Day 70 – Reflections

The well-aged guy spotted my bike and glanced at me.  I know, most consider me old, but this guy was older.  I could tell by his quick smile and the way it spread across the lines of his face and through his eyes that he was an old soul making the most of life.  “What will you gain from this journey?” he asked.  He used the word journey, not me.  I had been asked a lot of questions since this bike trip started, but not this one.  “That’s a good question.” I responded, and then I stumbled through an answer I don’t remember.  But I do remember the question.  In fact, I thought about the question often the rest of the journey.

This journey taught me a lot about myself.  I learned I have the fortitude to complete a 4,064-mile bike trip.  It reinforced the value of perseverance.  I learned I have very little control over a lot of things that impact me; and I learned to expect, and embrace, whatever surprises the day may bring.  It taught me the importance of taking things one step at a time (or in this case, one pedal stroke at a time).  At first the trip seemed daunting.  I approached it one day at a time.  Then the mountains got bigger and I had to take it one mountain at a time.  Then the mountains got really challenging so I took it 500 feet of elevation at a time.  And when that was too challenging I broke it down into smaller segments.  It worked.  I kept moving forward, and one pedal stroke at a time the journey continued.

I learned to appreciate the kindness of strangers.  I lost track of the number of times someone saw me staring at my map in bewilderment, and went out of his or her way to ask if they could help me.  Strangers warned me of oncoming bad weather and they pointed me toward shelter.  And throughout the trip I was greeted with friendly faces and engaging conversation.  Many people along the way had a genuine interest in my journey.

I learned to embrace the camaraderie of other bikers traveling the same path.  We shared stories – concerns and warnings of difficulties ahead and enthusiastic descriptions of great experiences yet to come.  We all had our own stories, and they were always interesting.  I was surprised by the high ratio of bikers I met from other countries.  I learned to not take the immense, beautiful, and diverse landscape of the U.S. for granted.  Think of the logistics involved in getting your bike and gear across the ocean, and the difficulty of navigating with English as a second language.  Yet they were so excited to bike across our country – to experience this great land.  Many had been dreaming about, and anticipating, this trip for years.

I also feel compelled to mention a dark side, as it may have been my most important learning.  I learned there is a lot more ignorance and bigotry in this country than I realized.  I saw many confederate flags flying along my route, and yesterday I witnessed a Ku Klux Klan rally.  I did not realize the KKK even existed anymore, much less be so emboldened and so public as to hold a rally.  The lies and hatred they spewed was appalling.  Fortunately, those who came to protest against the KKK far outnumbered the KKK.  But even so, even for one individual to act like that (much less a large group) is disheartening to say the least.

On the positive side, I can’t begin to tell you the number of churches I saw along the way.  There were usually multiple churches in the small little towns I passed through.  And I often biked by a country church, if not several country churches, over the course of the day.  Despite what I have been led to believe, the spiritual health of America appears to be doing just fine.  Hopefully the leaders of these churches are teaching tolerance, acceptance, and love.  I know my number one prayer (stemming from this journey) will consistently be to beat down the ignorance and bigotry I witnessed on this journey.

This journey reinforced for me that there really is no place like home.  And I’m not just saying that because I rode through Kansas and its multiple references to The Wizard of Oz.  I felt the pull of home often on this ten-week trip.  Maybe it was because of the solitude and reflection that naturally comes with a journey like this.

And I learned the importance of friends and family.  Again, I already knew that, but it is always good to be reminded.

There are so many people to thank for this journey.  Thanks to Brian – this was his idea and it was his initiative that made it happen.  Thanks to Brian’s brother, Bruce – my support for the first 3,000 miles.  Bruce made this easy.  By the time we finished each day, Bruce already had the camper set up at our new spot.  There is a lot of work in making that happen.  And Bruce did so many other things.  Every morning he was there to assure we prepped our bikes properly, remind us to be safe, and send us off.  He took a picture of us every morning and sent it to Jill and Pat to let them know we were on our way, and he texted them at the end of the day to let them know we had finished safely.  In between he did so many little things, allowing Brian and me to just focus on the bike ride.  And finally, thanks to Bruce and Brian for the camaraderie along the way.

There are many people back home who managed things big and small.  Thanks to Jill for getting my Mom to appointments and for holding down the homeplace while I was gone.  Of course, a number of things broke in my absence (irrigation system – twice, well, etc…), so Jill had to deal with more than she bargained for. Thanks to Jerry & Joann, and Bruce & Sue, my sisters and Kari for helping out.  It provided me peace of mind knowing others were there for Mom.

Speaking of my Mom, thanks to her.  She is 98, living on her own, doing great, and plays a competitive game of cards or Scrabble.  She wasn’t excited about me going on this trip.  She was worried about my safety and it was a long time to be absent.  Yet, despite her concerns she encouraged me to go and was excited for me to do something she knew I would enjoy.  It doesn’t matter how old I get, it’s nice to have Mom’s blessing.

Thanks to those who wished me well.  I know there were a lot of people thinking of me and praying for me on this journey.  Given how perfect it all worked out, someone was obviously watching over me all along the way.

Thank you to everyone who read this blog.  I enjoyed writing the blog, but it was heartwarming knowing others enjoyed reading it.  And now that it is done, I am glad I have this “journal” to help me remember the memories.  A special thank you to all who sent me comments, whether by commenting on the blog, through texts or emails, or commenting to Jill who was diligent about passing those comments along to me.  I greatly appreciated hearing from all of you.  John N. and Julie W. – thank you to the two of you for your frequent messaging on the blog.

And a special thank you to Jill for being there the last 1,000 miles of the journey.  Jill provided awesome support – she made sure we had a place to sleep every night.  She was always close by while I was riding, assuring I never ran out of fuel (food and water) and never got caught in bad weather.  She also became my “co-navigator” assuring I stayed on the path when the maps and signs failed me.  But most importantly, she was there to witness and share this great journey.  The only thing that can top a perfect journey is sharing it with someone you love.

And also thanks to Jill for coordinating the surprise ending; getting Jay, Lacey, Jon, and Taylor there to witness the end of the journey.  I know I blogged about it the other day but I want to repeat it: having my whole family there to share this experience means everything in the world to me.  Thanks to Jill; and thanks to Jay, Lacey, Jon, and Taylor for being there and being so excited for me.

Sorry this last post got long.  One has a lot of time to reflect given the solitude that comes with biking the U.S.  Just one of the other aspects I loved about the journey.

This will be my last post of the journey.  Although this may be the end of this particular journey, I am excited to move on to a new one.  I really don’t know if life is the accumulation of many journeys or just one long continuous journey.  It doesn’t matter.  What I do know is you get out of the journey what you put into it, and in all the journeys I have embarked upon, I have never been disappointed.  And remember; it isn’t about the end, it’s about the journey.

One last learning - a truth I knew before this journey started, but I understand with even greater clarity and belief now.  I am truly…. Blessed Beyond Measure!

One of the many churches I saw daily

Picture taken July 1, 2017 near Wytheville, VA

Every Step of the Journey is the Journey

Picture taken May 25, 2017 near Moran, WY

There’s no place like home

Picture of our backyard taken October 5, 2016 from our deck at home

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Must Begin With a Single Step

Picture taken July 7, 2107 at Yorktown, VA