What I've learned so far:

It is just a bolt.  It's not the bolt's fault that I can't get it off.  A stripped screw that won't let go often sends me into a rage where I end up punching walls and yelling at babies.  I had to take a step back from the bike the other day and view it as the beautiful piece of machinery that it is.  The fact that little explosions send torque through the wheels to the road is quite the work of art.
This connects to this connects to this connects to this.  That's all it is.  So go get the right tools!  The right tool takes an impossible feat of strength and turns it into a two minute project.  Oh, and some times you just have to admit that the mechanic is the real man for the job.  A kind, helpful mechanic is someone to save in your phone and call a true friend.

Paper maps bring happiness to my heart and and peace to my mind.  Plan electronically but bring a road atlas.

Ask people that have been there before.  I had no idea Chaco Canyon existed.  Thanks, Joe.

Plan time to not have plans.  The best thoughts and views happen in the journey not the destination.