Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

I guess you could call today "Day Zero" as it's my last day at home before I fly out in the wee small hours of tomorrow morning.

Now you might be expecting me to be all gushing with excitement, dancing round the room whooping with antici......pation for great things to come. But you'd be wrong. Whether it's the effects of a slight hangover following a session in the City Arms in Manchester yesterday afternoon at the end of an unsuccessful shopping trip (at the end of which I concluded I'd stop trying to buy new stuff and just take what I already have...) which was followed by a great Thai meal in the Siam Orchid before the train home; or whether it's because I've still got stuff to do; or whether it's because I'm finally getting close after all this waiting, waiting, waiting - I'm not sure.

Some of the last minute tasks are proving challenging, too.

I went to the doctors yesterday to get a prescription for my blood-pressure medication, which I need to take daily, and the chemist is struggling to find sufficient tablets to cover the 5 months I'm away. They're promising to have the last batch ready this afternoon. Let's hope so.

Then there's the small matter of finalising the packing. It doesn't matter how many times I do this, I still get the impression that I'm not organised enough. Sure, everything is in the big bag, with just a few items to go in my hand luggage (and my helmet in its own bag as an extra piece of carry-on), but the big bag is way too heavy (27Kgs) - despite me cutting down as much as possible. Looks like I'll be paying an "excess baggage charge" in the morning...

I think my real problem, though, is I'm thinking more about being away from Tracy for 5 months than I am about what I'm about to do.

Perhaps I just need to carve out some thinking time this afternoon, once I've completed my latest "task list"...