Preparation

I've been planning this for a few months, and still amazed I don't feel ready.

Here's what I've been doing to get ready:

• bought a bike. It's a pretty tan Surly bike called a Long Haul Trucker. It's a touring bike, ready for big loads. I'm just not sure I am.
• made friends with the bike. This included getting the fit right, adding racks, fenders (still to-do), a front handle bar bag, computer and additional brake handle-things, getting panniers to fit, and riding a lot. A couple weeks ago I rode to Portland- 204 miles in 2 days. Training.
• took bike repair classes, and learned how to fix a flat, a broken chain or a broken spoke, and replace brake and shifter cables and brake pads, and make adjustments for tires, brakes and derailleurs. Of course, since I haven't actually done all this, my knowledge is somewhat theoretical, but I figure necessity is a great teacher, and a broken bike 30 miles from the nearest town is a great motivator.
• bought and assembled a bike repair kit for all these repairs, and a full first aid kit for needed repairs on me. I hope my use of both is minimal.
• double checked and test run camping gear- stove and kitchen and all related parts, tent and sleeping bag and a new fluffy pillow.
• bought and started using actual bike clothes- real bike shorts are super comfy compared to regular shorts. I have bright colored shirts and reflective triangles. I have new shoe covers for when it rains, and sunscreen for when it doesn't. 
• bought maps of my route, been freaked out by the route when I actually looked at the whole route at once on a big map. (Did I mention actutal mountain passes?), revised the path multiple times (maybe I'll add a little greyhound in the middle and skip some dull sections? Take the train in middle and ride through the Columbia River gorge?) and made so many trips to REI it's amazing they haven't just issued me a name tag.
• bought a new small journal, written and revised multiple packing lists, read about camping in the parks in Canada, learned with parks pass I need, become well acquainted with Amtrak routes, and completely confused myself on routes and directions.

In short it feels like I've been preparing for this for a year, and I'm looking forward to the day next week when I'm no longer preparing and actually doing.

How is it I still don't feel prepared??

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?