eighty

74 MILES OF CURVES

If you have ever owned an english roadster or motorcycle you will understand this sign. The thought of 74 miles of twisted highway when you are on a tight schedule is a nightmare. Most of our lives we feel the pressure of a tight schedule. Road construction, heavy traffic, slow drivers, bad weather and late for work, but that's life. The journey I chose has no real schedule. I have no place to be or time clock to punch. 

The physical part takes time and money. It also takes risk, not just physical risk, but escaping the "I should, I can't, I need to"world. Another way to say it is escaping your comfort zone, living out of the box, and many other cornball sayings. 

The mental part takes longer for me. Touring is more then riding a bike, it's a mind set. I'm seperated from everything but the road in front of me. Eat, sleep, bike is about all that happens. Wake up, figure out where I am, pack my gear, find coffee, a bathroom, food, ride until I get hungry, ride until late afternoon then find a safe place to camp, and repeat the next morning. 

The kaos of the road takes all of my focus. I don't view it as an escape from reality more of a journey into reality. Fully living life is important, touring is a place to learn that, but it is not a place to live.

The spiritual part is a byproduct that simply happens. Touring changes me, I think differently, I feel stronger, I see the world in a different way, and my priority list get's rearranged. Actions change attitude, touring is a life changing action.

seventy nine

FELLOW NOMADS

I was a day out of San Diego heading over the mountains. This was my first encounter with a fellow nomad. This guy was so anxious to talk as soon as he saw me from the top of the hill he crossed to my side of the highway. 

He had a big smile on his face as if we were long lost friends then he began to talk and talk and talk. It was apparent he had been on the road much longer then me. 

As the miles and years have passed I have experienced a few solitary weeks of my own. If I do talk to strangers I spend most of the time answering the same questions about my choice of transportation. I talk with people I have never met and will probably never meet again. 

Talking with a person with a common experience and common understanding is like meeting a long lost friend or relative. Solo touring is a process that is hard to explain. It requires long months and many miles before you begin to understand it. 

Since this first encounter with a seasoned fellow nomad I have traveled many of my own solitary miles.  I have that foolish greeting grin and then I talk and talk and talk.

seventy eight

BICYCLE TOURING IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES

The characters I meet along the way are almost always more then they first appear. This guy looked like he could live under a bridge but soon took my picture with a very nice digital camera, down loaded it to his laptop computer, and gave me elevation information from his GPS. He also had a cell phone and said he had a web site. 

We talked about half an hour as the traffic rushed by. We were fellow nomads so I think he felt free to tell me many things he would not reveal to strangers. I soon began to feel the same. We were traveling in opposite directions so we would soon be miles apart.

 

I was obviously new to this and must have looked like I needed the advice. He gave me some valuable information that over the years has helped me avoid trouble. He had been traveling for three years and he looks like he did  for a reason. He said he stays in places for longer periods so risk of trouble increases. He said looking like he did gave him the ability to "blend". I think he does stay under a bridge from time to time. 

He suggested I try not to look like a tourist with expensive gear. I took that advice and it works. I only camp one night at any spot so before the size me up or find me I'm gone.

He said at times the police give him trouble because of his look, but producing a drivers license quickly changes their attitude. Like many I have met along the way, there is an untold story. This guy had secrets I am sure but it is his business. I have learned to take some things people say on the road with a grain of salt.