WE ARE, and so can you!

I must admit that I've been shamefully half-assed with this blog, but that is in the past. I promise...(cough).

I suppose I didn't realize that a blog would be anything complicated, though it turns out nothing comes without effort. If there's something I've learned in the couple years that I've been back in the saddle, it's exactly that. You have to work to get someplace. The world is not flat, its very dynamic, and it will make no concessions to my comfort or well being. When you realize that sometimes it being cold outside, means that you have to be cold and that being tired means that you have endured then it becomes not about the destination, but rather the journey. You have to be present, and you have to keep moving forward.

People of "developing" parts of our Earth are always moving forward, and they have to because they feel the true weight of their disadvantages in a way that you or I seldom do. Poor people have things they need to take care of,  and they can't GET THAT SHIT DONE  if they're walking everywhere. It's a huge problem with a super simple two wheeled solution. It's simple, sustainable, and provides the mechanical advantage that will allow someone access to the resources they need in a timely manner. Let's not kid ourselves, TIME IS MONEY!  Give someone a cookie, they'll eat it, but if you give a person a BICYCLE , they'll just use it to access food, water, medical care, and have the ability to transport goods and provide servies.

It's an immediate quality of life change. People can make money, take care of their families, and be able to obtain an education that they otherwise could not have. Getting this? Bicycles empower people, communities, and economies to GO!

This is where the folks at World Bicycle Relief come into the picture.




Think about it man. We're stuck on this rock together, and from cosmic perspective, if people like Tendai or Rhoda or these lovely gals aren't our brothers and sisters; then who the hell is?

Peace and love

Thankfully, the Wind Will Always Change Directions

The sunshine bike and I are beginning to be acquainted after the first few rides together. There are still some tweaks before we are melded as one, but that's to be expected from any new relationship. After riding a racing specific road bike for the past two years it feels incredibly strange to be in this new, upright position on these huge knobby tires. However, this bike works much better than that bike ever did. The shifting is smoother, the braking more reliable, the seat more comfortable, the tires more versatile. It really is a killer ride.

I am also beginning to realize the weight of this undertaking. Things running through my mind: you've never been on any sort of bicycle tour before, aren't you crazy to do the first one on this large of a scale? What if you aren't in shape enough? You have trouble sometimes riding your bike unloaded, what's going to happen when it's loaded up? You drove to work yesterday instead of riding because it was cold! It's going to be cold a lot of the time on the trip! What if you don't like riding your bike unless it's perfect weather? What will you do then? Huh?!?!

Not exactly productive thoughts, I suppose. I'm trying to keep in mind our 10 day, 70 mile backpacking trip in Chile last year. We weren't in shape, I had never backpacked before, and yet we did it. And we did it pretty well. Yes, I was crying from blister pain for the last few miles, and there were days when we definitely bonked out, but for the most part it was an absolutely beautiful trip that I will never forget. Rusti and I are pretty good at taking things a day at a time and being smart about traveling. He's also very encouraging and not competitive or show offish, which meshes well with my own laid back attitude when it comes to physical prowess.

Another thought I had today: After only 8 more short weeks, I will no longer have to work for at least 3 or 4 months!!!! Since work periodically shifts from bad to worse, that's great news. I will be so happy to be on a bicycle, in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from the nearest idiot. I mean person. Idiots are people too. Or at least I have to act like that for the next 8 weeks. Then you're all on your own!

Sorry for the scattered post, the wind has picked up my thoughts and flung them far.