On My Way to ‘Merry Old England’

July 8 I’m sitting on the runway in Pittsburgh getting ready to take off for London via Philadelphia. I’m pretty much jumping out of my skin with excitement. Maybe this is happening because I didn’t feel any excitement for this adventure until now. Maybe you only get so much excitement in your life so you try and save it for when it really counts or when something big is about to happen. I’m approaching this bike adventure in a much different way than I did the Trans-American ride I did last year in that I hope to be more of a tourist and enjoy the sights. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy what I saw and experienced going across the USA, it’s just that I was convinced that the ride was one of survival, blood and guts and all of those sorts of things. I’m not worried about the mileage this time around because I have logged a number of long rides this spring and have taken spinning classes all winter long. Now that I’ve just jinxed myself with my over confidence, I’ll probably experience the toughest ride ever. We’re still sitting on the runway and we’ve just been told that the plane is experiencing mechanical problems and we’ll be delayed. Better on the ground than in the air. People are starting to get edgy because of an alarm that won’t shut off and the possibility of missing connecting flights. Cindy, however is sitting next to me absorbed in a book. She’s an experienced flyer who doesn’t get too flustered. Me on the other hand, well, I’m losing my mind. This is torture. My only solace is that we’ve given ourselves three hours in Philadelphia before we board for London. I’m glad that Cindy’s job coincides with my UK bike ride. She’ll be working a large air show outside of London up until the last few days of my ride. At the conclusion of the show Cindy will meet me in Scotland. She’s my favorite travel companion and we’ll have a number of days together. We’re finally leaving Pittsburgh, now I have to hope my bike survives the journey. I’ve put it in a specialty bicycle bag and I’m able to transport it free of cost. It’s treated as a piece of sports luggage. Because I’m traveling with Cindy who has every air perk available I was able to fly all my luggage for no additional cost. What a wife!