My ears are ringing, pulsating actually, to the beat of high-decibel music and the cacophony of a sports bar, full of people trying to speak over it. My eyes are burning from the lights of twelve, big screen televisions playing nonstop videos, sporting events and celebrity interviews simultaneously. Too much-it has made me feel like a deer in the headlights and I have retreated to my hotel room.
Despite all the struggles with wind and cold and fatigue that I have experienced over the past week, and as much as I am looking forward to seeing my family, I am sad it is over. Am I crazy?
I had to finish my trip today, because there was no safe way for me to get to Phoenix, by bike in time for my flight home. The short cut from Globe to Phoenix is too dangerous-even by my estimation.
This morning, as I sat in the sun at the Besh Ba Gowah ruins, eating a bag of Bugles and drinking yesterdays Gatorade, I tried to really pay attention to what it is I love about bike touring, before I went home and got distracted.
The truth is-all this makes me feel alert, alert and fully alive. The working hard physically, the chasing of beauty, the close to the earth living-it all makes sense to me. I like being dirty. I like being exhausted, I like wondering what is next, and next and next. People have told me that I am naive and fool hardy to take such chances, but to me, that is living. I am not a thrill seeker-really, It is more that I am just curious.
I believe in the goodness of people. Meeting them when you have nothing, but a bike and your open mind breaks down many preconceptions and barriers. Yes, there are some unsavory types out there, but they are so few compared to the good. In all my touring, I have never had anyone try to cause me harm.
It is through interacting one on one with people, away from my normal life, that I blow up every stereo type that I didn’t even know I had.
The dangerous reservation? I passed a school there where everyone was on their way to lunch laughing. and pushing and shoving each other. It was there that I was scared that I wouldn’t make it out of the reservation by nightfall, yet their giggles and laughter sounded like birds.
In the poor reservation town of Bylas, where I ate my lunch standing up, astride my bike because of the same fear, every home along the main road had paper cups stuck in their chain link fences in the shape of their child’s name as a sign of support.
El Paso? Border town full of baddies? The first person I met on the corner spent 10 minutes telling me about what kind of bike he had and how he wanted to go on a tour. The second gave me a sports drink.
I also think people really enjoy helping. I am not using their goodwill, or taking advantage of it. I am letting it show-at least it seems that way. Just one person helping another-it does both parties good. Bike touring can really restore your faith in humanity.
And that wonderful feeling of knowing that you have everything you need is incredible. It all fits in a few panniers- food, a tent, a sleeping bag, pad, clothing and tools. If I had gotten stuck anywhere, I would have been fine. There is incredible freedom in that, It is just hard to remember sometimes, but then you get to remember again and again-I have everything I need, I can do this.
And the things you see. Every mountain range is different, every turn in the road, every sky, every ecosystem. As I pedal along I devour it all, like I have been starving and my eyes gulp it all in.
So this morning I held a rock in my hands that had been placed in a wall probably 800 years ago, and I took the time to pay attention and look across the wide open desert. Now my ears ring and I am in a high rise hotel in Phoenix and it his hard to make sense of it all. I just know I love my life of adventure and this won’t be the end.
If you enjoyed reading this blog-there is more. I have a book coming out on May 23rd, 2022, called Changing Gears, published by Familius Press. It is a story about biking across the United States from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia, with my teenage son and how it changed our lives-mostly for the better.
Yay. And special yay about the book. Love your writing
Glad you’re safe, Leah. Wise decision. I hope you get some time to tour later on a less demanding schedule. And with more favorable winds.
Coming off the Colorado plateau, traveling the two lane, from Globe to Phoenix can be dangerous in a car!
Reading your travels, restores my faith in humanity; your writings can cause a contagion. Thank you. Welcome home.
So resonate with the emotions. I hope you have an opportunity to solo ride free of destination or date sometime soon.
Love how you express yourself ❣️
Hi. Well done. Sounds as though it has been tough, but you have kept at it. I will beginning an East to West Southern Tier ride in early April, the earliest that I can start, but hopefully it will get me to the deserts where you are currently before it gets prohibitively hot. I have noted that you have had to battle headwinds, coming presumably for the west / northwest, and I’m hoping that maybe they will subside or shift to coming from the east / southeast. But, winds have a life of their own, and they will do what they want on any given day, I guess. It’s just one of the things we bikers have to deal with. Again, well done !
Were you using Adventure Cycling maps? It has a safe route to get between those destinations. I thought you were biking across the rest of the country? I didn’t know it was just a week’s trip… Good you had a good trip/experience!
You did it!! How brave and liberating! I did a solo bike tour across Europe when I was younger and discovered much of the same sorts of joy, though I did run into some men who whipped out their peckers and waved them at me, I got my bike stolen and miraculously got it back (2 weeks later!). It is amazing to me that you have the gumption to do the trip that you just did what you did at this stage of your life, in such a remote area. So glad you did so well and looking forwards to reading your book!
Enjoyed reading abut your latest adventures and will be glad to see you safely back at home! Congratulations on the book coming out!
Well, darn it, I’m so sorry you’ve decided to end your journey. I was enjoying every minute of it … reading your posts … picturing where you were … looking forward to the next episode. But fully understand there are indeed other commitments, etc. So thank you for what you were able to commit to and for your posts that covered your journey.
the time seemed to fly by so quickly! 🙂
it went so well – safe travels home!
Awesome!
Congratulations! Very much looking forward to reading your book when it comes out. Love you writing.
I like your positive attitude, but just like other riskier sports it’s good to have a partner to help in case of injury or breakdowns.
Congrats on your book!
I always enjoy tead8ng about your adventures….you tell a wonderful story. Will be waiting to read about your next adventure!!
The challenge for me is always to keep the feelings and awareness and insights I have on adventures in my day to day life. Look forward to seeing you on May.
Congratulations on finishing your trip and thank you for the wonderful posts.
Fear came calling and your courage and the better angels chased it away…Here is something a former Peaks Islander passed on to me just a few hours ago. I gift it to you in honor of your great ride…https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/opinion/travel-covid.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR2of4UjIOI-9ZNV9yGK_fYrxpVhckEiSxoudxhM63CEdcnKy2oG5x2VWx0
You have such a gift! You ARE such a gift! Can’t wait to get my hands on your book.
Congratulations on finishing your bike tour. You are such an amazing person. Thanks for sharing all of your adventures with us. Can’t wait to read your book. Welcome home
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog on this trip. You have described so many of the emotions I have felt on so many of my excursions. Especially, interesting to me is the extremes of emotions felt on most of bike trips. One moment you are on top of the world, thoroughly enjoying every moment, only to have fallen into deep despair when plans start to crumble. The kindness of strangers, and beauty of nature always restore my hope. I can’t explain it well, but often feel that a good bike trip is a lot like life, but condensed into a shorter period. The hard work, the highs and then lows of a trek often mirror that of life but all compressed and make you feel alive like you haven’t felt in a while. Thank you for sharing your adventure.
Looking forward to seeing/reading your upcoming book. Meanwhile, I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts … keep ’em coming. Thx.
A very quick note to say thank you for sharing all of the thoughts, problems and beautiful people and things which you encounter in your bike travels. I have thoroughly enjoyed your emails and photos throughout all of your bike experiences from the beginning of your trip with Oakley. Oh, to be as adventurous as you! I have enjoyed them all through you. Thanks.