Today was the real start day of my adventure, the day when I left the comfort zone of friends, family and familiarity. I'd also never flown with my bike, so was suprised not to be as nervous i'd expected to be.

One of the highlights of the short trip to the airport, which i'd ridden on Wednesday to ensure no last minute problems, was crossing the M25 (the London orbital motorway) which i'd driven on far too many times in the past, and seeing the multi-laned motorised mayhem below me. I was glad to be leaving the British roads behind me, although having been car free since January it wasn't really a big deal.

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With a knot in my stomach I waved goodbye to my bike (in a CTC plastic bag) and paniers (all squeezed into a hockey bag), hoping to be reunited with them in San Francisco, damage free, after the 11 hour flight.

After such a long period of enforced idleness, my legs were ready for the short ride to the hotel in San Mateo that I booked entirely using loyalty points earned on my last job. The plan is to stay there 3 nights to help get over jet lag and do some sight seeing before setting off, although as Woody has flown down from Calgary to see me there, it might take a little longer...

Whilst on the flight I got chatting to one of the stewardesses, and when my ride came up in the conversation, she became quite excited, as one of the flying officers on the flight, Fraser, is a very keen cyclist and half Iron Man triathlete. She called him up, and before I knew what was happening he'd come back to the cheap seats for a chat. So far, this type of reaction has become common, with many people showing a real interest in my trip, which I am still coming to terms with.