Sunday February 15
"A man cannot entirely disconnect from the past. To try to is the American impulse, but to look at the steady continuance of the past is to watch time get emptied of its bluster because time bears down less on the continuum than on the components. To be only a nub in the eternal temporary is still to have a chance to see, a chance to pry at the mystery. What is the blue road anyway but an opportunity to poke at the unseen and a hoping the unseen will poke back?"
-William Least Heat-Moon
"Blue Highways"
"A man cannot entirely disconnect from the past. To try to is the American impulse, but to look at the steady continuance of the past is to watch time get emptied of its bluster because time bears down less on the continuum than on the components. To be only a nub in the eternal temporary is still to have a chance to see, a chance to pry at the mystery. What is the blue road anyway but an opportunity to poke at the unseen and a hoping the unseen will poke back?"
-William Least Heat-Moon
"Blue Highways"
'Why are we out there in the first place?' Why does one desire to ride 1700 miles in 17 days. In Mountains. In Weather. Insane? No, i think not. Beyond all the obvious reasons: Fitness, Fellowship, Bicycling, I think for me there is a greater thing; Discovery.
Before i signed up for "Eastern Mountains" I did an interesting exercise; I made a map of the proposed route at the scale 1" equal to 10 miles. We laid the map out on the floor and tip to tail it is over 12 feet long. 12 Feet. 1 lousy inch equals 10 miles. 12 feet. so, "as a crow flies" that would be 1500 miles. But this is a bike trip, not a flight. 1700 miles. 112,000 feet of elevation change. The fear began to take hold. I thought.."No Way" then I started to study the map. Of the 9 states the route goes through, i have never been to 7 of them. Oh, and i consider myself "well traveled" Being from the Midwest, the Appalachians are not exactly the first thing your parents think of when they stuff you in the station wagon for the summer road trip. Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon is.
Fact is, I don't know the eastern part of our great country well at all. this will be an awesome opportunity to see the back roads of the eastern US, where the real people live, where history happened, where nature is the star. So, why am i going to be out there? Fellowship, Fitness, to finish, and i think most importantly: " to have a chance to see, a chance to pry at the mystery....an opportunity to poke at the unseen and a hoping the unseen will poke back."
I now have the map of the eastern mountains route tacked to the wall in the basement right next to where my bike-trainer is set up. Each time i get on the bike, the big ol long map stares back at me. Each nights rest stop circled in red. This week for the first time i thought..."Yes Way"
Craig
Before i signed up for "Eastern Mountains" I did an interesting exercise; I made a map of the proposed route at the scale 1" equal to 10 miles. We laid the map out on the floor and tip to tail it is over 12 feet long. 12 Feet. 1 lousy inch equals 10 miles. 12 feet. so, "as a crow flies" that would be 1500 miles. But this is a bike trip, not a flight. 1700 miles. 112,000 feet of elevation change. The fear began to take hold. I thought.."No Way" then I started to study the map. Of the 9 states the route goes through, i have never been to 7 of them. Oh, and i consider myself "well traveled" Being from the Midwest, the Appalachians are not exactly the first thing your parents think of when they stuff you in the station wagon for the summer road trip. Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon is.
Fact is, I don't know the eastern part of our great country well at all. this will be an awesome opportunity to see the back roads of the eastern US, where the real people live, where history happened, where nature is the star. So, why am i going to be out there? Fellowship, Fitness, to finish, and i think most importantly: " to have a chance to see, a chance to pry at the mystery....an opportunity to poke at the unseen and a hoping the unseen will poke back."
I now have the map of the eastern mountains route tacked to the wall in the basement right next to where my bike-trainer is set up. Each time i get on the bike, the big ol long map stares back at me. Each nights rest stop circled in red. This week for the first time i thought..."Yes Way"
Craig
"The important point is to set a goal just beyond your reach
So If you do meet it, you'll feel really good about the fact that you did your best
Considering the circumstances
As opposed to just like cruising in and then two days later,
you start thinking back, "Gee we could have done better""
-Pete Penseyres
So If you do meet it, you'll feel really good about the fact that you did your best
Considering the circumstances
As opposed to just like cruising in and then two days later,
you start thinking back, "Gee we could have done better""
-Pete Penseyres
No comments:
Post a Comment