Motivation?

These evenings, I've been taking Django out to water the bushes. Mostly he just walks a few yards from the door, knowing that, when we go back in, he gets a snack before we go to bed. Cheeky hound. Still, we play the game and step out into the finally blessed cool of the star-studded night. The moon has been huge and bright, the eye of a quiet god gazing down. I lie on the concrete walk, still warm from the sun, look up to the moon as it climbs through the dark limbs of a scraggly oak to the east and feel the breeze coming down off the mountains. The stars have been pushed back, retreating in deference and inferior candle power--at this distance anyway. I stretch out, look and feel and think.

Why am I doing this? Hassling with great expense, uncertainty, risk? I've discussed this before, but it keeps coming back, a question that will never be put to rest even after the deed is done--if I am so lucky. One question comes up frequently when I tell people what I am doing: What are you raising money for? What's your cause? What is implied in the question intrigues me: Why would anyone do such a thing unless it was for some other cause? The tour in itself is not worth doing? The cyclists' actions must be justified by a cause around which others may rally? I wonder if people are gun shy, always ready for the sales pitch. I've been on the other side of this exchange: "I'm raising awareness for...." "I'm raising funds for..." "The group I'm raising funds for...." More power to them. Most of these seem to be worthy causes though I sometimes wonder how much actual benefit comes from the funds gathered. Whatever, the impulse is morally sound.

So what's the harm? I considered for a while turning my ride into such a vehicle for fund raising, but then I started to think about how that might shade my experience and the way I engage with people as I travel. Once you take this step and commit to a cause, that responsibility hangs over everything, especially your interactions with others. All of your meetings become somewhat conditional. You can be polite and have pleasant exchanges, but the inevitable pitch must be cast: "By the way, I'm raising funds for...." Some might construe this line of thinking as a rationalization, a way not to have to deal with fund raising. Perhaps there is some truth in this, but there is truth in finding problems with conditional encounters, too. My goal is to see, discover, and write about my experiences. There's a book about trans-continental cycling lurking in here somewhere and to that end I'm channeling my energies.

Still, to my handful of readers, should I attach my ride to a cause, pedal to peddle? At this late date, I can't go door-to-door, but I can post some links to worthy causes. Do such sales pitches annoy or inspire? One value of this is that if someone asks, I can direct him to my blog and the link. I can have a few cards printed up for those who ask. Otherwise, I can just let each experience develop naturally. Certainly, if I can help others, why not? On general principle, however, I'd rather not have to chase down people and drag their wallets out for my endeavors.

The moon arcs higher, its light streaming down over--Django's goofy snout hanging above me. The constellation mega-hound! He straddles my head with his fore-legs and reaches down to slobber in my ear. I hear ya, boy. There's a snack in your near future, you betcha. I stand up, stretch, and go in for the night.

Momentous Moment

Yesterday was my last day on the bike. I got out for a nice ride, about 49 miles of the usual hills and such, which I did with only a couple of breaks. The various and sundry joints, parts and bits felt good. I think I'm ready to start my tour. I might have done another ride or two, but the bike shop that is packing and shipping for me needed a some lead time to get it out by the 31st, which I figured would give me a safe margin of error. FedEx and UPS both estimated about five days. I'll give them a few more to play with.

So I loaded Mojo (yes, the Street Machine has been christened) on to the back of our Subaru wagon and dragged her down to the shop. This was another very concrete act on the path to my journey. Getting on the plane will be the real threshold crossing, for sure, but this has a certain heft to it as well. I talked at length with Ed at Action Sports about packing the bike and my proposed tour. Then I walked out into the afternoon furnace that is Bakersfield in late July. Aloha, my friend!

Now, over the next few days, I have to get my other gear together and packed. I'll post some pictures of the mess as it develops and say a few things about some of the gear. My plan is to ship most of my camping kit out the Maine as well. No point in giving the airlines a chance to lose my stuff. I'm going with only carry-on luggage.

Trifecta: Heat, Hills and Headwinds

Yesterday's ride was a toughy, and I planned it that way. I wanted to test myself in unpleasant conditions, and that's what I got--though I had more fun than I expected. It turns out I can handle a variety of weather situations pretty well--heat and cold. By many standards, I suppose, the ride was not extreme, but it was still good to get out and sweat hard. I climbed about 2,000 ft. in about 45 miles with lots of wind and temps about 90 deg. F. when I finished. It was actually a beautiful day with some clouds building over Tehachapi Mtn. and blue skies in abundance. My main concern for the big ride is humidity. It's pretty dry out here in the West, and I know humidity magnifies the heat considerably. I figure I'll acclimate to it, but it still worries me. I plan on getting plenty of very early starts while the weather is cookin'. Since I don't have grandiose mileage objectives, I have a good chance of getting most of my riding done by noon with a crack of dawn start. This will give me plenty of time to write and mingle with the natives. Below are a couple of shots from the ride.