The Deal

So here's the deal:
Ashlinn and I are riding our bikes to Portland, Oregon. We're leaving at the beginning of June, and are allotting two months to complete the trip. 60 days of biking and 60 nights of camping. Once there, we are going to give the Northwest a shot. From what people have told me, I'm going to love Portland. "It's not 'too city' or 'too country'" they tell me. "It's so progressive and green."

That right there is Ashlinn's bike. The folks at Maine Sport Outfitters were very helpful, especially Mike Hartley. He gave us a lot of information about realistic touring. As much as I read about touring, it still seems more useful hearing it from a real person. Minya, a former 7 Bay roommate, has also proved herself to be a wealth of knowledge.
Although I will miss The Workshops, and everybody there, I think this is an opportunity for me to do something that may never be possible again. 23 years old seems like the most appropriate time to be doing things like this. Afterall, if I had gone to a traditional four year college, right now I'd be a new graduate, sick of working part time at a restaurant in Bangor or Lewiston, and be ready for an adventure. Luckily, I've got enough cash saved up that these 2 months of unemployment, preceded by many large purchases, will be survivable.
In addition to the fantastic things people tell me about Portland, they also like to tell me how much of a "life changing experience" this is going to be. What a great way to start a new life; saddle sores and soggy sleeping bags.

New Google Maps Test

Just another Google Maps test. This is done without the iframe, and just the embedded maps provided by Google Maps. I'm not sure why I didn't do it like this before.

View Larger Map

Posting from Email

This is a test post from my Gmail. I am also attaching an animated gif.

The National- Apartment Story

Testing the YouTube "post to Blog" feature. You can do this right from the YouTube page. I figured I would do it with a great music video from The National.

Test Test

this post came directly from Shane's new Voyager cell phone.

Testing 1,2,3

well that didn't work.

Hold Yer Horses

This blog will not be updated, or even started, until May 2008. If you are here, you're probably spending too much time exploring the internet.

Don't forget to come back in 2008!