Doing It Again

March 31, 2008

Well, it is time to let the cat out of the bag. In December I made a down payment for another cross country bicycle trip. And in February I
committed to the adventure by making the final payment. So again this year April and May will find me on the road. I hope to see USA with my new Roark custom titanium bicycle. A Chevrolet might be more nostalgic but it would be a different experience.

I have a few concerns about this trip. Overall the trip last year was a great experience and trying to reproduce that experience may be like catching time in a bottle; we shall see. There also were some hard times on the ride last year, how could there not be, and of late I have been recalling more of them than I might like. It is funny how the mind starts down a path and them seems to only find things that reinforce the path. I simply have to start redirecting my thoughts.

I have also had some real health issues. Nothing serious, but a series of flu like colds – one in November, a five week bout in January, and now a two week one from which I am just recovering. Needless to say my mileage is down – I only have 1300 miles so far this year. I should get to 2000 by the start but a long way from the 3500 I had hoped to have ridden by the start on April 20th.

I am riding with America By Bicycle again this year. At least three of the four leaders from last year’s trip, Mike, Barb, and Karen, will be back.
They are great and a major reason why I choose to do another ride this
year. This year we will ride from Los Angeles to Savannah, Georgia. The route will go through Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama, the only three states in the Union that I have never been to. No offense to anyone with a strong attraction for any of this states, but I believe that I could live a contented life without ever visiting this area of the country. However, it will be nice to have been to all 50 states.

Ultimately I need to ask, why am I doing this? The simple answer is that I can. Admitting that I can’t would be concession to age that I am not yet willing to make. For me this is not a life-changing experience, it is a life-affirming experience. I want to know that I still have it; well, maybe not like I had it 20 years ago. Most assuredly will not be able to keep up with everyone on the trip, but by the end of the day I will have gotten to the same place as everyone else on the ride.

“Do not go gentle into that good night.” Dylan Thomas