Making easting

🛤️ We are on the train, finally, eastbound for Chicago

I was having a feeling of dread in the days leading up to our departure. We have been talking about and planning for this adventure for well over a year now. Then Megan had her injury so close to the planned departure date and her doctor wanted us to delay the departure by three months. I sometimes felt certain that there'd be something else, some other problem or worse, another injury. Well, good news so far.

We rolled out from home early on the go-day so we could get our usual Concha Breakfast sandwiches from Tia Maria, giving us plenty of time to catch the train to San Rafael. Braxton and Rob were waiting for us when we exited the train. That was a pleasant surprise! We made a brief stop at the electronics store to pick up a last-minute doodad and then on to the Richmond-San Rafael bridge where we met Michael and Greg. There's something pretty special about inviting friends to join us on a bike ride and then having them actually show up. And, Greg brought some of his homemade pastries, enough to share and spares for Megan and I to eat while on the train to Chicago. One-by-one our friends peeled away to head home. We rode the final few blocks of the ride to our Martinez hotel on our own, as most of this adventure will be ridden. There were no surprises on the zeroth leg: our bikes and bodies performed as expected.

We are on the train now; it is getting dark outside and my low-level anxiety is slipping away with every mile of easting we make.