a first night in tent and on bike combined

Rode over to ali and jezza...bike weighed a ton on the back with the gear on it...had a 'what am I doing here?' moment as I struggled to get my tent on the top of the rack using the bungee...this is the detail that I clearly don't know yet but will need to know it to feel confident...felt exhilarated on the road once i realized that there was enough space for my feet to pedal .

Funny to laugh at the smallest victories which removes one of the small concerns in my head only to be replaced with other concerns that spring into my mind....

Well I am in my tent for my first night out under the stars...sleeping bag is nice and soft. The mat doesn't seem to be as comfortable as I thought at this stage which is a little worrying...I'm sure it must be more buoyant than this flat hard thin piece of skin!

I'm interested that people's responses vary to sleeping out under the stars...some suggest i'm crazy and maybe gently mock whilst others seem more enticed and seem drawn to it...especially those who have distant fond memories of camping expedition times of their own.

Amusing incident number 1: Found myself settled in the tent when my body suddenly indicates it needs a number two and I feel trapped as I can't be bothered to put trousers and shoes on to deliver my personal message to the big white telephone indoors. Therefore I'm committed for the night in a 'not completely relaxed state' of mind and body

Feel the cold begin to invade the silence of the tent, a bird sounds overhead with its noise suggesting a pathway it might cut across the sky. In the background the dull hum of flowing water provides a backdrop to my night.

the beginning is a fragile time....

I imagine that at the beginning of any blog there should be something auspicious written so mine will be centred on a phrase that has captured my imagination ever since I read it about ten years ago....."when you throw a stone into the water it finds the quickest way to the bottom of the water. It is the same when Siddhartha has an aim, a goal. Siddhartha does nothing; he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal. This is what Siddhartha learned from the Samanas. It is what fools call magic and what they think is caused by demons. Nothing is caused by demons; there are no demons. Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goal, if he can think, wait and fast."
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
I guess that ever since I read this I have wanted to get closer and closer to this ideal of single mindedness or one mindedness as the Buddhist tradition might relate to it. Therefore the latest challenge in the spirit of this adventure within is to create an adventure externally.
Having watched Ewan McGregor's dvd series Long Way Round I combined this sense of journey with an interest in cycling and have come up with the plan to cycle across Canada, from Quebec to Vancouver, during a three month sabbatical from work next summer. It gives me, when I think about it, a mixture of the willies and bags of excitement. What will it be like? How will I manage it? How might I be different when its done? What would I do if all I had is a mini pump faced with a 10 foot Grizzly in the middle of nowhere?
Anyway all these questions and a host of internal ones about myself will probably be answered along the way...