Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wanderlust

"Babe, check out my calluses," I say and extend my throttle hand toward him for inspection. He chuckles and says rather patronizingly, "Aw, how cute." I'm indignant, "Hey, don't laugh! I've worked really hard for them - I rode the same 12,000 miles you did!" As I sit down and try to finish writing this post just over a week after being back the ridges on the palms of my softer female hands have already started to fade. Bummer.

We were making our last push through cowboy country, the midwest and then home and I couldn't help but feel a little sad that things were coming to an end on this journey. At the same time my heart was full. The memories we've made, the beautiful things we've seen, and the friends we've met along the way, all part of what was not only an amazing trip, but something even more inspiring.

Riding 12,000 miles in 30 days may not seem like an attractive prospect to many. We certainly heard mixed reactions from friends and family - some incredulous, some concerned and some perhaps slightly envious. I am happy to report that our marriage weathered the trip well (rain tarp and all), our butts only a little less so, and we are only slightly worse the wear for all the miles. We are over 12,000 miles more enriched. As far as vacations go it did not rank high on the physically relaxing scale. But never before have I been able to mentally remove myself from my work or life at home and allow myself the luxury of mental indulgences. Only seldom did I have to make a conscious effort to push away thoughts of tasks and to-do lists that would be waiting for me. Instead, riding along on the bike, your mind indulges itself, mulling over things in detail. Some things important and some much less so. And the focus becomes on taking in the next 100 miles and whatever they have to offer. If I could answer the question about what is so freeing about being on a motorcycle, that would be it.

If you want to see a place, drive a car, take a train or go on a cruise. But if you really want to experience a place, ride a motorcycle through it. Things become rich with detail, smells become stronger and changes in temperature immediately perceptible. You become open to experience whatever the road has in store and in turn, you become part of the place and experience itself. You are no longer an outsider looking in. You are part of the story. There are certainly more civilized ways to travel, but bugs and all, I wouldn't trade this for anything.

We saw some amazing things. I'm sure Alaska is not to be trifled with in the winter. But in summer, just under the rugged exterior, you'll find she has a warm heart that will capture yours. Deeply enchanting, before you suspect you'll find yourself quite taken with her. She'll test you, captivate you and send you home full of longing to be back. She's humbled the toughest of men, yet nurtures an abundance of life.

Canada's Yukon and British Columbia offer sights so beautiful it becomes difficult to take them all in. If you ride with your face shield open at speed, the amount of air that rushes into your face will actually take your breath away. And such was the beauty these parts offered. It leaves you breathless and in wonder at the natural forces and creation of it all.

We met some amazing people along the way. Something about being on a motorcycle makes you more approachable and perhaps less threatening. I can't be sure what it is that puts people at ease, but it didn't matter where we stopped or for what length of time, we always heard, "where ya headin'?" or some similar version from an individual who's interest was peaked by our curious appearance. Covered in dust and bugs we were always happy to tell, and conversations would spark lasting anywhere from just a few moments to 30-45 minutes. Even the little girl at the gas station with her light brown bob takes a break from cleaning bugs off her mom's car to announce, “I'm going to Babba's house.” She keeps an eye on us as we fuel up, and wand in hand, looking closely at the bugs on my face shield offers sincerely, “I can clean that for you.” She wasn't the only one at ease with us, and our new friends Alan and Gail opened up their home to us for the night in Edmonton.

We met those that were just curious and those that were like-minded souls and on journeys of their own. Adventurers crossing paths, we met: Our new friend from Germany who quit his job, bought a bike and is riding to South America; our friend from Texas that was seeing all 50 states on motorcycle; the British fellow who just sold his business and was starting his journey, going wherever the road or whimsy would take him; the young man from Vancouver that was pressing on alone up the Demster highway; the Japanese couple, needing to see Alaska for themselves; the German fellow who rode on bicycle 19 months from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina; the couple, both doctors from Boise, she being one of the very few other women on a bike of her own we encountered; and so many more. Our paths would cross, sometimes more than once, stories would be shared and sometimes bits of the journey as well.

To be a little cliche... "my cup runneth over." I'm filled with a sense of accomplishment, the intense desire to see more and the feeling that there is a lot more good in the world than I think we give ourselves credit for. If there is one lesson for me that stands out the most it's that I've come away from this with a change in perspective. Gathering experiences like these throughout life will always be paramount to gathering possessions for us. The scale has tipped and as James said before we even left, we will never find ourselves reminiscing about the great new household item we've purchased, but trips like these will always yield amazing times and memories.

We found ourselves keenly aware of the blessing that taking this trip has been. Many retired travelers we saw along the way would urge us to make use of this time in our lives. "Use it wisely," they'd say, "do these things while you still have the desire and while the body is still on board with the decision." And we will as much as possible. This will not be the last trip of its kind for us.

Thank you for taking part in this journey with us. Knowing you were reading kept me writing and I've so enjoyed it. Continuing with our adventure theme, James will be leaving in two days for Officer Candidate School in New London, Connecticut. The Coast Guard will do their best over the next four months to make an officer out of him. It might be too late for the gentleman part (I'm sticking tongue out at him as I write this), but in my humble opinion they've already got the makings of a really great leader on their hands. James will have the opportunity to sail the Eagle, the Coast Guard's tall ship, to Spain before graduating in December. I won't be able to join James in the fun (and I'll miss seeing him doing push-ups to a cadence), so I'm going off on an adventure of my own. I'm packing up here, putting everything in storage, taking my dogs to my Aunt in California and heading off to Japan for two months - following my dream of learning Japanese and seeing the country. I will continue to utilize this blog to keep our friends and family updated on progress and where we'll end up as the year comes to an end.

We'd like to thank our friends Evan and Sheila in particular for staying at our home and taking such good care of the kiddos - aka the dogs. I don't think we would have been able to do a trip this long, or at least not with any peace of mind, were it not for their kind offer and we are so grateful.

The journey continues. Carpe Iter Itineris!

Little guy along the Cassiar.
From Jasper-Banff

From Jasper-Banff

Jasper National Park in Canada.
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff
From Jasper-Banff


Glacier National Park.
From Glacier-Montana
From Glacier-Montana
From Glacier-Montana


Hanging out in Montana.
From Glacier-Montana
From Glacier-Montana
From Glacier-Montana


Did I mention the bugs?
From Glacier-Montana


Seeing fam in Minnesota.
From Glacier-Montana


From Glacier-Montana