August 18, 2014
The End: It's Not over Until..............and she is singing!
It has been two years since we started thinking about this trip and now it has come and gone. We had such a wonderful time....even though it was hard, easy, scary, exciting, beautiful, boring and just down right perfect most of the time. Everything an adventure should be.
Now that we are finished I can confess that in the beginning we were not sure we could do it. We even contemplated quitting the first week. However, we turned our thoughts around by not looking at the whole trip and just concentrated on what we had to do that day. That was the turning point. We were able to feel accomplishment rather than defeat. We were not getting the daily mileage we anticipated but we were making steady progress. Each day we moved a little more towards our goal and before we knew it we were heading into Junction City.
We loved the beautiful vistas and the feeling of being a part of the environment. I had no idea that Oregon was as beautiful as it was and then it only got better in Montana, parts of Wyoming and Colorado. Kansas was also a surprise for Jack. He didn't anticipate enjoying riding there at all. The Flint Hills are beautiful.
We worked well as a team. I am a better pacer and Jack learned to let me take the lead. I might not get us there the fastest but I will get us there. He also learned to really monitor his fluid and rest stops so that he had something left at the end of the day. He also kept me from taking on to much. There were several times I would have gone further or into a storm and his better judgement held me in line. It was a balance that needed to be followed.
We were together 24/7 for 59 days and it was ok! There were days that we hardly spoke and we noticed that we didn't "touch" as much as we do at home. I have decided that was our way of having space while being so close. Because we ride our own bikes and not a tandem that also gives us space to be with just ourself. We both need our individual space and we were able to find it.
The one thing we didn't anticipate was the amount of mental fatigue. Your brain is on all day. Where to go, how to get there, watch the shoulder, watch the white line, look for traffic, traffic noise, wind noise, watch your speed going down hill, watch that curve, look at the sky, watch OUT! The days we were out really early were wonderful because they were so quiet. No wind, no traffic just you and the road and maybe a cow or two.
We met really interesting and great people along the way. It was great to see small town America alive and in most cases doing well. It was great to see our Hwy system in such good shape.....not necessarily the shoulders but the roads were mostly in good condition and highly used! We had a lot more traffic than I anticipated we would.
We made our goal by making it to my reunion with six hours to spare. It was great to see some of my friends that have never been back. I found most people very supportive and interested but some couldn't relate to our having ridden a bicycle 2,300 mi to get there..... They just couldn't wrap their heads around it so there wasn't much conversation about it. Then the facilitators just wanted to talk about football games that took place 50 yrs ago for hours on end. It was a total "Glory Days" evening. I thought Bruce was going to start playing at any moment!!. I have Decided that.....that too is ok (no formal acknowledgement of our trip-aside from one friend Steve (thanks Steve) who finally said " do you know that Janet rode her bike here?) but by then the event was over. It's all good.....I will have my own "Glory Days" someday!! I found that this really was for us and we know what we did.
At the end of our Seattle to Monterey tour I just wanted to get back on the road. I have not had that same yearning yet. We do want to tour again but not sure when or where. We still want to do Joshua Tree so that might be next spring. Who knows? Right now I have hundreds of photos to work on and they are calling to me.
We are stronger....on our local rides this week I could really feel the strength I have. Hope to maintain it. It is also amazing how quickly you can be right back in your old routine. In some ways it's like we never left.
I am so glad I did this journal as it would be hard for me to remember all this detail. There are stories I forgot to include.....I will admit that it wasn't always easy to get it done each day but it was a way for me to process and wind down each day. The two that I really want to mention are these. There was an Idaho Power employee who noticed I left one of my gloves at the rest room. She drove 20 miles to find me and give it to me. That was so nice. Then towards the end at Ness City, Ks there were these two little girls sitting out in the 100+ degree high noon heat selling lemonade. How could you not stop and buy some and give them a big tip!
We will always remember this trip and the feeling of accomplishment we have now. I love this feeling of being strong and confident that you have after an adventure.
Thanks to all of you for following along. It really helped me journal knowing you were out there. I have gone back and tried to correct most of the mistakes/typos. I am sure there are still some but this is a personal journal and hope you don't expect a well edited copy. Until next time.......Happy Trails!
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