2/23/14

New adventure! Back in the saddle! Hawaii-bound!

Hi, people!

I'm at the airport in Seattle right now ready to take off for what should be another amazing bike tour. It's all super last-minute! I'm changing groups at work (still within Microsoft) and got a little time off before the new gig begins. Hawaii is, in my mind, the ultimate biking destination so I grabbed a cheap flight on Friday, collected all of my touring gear from the back of my closet, and threw together a rough itinerary. I'll be biking the "big island" starting Monday and flying back Sunday night. I start in Kona and ride clockwise 260-300 miles, so I'll need to average about 45 miles per day if I'm going to make my flight back and start work again on Tuesday.

The past few days have been a scramble of bike repairs, last-minute gear purchases on Amazon and at REI, mapping and planning, consulting with friends, minor panic, and extreme excitement. For reference, I finished boxing up my bike at 5am - madness. I'll admit I'm winging it a little but that's how I prefer it!

Upgrades since last tour!
-GoPro camera: Christmas gift from my mom/lil bro. Thanks! The GoPro was created specifically for this type of trip. Get ready for an awesome montage of biking, snorkeling, hiking, and general adventure footage in a few weeks!
-Other camera (Sony rx100, which I regret not buying until after the AU trip). Prepare for m-u.us: hi res 2014 edition.
-Cool new solar charger/backup battery. Awesome amount of power capacity, should be able to charge my phone 10x without seeing daylight again!
-Less stuff! Warmer climates and more familiarity with what I'll actually use mean I have about 15 lbs less gear. Should help to get me up those volcanoes, along with...
-Improved leg+butt muscles! (+cycling form). Biking to and from work in hilly Seattle everyday has done wonderful things for my cycling abilities and confidence. Looking forward to getting packed up and weighted down.

I'll try to post on here each day so all of yas can follow along, but more so that I remember this stuff down the line! I think the email subscription in the toolbar on the right still works too.

Wish me luck!
Mike










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