Well, I guess I'll go on another bicycle tour.

Fifteen years ago when I did my first tour, the TransAmerica Trail from Viriginia to Oregon, I spent a lot of time - months -  thinking about it beforehand, although my level of planning even then was probably minimal compared to the many people who really enjoy preparing for bike tours.

This time I'm less than a week away from starting the tour, and only this morning did I locate my panniers. I long ago abandoned the practice of making a detailed gear list and carefully weighing everything. Now I just throw some stuff in two rear panniers, strap the infrequently-used tent on the rear rack, and go.

I plan to start on the Georgia coast and take a southern route towards California: GA-AL-MS-LA-TX-NM-AZ-CA.

Bicycle travel expert John Egan has worked out a route for me. I originally thought about doing the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route, but it seemed too trafficky for my taste, so this will hopefully be a lower-traffic and more interesting alternative. I'll be riding a Salsa Fargo mountain bike, so I can do dirt and gravel when necessary.

The current plan is for my wife Joy to drop me off in Darien, Georgia at the end of next week. I don't have a return date, or a plan for how to get home from where I end up yet. That's how I do things these days.