The Countdown Continues....

So much to do! As of today, we know that Mina will begin her project on 8/28 but she hasn't yet figured out how she's getting there, how to ship her things, and when I will meet her. This is a little daunting as there are many things to prepare on our end: We will sublet our space, continue to clean and purge any superfluous items, obtain Visas, publicly acknowledge our relationship ( yes, marriage ! ) and enjoy as much of the magnificent Portland summer as possible. Here's what I am planning so far. There are a couple of scenarios:

Scenario 1: Fly to Frankfurt, Germany on 8/23, as planned. From Frankfurt I still need to get to Uzbekistan. Prices from Portland were upwards of $6K last I checked, so it makes sense for me to "shop around" in and around the EU. In fact, tickets from Moscow and St Petersburg can be as little as $200! Thus my first plan:

1. Upon arrival in Frankfurt, I build my bike, attach my gear, and get myself (by train) to Berlin where I will get on that leg of the EUROVELO 2 & 10 to St Petersburg via Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia*. I figure this would take 2-3 weeks depending on my pace and weather. So far, I've been able to average 75 miles per day for 9 straight days with 5-7000ft of elevation gain each day. I am not sure I could sustain this for 15-20 days, though I haven't tried! :) This would put me at a September 15 departure from St Petersburg to Urgench, UZ. Also, I would need to obtain my 3 year tourist Visa from the Russian Embassy here in the US prior to departure.

*I will prepare a highly detailed route (daily goals with accommodation options - camping, AirBnB, Warmshowers.org, etc) on a separate blog for those that want to get really granular with me.

Scenario 2: Once we know Mina's itinerary, I will perhaps opt to fly closely with her so that I can assisst with our "move in", initial culture shock, and other support roles. Also, it will probably be very exciting to share this reality flipflop together.

What will I do with my bike? I will unbox it in UZ and plan some multiday adventures by myself. If friends want to come vist, we can ride together. Anyone?