Day 40a (so, after 5400 miles what have we learned)

I’m sitting here (this was typed a few days back; on fri) at a starbucks (uploading pics/videos) on a sunny afternoon in Alb., NM. Nothing major was planned for today (beyond organizing the bike for shipping tomorrow and a dinner out with my sis dee, etc..), so I have some free time to get some thoughts out of my head before my life (and the rest of your lives – well, at least my wife and kid’s and sister’s get back to some semblance of order).

Being on the road for a combine ~13 days of travel (via bike; 5 days on leg 1 and 8 on leg 2) in conjunction with being away from home for an additional 26 (some of that at my sisters in NM and others in CA for work purposes) you have LOTS of free time on you hand (and in your head).

There are many little tidbits I’d like to include in this blog before it comes to a close,
however I will likely not have the chance to cover them all before things go dark.
Here are just a few (in no particular order):

- The Southwest: This is a beautiful area of this country, everyone should travel to the area to get a real sense of the OPEN SPACE that we have available in the US! The variety landforms, colors, terrains, ecosystems, etc… that exist in this area are simply breath taking. A part of me wonders if my wife and I made the best decision to move from CA back to NJ ~10 years ago (but I know we did – that was where our families were). Never-the-less, visiting CA as part of this trip was so much fun that I do want to DRAG my family back there for a visit; willingly or not, no matter to me! – I’m sure they will enjoy themselves once we get there!.

- How did they ever do it?: I am awe struck at the idea that our ancestors settled these areas and more impressed by that fact that native Americans lived in these harsh habitats. Water is often scarce and I cannot imagine how life most have been to be part of a wagon train heading west without real knowledge of what was over the next hill. People in our generation owe so much to those who came before us. I know it sounds cliché, but we take so much for granted (clean, safe water, electricity, etc…). We have it GOOD!

- Do not take things for granted: My wife and I (and daughter erin) lived in CA for ~3 years. WE DID NOTHING!!! Well, nothing is probably too strong a word, but we saw few, if any sights when we were there – we did not take a single vacation trip in the 3 years that we were in CA (well, besides Dis. Land)! We missed out on SOO MUCH (CA has sooo much to offer!)… it is a shame and I am embarrassed for not seizing the moment and taking advantage of what we had access to).

- Camping vs Hotel: I had planned to split the night stays between camping and hotels (50/50). However, once I could not get over Tioga pass (which added a full day and ~300 miles to my trip) the plan book was out the window. I had to get back to NM by thurs (6/11) so that I could meet deadlines on shipping the bike, etc… I did plan an extra day in the second leg of the trip (and left 1 day early), but I was still playing catch up all the time. In the end, I found that I did not have the time to set/break camp on the way back to NM. I did stay at a few KOA (cabins) and I think that if I ever take a trip like this again (solo), I might opt to NOT plan to fully camp (only use cabins or hotels). The extra gear (tent and bed roll) and extra time (to set and break camp), IMO eats into good travel time. If however I’m with a group and the plan is to camp, then I’m game. But going solo and trying to make good time, camping (with setting a tent) is not something which I think I’ll do again.

- Friendly People on the road: A few of my relatives were QUITE concerned that I would meet a terrible fate by being out on the road alone; they thought I would get mugged, etc… etc… I did not have a single incident in which I felt vulnerable to the “human” element (natural elements was something else, rain, snow, wind!). Quite the opposite. There were many times when strangers would offer to take my photo (or agree once asked) or would simply come over and comment on my map (with states). People are nice!

- My Bike: This machine performed with EXCELLENCE!!! Not a single issue needed to be resolved on the road (no need to knock on wood this time!). Even though I had loads to repair gear, I was HAPPY not to have to use any; though if I make a trip like this again, it will all come with me (no reason to tempt fate!).

- So, how much of the gear that I brought was actually used?: I’d have to say (excluding the repair stuff, which I did not WANT to use), that I used ~98% of the stuff that I brought along. Things that come to mind that were not used were: playing cards, some food (will pack less next time – but had I had more tent/cabin nights I suspect I would have used more), reading material (never really got the chance to read much – this blog kept me pretty darn busy). There is nothing else that I can think of that I did not use.

There are other things I want to say, but… i got to go to bed!