14 weeks to go

If this were a baby I was waiting for, I'd be about 28 weeks pregnant. I'd be getting into my third trimester, preparing more and feeling more. Maybe I'd celebrate this little one with a traditional baby shower or a more intimate gathering celebrating my impending motherhood. But this is not a baby I'm waiting for and so my preparations look very different. My anticipations, however, feel similar. 

What will this time be like? What will I feel? How will it all unfold? All these questions and no definitive answers! Just like parenting that second (or third...) baby to join the family, there is a big area of "I'm not sure..." that is the response to my wonderings. But I'm feeling pretty at ease about the unknowns...at least for now. 

I was preparing mostly in my mind, prior to a couple days ago. I mean, I was reading through others' blogs and online journals to get a sense of places to stay overnight and difficulty of certain route sections. I am happy to say that I just signed up for cycling classes in March & April at our local YMCA, happening M/T/W/Th early morning. Getting on a bike in a studio has never appealed to me. My style of bicycle touring is a whole lot of coasting and stopping and taking breaks. But, my goal in the first two weeks is high mileage over some hilly sections in Missouri and flat, windy sections in Kansas. 

^photo taken Friday, June 3, 2016, near Bardstown, Kentucky