The semester has ended here at Kenrick, and I finally got a rough draft completed of a thesis chapter (something I lazily worked on for probably half a year). So tomorrow our Christmas break begins. To kick off the long break, I will be flying down to Del Rio, TX, hopping on my bicycle (which is already waiting for me down there) and riding to College Station, TX, over the course of the week. This is Section 4 of the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier Route. Jesse McCormack and I have ridden the first three sections, which cover the distance between San Diego, CA, and Del Rio, TX. He will be joining me on this ride as well. You can see our path across Texas in blue, above.

We'll be on our bikes until December 20th. You can follow our progress on Twitter, where I will be posting updates whenever I have cell coverage. I'll try to update at least once a day to let everyone know what city (or village) we're in. To see the latest news, click on the image above, or visit my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/jsignal/.

Please pray for our safety, health, and for good Texas weather.

-Jason

The semester is almost over already here in Saint Louis. It has been passing very quickly. This last week I wrote a homily, took two exams, and taught 7th graders about confession. It was an especially busy week, and the rest of the semester will probably be even more busy as I try to wrap up all of the assigned work. Of course, next week I will be going home for Thanksgiving. That will be nice. And then it's a marathon couple of weeks to the end.

And once Christmas break begins, I'm off to Texas to ride bike. Today I finally dropped my bike off at REI for a tune up. Once it's done, some time next week, it will be shipped off to Del Rio, TX, where Jesse and I will resume our cross-country ride on December 12th.

Doing a trip like this required planning. I wanted to include a bunch of stuff in the bike box that will be shipped down ahead of me. So I had to update my gear and packing list. Here is everything I'll be bringing on this trip:

• Bike: Novara Randonee touring bike. (obviously)
• Helmet
• Sunglasses
• Bike Jerseys (2 or 3)
• Bike Gloves
• Warmer Bike Gloves (for cold weather)
• Fleece hat (for cold weather)
• Cycling shorts (2 pr)
• Cycling socks (2 pr)
• Cycling shoes
• Rain jacket (for cold or wet weather)
• Rain pants (for cold or wet weather)
• Leg tights (for cold weather)
• Tennis shoes (for when I'm not on the bike)
• Zip-off pants (pants that double as shorts)
• Short-sleeve t-shirts (2)
• Long-sleeve t-shirt (1)
• Panniers
• Chain Tool
• Chain link
• Hex wrenches
• Spoke Wrench
• Tire Irons
• Spare tubes (3)
• chain lube
• Mirror
• Pump
• Patch kit
• Headlamp
• Small Bungee Cords
• 1st aid kit
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Sunscreen
• Cycle computer
• GPS
• Camera
• Pen/Pencil
• Journal notebook.
• Adventure Cycling Map for SoTier Section 4

I haven't even found the time to publish all the great photos, videos, and travel logs from my last bike trip down south, but I've already booked the next trip! Jesse and I will be continuing our trek from California to Florida from December 12th-20th. We will be riding from Del Rio, TX, where we ended our last ride, and continue on toward College Station, TX. This consists of Section Four of the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route.

It seems like we've been riding across Texas for an eternity. After this year's 450 mile, eastward trek, we'll STILL be in Texas.

Plane tickets were surprisingly affordable, so it's not going to be too expensive of a trip, thankfully. But I am a bit overwhelmed at all I must accomplish before we depart. Homilies, thesis work, teaching 7th graders, etc, etc. Let's just say the semester is getting busy.

-Jason

Exactly one year ago, I was pedaling my bicycle from St Louis, Missouri, to Council Bluffs, Iowa, along the Adventure Cycling Lewis and Clark route. It has taken me a really, really, really long time, but I have finally completed the online travel log. Click the image above or select "lewis & clark" under the cycling menu, above, to read my journal. You can also look at dozens of photos or listen to my audio journal. For the first time, I brought along a voice recorder.

It's a lot of work to put these travel logs together, but years later I am always grateful that the work was done. I enjoy reflecting back on my trips. And I hope you all find something entertaining or useful in them as well.

Now, time to start work on the travel log from my trip across part of Texas last December!

-Jason