As the days count down to take off I find myself getting more and more excited and anxious about every detail and plan made. As an American tourist, I tend to fret too much rather than do what I ought to: just get on the bike and peddle. I know I'll be okay out there on the road and I know I always have a place to run to if I need it, but the simple fact is this has been a dream of mine for a very long time and it's finally becoming a reality. Truth be told, if you have a dream and you want it bad enough you just need to take a risk and fight for it. You can't let life hold you down where you continuously find yourself saying, 'man I wish I could have done that when I had the chance.' It only sets you up for that last day on earth where you say to yourself the only thing I regret is not doing what I wanted to do. Life is yours to live, so live it. That said, I could use my summer vacation to sit around, watch movies, go on hikes, camping, hang out with family, be comfortable, but I have a dream and my hope is that this trip will be the start of something bigger...
June 15th sets me on a path I know will change me for the greater. One week alone in the wilderness can do so much to one's mind. Granted, I won't be completely alone with my friend and supporter joining me for most of the adventure. I will be in the wilderness and cities taking in the most breathtaking vistas, skies, waterfalls, and coastlines, and all at 10 mph. Cars passing me at 80 miles and hour on roads without shoulders, unpredictable rain showers, cold brisk mornings and grueling desert heat will surely test every ounce of mental strength I have. I'll find myself crying my eyes out in the middle of nowhere from the doorstep of God's creation, the physical pain I will endure and the loneliness I will feel. But it is all for the sake of adventure and dreaming...dream to live? or live to dream?
When I return in August I will have ridden my bike over 3500 miles, become a new man and have found a new respect for life and the great beauty that is our world...though only a glimpse of it. I will spend Independence Day with the company of the Golden Gate and will arrive home on my birthday to celebrate another year gone by, an adventure complete and cheers to looking ahead for adventure number two. For those of you who want to follow my progress, I will try my best to update my blog when given the chance and my friend has downloaded strava on his smartphone. It is a ride-tracking/sharing application that allows friends and family to track my progress back home. I hope to make at least a slideshow if not movie of my travels when I return sharing my experiences with folks along the way, the hard times, break downs and the emotional battles one faces on the bike for so long. And you guessed it, I will also work on putting together a travel book of sorts chronicling my odyssey.
Please take the time to share my blog with others and help make a difference.
dream big,
Penn
June 15th sets me on a path I know will change me for the greater. One week alone in the wilderness can do so much to one's mind. Granted, I won't be completely alone with my friend and supporter joining me for most of the adventure. I will be in the wilderness and cities taking in the most breathtaking vistas, skies, waterfalls, and coastlines, and all at 10 mph. Cars passing me at 80 miles and hour on roads without shoulders, unpredictable rain showers, cold brisk mornings and grueling desert heat will surely test every ounce of mental strength I have. I'll find myself crying my eyes out in the middle of nowhere from the doorstep of God's creation, the physical pain I will endure and the loneliness I will feel. But it is all for the sake of adventure and dreaming...dream to live? or live to dream?
When I return in August I will have ridden my bike over 3500 miles, become a new man and have found a new respect for life and the great beauty that is our world...though only a glimpse of it. I will spend Independence Day with the company of the Golden Gate and will arrive home on my birthday to celebrate another year gone by, an adventure complete and cheers to looking ahead for adventure number two. For those of you who want to follow my progress, I will try my best to update my blog when given the chance and my friend has downloaded strava on his smartphone. It is a ride-tracking/sharing application that allows friends and family to track my progress back home. I hope to make at least a slideshow if not movie of my travels when I return sharing my experiences with folks along the way, the hard times, break downs and the emotional battles one faces on the bike for so long. And you guessed it, I will also work on putting together a travel book of sorts chronicling my odyssey.
Please take the time to share my blog with others and help make a difference.
dream big,
Penn
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