one more sleep!

So, we're off tomorrow! Eeeek! Oh, and I know what I forgot to say last time! We will be joined for some of our bike rise by Sten Haastrup! He will be taking the train to where we're going to be on the 18th August, and will be cycling with us for a few days. :) Be nice to have his company. Looking forward to it. So sponsor Sten too!

I've more or less packed. Strictly essentials only! One spare set of clothes, and I've even left out a hairbursh. I've got fingers! Though I am taking my ipod. Will definitely need a distraction if I'm going to get up any mountains! So tomorrow morning I'm taking the train to Kings Cross, and the trip begins! My knees are hurting just thinking about it!

Sod's law dictates that there will be a last minute crisis before any trip, and I've had two already. My camera broke yesterday, and there's no way I'm doing this trip with no camera, so that was a quick trip to the shops to spend money I don't have. And today's crisis was that my brake cable decided to snap. So that another quick trip to the bike shop after work. I got my brake cable replaced, and also asked the guy to take a quick look at my gears, as they hadn't been quite right since they serviced my bike two weeks ago. He decided that I needed a new gear cable as well. Why could they not have done that when they serviced it? Sigh. The guy then went on to say that my bike was filthy, and that I should have a full service, not a half-service. Well, I was less than pleased about that, because I'd asked for a full service in the first place, and was told I didn't need one! So anyway, I've spent a merry evening giving my bike a good clean. I used a whole can of lubricant and lots of hot water, but it's now very shiny. More or less. Better than it used to was anyway. The grime is all on me now, lol. Fun and games. Anyway, enough moaning.

We've been doing brilliantly well with fund-raising, people have been very genourous. We've currently got 685.20! Thanks so much everyone!

And mum wanted me to add this:

Well' it's almost time for the off.

Panniers have been packed, unpacked, more stuff discarded then packed again. Tyres have been pumped up, new batteries put in the lights, maps and hotel bookings scrutinised ad nauseum.

There's nothing else to do but mutter a prayer before we go:

May the road always go down before us.
May the wind be always at our back.
May the sun shine warm upon our face;
May the rains fall only at night and until we meet again, may god of going hold us in the palm of his hand.