I’m in Berkeley. I was here already in March this year. I will see people I saw then, visit places that I have seen before, but this time it feels different. I have a bike. I have a plane ticket to Colombia.

Staring at San Francisco Bay, the sea breeze was cool and beckons me outwards. Cesar Chavez City Park was the first place we stopped after 10 hours of driving (one bathroom break, one gas break makes for good time). I picked up an artist in Portland named Charlie who needed a ride, and he hadn’t ever really seen the Bay. The Park, and the perfect sunny weather, did not disappoint. It feels good to be here, to be on the move again. Charlie was excellent company for the ride down, and I strongly encourage you to check out his beautiful woodcuts.

I’m particularly excited to spend tonight catching up with Dustin, then the next few days spending some quality time with my brother and his wife in San Jose. With a little luck, there are a few other folks I’d like to see as well. I’ve got a few final arrangements to make, and need to repack my bike, but the sense of adventure is tingling in my toes, and I’ve got a grin on my face that belies the fact that it’s already started.

Thursday I was nervous.
Friday I was exhausted.
Today I simply feel alive.

I have no Spanish skills. I don’t really know what I’m going to do when I land in Bogota on Wednesday night. I will be humbled, the experience will be new, and most likely difficult at first. It doesn’t matter- I’m psyched.

Berkeley, California