Anniebikes Anniversary

Incredibly, today marks the one year anniversary of anniebikes. I can't believe an entire year whizzed by like some blazing fast bike ride. As the cycling season winds down I will embark upon a new project - one I've been thinking about for many years. 

From 1994 to 1995 my husband and I went on a global bike ride, one that emcompassed a whole year, 22 countries, and 9,000 cycling miles, not to mention a couple of long distance hiking trips thrown in for added adventure. Over the past year I have been rereading our notebooks and find myself engrossed in the journey, all over again. From both points of view, the writing paints a compelling picture of daily travel through foreign countries - all from the seat of a bicycle.

Nine journals on my bedside table.

At the risk of becoming more of a blog widow (my husband's term) my goal is to get it in digital form so the journey can be a keepsake for our children. I have written a novel about a cross country cycling trip, thus I am no stranger to the volume of material that needs to be typed. This project is two-fold: I will get the story input into Word and also turn it into a weekly blog post. Inspired by Full Tilt, by Dervla Murphy, the plan is to keep it as a travelogue, displaying mileage, monetary exchanges - all of which we were good at chronicling. It will also make it easier to type, edit, and read in small doses. We have wonderful pictures to accompany each entry. In any case, I'll take it one step at a time.

Big Thanks

I know this post is lengthy, but thanks are definitely in order: to Sue of  Bicycles in Motion for becoming my first regular reader, to Yung Falbz of Bike Fizxzit for being a fellow Miyata 610 lover, and to PaddyAnne of Pedal Talk for her constant encouragement and insightful comments. Also on the list are: Kara of Knitting Lemonade because she instills that's it's okay to have fun with the blog, to Rantwick for his frankness and foliage-lovin', to Velouria of Lovely Bicycle who sets the standard high for precise, clear writing, to S. of Simply Bike for reassuring me to include adventures with children, and to Blithe Bicyclist, for the Australian vewpoint. Because of Dottie at LGRAB I know it's okay to photograph myself on my bike (she makes it look so easy) and to all - too numerous to mention - who've added anniebikes to their blogroll. My heart is a-flutter at all your appreciation.

Thanks for the year-long ride.