Originally, I was thinking to name this trip Florida Redux, as I was planning to retrace some of the route I took in early 2015 when I traveled the east coast from Key West to Halifax. But with my decision to 'retire' on December 18, 2015, I coined a new phrase: rewiring.

Officially (per our HR manual), we call it 'retiring,' and I will receive the benefits that go with that label, but rewiring is more my style. Rewiring means changing up the circuits and rethinking how you think. As a trained engineer, we are taught to think a certain way, often to the detriment of our interaction with non-engineers. But I have often wandered from the narrow line of engineer-think. So with 'retirement,' a change in thinking is required . . . but not to abandon my old ways entirely, just rewire them a bit.

And not only will I rewire, I will do it (as is usual) self-contained. Self-contained is a great word. In bicycle touring it means you aren't dependent. You are self-contained and not relying on SAG (support and gear).

So that is how I will approach the coming years: rewired and self-contained! This is not meant to exclude my great friends, past, present and future, but more the independent spirit that I learned a long time ago when I rode solo across Italy in 1991!

STV has been a great place to work. I was allowed to take the time to realize some great adventures over the last twelve months, enriching my life. And over the past 11-1/2 years, I have learned very much and was challenged to push my limits, and push the limits of those around me, on a regular basis. I often relay to others that working at STV was like being given a book with blank pages where I was allowed to write my own story!

My immediate plans, however, are this bike trip. I'll be mostly in southern Florida, covering some territory I've biked before, but also joining some friends for a week around Sarasota before heading up towards Orlando and St Augustine where another friend will join me for most of February as we head back south to Ft Lauderdale and other points still to be determined.