After thoughts
Monday April 19, 2010
I'm sitting on a train, barely a week after finishing my cross-country bike ride. Since arriving in San Diego, I've spent more time in a car than on my bike; I've spent more time in one city than I have since leaving NJ; and by the time I get to Penn Station, I'll have spent more time on a train than I have in all my life. Strange how quickly things change.
Upon reaching the Pacific, we were greeted by a friend that Ryan knew from the Appalachian Trail. We piled our bikes and gear in his car(yes, car, no bike rack) and spent the night with him and his folks. In the morning, we rented a jeep and drove up to Berkeley, CA. We spent 4 nights in the area, only riding about 30 miles. During that time, I met some really awesome people, saw some cool stuff, and went skydiving (Amazing).
I can say with confidence that this was one of the most eye-opening, life-changing experiences of my life. Seeing the country from a bicycle saddle was amazing. It really puts things into perspective. Being able to carry everything you need for 2+ months in 4 relatively small bags makes you realize how little you need to survive, and even 4 bags was superfluous.
I can't say that I was ready for the ride to end, or to leave California, or to come back to NJ, but there are a few things that I need to take care of in the pretty immediate future. Most importantly, I need to make a decision about grad school and let the schools know my plans. I also need to get a tooth looked at that's been hurting on and off since El Paso (a filling fell out). And I need to replace my glasses, which broke in Alabama, the first night of riding with the group. I feel like this may be more of an ellipses in the middle of my adventure rather than a period. It may not be another bike tour, and it may not be for as long, but I'm not ready to stop traveling and seeing the country. I've definitely come to love the adventure/travel lifestyle and this 3,300 mile bike ride was just the beginning. (EDIT: After 4 days on a train, and a full week since finishing the trip, all I can think about is getting back on the bike. I spent months prior to leaving reading journals, doing research, getting ready and constantly thinking about this trip. Not once did it disappoint, and not once did I wish I could be doing something else. Sure, it was hard at times, but that's expected when you spend everyday living on your bike for 2 months with complete strangers. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be doing another tour in the future.)
For everyone whose been following along, Thank you, I hope you enjoyed the ride. For all that have written in the guestbook, I greatly appreciate it; I always enjoyed getting that e-mail notification of someone writing in it. And for all those who want to see what I'm up to in the future, I'll be posting to a blog, every now and then, which has so far pretty much been a carbon copy of this journal. You can find it at www.bryansbiketour2010.blogspot.com.
