A lot of thoughts to write about today. The numbers are 55 miles, 5:22 on bike, riding from 7:30 to 2pm. I had a lazing morning leaving town since I was out of camp an hour earlier thanks to sleeping in the dugout. Tents *really* slow me down for some reason. They can easily add an hour to my morning.
The ride was a mix of gravel and gravely pavement (they are doing something to the road), had a steep crossing of the divide (my 14th I think), and eventually left the barren part of Wyoming to climb into the Sierra Madres (not the mexican ones) and into a forest that seems to be mostly quaking aspen. Trees! I missed trees!
I met a lot of fellow travelers today. About 5 miles out of town I met another divide sobo rider who likely will be here soonish. I'm a bit faster than he is. I also met a group of four nobo CTD hikers, another solo nobo CTD hiker, and two nobo Divide riders right before my day ended.
So let's talk about travelers. The hikers left on their trips around April and May, heading north. That's a long time to walk. That's part of why the bicycle is one of human-kinds best inventions. With the same human power, I can cover so much more distance. I'll be in Colorado tomorrow, they left Colorado forever ago. A bike is to hiking what a car is to biking, except that a bike still requires a conversation with nature to succeed.
A similar important invention is the shoe. Try backpacking without shoes - it's not going to be much easier than biking without a bike.
I often want to go hiking when I see a hiker. It's a very attractive way to spend 6 months. Everyone out here shares a wanderlust of some sort, for some it puts them on the road for years, others months, and others weeks. We also share a specific type of wanderlust that can only be satisfied by traveling under our own power, and having that conversation and flow and harmony with the weather, terrain, and pain. You are vulnerable and have to be resourceful to succeed. You have to fix whatever breaks yourself, either with what you brought or what you find on the ground. You have to find shelter from storms, search for water, make do with less, and find comfort in places and positions that aren't comfortable. Life feels much more "real."
No-one makes write books, or makes movies or TV shows about people who go to work all day, and then go home and watch TV and Facebook. I want to live a life that would be interesting to watch on TV, not just watch other people's interesting lives.
Before the agricultural revolution about 20,000 years ago, humans existed as hunter-gathering nomads. We would travel thousands of miles in our lifetimes, and weren't worried if our little 1/2 acre yard was perfect, or if our house was pretty, or if we had enough stuff - because the world was ours. We didn't own much, because we'd have to carry it, and owing a bunch of shit is a symptom of trying to make your tiny little living space as amazing as our former "entire world" living space. Traveler don't have few possesions just because we have to carry them or are poor, we have fewer possesions because we don't *WANT* a bunch of possesions. That desire is an unnatural phenomenon. Farming and settling and cities ruined a lot. (I do own a lot of shit, due to hobbies, but that's part of my settled life, not this one.)
I like being with these other travelers. They understand something about me that not many other people do (and vise-versa).
I've always had my wanderlust. I explored the heck out of my home town in Iowa as a kid on my bike, and always planned to move around. There was a sitcom on TGIF (I forget which it was) but there was a guest character who was an uncle or something who came in and was a traveler and was all exciting and had great stories to tell, etc. He wasn't supposed to be a good role model, because in the story all the kids liked him better than their parents, but then he turned out to be flakey and let them all down. I thought "Wait, do all travelers have to be flakey letdowns?" As as a young person I decided to become that person, minus the negative sitcom issues. And, for the most part, I did.
I was going to join the Peace Corp out of college and explore the world. I was accepted to do HIV work in the Caribbean, but then backed out at the last minute (they were mad!) because I was having to chose between my relationship and the adventure. I chose the relationship - and it lasted 14 years. I don't regret that choice at all, because I've found other ways to have adventure, and it was a good 14 years.
About 12 years ago, after moving to Eugene, I was still feeling the desire to take off and live on my bike for several years. My backup plan, if my wife left me or died or something, was to sell everything and live for however long I could off my bike, going wherever I wanted. It was a very strong urge.
Fast forward 10 years later, and my wife did end up leaving me (more-or-less, it's complicated, she's cool) - ironically while I was out on a bike tour - and all I wanted to do was get home. I did note that I was now free to sell everything I own and go live like a nomad for however long I wanted to - my backup dream - but I didn't want to anymore.
A lot changed in those 12 years. I had just moved to Eugene before, didn't have a community here, and had a shitty job pouring concrete. But now, I had strong community family who were instrumental in keeping me going during the divorce, several roles in the larger Eugene community, and a career. Andrea and I also started laying the foundations for our relationship pretty early as well.
So that's where I am now. My wanderlust is no-less strong. To borrow a phrase from Andrean who borrowed it from someone else, it is my bliss. But, so is Andrea, and game nights with my friends, and performing, and playing music, and juggling conventions, and a slew of other things that aren't compatible with a nomadic lifestyle (at least not a human powered traveling lifestyle - I do hope to travel with many of my buddies in a more conventional way.)
I chose Eugene a long time ago as a home base because it's such a great place to launch both daily and large adventures from, and I was always a pragmatist. I wanted to be able to retire and have insurance, so I knew I needed and anchor and a job (even if I did travel for a few years), and Eugene is a great place to have your anchor.
I designed my career to give me balance. Being a teacher I can leave for a month or two every summer if I want - although 2-5 weeks a year may be the right amount of (human powered, solo) traveling for me for now. I want to have other adventures too, like teaching myself as many instruments as possible.
But I'll always love coming out here and having new experiences, and exploring, and meeting like-minded people, and having adventures. I can't give this up anymore than I can give up juggling or singing. There are just a lot of different ways to have an adventure - as as long as you keep saying "yes," adventure will keep happening to you.
