What the hell?!?!

I know some of you would like to gently place your hands on my shoulders, look me deep in the eyes, and start shaking me with all your might while you shout, "what the hell are you doing?!?!" Despite how much I would enjoy being jostled about by each and every one of you, I don't have to time or the means to meet up and explain myself. I figured that the next best thing would be to start a blog so I can answer the what, why and how on everybody's mind. I also want this blog to relieve any concerns that my loved ones might have and give everybody a chance to follow me along my route. Finally I hope to maybe, just maybe, inspire others to attempt to fulfill their crazy goals and dreams as well.

So, what am I doing exactly? Well, in short I'm allotting myself three month to ride my bike across the USA. To be just a little more specific, I'll be leaving from Portland, OR heading down the coast to southern CA and then riding across the south to New Orleans. I hope to make it there by Thanksgiving, and once there I'll figure out if I want to keep going, return to Portland, or maybe find a new home.

Why do I keep going on these nutty adventures? Honestly, I just think I got the bug. As many of you know I turned 30 this year and I guess I've been on a mission to fulfill some more of my life's goals. It has been on my mind to bike to San Francisco for just about a decade, and now I'm finally doing it. If I make it to SF I may even decide that that's as far ad I wanna go, but I've given myself more time to keep going if I feel the urge...which, knowing me, will probably be the case.

How does somebody like myself plan to accomplish such a lofty goal? Well, I already had a great bike which I bought last year. I was able to save some money from working in CA over the summer which went to make some expensive alteration to get me road worthy. As far as my possessions back in Portland go?Well, I sold them and/or got rid of them all. I of course kept some sentimental items, but basically all of my worldy possessions will be with me and my bike. As far as living life on the road? I'm going to be frugal. I'm camping for free whenever possible, so besides my a few other bills, my only other main expense will be the cost of fuel...er, I mean food. I'm also hoping to maybe meet some kind individuals along the way that would like to employ me for a short amount of time so I can make some scratch.

As for all the other questions you may or may not have...I hope yo answer them in the days to come. This whole blogging thing is new to me, but I'm going to try and stay on top of it. Please forgive me as I develop my blog skills without a computer, just an iPhone. Also, feel free to spread the word and thanks for reading. =)
-D

PS - Also check out my bike map @ www.trackmytour.com/b5k7d!