And the countdown clock reads...

Our slated departure is just seven days away! We are marginally on track, but there are thousands of loose ends to tie up before we can leave town comfortably. I am personally at the stage in preparation where my to-do list seems to be growing faster than it is shrinking, as forgotten details or dependencies between the stuff left to do list impose themselves in the doing.

Happily, we're laughing about all the prep more than we're grinding our teeth (even if we're doing a little of the latter, too). As the apartment empties, as our worldly possessions make their way into the hands of family and friends, and as we say our farewells to friends and family, it feels increasingly real that a few short days from now we will begin this round the world adventure with just our backpacks strapped onto our motorcycles.

Last Friday, Julie and I also said a sadder and more final farewell, as we journeyed to Moline, Illinois to pay our respects to her grandmother, Willadene Gans, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87. I am sad that I did not get to meet her, but glad that Julie had an opportunity to visit her in the last week of her life. Willadene lived a long life, independently and in great health right up until the end. She lived the life she wanted to live. May we all be so lucky.