It’s 5 O’Clock …

And that means vacation has begun! I am looking forward to it despite a weather forecast that is somewhat colder than normal for this time of year. At least my destination cities will be warmer than West Bend. The high temperature in Charleston IL will be 67 tomorrow. I should see 59 degrees in Lexington KY on Saturday and 50 in Arlington VA on Sunday. Next Monday through Friday, I will be in Pennsylvania where temperatures will be in the 40s.

For this trip, the cyclocross bike is the best choice. You can see it in the picture above, secured by bungee cords to the front seats. The cyclocross bike gives me the widest range of training opportunities. By taking two different wheelsets—one with road tires and the other with knobbies—I will be able to handle both paved and unpaved surfaces. There’s no singletrack in my plans, just a lot of road and rec trail riding, and some of those rec trails are made of dirt and gravel.

Rubber “gym floor” mats will serve as a reasonably comfortable sleeping area. Being able to sleep in the van really appeals to the cheapskate in me and should open up some additional travel possibilities later in the year. On this trip I will work out any kinks so that I don’t find them on WORS weekends. If the rubber mats aren’t good enough, then I’ll buy an air mattress. I plan to sleep in the van at least three times during the trip, including the first two nights.

As my vacation begins, I have ridden just 150 outdoor miles in 2014. By the same date last year, I had ridden 200 miles. I’m not hopelessly behind last year’s pace. If I return on the 30th with a total of 403, I will be right where I was a year ago.