Well, here we are - 1 day prior to departure. I'm not gonna lie - there were more than a few bumps along the way. Preparing for this moment was a time- and life-consuming process, involving more than a few late nights in the bowels of Tyson's garage, performing delicate (and not-so-delicate) surgery on Buffy. Yep, that's right - I've decided to call my motorcycle Buffy, 'cause she reminds me of a buffalo. Hands stained with grease, and worn from the concrete and steel, I would stumble home at 2, 3 in the morning, to arise for class like some B-movie zombie. And how can I fail to mention the punishing night-time ride from Chi-town to Toronto... to be followed the next morning by another 5 hours ride to Ottawa? The past month certainly took its pound of flesh...

On the other hand, the success of the latter trip is apparent in our passports - we're basically free-and-clear, visa-wise, until we cross from Kenya to Tanzania - sometime in late July/early August, if everything goes according to plan (which it probably won't). Even Sudan has been acquired, in a process that could have been lifted right out of a dime-store spy novel. Oh, right - they're called dollar stores now. But hey, dime-store just sounds so much more literary...

At this point, on the dawn of our epic journey, I'd like to offer a big thanks to all of you who have donated so far. It really means alot to us that you've helped give our trip some meaning - planning this trip has made us acutely aware of the challenges so many sub-Saharan counties face in fighting HIV/AIDS, as well as the amazing work being done on what really is the front lines of this epidemic. If you haven't already done so, I strongly encourage you to check out Dignitas International at http://www.dignitasinternational.org/

The next posting on this site will be from across the pond. And from thence - the world!
Until then, Cheerio...