I  began cycle touring in earnest about 15 years ago and while my touring history is shorter history than many here on Cycle Blaze, I have packed countless wonderful experiences into a relatively compressed time period. As I’ve moved into my seventies, I find myself continuously seeking new challenges and opportunities, trying to cram in a lifetime of touring  while I still possess that magical “trifecta of time, money, and health” – a stage of life succinctly captured by Jacquie Gaudet and eloquently described by Mark Bingham in his most recent journal.

When an email from my trusted touring company showed up in my inbox last fall, it aroused sufficient curiosity to cause me pause, saving it from a quick, unread trip to the trash can. The message announced a new tour, an eight day excursion in Tanzania cycling from the base of Mount Kilimanjaro to the Ngorongoro Crater. Five days cycling across 323 kilometers of northern Tanzania, with an additional two full-day jeep safaris.  How could I resist!!!

I leave in a week, well vaccinated against the pesky microbes but a bit worried about lurking lions.