On our way

Le grand sausage

We awoke this morning at 2:00 AM to attend to the last minute details associated with leaving our home for two months. Last loads of bedding, and towels are currently circulating in the dryer, and the tea is kettle huffing on the stove ( this always equates to hope in the morning around here). We managed (just) to get our two Aarn Peak Aspiration packs with balance pockets (detached), our boots and Pacer poles all into an REI pack duffel ( le grand sausage) that is perfect for this trip. We gave up the notion of trying to carry everything on the flight. Our packs are not heavy, but bulky enough to challenge an overhead bin and the patience of fellow travelers (what were they thinking). A taxi will pick us up at 5:00 for the trip to the Portland airport. Our itinerary has us leaving PDX for Dulles (Washington DC) at 7:25 and then on to Paris at 5:30 PM. We are scheduled to arrive in Paris at 7:00 AM. We will figure out how to get le grand sausage through customs and immigration and down to the CDG TGV 2 station in time for the 9:10 departure for Bordeaux (change trains) and then on to Bayonne. We will arrive in Bayonne shortly after 3:00 PM. We expect to catch a 6:18 PM departure for St. Jean Pied de Port which should have Robin and I (avec le grand sausage) expiring at the Pilgrim Office door a couple of hours later. Wish us luck. We are on our way.