Sunday, September 14, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Being part of the world... yet apart from it.
What day is it? Is today Saturday? While I was touring, the Republicans and the Democrats both held their conventions and the Olympic Games for 2008 started and ended. These are pretty big events, and I was only vaguely aware of them at the time. While it is tempting to believe that one can completely escape civilization, that isn't really true with bicycle touring. To me, this is a big difference between backpacking and bicycle touring. The backpacker can, to a much larger extent, retreat from civilization. The bicycle tourist on a road bike is still connected to the grid; not the power grid, but the network of roads, and trails that humans have laid upon this world. Sure, there are off-road bike tours but I'm talking about the mainstream of bike touring.
As I said in "Slower Traffic Keep Right" bicycle tourists are traveling in a time layer that is quite different from the majority of the world. But that's really just one example of the on-again, off-again connection between the bicycle tourist and the rest of the world. That has to do with the passage of time, but I'm also talking about the significance of time. Knowing the date, or the day of the week, or accurately knowing the time of day is much less important to me when I touring on my bike compared with when I'm living the rest of my life. That doesn't mean I am able to ignore it completely. Recognizing the difference between weekday and weekend, or rush hour versus non-rush hour, can be very helpful. But who gets picked as a presidential running mate seems to pale in importance to how much longer it might continue to rain. "When am I going to eat next?" is a much more prominent question in my mind than "How many gold medals?"
But as the asphalt passes under my feet, and the cars whizz past, it is impossible to ignore the gravitational pull of civilization. My next water fillup might come from a convenience store and dinner might come from a grocery store in the next town. All these things are a constant reminder that I'm still a part of civilization, but in so many ways, I'm apart from it. What most matters to me while I'm touring on my bicycle becomes very basic. I need to protect myself from the elements; I need to maintain my health and nutrition, and I want to get to my destination. Any issue or concern that doesn't fall under one of those categories seems superfluous.
As I said in "Slower Traffic Keep Right" bicycle tourists are traveling in a time layer that is quite different from the majority of the world. But that's really just one example of the on-again, off-again connection between the bicycle tourist and the rest of the world. That has to do with the passage of time, but I'm also talking about the significance of time. Knowing the date, or the day of the week, or accurately knowing the time of day is much less important to me when I touring on my bike compared with when I'm living the rest of my life. That doesn't mean I am able to ignore it completely. Recognizing the difference between weekday and weekend, or rush hour versus non-rush hour, can be very helpful. But who gets picked as a presidential running mate seems to pale in importance to how much longer it might continue to rain. "When am I going to eat next?" is a much more prominent question in my mind than "How many gold medals?"
But as the asphalt passes under my feet, and the cars whizz past, it is impossible to ignore the gravitational pull of civilization. My next water fillup might come from a convenience store and dinner might come from a grocery store in the next town. All these things are a constant reminder that I'm still a part of civilization, but in so many ways, I'm apart from it. What most matters to me while I'm touring on my bicycle becomes very basic. I need to protect myself from the elements; I need to maintain my health and nutrition, and I want to get to my destination. Any issue or concern that doesn't fall under one of those categories seems superfluous.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Slower traffic keep right
If you haven't had a dream like this, you've undoubtedly seen it on TV. The dream has the world moving around you in a high-speed blur while you are moving in slow motion. This is what bicycle touring is like for me. I'm traveling at a pace that most of the world can’t really wrap their minds around. The world around me is hopping in their cars and whisking away to their destination at about a mile a minute. By contrast, I’m plodding along at about one-sixth of that speed. What the motor-tourist can do in an hour could easily amount to a day’s effort on a bike. It’s like being in a different time zone. Every now and then the speeds synch up long enough to buy a Snicker’s bar or shooting down the backside of a mountain pass and taking the whole lane… Taking the lane because at 40 miles per hour I need a greater margin of safety to avoid pot holes, road debris, and the edge of the pavement, but also because I’m pretty much doing the posted speed limit. But these are fleeting moments and suddenly it’s back to being like a scene from the classic movie, “The Time Machine” or “The Matrix”.
Monday, September 8, 2008
It is different when you don't have to be back at work any time soon
Going for a ride on your bicycle is very different when you don't plan to be back home that day. We met these two and shared some space with them. They don't plan on being back home for a couple of years.
Ken and I were just a bit younger then Anna and Alister when we did our first tour. I think that we were still at it almost 30 years later, was an inspiration to them. Several days later, when we reconnected with them at the top of Sinclair Pass while I was at an emotional low point, their youthful enthusiasm, optimism, and sense of adventure raised my spirits more than I would have imagined possible. (The banana and orange juice helped too, so thanks again!) Bon voyage. Enjoy your trip. It will change you in ways that you can't anticipate.
Fudge? Maple Walnut of course!
Aragorn: Gentlemen! We do not stop 'til nightfall.
Pippin: But what about breakfast?
Aragorn: You've already had it.
Pippin: We've had one, yes. But what about second breakfast?
[Aragorn stares at him, then walks off.]
Merry: Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin: What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Merry: I wouldn't count on it.
Pippin: But what about breakfast?
Aragorn: You've already had it.
Pippin: We've had one, yes. But what about second breakfast?
[Aragorn stares at him, then walks off.]
Merry: Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin: What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Merry: I wouldn't count on it.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Lake louise
Wow they are burned and thin..worn around the edges. Steel legs with more than a month of pedaling. We had fun! 2 days at the Paradise Bungalows
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
