The basic plan...

... feels like it should be farther along since I leave in a week.
In its simplest form, the plan is this:
1- take the train from Seattle to Jasper, Canada.
2- bike back to the states, specifically south through Banff, and then into Montana.
3- get back home via train/bus/or bike. Probably all 3 in various amounts.

However, the simplest plans are the most complicated at times. In reality this plan includes the following:
camping, biking unknown miles each day, cooking most meals on a camp stove, not being eaten by a bear, not being stuffed into some crazy dude's basement, avoiding big cars and RV's, carrying everything I need on my bike, at times being cold, lost, and lonely, see some amazing scenery, make friends with Canadians, fix my bike as needed, and hopefully having a blast.

Did I mention I'll be biking over mountain passes? No, I've never done that before. Hills yes. Mountain passes... no.  Actual mountain passes. Nor have I camped for several weeks in a row. And yes, I'm going solo.

I've made the mistake of reading books and blogs of people who are biking around the world, and my little 3 week trip seems small by comparison, and I just refer to it as going on a bike ride. My friends have been kind enough to provide prospective and remind me I'm biking from one country to another, and through a couple states. They've asked if I've actually looked at a map, and pointed out it's a long distance. I actually haven't really looked at it on a full map, I prefer to think of it in stages. It feels more manageable that way. If I thought of it all at once I may be too intimidated to start, and that would be embarrassing.

So it all boils down, each day, to this: I'm going for a bike ride. Want to come along?