Day 0: It has begun

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
7.57 miles	14.79 mph	0 ft	00:30:42	698 cal

Sleepy head:

Despite only getting 5 hours of sleep I woke up before the alarm clock buzzer could release its cry. I knew this day was coming but it still seemed so surreal. I prepared in every way possible for this trip but yet I still have that sick feeling that I forgot some minute detail. I suppose this is normal when doing your first solo tour. I gave my sleeping wife a warm embrace and pulled myself out of my comfortable bed. It will be a while til I return I thought to myself. I had morning coffee while I went through my mental checklist.

Alley exit:

The coffee did its thing and I began preparing for my exodus. I pulled the bike and trailer from the depths of our basement and began loading her up for the 7 mile jaunt to Union Station. Swati eventually woke and assisted me in the task as best she could. After several embraces and "please be careful" comments I pedalled into the alley and my journey officially began. Swati will ultimately see me off at Union Station so this is not the final goodbye.

Union Station:

Despite the stifling heat and humidity I made quick work of the 7 miles to the station. Damn this summer has been brutally hot hasn't it? I rolled the bike into the vast expanse of union station, obtained my boarding pass at one of the kiosks and headed to the basement to box up my bike. I am getting pretty efficient at doing this as I had the handlebar and pedals off before the guy had the box built. The Amtrak staff who builds the boxes said "Damn! This guy has experience... He knows what he is doing". I laughed and said "Not my first rodeo!". He handed me my claim stubs and I returned to main vestibule in the station where I waited for Swatz to arrive.

Once Swatz arrived I had a quick lunch at Gold Coast Dogs. While sitting there I realized how lucky I am to have such a wonderful wife. It is tough leaving the love of your life at home. Perhaps tougher than the journey itself.

All aboard:

After saying our goodbyes I boarded the train. There weren't any empty seats so I sat next to this scruffy, Hipster looking dude. I immediately noticed his Ortlieb pannier and wondered where this guy was cycling too or from. He immediately asked if I was cycling somewhere. Turns out he too is getting off at East Glacier Park and riding to Missoula to meet friends. He went to college there and was returning to visit some buddies. He currently resides in Indianapolis and works for their public bike department making bike travel safer in their city. He was impressed with what Chicago has done to accommodate cyclists and wants Indy to follow in their footsteps. Way to go Chi-Town! He has never done a solo tour like this and he was looking forward to it. We are doing the same route only staying at different campgrounds. Small world eh? Having common interests with your seat mate should make the train ride much more enjoyable!

After chatting with Jamieson I headed to the observation/snack car around 6:30pm where I started reading an ebook titled "Three Scoups Are a Blast". It is a collection of comedic short stories. So far so good! I then thoroughly enjoyed a cup of soup and a Pepsi for dinner whilst enjoying the panoramic view of the moving countryside.

Not a bad way to start a trip...