In New Hampshire right now renewing my EMT certificate. This week I did a practice run for a presentation I will give at Green Mountain College on February 4th about my last bicycle trip and this next trip. The AWEMT class at SOLO gave me a lot of tips to make this presentation much better. THANKS! Decided to take out a lot of pictures that are beautiful, but I really don't have a story for them. In all I think I will be talking for about 1 1/2 hours and then a question session. I have brought the maps for both trips and will talk about itinerary and what I learned from the first trip that will make the second trip better/easier. I have also made business cards that I will give to everyone I talk to and will go to bicycle shops to ask if they will help me advertise. If they are interested I will hang one on each bicycle they have in the store. I also started a causes page on FaceBook. There are now 58 members! I am starting to not know some people who have joined. Need to go now to study - National Registary Test Tuesday!

Can't believe I am going back to work soon. Too much to do! :) I am in the process of writing to the USFS and BLM offices out west to ask for assitance in lodging costs at the campgrounds. Also I found a great group called Warm Showers. They are a network of cyclists that open their homes to fellow cyclists. I am writing to each of those that live along the route to see about a back yard to set up my tent. Also ACHA has written to members of ACHA to see if they are interested in assisting! With the exception of the bike & trailer, lodging will be my biggest expense. I estimated it to be about $1,200.

I have been riding a lot and working out - I am not fond of Pilates but am doing an hour every day. Excited to say I am a lot more balanced on my bicycle in just 1 week. Since it is really cold out I am stuck inside. I have a rollor set for my bicycle. Similar to a trainer but I set the bicycle up on rollors and have to balance. Within the first year of my heart surgery I was not able to ride longer then 3-4 minutes. The balance issues alone exhausted me. Now I am riding 4-5 half hour sessions daily. I want to get outside ASAP to ride, but the goal with the rollors is by the time I leave I can ride one day a full 8 hours with only bathroom breaks (renting lots of movies that day!) otherwise all my other wrokout goals are on the road and trail

Only 10 more weeks left!