Getting off the Road and Onto the Trail is Part of the Journey

Last night in Yellowstone National Park I shared a campsite with two Swedish cyclists touring from the east to west coast. It's always fun to hang out with other cyclists, and we began comparing notes.

They said they bike at least 70 miles a day. Cool, I average about 50 or 60. They average a speed in the rolling terrain of about 12 mph. Me too! They've only taken one day off on their entire trip and are weeks ahead of their schedule, which I thought was crazy.

I realized that bike tour means different things to different people, and over the course of my own trip I've struggled to come to terms with what it means to me.

Am I just trying to meet a physical goal? At first I thought so, and I started setting very high expectations for myself... go this far, at this speed, in this many days... I kept this up until I was on the side of the road kicking my bike - tired in every way possible and not feeling like going on. That's when I realized I wasnt having fun any more.

Listen - last week I met up with friends in Bozeman for a wedding. Before I knew it, six days of partying and camping near West Yellowstone had flown by. I felt stressed, like I would never get out of Montana. So when a new angelic acquaintance offered to store my bike, lend me boots and a backpack, and get me into the park for free to hike, I hesitated, torn. I was already behind schedule!

Then he asked me, "What schedule, why?" That shut me right up, and I spent two wonderful days trekking alone in the backcountry of Yellowstone. I saw bears, elk and bison and secret geysers.

Sometimes when you're on a bike for enough days, it becomes the same as traveling by car. We spend so much time looking at the ground for sharp objects and dodging RVs that we don't even get a chance to look around us, much less explore the areas away from the highway.

My bike tour isn't a race. If I wanted to go fast, I'd be driving. I'm biking across the country because it's a way to travel. My bike is my means of transportation, and what good is traveling if you don't stop and experience the people and places that you are passing by?

If you are on a bike tour or planning to go on one, think about why you're doing it. And I urge you, as my friend urged me, to unclip! Take advantage of your surroundings. Live your life day by day, and walk for a while. Nothing feels better than getting off the road and getting on the trail.