Category Archives: Planning

Jumping from the high board – last day of work

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When I was a kid I sometimes visited Sunset swimming pool in Longmont. There was a high dive board there that I would jump off. It was perhaps only 3m high, but to me it was way up in the sky. As I climbed and walked along the board I’d peer down and think, “my goodness, that is way up,…what am I doing, what if I fall, will the water hurt, etc”. Then I’d run to jump off end of the board and after a momentary descent fall into the water and all would be OK. “That was fun! Time to do it again!”

I’m reminded of the high board during this past week as I’ve done my last week at AMD. I’ve been mostly too busy to think too much about it, but when I’ve peered off the board I have wondered once or twice, “wow, it will be a long way down!”. Since graduating from college in 1986, I’ve worked for two employers: Hewlett Packard from 1986 to 2009 and AMD from 2009 to 2016. I’ve moved around a few times and lost my job in internal reorganizations. However, by the time each position was due to end, I had something else lined up. I had a paycheck lined up when I stopped receiving the previous one. So this is a first, which adds a bit to both the nervousness and also the thrill of really getting out there.

If I think about it, I realize things should be OK and just like once you hit the water from the jump – you settle into a routine and swim and make it all work. There is still a lot of loose ends to tie up here in Austin and then drive to Colorado before departure, but I do look forward to time I’m finally on the road and can just get into a “flow” and be in the trip. That is just part of what comes with the adventure. Having fun with the excitement of making the change but also looking forward to getting to the new routine.

p.s. I sent my goodbyes already but also leave with a postscript to my AMD colleagues. I enjoyed the almost seven years at AMD including people I worked with and projects we did. Will keep in touch and hope our paths cross again in the future. I will miss AMD.

Bush telegraph and the internet

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One thing I enjoy doing is catching up with other cyclists along the route. Back in 2001, when I cycled around Australia there was what we called the “bush telegraph”. There was mostly one road that was traveled by both cyclists and caravans as well. As we met each other, we would trade accounts about other cyclists on the road. “Did you see to cyclists pulling trailers?”, I would ask. “You mean the ones with the big hats, yes we saw them around Kununarra”. With conversations like these the bush telegraph allowed us to informally keep tabs on other cyclist friends and occasionally meet up as we went along.

While the internet was certainly around and I blogged my 2001 trip, the availability of wifi and cell internet connections has now only increased. As a result, one can now augment the bush telegraph by checking up on respective web sites as well.

So far I’ve read quite a few journals of folks who did similar trips and added those to the links page. As I meet others in real time, I’ll try adding there as well. One that I’ve been following recently is Dr Scott Acton JWST World Bicycle Tour. Scott is from Niwot, Colorado so there is a connection there since I graduated from Niwot High School. He has a multi-part trip whose first segment started in Colorado and is heading towards Deadhorse or Fairbanks. As a result, the last part of his trip, from Watson Lake onwards, is giving some early hints of road conditions I might expect on my ride. Not sure if we’ll intersect (his original plan was to get to Deadhorse around time I depart), but at least fun to see his journal and photos.

Reflections on trip planning and timeframes

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A long holiday weekend getting many things moved into storage. I live in two story townhouse and have most of the second floor empty and packed away and moved to storage. Also did some reflecting backwards on the story of how this ride came to be…

For the past 25 years, I’ve had a pattern of working hard for several years followed by an extended break for a cycle trip. After the trip, I’d jump into new position and role with renewed energy. So essentially since my 2007 trip across Russia it was somewhat determined that I’d take more trips just not exactly when.

First one on the docket was a trip planned for 2013 with TDA across Africa. After that it was more hazy, perhaps 2018 or even 2019 to keep a five year pattern. I changed jobs to AMD in 2009 and moved to Portland, OR and even with these changes I still had my Africa trip on the docket and slowly anticipated it as 2010 and 2011 came along. I liked Portland, particularly living in the city center, being able to walk to work, lots of nature nearby and good chances to cycle such as taking weekend trips down to Salem or Eugene and taking the train back. The office was small and I liked the folks I worked with.

December 9th 2011, I learned that AMD was planning on shutting the Portland office in 2012. As one of two managers on site, I was given advance warning, the actual news would not come until March 2012 (later refined to be March 22nd). The overall idea was to collect together US compiler work into the San Francisco Bay Area and encourage key personnel to move. I was grateful to be included in planning and committed to doing what I could to make it go smoothly. I didn’t necessarily expect many to move because Portland and San Jose are fairly different, because spouses and children were involved and because they would have more local alternatives.

At the same time, I had several months to contemplate exactly what I might do next. The short run was pretty clear: I would assist transition until the Portland office closed and I would also take the first half of 2013 as an extended bicycle tour across Africa. While it wasn’t my preference to shut the office, I would do everything I could to help the transition as I could. That looked to continue until end of 2012.

It was in 2H 2013 that things were more open-ended. I gradually developed three alternatives:

  • Stay with AMD, take the relocation offer and move to San Jose
  • Leave AMD, stay in the Pacific Northwest, Portland or Seattle and find the next interesting work
  • Complete the Africa trip and follow this up with more extended touring including perhaps South America. Figure out what came next after that

I couldn’t act on any of these alternatives or even let folks at work know, since the site closure was all still a secret. However, being the planning type I could spend some extended time exploring these alternatives, learning more and being better prepared when time for the site closure.

In February 2012, I took a weekend trip down to San Jose and explored the area. I looked at apartments, talked with a realtor and contemplated how I might travel to work and whether I would need to purchase a car of not. I had lived in the Bay area before (1997 to 2001) and enjoyed it, but enough had changed that I wanted to figure out what it would be like this time. I generally figured out I could make it work. It might be a step back from Oregon or Colorado but assuming the work would be engaging all would be ok.

I explored a number of blogs of people who had cycled across South America and learned what I could about their travels and adventures. It was all quite interesting and my enthusiasm for doing this trip “someday” grew, it was now more an issue of figuring out when not if I would ride. I also got more enthusiastic about possibility of making this a really big trip by starting in Prudhoe Bay and cycling all of the Americas and learned everything I could about similar rides others had done.

I also looked around at job postings and companies in Portland and Seattle to see what might be available. Too early to act on anything specific but at least reassuring there were good companies doing interesting things. I also looked back in Colorado at similar postings. Perhaps a little tougher to find things there, but not out of the question.

March 22nd, 2012 we had our announcement. People were surprised and shocked, but I did what I could to help them work through the loss. I also tried to connect key players since I knew initial contacts would be crucial. I also came up with my own revised plan: 2012 was still transition and 1H 2013 was TDA, but instead of going to San Jose, would it be possible to move to Austin instead? Several things attracted me to this possibility (a) less expensive and no income tax (b) it was a new place I hadn’t been – San Jose would be OK, but exploring a new area had potential to be great. I wasn’t so sure about summer heat but if it really didn’t turn out – then I had enough confidence that I could still go back to another alternative.

After a short exploratory tour that included some of the same real estate checks as San Jose as well as looking for daily commuting routes, I moved to Austin in July 2012. I was still pretty excited about a trip across the Americas, but determined I would figure this out on one of two timeframes: either immediately after TDA in 2013 or after I had been in Austin for three years – or starting in 2016.

In October 2012 AMD had a layoff that increased my focus on these two choice points. I briefly tried to see if I might volunteer to leave – take severance and both my trips together but didn’t put a lot of effort there. Once I knew I was past the layoff, I was also more focused on the 2016 goal. The company might have site closures or layoffs but I could put a mark on the wall and work towards it as it came closer. May seem strange, but from that perspective this trip has been on the calendar since right around end of 2012 and something I’ve based choices on since that point.

The more intensive planning and sorting has been more over the past six months to a year and isn’t quite done yet, but nice to have the time finally near.

Four piles

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How to plan for a long-term departure.

This weekend is a moving weekend. I’ve rented a van and been moving boxes and furniture to storage. My master bedroom is now empty and goals for rest of weekend are to get my second bedroom (office) and garage as well. Unlike a shorter vacation, don’t just plan to leave my residence occupied. This time I’m putting all my stuff in storage and renting it out. This makes sure someone is watching the place and gives me a place to come back on my return.

On previous long trips I’ve done a mixture of things:

  • Three months in 1997, my stuff was in transit as part of the move
  • One year ride in 2001, I put all my stuff into one bedroom of my condo and rented out the rest at a reasonable rate to a friend
  • Ten months ride in 2007, I left stuff in a duplex and had tenants in other unit below
  • Six months in 2013, I put everything in storage. Had an apartment before and after but not during

The other project that has been going on for a while is to sort everything I own into three piles:

  1. First pile is everything I need on my trip, a limited set of things.
  2. Next pile is things I give away or throw away. Probably the best thing to reduce clutter, though sometimes I find myself doing it a second time on return when I look at what was stored and think, “did I really need this”
  3. Third pile is things to store.

I’ve been doing this for several months and slowly getting it all sorted out. However, now with a rented van and storage unit time to get things wrapped up.

One last weekend test run

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image

Today a short ride to McKinney Falls State Park and chance to test my stove as well as my ability to post from phone. Tonight is a full moon hike. Next full moon coincides with summer solstice and start of the trip.

I’ve set up a plugin that is supposed to mirror posts including this one to the scc2ush Facebook page. Hence this is secondary check to see if that happens.

Adventure Cycling post

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Back in December 2014, I posted the following to Adventure Cycling companions wanted site (my age was when the trip starts not when I posted it):

Solstice to Solstice. Plan is to celebrate summer solstice 2016 in Deadhorse, Alaska, and spend 18 months cycling south to reach Ushuaia, Argentina, during summer solstice. Experienced 53-year-old male cycle tourist looking for adventurers to join in all or part of the ride.

I received ~50 responses or inquiries and responded to most of them (apologies if missed). Some from others making a similar trip, some potentially interested further along the way, some just curious. There isn’t one person joining me for the entire distance, some might be interested in parts and the offer of having others join in sections still stands.

I’m comfortable traveling alone and it is always tough figuring out whether it works with a stranger given a lot of possible differences in style. However, a nice thing on cycle touring is if both parties have ability to travel independently, then in worst case one still travels independently and as it matches easy to meet/ride together where it makes sense. It is also nice particularly where English is not the native language, to ride with others. I will see what happens in the future, though I did take down the Adventure Cycling post for now.