Maybe it was the beer that got us here..

Here we are, sitting in Spain, contemplating just what it was that led us to be here, now, writing about ourselves.  It seems very random, while at the same time, it´s somewhat consistant with how our lives have been until now.  Sure, it would probably be nice to work hard to squirrel some money away for a later time, maybe for a comfortable retirement, but right now it seems right to enjoy and explore the world around us.  So as it were, we worked hard for a short period of time until the urge to pack up and go preoccupied our minds completely.  We wanted adventure.  Something different.  But what?  In the past we´ve gone on skiing or climbing trips, but this year, Elaine´s shoulder is giving her trouble (a result of riding her bike to work in the snow).  We discussed our options, a whole planet worth exploring at our disposal.  We toyed with the idea of going to South America, Central Asia and the Middle East but in the end, one continent kept coming up, Africa.  This was about mid-July.  We started our reseach; Where should we go?  How much can we see?  How will we get around? How much will it cost?.  Transport in Africa looked atrocious, with sweaty chicken buses stuffed with people flying around treacherous roads at high speeds.  The only way to avoid the buses is to pay for a high priced tour which hurts both at the bank and in the experience.  After about a week of intensive reseach (four or five hours a day!), we decided there was only one reasonable and safe way to see Africa; on a bike. 

Now back in the day, say 10 to 15 years ago, mountain biking and BMX was my thing.  I spent all summer riding bikes, jumping off of things and sanding my skin off on the pavement.  Back then, I thought I knew everything, particularly about bikes.  That was then.   As of July, I barely remembered how to change a flat tire.  Elaine hadn´t spent much time on a bike, with her most recent cycling experience being skidding through a round-about on a snowy January morning. This left her shoulder in it´s current, medically undiagnosable state.  Needless to say, we had work to do and the pressure was on.  The first thing we did was book a flight to Barcelona in two months time.

Fast forward through 40 hrs a week spent figuring out which bikes to buy, two road trips down to the States for cheaper gear and stuff unavailable in Canada (thanks again Jesse!), a hundred MEC purchases, a bunch of ´how to fix your bike´youtube videos and a couple half-assed training rides. Suddenly we found ourselves trying to jam our dismantled bikes and gear totalling 160lbs into boxes, eight hours before departure.  Sometimes you just gotta have faith, because we didn´t have a clue of what we were doing or getting ourselves into.

Landing in Barcelona, our only wish came true...everything arrived on time, unbroken.  Congrats Air Canada for not living up to expectations!!

Now we just have to jam the things together and hope they hold!

At Barcelona airport....and psyched!