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Published: August 14th 2018
As Bruce clarified a couple of days ago, one goes through several stages of mood swings while on a long distance ride like this.
The first month, ( Virginia, and Kentucky), I was excited by the adventure. There were some extremely hard days, but I was determined to complete this challenge, so I met the steep climbs and hot and wet days with determination and confidence.
Stage two was when I settled into the routine and peddled on despite the challenges. ( Illinois and Missouri).
The Ozarks were definitely tough, but Bruce was there to enjoy those challenges with me and we had some great times.
Stage three was the most difficult by far. (Kansas). I was past any excitement and to far along to quit. However, I really suffered through the headwinds and sameness of the ride. That was when I really questioned why I had begun this adventure!
Just steady grinding into the wind every day for over nine days.
It was by far the most introspective time of the journey. Why, I asked myself, had I left my comfortable home and lifestyle to do something as stupid as this?
Why?
Just about every fellow traveler I met felt the same way while riding through I Kansas.
Once I reached Colorado, I felt a renewed spirit and would categorize my mood closer to when I started; excitement.
I have always loved Colorado, and it was so exciting to be peddling through this wonderful state.
Some of my absolute greatest memories are of peddling my bike through God’s Country!
Colorado has absolutely breathtaking beauty around every corner!
When I left Canyon City, Colorado I went off route uphill 5 miles to see the Royal Gorge, but it was absolutely worth it!
Anybody riding the Trans Am Bike Route should make this detour!
The day my great friend Steve Dean surprised me at the top of Hoosier Pass was a day I will never forget!
What an epic day!
This defines friendship and I will always be grateful for Steve’s!
Stage four:
Despite the fact that Wyoming is a beautiful State, I was really in a funk at this point!
I think I began riding in Wyoming after two full months on the bike.
By this time I was homesick and ready
to be done. The geography was ever changing, but there was nothing to look forward to except finishing the day.
No rest stops, no convenience stores and absolutely no place to put fresh cold water in the bottles.
I was lucky in the fact that the winds were pretty calm in comparison with the stories from other riders of howling headwinds!
That all ended on the last two days into Yellowstone Park when the winds kicked up and I was back in Kansas making very slow forward progress!
Those two days riding towards Yellowstone were really tough because the headwinds were right in my face all day long!
That was the only time I shortened my planned ride because I just couldn’t take the headwinds any longer.
Since Kansas, the wind pattern seems to be pretty clear to me:
Calm in the morning with possibly an East to Northeast wind; it would swing North about 11am and be roaring out of the NW or SW in the afternoon.
The antidote to me was to get up early and be done as early as possible. The longer the ride, the earlier the get up!
I really got a lift in Yellowstone when Pat and Jane Scanlon reached out and invited me to join them at Louis Lake in Yellowstone.
What a lucky break for me, because I stayed with Pat all the way across Montana.
This put the earlier burnout on the back burner, and I had a great time for the two weeks I stayed with Pat and Jane.
Then in Missoula, Pat went North but Bruce was there to keep me entertained and enjoying every day through Idaho and several days in Oregon.
We suffered together, drank beer together, and reflected on our day with fondness.
With three days of peddling to go, I am now in the euphoric stage.
Finally, the end is in sight. I found out yesterday that Denise, my Sister Ann, Cousin Janet and my great pal Bill will be there when I ride into Florence.
What a great thing to look forward to.
Not only that, but my Broman Bruce gave me an engraved Coin last night that I will always cherish!
So after all that does today really matter? Not really.
I used Google Maps
to get me back on the Trans Am Route and it failed miserably!
First it planned a route that put me on a closed road! It kept trying to put me back on that road and I finally stopped and asked a local for directions.
After finally getting past the closed road issue, I then had to deal with the Google Maps Mountain Bike Route. I rode about two to three miles of dirt, stones and sand, but who cares?
I laughed it all off because I am now in the euphoric stage where I know I am near the end!
One big climb tomorrow over McKenzie Pass and the Pacific Ocean will be downhill!
I cannot wait!
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S Dean
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Good luck on the home stretch!
I particularly enjoyed these insights into how you felt along your incredible journey. Thanks for sharing (and the kind words). Just a few more days and looks like a wonderful homecoming awaits! Looking forward to seeing you again soon.