USA Trip Thoughts
In some ways, I find it a bit hard to believe that I actually biked all the way across the country. From Santa Barbara to Myrtle Beach was just over 3400 miles. If I include my rest day rides and the initial rides in Santa Barbara, I rode 3570 miles in 220 hours at an average speed of 16.2 mph. (I am a numbers guy, so I record these things.) Since my average cadence is just about 80 rpm, that means I likely pedaled slightly over 1 million strokes. It is still hard to fathom when I try and think of the trip in its entirety.
Looking back on this blog allows me to look at the trip on a day by day basis which I find much easier to grasp. Some days, like the 140 mile ride over the mountains in the rain to Taos, are very clear in my mind even without looking back at the blog. But so many others are already blending together. Looking at my blog helps bring the memories back and separate the different days.
In my blog, I generally did not write about or include many photographs of my fellow riders. I did this primarily because I wanted to respect their privacy and let them share and narrate their trip with the people and in the manner they wanted. Secondarily, I doubted my ability to write in an engaging way about my fellow travelers, since math not writing has always been my strong suit.
That being said, my constant companions for 41 days were a very important part of the trip. I am grateful to have met them and shared this adventure with them. In particular, I am incredibly impressed by their journeys. Some riders were very fit and strong. Others were perhaps more impressive to me because how far they were able to push themselves despite not being in the shape they once were or not having had the chance to train for many thousands of miles before the trip. Many riders were doing the cross country trip for a second time having ridden across the country on a northern route. Some were making the trip for deeply personal reasons. Each of us had our own story, and those stories wove themselves into the fabric of our trip, making the trip richer for all of us.
For me personally, this trip was a chance to marvel at the beauty and vastness of this country. At the beginning of the trip, when we were asked to introduce ourselves to the group, we were asked what we were looking forward to on the trip. I answered that I was looking forward to the pictures. Those who know me well know that I cannot visualize images in my mind. The pictures I take become keys to unlocking memories that otherwise disappear into hidden memory vaults. The hundreds of photos in this blog and the couple thousand other photos I have will help me remember this trip, the landscape, the people, and all the beauty I saw along the way.
This trip was a fabulous adventure for me. I am also glad to be done. Thanks everyone for the messages of support throughout this trip. I really appreciated them. I hope that you all have enjoyed seeing a small slice of this wonderful country from the view of my bike.