The trail I blazed across the country, thanks to the geotagging capabilities of my iPhone.
I have to still update my blog from the rest of Montana, Idaho, and Oregon so please stay posted!
Nostalgia
My bike trip is over. It took 4857 miles, 70 days, 14 states, 5 flats, a new wheel, multitudes of saddle sores, jars upon jars of peanut butter, massive massive climbs but a total drop in elevation of 12 feet, and and endless miles of picturesque landscapes and small towns, but I have somehow managed to ride my bicycle coast-to-coast across the North American continent. I cannot believe I did it. I look back to Day 2 of the trip and remember how close I was to giving up and hopping on a bus home, and that just seems like another age to me. I actually did it.. Wow. The one thing I will miss is being the dictator of my days. When on the trip, I did not have to be anywhere on anyone. I was never told what to do. As William Ernest Henley puts it, I was quite literally “the master of my fate”. Kate from Cycling Silk said it best- “You are challenged and pushed only as hard as you are willing to challenge and push yourself. Your failures hurt all the more because they are yours alone, but you savor your successes so much more because they, too, belong absolutely to you.” You are creating and passing your own self-made tests every day and there’s such resonant and enduring satisfaction in that. Each day, there is some challenge or another lying in wait and it is up to you to overcome it, and it makes your favourite frothy libation at the end of the day that much more worth it. Sure, making the grade on that biochemistry final felt fleetingly good at the time, but climbing the grade up and over the Continental Divide felt amazing then, feels amazing now, and will continue to feel amazing forever. So until I hit the road again, I’ll be pedaling in my dreams, reliving the agonies and ecstasies of this crazy cross-country cycling adventure. Be forewarned, I will definitely hit the road again, and this time I harbor hopes to go unsupported. I am now officially an adventure cyclist; I live to ride, I ride to live.
It took me 70 days to get to the West Coast but only 6 hours to fly back to Washington DC. Perhaps one should not be surprised that I much prefer the slower mode of transportation.
I got my fill of Indian food as soon as I hit Portland at the Bombay Chaat House! An authentic grease truck that served up a delicious 5-course meal for only 5 quid. Mmm
On my last day of riding, as I cycle into Portland, I want to ride for 4K team Portland. Without my fellow riders, I definitely could not have made it this far. I also want to dedicate my ride to Ryan Hanley’s father. Ryan Hanley started the 4K in 2001 in honour of his father and I really want to share my pride of being associated with this wonderful organisation.
My shorts are signed by all my fellow riders for the ride into Portland today! Godspeed team Portland.
About me
I have enlisted in the fight against cancer. This summer, I will be raising $5000 and biking 4000 miles across America to unite and inspire cancer communities all over the country. Follow my journey here.Cycle. Inspire. Unite.
