Friday, July 12, 2013

The end of one adventure, is simply the beginning of the next.

Finishing.
Typed 6/27/13

So the destination of an epic adventure had been reached. Now what? Well, while it has been a wonderful trip, I was ready to go home. I knew there was nothing available for public transit that far out, so I began the ride back. I stopped at a convenience store in Clallam Bay, where I saw/ met (extremely briefly) Gabe Rygarrd from Rygaard Logging from History Channels show, Ax Men. It's kinda funny when you are star struck by a logger.

I got on a bus in Clallam Bay and after a few connections, I discovered I was one bus rotation late to get all the way to the ferry that night. I was dropped off at Discovery Bay, about 30 miles from where I would take the ferry from Kingston back to Edmonds. It was POURING rain, and getting dark quick. It was a 60mph speed zone, but I had a decent shoulder so I felt semi-safe. For the first time ever in my life, I decided to stick out my thumb ad see if I could hitch a ride. It took a few miles, but eventually a white pick-up pulled to the shoulder. One of the nicest guys I've met along my trip, Vaughn, and his newly aquired pup George, picked me up, wet as a fish, and went out of his way to bring me all the way to the ferry. If you ever read this Vaughn, thanks a million, again! When we pulled up the ferry dock the 820PM ferry was pulling away from the dock, but it was OK, another would run at 940, and I made it here safely, and could get a decent meal now. By the time I was off the ferry in Edmonds, it was dark, and my GPS batteries were dead. I thought I knew the way back to the motel I stayed in a few nights before, but in typical fashion, I can't navigate a city at night worth a damn, and I got lost. I got some new batteries and made it to the motel just a bit before midnight. The next morning I made my train reservation, repacked and minimized a few things. I snapped my bike tool trying to get my pedals off, so I went to a mechanics shop to borrow a real 8mm Allen key, and
broke them loose. Normally getting a bike into a box is a bit of a chore. The Amtrak boxes are HUGE. I probably didn't even need to lower my seat. I took the stem off, but probably could've just rotated it. Once pedals are off and bars are tweaked the bike literally rolls right into the box. I slid my front panniers in the bottom of the box, and took my rear bags as carry on. Now I'm sitting on the train. A bit over a day down, just under 2 days to go. I am stiff as a brick and bored as a board.

I'm honestly not sure what I was was expecting finishing to be like. I honestly can't explain what it was like. The emotions were kind of numb compared to what I expected.  If numb doesn't explain them, mixed definitely should. The night after finishing the ride, and before the hike, I fell asleep laughing my ass off, with tears pouring out of my eyes. Nothing was funny, and I wasn't sad in the least. Hiking to Cape Alava was less epic than being able to ride my bike all the way, but the trail was A) Completely unrideable with my rig, and B) Wilderness, therefore illegal to ride.

A lifetime goal, over a year in planning, saving money, dreaming, and 45 days worth of full on physical, mental, emotional, and (anti)social commitment, boiled down to standing on a seaweed covered rock off Tskawahyah Island. The sense of accomplishment was huge. All I could think was, "That's it? What now?"

Everyone has different priorities in life, and many times, those priorities change with time. I have had an immense amount of time to think of what my priorities are on this trip. I think the separation from home, friends, and family, has once again proven to shine a light on just how amazing my life in the Northeast really is. I have the most supportive parents I could imagine, who have my back through anything, and are pretty damn cool for a bunch of geezers. I have an amazing big brother who has a completely different focus in life when you look as each of us on the surface, yet when you look a bit deeper, we are on parallel paths through life. We respect each other for who we each are, and put aside the surface details, and there is no one else who I can relate to, understand, or confide in better in the world.  I have many friends from all walks of life, many of who would do anything for me, as I would for them. You should know who you are, and thank you to all of you. My VT "family" and the whole KSP staff mean a lot to me as well.

I have never been one to conform to standards. The standard life option is get the highest paying job you can achieve after a given amount of schooling, have a family, and retire once your old and decrepit and finally have time to enjoy what you've worked for your entire life. All the while talking about things "you wish you could do" or things you "should've done while you were younger," etc. I've heard it a million times, "I want to take a trip like that, but I can't because of....." This is where I feel I have gained clarity on my life focus on this trip. Some people have a bucket list, I prefer to say I have a life list. A bucket list being things you'd like to do before you die. I have a list of things I would like to do while I am still living life to the fullest. This list is dynamic. If my hopes and dreams change, I have no hard feelings to take something off of my list, and there is always room for something new to be added on. If I can support myself well enough financially to keep working on my list, I am in a good place in life. I don't ALWAYS need to be doing something from the list, trips such as the one I am on require many months+ to plan, save, and complete.

To all the people in the world continuing to come up with excuses why "you cant this or cant that..." STOP. Life is a series of decisions with various outcomes and consequences. If you work hard, stay focused, and always keep the goal in mind, almost anything is achievable. You've got to want it bad enough to be willing to deal with the consequences. Nothing worth having comes easy or without consequence. Don't wait. The adage, "Good things come to those who wait," I don't believe it, not for a minute. I could've waited my whole life, and riding across the country would never have gotten any easier (with the exception of a bit more training before hand, but that would still be work towards the goal, not waiting.) The journey may in fact be more important than the destination, but never loose sight of the destination. Without a destination, a journey is simply aimless wandering, which can be fun, but has little chance of successful payoff. I may seem as if I am coming off harsh, but as a motivational intended section of this write-up, this is how I motivate myself. Anyone who knows me well, knows I am a perfectionist, and am extremely self critical. Good enough is almost never good enough. I hold myself to a high standard of completion and success, and almost never back down. The payoff of success has proven time and time again to be worth the hard work, and occasional sacrifice.

This trip has been no different. All the painful days of riding long distances through blazing heat or more frequently bitter cold or pouring rain, have been totally worth the final sense accomplishment. More people than you would expect ride bike across the country, but the percentage in the scheme of things is still very small. I am very proud of my accomplishment, and riding solo, unsupported adds to the "win," for me. This trip was not a race, it was not a charity, and had generally no greater meaning. The most frequent question I got along my journey was, "Why are you doing this?" After completion, still the best answer I can come up with is "Why not?!?"

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