A special birthday party

Yesterday, Ruthie's swimming buddy Tanner turned three, and his family threw him quite a fête, ranch-style.

There were goats...

...and horseback rides...

...and haybale rides...

...and games...

...and some very creative farm-themed cupcakes.

Happy birthday, Tanner!

Our route, day 3

Day 3: Grand Island, Nebraska to Aurora, Colorado (400 miles)

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R2 gets some new kicks in Denver

We're in Denver!

Julie and I decided to hit I-80 and I-76 to bee-line from Grand
Island, NE. At 400 miles, it was our biggest mileage day in a while,
and a perfect one at that: blue skies, ample sun and cooler temps for
more comfortable riding.

We arrived last night to our gracious hosts Jon and Jen, their two
little ones Ruthie and Gabe, and the family dogs Hirschel and Gertie,
with dinner on the garden table for weary travelers. Lucky us!

We plan to spend the weekend camped out in their living room, before
turning further west and south.

Routine checks also revealed that the 90+ degree temps in Nebraska did
a number on my rear tire (which was, let's face it, carrying a bit of
extra weight, and already had 4,000 miles on it at the start of the
trip). It's still got some tread, but is due for replacement.
Thankfully, there's a shop just a few blocks away from Jon and Jen's
that has the tire I need, at a reasonable price, and can install it
today, so R2 is getting some new kicks!

Our route, parts 1 & 2

Day 1: Minneapolis, Minnesota to Alton, Iowa (238 miles)

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Day 2: Alton, Iowa to Mormon Island State Recreation Area, Grand Island, Nebraska (240 miles)

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SOLD!

We've said that the trip would begin the moment we made it outside of
the 494/694 loop of the Twin Cities.

It was incredible timing, therefore, that while in a parking lot on
the edge of 494, making our final stop and just about to throw our
legs over the bikes, that we got the call: an offer had been made on
my condo, the most substantial loose end left dangling with our
departure. It was a decent offer, and by coincidence, I'd had a chance
to meet the person making it -- a grad student relocating to
Minneapolis from LA for a program at the U of M. I accepted, my
rockin' real estate guru and brother, Jesse, met us at a restaurant on
our route, we signed the papers and VIOLA! the condo is SOLD! On the
day of our deparure, exactly a month after listing it, no less.

In addition to Jesse's masterful work, I also owe a huge debt to
Julie, my Mom and Dad, my brother Nathan and friends Eric and Christy
for their help getting it (and me) ready to sell. I've been kicking up
my heels with joy nonstop since the news came.

Julie and I left town, and headed out 169 and 60 toward Worthington,
making a quick stop in Kelly's home town of Mountain Lake. The ride
was sunny, warm and that particular version of picturesque unique to
southern Minnesota: green fields, blue skies, dotted with lakes and
streams.

When we reached the Iowa border, a wall of pregnant clouds loomed to
the west. We made it to the campground in Alton (just $5 per night for
tents!), set up our portable home, beds and kitchenette, enjoyed a
tasty pasta with clam, some vino and baguette, and just managed to
clean up before the storm arrived. And arrived it did. Twice (well,
two different storm fronts, spaced hours apart). In addition to the
ample rain and stunning light show, these babies packed a lot of WIND.
Thankfully, though jostled mightily, and at times leaving us to
wonder, our gear stood up to the task, and kept us and our possessions
dry.

Today, we're making our way to McCook, Nebraska via scenic, rolling
and verdant two-laners, keeping ourselves hydrated in the 90 degree
weather. More to come!

And we're off!

A couple of days more of last minute details than we'd planned, but
the trip has now officially begun! To Alaska!

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.