IT’S THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION

Day 14 – Sunset Bay State Park, OR. 108 km

Great weather for riding today, although it blows hard around here. When it’s from behind, which is usually the case, all is good. But when it’s a headwind (rarely) or from the side (often) it’s hard to take. Makes me wonder why people here put up with it. I couldn’t.

We reached two milestones today: longest ride and passing the 1,000 km point on our trip. Sophie’s bearing up heroically, but I don’t want to do this distance again for a while. I have to keep reminding myself, it’s the journey, not the destination we’ve committed to. This is an ongoing struggle.

We were obliged to share a campsite here with a couple from Eugene travelling with their dog, Indie, who is towed in a trailer. Brittany (32) is relentlessly cheerful and reminds me of the woman from Portlandia. Her partner (husband?) Tom is mid-sixties and retired. Interesting match-up. They are bound for Mexico but with no deadline. This is good, as they only make 25 miles a day. As Mexico is at least 1,000 miles away, it will take them a long time. But then, I think the destination is not really important for these two. It’s just a motivating idea. Their real purpose is engaging in the everyday routine of being on the road (with a dog!) on their bikes. Wherever that road eventually takes them, and for as long as they like it. I doubt they’ll reach Mexico. But I certainly wish them well.