Solo tour

[mzone]

I can't believe it's over! I have greatly enjoyed reading about your trip, and have started thinking about doing my own someday.

[MomOnBike]

(Blushing)

Thanks, guys. It was quite some trip.

By the end, Bennet's poor little face got pretty darned dirty, and her smile was a little strained, but we made it.

Just a few random thoughts on my tour, and touring generally:

1) Yes, it is a long trip, but you don't do it all at once. You just get on your bike and pedal. Then tomorrow you do the same thing. Easy, really.

2) No matter where you go there are hills and headwinds. You don't have to love them, you just have to deal with them. I will probably never learn to love hills, but I got over some pretty challenging grades.

3) On a similar note, after I got home, I realized that I had chosen just about the hilliest route possible for that trip. No wonder I was getting tired of climbing toward the end.

4) I never thought of this as a particularly brave thing to do. OK, sometimes the traffic was more than was comfortable, but my mother's fears of strangers doing unspeakable things were wildly overwrought. I was constantly amazed at how nice strangers were to this tired, crabby, smelly person who just rode up on a weird bike. Those strangers made the tour the amazing journey that it was.

5) Keeping a journal is hard work. I joked after my last tour that writing up the trip is as hard as the trip itself. It wasn't really a joke, it is the absolute truth. Still, journaling is worth doing. I worked hard for those memories. I certainly don't want to forget them.

6) The same goes for pictures. I didn't take enough. It's not possible to take enough.

7) I had a lot of people say that they could never do that. OK, don't. This was my dream. I'm not forcing it on you, but if you do want to do it, just, you know, do it. It really isn't that hard. If your dream takes you somewhere else, I think you should do that.

8) And finally (until I think of something else, of course), I really couldn't have done this without my poor put-upon husband's help. He was my home support crew, sending supplies, coordinating rental vans, and finally riding the last three days with me. Yeah, I may have seemed alone, but I had a lot of help. That help, BTW, includes all my online buddies - you guys, in other words. Sometimes I could feel your good wishes helping me up the sides of mountains. (I wouldn't have minded if you had pushed a little harder, though.)


I'm working on adding pictures on Crazy Guy. It will take me a while, but I do think I got some good ones. It takes a while to sort through them. Be patient.

[bmccasland]

MoB - glad you had a fun ride. Sorry about not pulling you all those hills.

[goldfinch]

I just read the entire journal and enjoyed it and the pictures. It makes me think that I could do something similar. Congratulations on the great trip.

[smittykitty]

I totally enjoyed reading about your ride. I found myself thinking about you while out riding.

Thanks for sharing.