asked when I tell someone about this trip is, “What’s your plan?”  All I can do is smile and reply, “We don’t have a plan.  We’re beginning by heading north and there’s several key places we’re hoping to get to, but that’s about all we know for sure.  We don’t know where we’ll sleep every night, we don’t know our route and we don’t know how long we’ll be away.”  This typically doesn’t satisfy the person’s desire to learn about the details of our epic bike ride, but seriously, our plan is to NOT have a plan.  It seems like an irresponsible and reckless idea given that most of us are taught at a young age to always think ahead, know our next move, be prepared…have a plan!


That childhood lesson worked well on me.  I am somewhat of a control freak, a detail oriented planner, and I almost always have an answer for where I’m going next in life.  This might be a good thing, but part of me has always wanted to throw my life into the wild whirling winds of Mother Earth and live simply, day by day, moment by moment.    Although I’ve tried, I’ve found that having a job, a house, possessions and responsibilities, which are only increasing exponentially as my life grows and becomes more complex, makes this is impossible without doing something drastic.


Although it’s going to be difficult to pick up and leave my current life, I realize that this period of simplicity and carefree freedom is a now or never sort of deal.  I have a lifetime ahead of me to plan and organize, so for now, I am going to enjoy a plan-less bike trip whose route and details will be determined by whatever we feel like doing when we wake up in the morning.