Back in 2001 - Paul, Eliza (3), Karen & Sylvie (1)
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A big THANK
YOU!!! Our
New Zealand expedition was generously funded by the Yosemite
National Institutes and the Matthew
Baxter Memorial Fund.
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October 12, 2001 - El Portal/Yosemite, California, USA
The Odyssey begins! We're still here at
home, neck deep in diapers, to-do lists, helmets, and chain
grease, but will be driving tomorrow to the San Francisco area. Just
a few errands and last minute purchases to complete, before flying
out on October 16; Oakland --> Los Angeles --> Auckland!
We can hardly wait to be on the road! Paul Doherty of
"The Cycle Touring Co." will be shuttling us from the
airport, 7 hours north to Cape Reinga on Oct.19. We hope to
begin our ride the morning of Oct.20....
It's been a rather crazy and eventful month for
all of us... Paul was scheduled to fly to China on September
11, but due to the tragic events in NY and DC, all flights to Asia
were cancelled. After 4-5 uneasy days of waiting and
wondering, the Silk Road trip that he was scheduled to lead (China
to Pakistan!) was cancelled. Even with these few
"bonus" weeks of preparation (and play), it will be a
scramble to get all our bikes, bags, and boxes in order by
tomorrow! Once the wheels of the plane leave the
ground, however, there'll be that luscious feeling of release
and relaxation... no more lists, piles and errands... if we didn't
get it done, it probably didn't need doing!
 As I'm typing here on a sunny fall afternoon,
the Merced river singing outside our window, we just got a phone
call from a good friend Peter Mayfield. He was chatting with
Karen about our trip when he casually said, "oops,
Braydon just fell... hold on a second!" He and his son
are at this moment a few hundred feet up on El Capitan,
and Peter was just calling by cell phone to wish us bon voyage!
The timing of his call is exquisitely bizarre and wonderful as
they are climbing 'Zenyatta Mondatta;' the same route that another
friend, Matt Baxter, died on in April, 1996. It is in
large part due to a scholarship from his Matthew Baxter Memorial
Fund that our 'Bike Odyssey' is possible. It was just
another reminder of how incredibly important friends and family
are in our lives... BAX, you will be riding
along with us the length of New Zealand!
Future postings will, no doubt, include silly
quotes from Eliza about Kiwi birds and fish 'n' chips... we'll
likely recount the ridiculous roadside spots that diapers were
changed, the breakdowns and triumphs of long days on the bikes,
and sappy descriptions of us sitting in gorgeous beachfront
hotsprings with dolphins leaping over humpback whales in the
blazing magenta sunset whilst we sip on refreshing beverages...
Yes you can return each week for some of that,
but today we mostly want to send out humongous hugs and love to
all the many many friends, old and new, who have supported us in
preparing for this trip! Amazing people have loaned us tents
and digital cameras, created websites, donated money to ITDP,
bought our T-shirts, taken care of our kids while we packed gear,
given us advice and hugs, and lifted our spirits immeasurably as
we prepare to depart. We are so proud to be taking all of
YOU on the road with us as well! There is so much love in
this precious world! During these uncertain and scary times
we are thrilled to be spreading the goodness around a bit by doing
good things, positive things, adventurous things we love to do and
need to keep on doing to celebrate life!!!!
Thanks again to all who have made this trip possible... next
stop New Zealand!
Nov 22 - Thanksgiving Day - Kaikoura! Nov 23 - The day after Thanksgiving Dec 17, 2001 - BLUFF!!! The "Land's End" of southern New Zealand
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