Social Icons

Friday, August 19, 2016

Days 53 - 70 /// Go West Young Man

"Go west young man, and grow up with the country".  ~ Horace Greeley
"Go west young man..."
I do feel like I'm growing up, that's for certain.  At 38 I still have a lot to learn about both myself, and the world at large.  Bicycle touring provides time to think, reflect, and grow if you choose to do so.  In fact, I've been telling people lately I feel fortunate to have "found a fountain of youth" of sorts.  It's one thing to be present, and touring on the bike provides that opportunity, but the days are extended indefinitely.  Two months have gone by, but it feels like an eternity.  Often, I find I can't remember where we were just yesterday, and that's an amazing thing.  Two months in my former corporate, management, and travel life would have gone by in the blink of an eye.  Now my days consist of breaking camp, cooking breakfast, packing, riding, taking in epic scenery, figuring out where to sleep, setting up camp, etc...  rinse...  repeat.  Life on two wheels (motored or not) is treating me well.  
Approaching the Grand Tatas
Sorry the posts have been few and far between.  I've decided to let my pops do the majority of the journaling on this leg of the adventure.  His musings can be found here.  Once we split up in Oregon, I'll take on a more active 'writing' role again.  

 A few things of note, and then I'll post some photos...  First, thanks to everyone that came out to visit us in Breckenridge.  I lived in Denver for 8 1/2 years, and my father currently lives there, so we have a fair amount of friends/family in the area.  Special thanks to Raph, Sam, and Peter who showed up at Hoosier Pass to welcome us and ride down in the cold, torrential downpour.  Also, thanks to Nick, Chris, Peter, and Katrina for showing up to say hello.  Finally, a huge thanks to my stepmother Tish for showing up on the route three separate times.  You've been the definition of 'trail angel'.  Finally, a shout out to my lovely girlfriend Jenni who has been incredibly supportive of this adventure, mailed NY bagels to me in Missouri, and showed up to provide encouragement in Breck.  Love you all.  
'Merica!!!
Also, we've met a few cool people en route.  Matt is a 26 y/o guy from NY making his way across the TransAm before 'growing up' once and for all back home.  Colin is a nice 28 y/o from the D.C. area.  Wally is a 40'something guy from Florida who we've been riding with on/off since we met randomly at a fire station in Kentucky.  The five of us are now in Yellowstone and are riding together to provide safety in numbers.  The RVs and drivers here are seriously out of control.  Only in 'Merica, the land of the free, can you buy a 200ft RV and drive it with no license (towing a Hummer and boat no less - with your gun on board!).  However, God forbid if you try to camp anywhere without a permit.  Meh...  
Book cover?
Finally, here's a status update.  We've ridden ~3,200 miles.  The only issues I've had are a snapped front derailleur cable, and one broken front spoke (Pting!).  The former wasn't an issue and was an easy roadside repair.  The latter was a bit more serious, as the wheel was way out of true, and required me to hitchhike 20 miles back to Lander.  That meant I had to retrace my steps that day and put in almost 100 miles.  Not ideal, but you can't have the good without the bad I've learned, which seemingly goes for everything in life.  

 Plan from here is to exit West Yellowstone and continue the TransAm route to Oregon.  My pops will be flying back from there to Denver.  I was gonna hook a left and make my way down the coast to San Fran, but the girlfriend has called an audible and we're now planning a different adventure now.  Looks like she may meet us at the end of the TransAm in Florence, OR.  From there we may hire a van and tour up to Vancouver together to visit friends.  After that there is a ton of adventure planned, but I'll wait to put it all here.  

 Until next post, hope everyone is living and loving life.  Ciao for now, 
Jeep life near Breck
Stayed with Bill at the Guffey Garage in Guffey, CO
Dive bars galore across middle America 

Crossed paths with Terry Taylor, a 78 y/o riding
TransAm for his 2nd time 40 years later!
Hoosier Pass w/ friends - highest point on the route

Fixin $hit redneck style w/ a few new, short term, riding friends





Colorado is equal parts Heaven and Hell from a cyclist perspective 


I LOVED Lander, WY and was invited to check out a killer show



Giving/getting road advice from a passing tourer


Downhill and tailwind?!?  Does it get any better?  
I think we're headed that way, no???  
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 20, 2016 at 5:35 AM

    Enjoying the adventure from my arm chair. Thanks for all the wonderful posts and pix. America is beautiful. Now go get married and have a few kids and grand-kids because that's the most amazing journey of all. Cheers, stay safe. My best Bruce

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownAugust 20, 2016 at 5:36 AM

    Enjoying the adventure from my arm chair. Thanks for all the wonderful posts and pix. America is beautiful. Now go get married and have a few kids and grand-kids because that's the most amazing journey of all. Cheers, stay safe. My best Bruce

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)