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Thursday, April 12, 2012










Astoria -

The far west corner of our country....




...the end of my training...

..and the beginning
of an amazing
bike ride.






Dan's red pickup carried us Portland to Astoria...

As we hit the Hotel Astoria you could hear the question....










Do we really want to do this?

Chilly skies, hungry, scared...







But brave souls that we are we put on the bike gear...

(...the gear always helps...)

And biked to lunch..






The Wet Dog cafe...






We eat overlooking
the great
Columbia River...

.




..sitting next to bikers of the motored persuasion.





And despite the dire warnings of the risks...

...we take off
for the Pacific Ocean.






As soon as the clips are in the pedals, life felt good again.

This is the bike.

We have biked so many miles together.

And a mile in Astoria measures the same as a mile in Indiana.

Balanced on this thin frame of steel I feel at home.






Over the bridge bravely...





A little bit lost....







We finally find
the Western edge
of
America.







A moment of reflection...







......so much preparation...





so much waiting....





... for this very moment...

The moment the great journey begins is here.




I need a moment to remember the greatest influence on my life....





The man who cheered me on from the earliest training wheels through med school...







...marriage...




....childbirth...





....and now.....












Thank you, Dad, for always being there.

I dedicate this ride to you.

Happy Father's Day. 

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Day 52 - Back Home Again





It's amazing what you miss from home when you're biking across America for 50 days!




You miss your husband's great cooking.




Fresh fruit on the counter.




Your own pillow.





Your car.


And of course, the kids!




KC and Nicky are at Debi's getting their going-back-to-college Debi haircuts.




TJ, who just got his license before I left, pulls up in Beluga, the white Corolla.





And look! The braces are off!













When I walk in the door, Dusty isn't too sure what to make of me.









Stubby just wants food.









But the puppies are thrilled that I'm back.








I've biked over the Rockies and the Black Hills,

but one more mountain to climb....





....the stack of slides waiting for me to review at work.





I'm so excited to see The Land again!















After all, we were raising money for land conservation because we fell in love with this little piece of heaven in New Castle Indiana.



The land is full of life...




...and sometimes danger!










Now it's time for a good night's sleep in a familiar bed...




After so many sunrises out on the road...





It's so nice to watch the sun rise

over your own front yard

back home.




Click here to see the Flight continue...







Monday, August 23, 2010

Day 51 - Transition





This blogging thing has turned my world upside down.




Nothing duller than an airport.


Two hours of filtered air.

...muted talk

...stale light


But now that I see life as a blog, I find all sorts of interest in this trapped environment.






Patterns of light and shadow...






Stories waiting to tell...






Reflections






This time I enjoy my time wandering the airport looking for thoughts...

Now the bland moments of life are full of promise...

Patterns...

Moods...

Images...


The big moments

- the birthdays and Christmases

- they overwhelm you.




That's the time to toss the camera aside and live in the moment.


Granted, if you catch me with a camera under the Grand Teton, I'll have to take his picture.








But I begin to find more interest in the unnoticed bits of this world...

.



..like the airport trashcan.





But back to my story...





Sunrise in Portsmouth

(to drive KC crazy....)






It rained last night.






Bikes all packed for home...






People ready to be packed in vans.







A long drive to Logan airport...

chatting about the last 50 days we've shared.


The airport wait...

I migrate to the bookstore - my first in 50 days.






Everyone on the bike ride was reading Dragon Tattoo.






Finally I'm on the plane...

My outside world shrinks to 1x1.






But pull out my computer and my world opens wide!




I can feel the days in Wyoming all over again.








My thighs ache to be pedaling.





It seems just an instant before I see Indianapolis below the wing.







What will it be like to be home again?

Has my world changed while I wandered?