2013-10-01 Why Do This?

In the movie Rango, an ego centric Chameleon breaks down in the prairie and finds himself in the small western town of Dirt. His over active imagination and stories of fighting bad guys convince the citizens to make him sheriff. He has early success but soon realizes that he is in over his head. As he attempts to leave the town and his troubles behind, he learns that being the town's sheriff has become his story and NO ONE CAN EVER LEAVE THEIR OWN STORY.

This ride across America has become my story. I have to complete my story.

Cycling has been a passion for me for 18 years. I've had some years where I rode often and some years where I rode just a bit but through the years I always rode. The idea of riding across the country has occurred to me before. Yet, those thoughts always were pushed aside by the time demands of my first career in technology and by my commitments as a father and husband. However, life phases come and go. I am now 8 years into a new career as a school teacher with the advantage of summers off. The kids actually did grow up and move out. Now, it is time to do something crazy; not just a little crazy but a whole lot crazy. At 53 years old, it is time to ride a bike across America.

There are a variety of reasons to do this ride but perhaps they are summed up by merely saying I would be very disappointed in myself if some day I look back and know that I failed to even try. Experiencing small town America, talking with local folks, seeing the mountains and the prairie out over the handle bars, and feeling the rise and fall of the land in my legs all sound like a great way to spend a couple of summers. As a child growing up, every year we drove as a family from the mid-west to Idaho to spend summers with my grandparents. These were memorable trips. Now, I want to see some of the same landscapes but at a much slower and more intimate pace. Let the adventure begin. I hope you decide to come along through this Blog.

-Doug