“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu

I am no longer riding my bicycle across the country. Whew…that’s tough to say…I hate to give up, I hate to stop things that I’ve set my mind to, I’m much too stubborn. It’s been a challenge for me to accept, but I’m pleased to announce that the tour will continue by other means of travel!

First, let’s talk about bicycles and why I decided to finish that leg of the trip in Buffalo, NY. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the long miles, the sore butt, the hot/cold/rainy weather or the physical challenges of every day.

1. Safety – Every day, hundreds of steel vehicles, weighing thousands of pounds, passed within feet of my body. The majority of vehicles were very respectful, but how many people have you seen texting and driving, or eating in the car, or changing a CD…it would only take one to ruin a cyclist, and there was plenty of roadkill and liquor bottles along the road sides to remind me of this.
2. View – There were a few interesting sights along the way, but for the most part, everyday I saw roads, cars, and houses. Not a tremendous amount of natural beauty. I felt like I was just a car…a very slow, sweaty, exhaust inhaling car. I saw very little wildlife besides a few squirrels and birds, I saw my first deer after three weeks.
3. Nutrition – We all love to pig out on junk food at times, but after a few weeks of eating gas station snacks, I was missing fruits and vegetables and had the desire to resume a healthier diet.
4. Loneliness – I was surrounded by people all day, but very little interaction. I rode alone, I ate alone, I slept alone. I had no sense of community with those around me or with long distance cyclists in general.
5. Legality – Every night that I camped was in a random section of forest off the road side. I was diligent about locating hidden sites and never had a run in with other people, but I always had to sleep with one ear open.
6. Fun – I often asked myself, “Am I having fun?” The answer was usually somewhere right in the middle, I wasn’t haven’t a blast, but it wasn’t un-fun either. Occasionally, I would see an event occurring, or see something listed for a time later in the afternoon and I always felt limited from these opportunities because I had to make my daily miles to make it to the next destination on time, or if the event was a few miles off of my route, I wasn’t going to ride 6 miles each way on top of what I already had scheduled!

I did continue to experience some knee pain during the last days of the trip, however this was just the icing on the cake. I think I could have rested long enough to alleviate the symptoms and made some changes to my duration and intensity to help keep it at bay.

When you ride a bicycle by yourself for 6-8 hours a day, every day, you get lots of time to think. I pondered my decision to retire for a long time and contemplated my options going forward. I continued riding for days after I had made up my mind to ensure I wasn’t just in a phase. After 1000+ miles, I rested up for a day in Buffalo. NY and made final preparations…I rented a car, loaded my gear, and drove home to Maryland.

So what’s next? I purchased a big green van, nicknamed “The Hulk” and moved into it! With so many old friends still to visit and so many wonders of our country still to see, the tour must continue! My siblings, Brendan and Chelsea, are already booked to join up for two weeks in August.