Traveling Light?

This part of the trip is going to be a challenge. For the three of us traveling for five months, we've got five big duffel bags and some backpacks.

Confession: I didn't actually pack my bags; I just grabbed clothes, socks, t-shirts, etc. and put them into a big pile that got ruthlessly pared down. Ellen is quite organized and somehow fit all my junk into 1.67 bags. My teammates know especially well that I tend to overpack. Maybe it's from doing a number of 24-hour races, maybe it's from being raised on a farm where anything that's broken may just possibly come in handy at some point in the future, but I tend to pack things in the largest containers I can find. Namely, my truck. It drives Ellen crazy when I point out that, when we're going to a race, gear doesn't really need to be boxed up because the vehicle is the container.

That's even grown since being part of the Blue Ridge Cyclery Racing team. See, we've got a 24-foot trailer, which is just about the ultimate piece of luggage and, really, it's great to roll into the race venue and start pulling tents, tables, repair stands, race bikes, backup bikes, spare wheels, etc. out of the trailer.

Somehow, I don't think the MV Explorer captain and the crew will be cool with me pulling up the trailer and unloading all my gear into the bowels of the ship. For now, five bags will have to do.

Thanks for reading.

Around the World in a Daze

For those whom I haven't already bored to tears, I'll be traveling with my family on the Spring 2013 Semester at Sea voyage. So, basically, for this native Virginian who loves the mountains and solid ground underfoot, I'll be on a small decommissioned cruise ship with my family, 650 undergraduates, 50 faculty and extended families, and crew sailing around the world.

Here's the itinerary, including our start in San Diego, looping around to Hawaii, Japan, multiple Asian ports, India, Africa, and ending in Barcelona:
http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2013/calendar/

We'll also be staying on between the Spring and Summer voyages as Ellen continues with her library oversight, so we'll see more of Europe through the end of May 2013.

Thanks for reading.