Update. One year later.

While passing through Missoula last summer, Claire and I stopped at Adventure Cycling Association's headquarters where we were treated to ice cream and soda and got our picture taken for an ongoing project the organization does. They photograph every touring cyclist that visits with their bike and gather information about them. They mail out a form for you to update them on how your trip ended up. I received the form some time last August and, as usual, life got in the way and it remained on my desk for nearly a year. Yesterday, as I paged through the most recent issue of the Adventure Cycling Association's magazine and spotted the featured portrait and story, I realized it had been a year to the day since Claire and I returned home to Milwaukee and maybe I should finally send in my update. I took a few minutes to fill in the form and decided to add it to my blog as well, since I had also been meaning to write one final reflection entry after the trip. Sorry, some of this is repeat of what I just said:

As I flipped to the portrait at the back of the most recent issue of Adventure Cyclist, it crossed my mind that it had been exactly one year to the day since my sister Claire and I returned from our Portland, OR to Milwaukee, WI bike tour, and I'd venture to guess that this update has been sitting in my "to do" pile for nearly the same amount of time.

In all, our trip covered approximately 2600 miles and took us 45 days. We stayed in hotels only three times and only took three rest days.

When asked what my favorite part of the trip was, I'll give two answers. My favorite location was Idaho - the beautiful Clearwater River and fragrant pines that lined the highways we rode are second to none. But my favorite thing about the trip was definitely the people we met along the way. I often relate to others the story of the worst day of our trip - over 90 degrees with a strong headwind in the very hilly badlands of Montana - a day where we had to bike nearly 100 miles to reach the next town. Claire and I both broke down in tears that day. It was hard not to. Seeing your odometer read 6 MPH as you go down a hill and realizing you still have 50 miles to go makes for a very difficult day. Claire and I both owe much of our sanity that day to a man who saw us struggling, drove into town to buy cold water and Gatorade for us, and returned to give it to us - a journey that must have taken him at least 40 miles out of his way. We met countless other people who offered us places to sleep, friendly conversation, or even just extra room on the shoulder of the road. in my everyday life I don't come into contact with strangers like I did last summer, and it's easy to forget the inherent kindness in others.

In retrospect, one of the other things I liked best about the trip was our freedom. Everything we needed to live was on our bikes and, with the exception of a late August return requirement, we could take all the time we wanted. My life seems so busy right now - almost every minute seems tied up in something, be it work, friends, volunteering, family, etc. I often think of last summer and long for the days when my mind was only focused on the moment - right now I need to brush my teeth; right now I need to make dinner; right now I need to keep pedaling. These days I'm constantly thinking of when I can fit in everything I need to do in short 24 hours I'm given in a day.

I was hoping to be able to sneak in a shorter tour at the end of this summer before starting graduate school, but it's looking unlikely. Claire and I still hope to finish our cross country tour and ride from Milwaukee to Portland, ME at some point, but when that will happen still remains unknown.