Packing's Done, only 3.5 days left

  Except for maybe another two hours of buying small things like vitamins and freezing my gym membership, I'm all set.  Just spending as much time as possible with the friends and fam before I go.  Got a great backpack today at REI with the help of my mom and her friend Paula.  I'll be living out of it for up to 100 days, so I spared no expense!

  Thank god for being a guy, I don't really have much stuff.  It all fits quite nicely into my bag.  Even with my day pack, bedroll, tent, and toiletries/entertainment/clothes/camping equipment enough for survival for weeks on end in Patagonia, everything I'm taking still only weighs 37 pounds!  MAN I'm going to enjoy leaving my cell phone and keys in Reno.

From right now, 9:15 pm, it's 3 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes until my plane leaves.  But who's counting?

  Anyhow, more as it comes.  Carpe diem.

Golden B

Robert Frost Poem

Oops, Blogger wouldn't let me paste this into the previous post.  Hope y'all enjoy it.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Live in Love.

Brad

FIRST Post

  Thanks to some solid advice from my aunt and uncle, I will be posting all the trip progress I can on this blog.  That way y'all can check up on me at your convenience at one place.  I'll also try to post the best of my recent pictures and updates via email and FaceBook and MySpace.

  As of this moment, I'm not really giddy with excitement because it doesn't seem real yet.  Once I'm there, I'll likely begin soaking it all in and feel different, but for now I'm more looking forward to the educational experience and the anxiety/boredom from waiting of international travel.  Only another maybe 2 hours of shopping and prep time, plus packing everything up in an orderly fashion and tying up loose ends.  Then, hurry up and wait I guess.

  As my situation changes, I'll put more on here.  If you, my friends and family, want to share this blog with anyone you think I might have missed, feel free to do so.  I'll try to remain faithful to it as best I can...

  In parting, here's a famous Robert Frost poem about journeys that may help inspire me as I make my way by plane, train, bus and boot from Brazil to Cape Horn to (hopefully) Peru (and HOPEfully Machu Picchu maybe). 

  Many, MANY thanks to all of you for your love, support, advice and gifts.  I'll put it all to good use, I promise.  Live in love.

Brad