States

Virginia
Kentucky
Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
Colorado
Wyoming
Montana
Idaho
Oregon

Ups & downs

Well, it's been a funny couple of months with lots of mixed feelings about doing this adventure. Do I want to go, do I want to do it. Would it not just be nicer to sit on a Mexican beach for 3 months, writing my blog? Yes it would! I think I had forgotten why the idea of the trip came about, it took a trip to the dentist to remind me. Thanks Pia. The reasons for the doubts, there is the obvious physical side of attempting something like this, the hard work and much training which I will need to do. There is the cost too, nearly 10k at the latest rough estimate. Yikes. It's easy to slip back into a comfortable way of life, and that's what the problem has been. I forgot about how short life is and how you only get one chance of making something of it. We could all sit on our bums and be comfortable for ever more. Easy. Then what? When your still sitting on your bum at aged 80 and you look back at your life. What will you see? Maybe some people are happy with looking back at how east it was. Don't they want to accomplish something to make them feel alive? Hmmmm bit of a rant while London underground yet again f*cks up my journey to work. One thing I won't miss next year.

So, work have said yes and even signed the piece of paperwork! Can't believe it. Maybe deep down I have been wanting people to say No, you can't go, or you can't do it. But I have been surprised at how no one has stood in my way! Dam, I've got to go now lol. The flights, when I started my research, they were going for £1009. A lot of money. When I checked about a month ago, they had dropped to £955. Book book book now. But I couldnt until work had signed me off. Groan. I got the signatures last week, and yesterday I was all ready to book. Glad I never, as this morning I went to book and they had dropped to £755!!! F*cking A!! So it's all go, unless adventure cycling don't get enough sign ups for the trip. That would be very bad.

Ok. So 4525 odd miles to cycle, over mountains, plains, farmland, rivers like the Mississippi, chased by wild crazed dogs. (can't wait to buy cans of Mace!). Bears, wolves and coyotes, herds of buffalo and no doubt red indians chasing them, in my dreams anyway. The wild west, snow, wind and rain. Scorching heat, flat tires and aching muscles.
Ok, why am I doing this again? Oh yes. So it starts, after Christmas, diet and full on training. There will be so many things happening next year which I will miss though, like the Olympics, queens jubilee, weddings and birthdays too. Will it be worth it? I think so. If you want to find out, then jump to my thoughts on the last pages!


- Posted from my iPhone

Adventure Cycling routes

Map showing the routes Adventure Cycling offer.  Mine cuts from the East coast, through the middle, then cuts up towards Canada, before heading West.  Some amazing routes, would love have gone all the way to San Francisco, or through South Dakota.

Injury fail!

Ouch, and bloody ouch. PT session at the gym,(sure it stands for physical torture), and managed to do my back in. Lower back extremely painful. Can hardly walk :( 6 months to ride!


- Posted from my iPhone

Ride info

The group I'm going with:

http://www.adventurecycling.org/

Info on the ride:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/tours/tourdetail.cfm?t=EV12&id=281&p=1

TOUR ITINERARY

WEEK 1

The group will congregate in Virginia's Historic Triangle, the "birthplace of America." From there, we'll ride through the forgiving terrain of the Tidewater region, a rolling plain that rises gradually to meet the Virginia Piedmont and its moderate hills. A rest day in Charlottesville will permit us to tour the pretty campus of the University of Virginia and, outside of town, Thomas Jefferson's memorable Monticello, with its resplendent gardens and hilltop location providing expansive views of the surrounding countryside.

 

WEEK 2

In Afton, we'll visit to June Curry, the world-famous "Cookie Lady" who has hosted more than 14,000 cross-country cyclists since 1976. From there, we'll inch our way up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and pedal along that legendary roadway until commencing the four-mile “dive” into the town of Vesuvius. From here to outside of Christiansburg, the route closely parallels the Indian Trace, an ancient Native American trail at the base of the Blue Ridge that Stonewall Jackson marched troops along during the Civil War.

 

WEEK 3

Before entering Kentucky at Breaks Interstate Park, we'll swing in and sign the "Across State Ride" book, which Virginia officials are keeping to compile statistics that one day, they hope, will result in improvements to U.S. Bike Route 76 (established in 1982 and now part of the growing official U.S. Bicycle Route System). The roads in the Appalachians of eastern Kentucky are extremely hilly and, in some places, winding, with dense vegetation. We'll come close to the McCoy-Hatfield Feud territory on the Kentucky-West Virginia border before laying over for a day in Berea, where we can learn about mountain culture at the Appalachian Museum and at Berea College, which specializes in the teaching of mountain youth.

 

WEEK 4

The Bluegrass region of central Kentucky will greet us like a breath of fresh air, with its lush pastures, white-fenced farms, and tidy equestrian operations. After continuing through western Kentucky and towns like Bardstown, Utica, and Marion, we'll cross the Ohio River into southern Illinois, where we'll camp at Dixon Springs State Park. The ridges and valleys of the small mountain range knows as the Little Ozarks will show us the way to Carbondale, home to Southern Illinois University and a perfect place for a layover day.

 

WEEK 5

In Chester, Illinois, we'll cross the mighty Mississippi on the Chester Bridge, a truss bridge that appeared in the opening scene of the 1967 movie In the Heat of the Night. We'll then begin tackling the notoriously steep and seemingly never-ending hills of the Missouri Ozarks. Camping for a night at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, we'll explore the narrow gorges carved by the down-cutting action of streams through 1.5-billion-year-old igneous rhyolite. In Eminence, we might set our bicycles aside for a morning in order to enjoy a mellow canoe float down the crystal waters of the spring-fed Current River, a component of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

 

WEEK 6

Our first overnight in the Jayhawk State (aka Kansas) will be spent in Pittsburg, a town that in 1876 was named — minus the "h" — after the far better known Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Depending on which direction the wind is blowing — at our backs or in our faces, that is — we'll either praise it or curse it as we ride on past endless fields of wheat and sunflowers. When we're still miles from Eureka, Newton, and a host of smaller towns, we'll spot the communities’ tall grain elevators standing like sentinels above the endless plains.

 

WEEK 7

As we navigate our way through central and western Kansas, we’ll sense that we’re slowly leaving the humid Midwest behind and entering the arid West, symbolized by the famous 100th Meridian. We'll cross paths with history in Larned, with its many streets of hand-laid brick and its museum dedicated to the Santa Fe Trail. You may be surprised that the mountains don't jut into the sky immediately after we cross into Colorado — in fact, there's quite a long piece of Kansas-like terrain separating the interstate border and the Rockies.

 

WEEK 8

The fun city of Pueblo marks both the approximate halfway point in our adventure and the jumping off (climbing up?) point for the Rocky Mountains. From the Royal Gorge, which is spanned by the world’s highest suspension bridge over water, we'll ride through the immense wide open of South Park. After climbing Hoosier Pass — at 11,542 feet above sea level, the highest point on the TransAm Trail — we'll descend into Summit County, a hotbed of Colorado recreation in both summer and winter. Just north of Walden, we'll ride into wild and often windy Wyoming. In the little mountain town of Saratoga we'll soak our tired muscles in the free, community-owned Hobo Hot Pool. From there, we'll commence the high and dry ride through the sagebrush- and pronghorn-filled Great Divide Basin.

 

WEEK 9

From Lander to Dubois, Wyoming, home to the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center, we'll alternate between mountains and broad valleys. After climbing up and over Togwotee Pass, we'll free-fall into Jackson Hole and spectacular Grand Teton National Park. We'll spend some time in downtown Jackson, with its Town Square and elk-antler arches, where it's almost required that visitors down a beer or soda while sitting aboard a leather saddle stool in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. From there, we’ll ride to Wilson and begin the climb over the exceedingly steep Teton Pass, before descending into Idaho. After enjoying the eight-mile-long rail-trail between Victor and Driggs, we'll head north through undulating potato and barley country to Ashton, "Seed Potato Capital of the World."

 

WEEK 10

After a layover day in West Yellowstone, Montana, and an optional van tour of wildlife-abundant Yellowstone National Park, we'll ride alongside the trout-abundant waters of the Madison River to Ennis. From there, we'll climb up and over the big hill to Virginia City, a well-preserved/renovated Victorian frontier town that was the site of a major 1860s gold strike and, for a short time, the capital of the Montana Territory. From there it's on to the high lonesome of the Big Hole Valley, over Chief Joseph and Lost Trail passes, and into the substantially busier — but no less beautiful — Bitterroot Valley. We'll take a well-deserved break in Adventure Cycling's hometown of Missoula, an oasis of culture and fun.

 

WEEK 11

Tracing the tracks of Lewis and Clark, we'll cross Lolo Pass and re-enter Idaho, pedaling beside the sparkling waters of the Lochsa River as it cuts through an immense wilderness expanse. At Riggins we might take a half-day commercial rafting trip through the whitewater rapids of the Salmon River's main fork. After crossing the Snake River into Oregon near the Hell's Canyon of the Snake, the deepest river gorge in North America, we'll climb all the way to the charming burg of Halfway. We'll enjoy a layover day in Baker City, rich with gold-mining lore. The classic 1969 musical-comedy Paint Your Wagon was filmed in this area.

 

WEEK 12

After crossing a series of relatively minor mountain ranges and passing through towns like Prairie City, Prineville, and Sisters, we'll bag the thrill of crossing the Cascade Range amid the volcanic surroundings of McKenzie Pass, knowing that the Pacific Ocean, and the end of our adventure, is only a couple of days away. After pedaling from Coburg to Florence, we'll repeat the act we began our journey with nearly three months ago — only in this case we'll dip our wheels in the Pacific Ocean, at Beachside State Park. We’ll subsequently partake in a bittersweet celebration dinner in Florence — and say our farewells on the following day, formally wrapping up our crossing of the North American continent by bicycle.

Want to find original of this pic as it really shows the terrain I will be facing

The Man from Delmonte says YES!

OMG I so can't belive it, they have said yes!!!  3months off work next year to cycle across America.  Good god, what have I done, what have I signed up for.  It was ok when I was just thinking about it, now it is a reality.  I have to do it.  *feels a bit sick*  It was a unofficial announcement while I made a cup of tea at work.  Boss said that life doesnt revolve around work, and you should enjoy it while you can!  Eff me!  can you belive it, I must have made a real good case in the meeting then.  I should post below the links and text which he said had convinced him!!  WOW!

http://www.monsterpublic.co.uk/12915_en-GB_p1.asp

Apart from the benefit in terms of PR and good employee relations, it can make good financial sense: much better for a company to have someone - in whose training they have probably made a significant investment - take a break when they start to get restless, and come back to the company afterwards.

Of course, taking time out doesn’t mean you’re thinking about a complete change. It can simply be a great way of re-charging your batteries, expanding your skills and making sure you come back to your role fresh and rejuvenated. That’s why it’s also in employers’ interests to give proper consideration to introducing a policy of supporting career breaks.

If they’re not given the opportunity for a career break, the chances are they will leave anyway, and end up going to work for a competitor after taking the break.

http://www.inspiredbreaks.co.uk/Sabbatical

If you are planning a career break (and ideally would like to return to your present job) it's well worth checking to see if the company you work for does offer a sabbatical - as the fact that it's possible to take a sabbatical isn't always well publicised by some companies. The best people to speak to in order to find out if your company offers a sabbatical are the personnel department (who will also be able to let you know all of the qualifying criteria).
The concept of offering a sabbatical has become increasingly popular amongst companies and employers because of the fact that such a high percentage of people these days opt for a career break at some point. By allowing their staff to take a sabbatical for their career break companies benefit because they are not losing valuable employees in the long term. To provide a couple of examples of organisations that have embraced the sabbatical system- Civil servants are permitted to take two sabbaticals during the course of their career whilst Guardian Media permits its staff to take a month long sabbatical on full pay every four years.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/holidaytypeshub/article-590893/How-sabbatical.html

More and more people are now taking a career break for up to two years to recharge their batteries, secure in the knowledge that their jobs will be there for them on their return and all with the blessing of their boss.

'Employers are keen to earn the loyalty of their staff,' explains Jonathan Swan from the charity New Ways to Work.

'Staff who take time off come back to work refreshed with a renewed commitment and energy to their job,' says Jonathan, adding that, 'career breaks are becoming an established part of modern-day flexible working practices and an effective way of avoiding burn-out.'

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cf80ea1a-d8aa-11df-8430-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1VJAKU7SS

 “If you’ve been at the same organisation for a long time, a sabbatical  can give you a certain freshness,” says executive coach Ros Taylor. “It’s great to get a view from somewhere else and take time out to think.”

Ms Hurst adds: “Work often can’t meet all people’s psychological needs which can leave you feeling a bit empty. Taking time out to address these can really get you up and running again.”

http://www.thecareerbreaksite.com/your-job/asking-for-sabbatical.php

If you want a sabbatical, first find out what the company's policy is. If there is a formal career break policy, your HR department should be able to advise you. Usually you have to have worked there for 2 years’ minimum and your sabbatical will probably be unpaid.

Come on!  Make your decision


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWhkbDMISl8&ob=av2n

Time to ask!

Back from a week in Devon, very relaxed. As the Adventure Cycling tour sign-up closes shortly, I need to ask if I can take the time off for this. So this week I should know if I have works blessing for my 3month sabbatical.

If they say yes I will need to look more closely at the organised trip to see if it's for me. If they say NO, then I need to sit back and think long and hard about leaving my job. At these hard financial times, it makes the decision much much harder. Stay tuned!


- Posted from my iPhone

weight

OK, still thinking about doing this trip, and have yet to ask work for the time off.  Carrying my kit across the US is pretty daunting, so am kinda looking into a tour.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/tours/tourdetail.cfm?id=281&t=EV12&p=2

I don't like the idea of it though, very tied into each day, not sure how flexible they are, if I want to stop off and relax for a bit, take some photo's etc.  Plus the food doesn't sound too great, I would preffer to eat in local places. Also,I would not like to camp.  The one thing going for it, or a couple of things really, is that they take your bags for you in a van to the next stop!  FAB!  I cant really enjoy the bike which is one of the reasons for wanting to travel lite.  Also they have mechanics to help with the bike, and I can draft and work as a team in the windy parts of the trip.  Do these outweigh the negs?  will see

Food for thought

Still reading Corey's blog and not sure if he didn't have a good time due to the bike he was riding, or other things got him down.  I'm wondering if this is such a good idea afterall.  A week of dog chases, barking and nipping.  Coal trucks trying to see how close they can get to cyclists, while the hard shoulders are full of litter, junk and lumps of coal, and they all have rumble patches too.  Going to be fun riding teh road bike here!  Then there is the weather!  Weeks and weeks of rain, then the baking sun.  I know it's draining cycling in the heat, but with a huge rucksack on my back, it's going to be taxing!  Wonder if I will learn any new swear words!

What if?

What if I complete the ride, crossing the width of America and I get a Forrest Gump moment?! What if I want to keep going? What if I think, wouldn't it be a great idea to ride around the world!!!! Lol. I don't think that would go down to well. Perhaps I should go back to my 80s radio, reading blogs and making websites


- Posted from my iPhone

Put so well

Just started reading another blog, and this guy puts it so well the reasons for doing the ride, simular to mine.

"Why? Where do I even begin? The reasons are as plentiful as the day is long, but the biggest reason is really, why NOT? I lost some friends and family members last summer, all three of whom died way younger than they should have, and it made me realize something...why put things off to later, when, what if there won't be a later? Life is so unpredictable, and there are no guarantees that any of us will live to the ripe old age of 100 and be happy and healthy along the way. I have to get out there NOW, while I'm young enough and healthy enough to enjoy certain activities. I do not want to grow old and regret the things that I wish I would have done. I don't want to be old before I give myself permission to live."  Thanks Corey

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1r4vFZo&page_id=180818&v=Ou

Accommodation

I had originally thought it would be best if I arranged my trip down to the last mile. I wanted to alternate booking motels/hotels etc now, with warmshowers
stay overs, so that everything wad guaranteed, especially as I'm taking no camping gear After reading more and more blogs, I'm not too sure if that's best. If I hit bad weather and can't safely cycle, that will throw the itinerary into disarray. Also if ill, or have a great cycle day and want to push on. Need to find out if motels etc need booking way in advance or not.



- Posted from my iPhone

Packing

No, I'm not packing for the trip already, but seeing how much I can fit into my bags.  Like I have said before, I want to travel extra-lite as I won't be camping, I am not going to need all the paraphernalia which goes with it.  I have a rough list of the stuff I want to take, or think I am going to need; see below:

Bike Bits:

Cleats, brand new on shoes, one packet back up

Multi tool

Pump with pressure gauge

2x spare inner tubes

1x spare tire

1x Puncture repair kit
Tire levers

1x spare brake pads

1x spare brake/gear cable

2x water bottles

New cycle computer

Lights

Spare spokes sized for your bike’s wheels - NO

Energy drink? - NO

Gels? - NO

Foods? - NO

Clothes:

Black gore text coat – needs new spray or covering put on to make waterproof again

Red Gore jacket, detachable sleeves

Helmet – new

Glasses

Bike shoes

Lycra kits – 4?  One to wear, 3 next day/wash

Cycling socks 4

Camping trousers/Shorts for town

Leggings

Fingerless gloves – new

Windproof gloves

HH skin tops

t-shirts x1, post some to locations

Pants socks

Fleece hat

Baseball cap?

Small trainer things, my Nikes J

Swim trunks

jumper - NO

Other bits:

Adventure Cycling Maps.

Compass

Mosquito spray later on

Dog spray – “Halt”

Iphone

iPod

Camera

Chargers

Adapters

first aid kit

Leatherman

Plastic emergency gloves

toiletries

sunscreen

Bog roll

Sanitizer spray

plane ticket

visa

wallet

passport

tickets

money

pen

Duct tape ??

bag

bag cover

bike box

One of my bags holds 22ltrs and the other is 35+8.  I filled up the smaller bag with spare cycling kit left over and none of the "other bits".  This weighed in at 10lbs.  Using the same kit, I filled up the larger bag to the brim without using the side compartments nor the top flap.  The problem here is that just that weighed in at 10.5lbs and I hadn't again, added all the "other bits".

I ride to work with a rucksack each day, but I have no idea what it is going to be like to be carrying on my back/shoulders, 10lbs every day for 4252miles!  I will have a small saddle bag such as the "Altura Trail Velcro Expanding Seatpack".  I've not seen how much this holds, and not found any reviews on what you can fit in, but I would say at least 2 inner tubes, tools, puncture repair kits and a Leatherman easily.  Price, about £14.  I would also need a handlebar bag for easy reading of the maps.  For this, I've quickly found the "Topeak DryBag Handlebar Bag", "Altura Orkney Bar Bag" and the "CarraDura handlebar bag".  They are priced around the £50 mark and hold 7.5ltr, 7ltr and 6ltr.  Just read some bad reviews on the Altura though, so would have to research all before buying.  So, I could lose 7ltrs from my back, whatever that would be in weight, so that's good. 

But why don't you use panniers like everyone else?  You could fit much more in and not have the weight on your back.  Well, (this sounds more redundant now what with the amounts of weight on my back), I want to enjoy the feel of the bike, taking the corners and downhill's at speed.  I love my bike and the way I can throw it around, rushing down hills at 45mph+.  Panniers wouldn't improve the look of the bike!  (oh dear!).  Perhaps I should not say any more on the matter as I can see what debate this could open up.  I've attached some pics of the bags I was testing and what I thought I should take with me, minus a few things I didn't have to hand.

Test using blogpress

blogpress


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Change the dates?

Should I start in June instead of May?  Will I have better weather if I do June, July, August?

Good to go?

Well it looks like financially it's a go. Still have to check with work to see if I can get the time off. That's the biggest challenge and with the most ramifications.

Rough costs, very rough

12 weeks/3 months in total
Fly over on Saturday 5^th May, fly back Sunday 29^th July
82 possible cycle days if start on Monday 7^th May and finish on Friday 27^th July
37 working days off
20 official holiday days (4 weeks)
3 bank holidays

4252miles / by 60miles a day 70 odd cycling days out of 82days in total, 12 rest days.
85 sleep nights in U.S.

How many warm-shower nights?

Flights £1200

Bike transportation there and back £150

Food per day,  £10 breakfast, £10 lunch, £10 dinner, £10 snack = £40.  £40x85=£3400

Accommodation – Max £40 per night.  If I do half warm showers, half motel/hotel/b&b that will be 

85/2 = 42nights,  42x£40=£1680 in accommodation

Plus some new kit for bike

So:
fights - £1200
Bike transportation there and back - £150

Food per day - £3400

Accommodation – £1680

TOTAL = £6430!!!!

Starting Aug 2011

Combined holiday fund (my half after Aug-May 10months) - £1000

Re-write of original post - New blogger app

Blogger app


well that messed up and deleted my original post!

re typing what I originally wrote!!!!:

Well as the new blogger app decided to overwrite what I had originally written, I’m going to have to try and remember what I wrote!  Nightmare.  I guess I must have written about why I wanted to do this trip, my thoughts, ideas, worries, so here goes... Again! 

Where did the idea come from and why am I doing this?  We had a holiday in America 2011, and had a great time exploring NY, Philly and DC.  While in Philly we hired a car and went out exploring, mainly to go see the Amish.  This was amazing and I guess like everyone else who visits, was really taken with their way of life.  Seeing men work the fields with horses pulling ploughs, kids in little hats and blue shirts playing with little scooters and women hanging out their washing, I thought it was great.  If they let me take my iPhone, gore-tex and some other modern day items in, I would go join them!  Going off topic here, ok, the countryside was fab too, rolling hills, big skies, little bridges with roofs on, empty roads apart from little buggies here and there.  Lovely place to cycle.  When I got home I looked into going over with my bike and cycling around some of the little towns like Bird in hand, Paradise and of course Intercourse, snigger.  Then I thought, well if I was going to all the hassle of going just there, wouldn’t it be fun to cycle across America, ha haha ah aha. 

I started to do some loose research and found there was a route which a lot of people, old and young, travelled along.  The TransAmerica route 76.  I started reading more and more blogs, asking questions, joining forums and so it appeared to become a real possibility.  Time and money would be an issue though, how can I afford it, and how do I get the time off.  The company I work for is not the most forward thinking or staff friendly.  To suggest taking a 3month sabbatical will cause confusion among the managers.  It is the only way I can do the trip, unless I leave.  I have to sell them the idea that it is better they let me take 3months off, get someone to cover for me, and for me to come back refreshed.  They could panic and just say no, which has a high probability.  I’ve found and printed off a load of comments which I can show them like “It can simply be a great way of re-charging your batteries, expanding your skills and making sure you come back to your role fresh and rejuvenated,” “By allowing their staff to take a sabbatical for their career break companies benefit because they are not losing valuable employees in the long term” so we will see.  Then there is the question if they say no, I am going to have to leave, which will screw a lot of things up.  Is doing this trip such a good idea then?  Should I not put my career first?  It is after all a very selfish idea in every way.  Here come the reasons and excuses.  I’ve been in London since 2000 and in this job for nearly 10years and I really need a break, I want a challenge, have an adventure and see some amazing sights.  The blogs I’ve read have some amazing photo’s posted by their authors.  OK, I have got a secure house, I’m paid a lot of doing not much, a good relationship, foreign holidays and trips abroad throughout the year.  Isn’t that enough?  I’m bored and what with Morgan’s death this year from cancer, he was in his early 40s, I’m worried that if I don’t do something now, then I never will.  If I put it off to next year, will I still want to do it.  Who knows what will happen next year, I could get ill. I want something I can look back on and say, hey I’ve done something amazing, I haven’t been stuck in a job all my life with nothing to show for it.  Yes there is the house, car and holidays, but it’s not the same.  It’s a real dream, yes I could have more when I complete this one, who knows. I know my family and some of my friends are not being positive about this idea, some of the reasons make sense.  If I leave, what will I do when I return?

Enough of that kinda stuff.  On to  the main event.  So, I want to travel extra-lite if possible, this is going to be tuff.  I don’t want to be weighed down with panniers, I want to enjoy my bike and the ride, the freedom of it all.  There are different ways I am thinking of doing it, either by posting bits on every now and again, buying bits as I go while just having a rucksack.  I have to test out what I am going to take and what will fit in.

Forgot what else I wrote in the original idea post.  I plan to have 3months off and travel on average 60miles a day.  I’ve been making a list of nice places to visit and stay from other peoples blogs.  I guess anything else I remember, I will add in new blog posts.


oh yes, nearly forgot, I will also be 40 in 2012, so mid-life crises!  10yrs at same boring job too.