Maybe we'll even visit Canada.

We both sent away for our passports this past week. Jenny's expires in July, so she is renewing hers and Brett will be getting his for the first time! This is a good thing, applying for them now, because it takes more than a month to get them, and we want to have them before we go. Our current route plan takes us through part of Canada, roughly between Buffalo and Detroit. I guess that would make this trip a cross-continent trip as well as a cross-country trip!

In other news, we finished painting a difficult section of our house's exterior today. We work so well together on projects like this. Brett is good at and eager to do some parts, while Jenny is unafraid of other parts that Brett shies away from (like being on the ladder propped on top of the porch roof). It feels so good to accomplish a big part of something that we've been wanting to do for a year and a half. Hopefully we'll soon do the same on the front of the house that we just did on the back side. Also, this teamwork will come in very handy this Summer, as we will be operating a single vehicle together for a LOT of hours, and setting up and breaking down camp day after day, and working through "adventures."

Jenny climbs up the ladder

She's so brave!

Almost done!

Just about every day we tell each other how excited we are for this trip.

Our first few rides!

Since getting the tandem, we've taken several successful rides with it! We've ridden downtown a couple of times, and enjoyed ourselves every time we get on the bike. Guy was nice enough to take some pictures of us on one of those rides.

We're still making small adjustments to the seat positions, and Brett is learning how to shift more effectively on a tandem. Jenny is adjusting to the stoker position where there is little control over the bike. Mostly, we're learning to communicate better both verbally and non-verbally (through pedal strokes and leaning and such) to make the experience both more fun and more relaxing! We're pretty confident that the small kinks will all get worked out well before we depart Northampton this Summer.

For those who've never tried a recumbent bicycle, it allows a more relaxed body position, and a comfier seat. It also allows for more expansive views to the front (for Brett) and to the sides (for Jenny). In that sense, things just seem easier on the recumbent tandem. Of course, going up hills can be at a bit more "relaxed" pace, too, but we have plenty of gears and we never thought we were going to set any speed records. We have three months for this adventure, after all!

In other news, we ordered some new panniers from Ortlieb. They are blue! They'll hold the bulk of our gear on our trip, and perhaps our groceries on local trips before and after. We haven't decided whether to haul the trailer as well, or buy some more panniers instead. Suggestions?

Here we are at the bottom of our first big hill!