an unexpected ride

So, my family and I came to the decision that I'd be leaving on this next ride somewhere between Monday and Tuesday. 

"Leaving" meaning, my stuff is packed, ready to go, and I'm outta here once the final school bell rings in a few hours at 1:08pm, Mike and I will be headed to Oakland tonight, and on the ACA Western Express route tomorrow morning. 

I'm not totally new to these last-minute trip decisions. A few years ago Dave and I made the decision to go camping in the Sierras for 10 days, so we packed up our 2 year old, our tent, my 7 month pregnant self, and an empty ice chest within 24 hours from "would it be crazy if..." to on the road. Dave just finished a job interview, it was Independence Day weekend, so we figured he wouldn't get a callback for at least five days (or longer, being a government type job). Either he'd get the job and he wouldn't have vacation time for awhile, or he wouldn't get the job and we'd pay off the credit card a little more slowly. It was free camping and food we'd eat at home anyway... so just the price of gas was our rationalization. 

I should clarify- this trip wasn't totally unplanned. Mike had the maps, the route, the timeline, his plane tickets to the States. I just wasn't going to go. There was a tiny possibility of joining in somewhere along the route, but I didn't seriously look into it much. 

When Mike rode the Atlantic Coast last year, I realized how difficult it is to be invested in somebody else's ride. I didn't really care at all where he was, what he was seeing, how many miles he did, or how many days it rained. Maybe I was protecting my ego. Maybe my life was just too busy to be invested. Not that Mike sent out a lot of updates either. A few, here and there, but I wasn't inquiring.

I value having that perspective as I'm leaving for this ride. I probably wouldn't read my own blog if I were on the other side. But maybe you're somebody planning for a ride, and you're drinking this up as inspiration. Or maybe you're just not the type to ever want to do this, and you're searching for that reason of why somebody would ever subject themselves to a journey like this. Maybe you're a student of mine, and you're learning more about me as a person outside of that teacher in the front of the room. Or maybe you're my mom. :)  Regardless of who you are, thank you for reading, and the comments are always appreciated. 

I'm celebrating my village at home that made this happen. My husband, who has always been encouraging and supportive of the rides, but this time, wouldn't hear of me not going. After this ride, I'll be in the lead by 3:2 for adventures, and I'll make sure his Alaska motorcycle ride will be an epic one in the future. My in-laws for their support and encouragement in making this all work out. There's probably a lot of "behind the scenes" conversations I'm not privy to, and that's okay. They'll both make sure things are running smoothly at home. My mom, for giving me her blessing to go, even though she's going to worry needlessly about my well being, and her willingness to take on extra childcare whenever I need it. Friends opening up their homes for a night. Our childcare providers for being flexible with schedules. Our workplaces, for being accommodating to our varying parental duties, like shifting Dave's hours a bit so he can both drop-off and pick-up in the morning. Our union bargaining team, for all they do for public education employees. I'm truly thankful that I'm spending my summer recharging my batteries, and I don't have to worry about a summer job, or giving up my personal, unpaid time to do classroom preparation, and my right to a personal voice outside my professional persona is protected. I could go on and on. 

It is my intent to keep this blog updated more than the last two rides. I realize that was my intent for every ride... maybe third time is a charm. I've got notebooks full of things I'd love to publicly write about. So that said, I'll keep this "short" and save some more thoughts for next time. Thank you for reading.