One of our hosts threw out this comment and it has been echoing in my mind ever since. I do! This is what I talk about when I talk about seeing magic whether it is there or not, searching for mysteries, saying yes! One of the larger intents for this trip was to create opportunities for adventure to enter. I wanted to set myself up for the archetypal Hero's Journey. I have left the familiar, met wise old men and women, faced dragons of weather and toxic plants, been brought so low all I could do was sit and bear the pain. I have been helped by a stranger who had no name, both rejected and accepted temptation, and I have reached the far shore. And then there is the reluctance to return, leading to my epilogue with Chelsea. Beyond that, all that remains is the actual return, and hopefully finding myself able to find balance- in my case, between the nomadic and settled life.
A friend asked me if I felt any different. A trip like this, with a bike like mine, almost guarantees an increase in technical skills. A trip like this, in a country like mine, seems to universally surprise and impress the travelers with the hospitality and kindness of strangers. I feel different in those ways, but I do not feel like I am a changed man. I feel as if I have filled a need within myself, and I'm ready to look for new adventures.
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| Me and Grandpa |
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| Alexander and Mike "The Bike" Johnson |
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Highlights:
- Well, reaching the coast, obviously
- Staying with Tonia and Hal, coming back from the coast. They made us amazing dinner and breakfast, were great conversationalists, had an amazing home, and were good people. They also gave us a bunch of canned food which we happily accepted despite the weight of glass.
- Going blues dancing again, back in Eugene
- Talking with Adrian, my host in Eugene, about everything from the sacred commitment that is owning a house, to how he spends $75 a month on food (that's what I spend in five days!). He said the quote above, and sometimes refers to his own life as "my story."
- Chelsea arrives in Eugene today, and we're going contra dancing! My first time since New Hampshire!
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Trip Statistics!
5281 miles
111 days
July 2nd to October 19th
Hampton Beach, NH to Harbor Vista County Park, OR
47.6 average miles per day (with zero days)
62.1 average miles per day (without zero days)
26 zero days
Cost per diem- $22.90
Food cost per day- $16.30
Total bike costs- $735
Lodging costs- $25
(Includes campsites, hotels, motels, B&Bs, rustic cabins, and tent spots)
Met 2 other E->W cyclists
Hitchhiked once
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| This is a wonderful print done by our last host, Tonia Blum. |
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| We were joined for the last 70 miles by India (aka Dr. Jones), Alexander's partner |
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| I went way out onto the pier. This is right before the waves got terrifying, three times as high, and I made a mad scramble for shore |
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| A cool palm tree and a gigantic crab shell |
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| Photoshoot at the beach! |
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| Super cool snail. |
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| The Pacific waves just kissing my front tire, 111 days after the Atlantic lapped my rear tire. |
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