I thought I'd post this journal, the longest since my very first tour in 1982, on its 15th anniversary.

Reading my older journals are always interesting (to me, at least)... the gear, the "new" electronics, the slightly different perspectives on cycling, the pictures with fewer wrinkles and more hair (or perhaps the same amount of hair, just in different places now).....  things change.   I used a PDA on this trip, and clearly remember the excruciatingly slowness of each entry. More on that in the journal. 

One thing in particular is that I look back on the guy in this journal and think, "He's an experienced cycle tourer?!? Wow... he's not very smart." Some things don't change.

This is my first journal with quotes. It will likely be my last journal with quotes.  Although I always enjoy a good book of quotations, I ended up being so entertained that I stopped writing for large blocks of time and it took forever to get back to the journal. 

I hope you enjoy reading about my travels. I write, not just for my own entertainment, but for people who read my journals. My goal is to entertain and to engage, and I always hope that at least a couple of people will see one of my journals and think, "Yay!  Mark has another one!"     

Thanks for taking the time to read this one, and leave a "like" if you enjoy it; or better yet, a comment. It'll be my incentive to write more.