Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Beer cycling?

Ok, that is one way to describe it. But I'd actually like to think that I am hitting the open road again, mainly to quench my longing for adventure. But, it is true that breweries will be a magnet and will determine some of my route. This is going to be a relatively short trip. I had planned to ride a bicycle from Canada to Mexico once I finished the project I was working on. But, I was advised that weather in the spring, through those states would be less than desirable. I will be starting to shoot Motocross on May 17th so, my window of opportunity has narrowed to only a few short weeks. I will also be running the OC Half Marathon on May 6th along with Brittany and I have several family and friends doing this as their first race. So, I need to stick around the area for that.

I have been so restless since my run. Seeing the over 8,000 pictures rotate as my screensaver, creates such bittersweet memories. In many ways, after doing something like that, you can feel like that was it, the pinnacle! I have spoken to other crossers about this and they said that the way they fought the depression was to have more adventures. This was always the plan. Even when I was out there (crossing) I was talking to Chris and Mike about what was next. I never imagined that it would be the end. I always thought it would be the beginning. For whatever reason, when I got back it didn't quite work out that way. I think partly because I was looking to do something bigger! Perhaps I thought I needed to think of something PERFECT. Now, I realize, I just need to get out there. I need more pictures. I need to create more memories. I need to look FORWARD to my life. And, it doesn't have to be perfect. In fact I don't want it perfect. I don't even want a plan.

So, my non-plan is to pack up the panniers, hook them on to the hybrid and head towards San Clemente this Thursday, April 26th. Julie from PubQuest, along with her bike, is going to take the train up from San Diego and we are going to meet at Pizza Port . Then we are going to make our way down to San Diego hitting breweries along the way. Then I will have 4 or 5 days to make my way back home for the race. It's only 100 miles so I will most likely make some detours. The mileage is not long and it is not an exercise in endurance and I don't have it mapped or planned other than those two destinations. That is out of character for me and very exciting. I just want to explore, have an adventure and see where it takes me. This will also serve as a nice test run for a longer tour in the fall. I'll see how much I like being on a bike as opposed to running and if I decide to do something on a bike, what works equipment wise and what doesn't.

It feels great to sit here and have something to look forward to. I remember on the run when I would look at the map and see a part of the route that I hadn't done yet. I would realize that at that point it was just a line with a name or number on a map, but after I had ran it, it would be a memory and it would, from then on, always hold meaning and, most likely, a really great story. Maybe that is what traveling means to me. Creating a connection between me and places on a map and the people along the way. There is no better, more intimate way to do that than to run or ride it. I am so glad that my run won't be the end of that road, but God willing, just the beginning.

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