Ready for launch!

OK. It's been quite a process, but I'm ready to go. Leaving at 8:00 am tomorrow. Yes, I said 5 am before, but I have good reason for leaving later. But first ....



That is it. What my past 5 1/2 years at MIT have come down to. The above form indicates that I have turned in my thesis to the physics office, completing all the requirements for my PhD in astrophysics. (Note that "PhD" has been circled, rather than "SM," for a science masters.) Never mind that the above piece of paper could be easily mistaken for a dry cleaning ticket. That is it. And with it, I am done. Summarily cut off of the payroll and sent out the door. Not a moment too soon.

So, with that in hand, I could go about more interesting things. Like this trip. The past couple weeks have involved a lot of bike preparation.

Adding an electrical connection, so that my cell phone and laptop can recharge while I ride:

I also hacked together a power cord and protective case for my Macbook, but it's packed away right now.

Put a 5 gallon auxiliary tank on my bike, right over where the passenger seat would go. I'll take a pic tomorrow before I leave.

Added a headlight guard to protect the glass headlight assembly from rocks on the gravel roads of Alaska. These things cost like $50 -- or you can whip out the trusty Dremel and drill and DIY. Granted, mine looks a wee bit ragged around the edges, but ... meh. It's functional.

Did a little motorcycle-worthy hair styling. BEFORE:

And AFTER:

Again, obviously DIY. Like hell I'm gonna pay someone $15 to buzz my hair.

And finally, I hacked up this old digital camera so that it will (hopefully) take a picture every six seconds while I'm riding. Unfortunately, learning astrophysics seems to have pushed most of the electrical knowledge out of my head -- and I never had much to begin with -- so we'll see how well this thing works. I give it 8 days before it falls apart. That's probably optimistic, but I at least want it to last until Alaska.

So the idea is that the camera will sit behind my windshield, looking forward and taking pictures of the scenery ahead. Taking one picture every six seconds, a time-lapsed movie will compress 2 hours of riding into a minute of video. If this all works, I'll put the time-lapsed movies on youtube. We'll see.

So that's it for prep. The plan:

I'm going to get up to Fairbanks, AK as quickly as possible. Blitz across the Trans-Canada Highway with minimal stops for scenery. At this point, it's late enough in the season that snow starts to be a concern. So I plan to be at Fairbanks in a week. I just got a new (to me) Sargent saddle. I hope it's better than the stocker.

That's all for now. I need to hit it. I'll post a picture of my packed bike tomorrow morning.


(Click on the >>>NEXT links to continue through the story!)

>>>NEXT: And we are GO!!!!

Close ... but not quite

OK, one more day. Departure is Friday, 5 am. And that is final. (Note: the previous entry only claimed "some finality" re leaving tomorrow!) But now my bags are pretty much packed, the bike is set up, and so on. I'm ready, or at least I would be with a couple more hours of prep. But I'm planning a long ride the first day, and I want a full night's sleep before it. So: one more day.

STILL in Cambridge!

But I can say with some finality: the departure date is Thursday, September 6, at roughly 5:00 am. I decided that I am on vacation, so I am not rushing anything, not even vacation.

Plus, I got bogged down in a morass of electronics, trying to rig up a digital camera to take a picture every 6 seconds of my trip. So that I could create a time-lapsed video. It would have been very cool. Might still be. But I'm having problems with the camera giving me "low battery warnings." (Despite the fact that it expects 3.7 V and I've given it anywhere between that and 4.5 V. Stupid camera.) So that might not happen. But I bumped it from the priority list, so I'll leave Thursday morning regardless.

Still in Cambridge

Ahhh, so, about the previous post. You see, "thesis is done" is a complicated statement. There's finishing the thesis, but there's also the minor business of defending, making revisions, and getting out a paper before the trip so it doesn't get scooped by a competitor. Also: applying for postdocs. And don't forget trip preparation.

So I am still in Cambridge. Departure date has been rolled back to Sept. 1. And I've finally conceded that this is now the "fall of freedom" tour. And I've cut out the Florida bit, instead choosing to concentrate mostly on the dirt roads of Canada. I've seen the Eisenhower highway system before, thank you very much.

But trip preparation is well on its way. More details shortly.

Thesis is DONE!!!

THESIS IS DONE, MY FRIENDS, done Done DONE i SAY!!!

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

ok, still a bit of minor editing and fun stuff like writing the acknowledgements, but practically speaking it is .......

wait for it .........

DONE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost ... done ...

... the thesis. It will be finished in less than 24 hours.

More importantly, I will be on the road in 1 month. And counting....

Notes from the thesis cave...

I have sealed myself off from all civilization. There are roommates out there, I'm sure. Right now I do believe that they are cooking bacon. Maple flavored, if my nose serves me well. Or perhaps they also made pancakes. No matter! The outside world is of no use to me now.

For right now, it is just me and the thesis. 95 pages of astrophysical lore, and likely to be 110 by the week's end. Seven chapters. Two appendices — or perhaps three, should the inspiration strike. The shades are drawn, and the air conditioner maintains a steady temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Its quiet hum my only companion.

At times, I am driven to seek sustenance; as much as I try to concentrate without pause or interruption, my mortal needs cannot go unmet. At those times — and those times alone! — I venture forth from my thesis cave. Nearby, there is a friendly trader from the land of Syria, in the far-off Middle East, from whom I often order exotic falafel or lamb shwarma sandwiches. Farther, there is an establishment run by Mexicanos. I fancy their bean burritos, and the route to their shop carries me past a 7-11, at which I can procure milk at low expense.

But I waste too much time! I must return to my astrophysical lucubrations.