Friday, September 3, 2010

Done?

We've finished our cross-country trek. And I did a HORRIBLE job keeping up with this blog! I knew it would be hard, but the lack of internet time (and lack of any type of computer to access it) was even more tough than I expected. Ok, ok, and maybe the increase in laziness-exhaustion increased throughout the trip as well!

I did journal the entire trip via pen-and-paper. I look back now at all the pages, and can't believe that 69 days have gone by already. I can't wait to flip through my journal's pages next year, and reminisce. It's truly hard to grasp the concept of the feat we all have just accomplished.

The BFG is somewhere taking her trek BACK across the country, though she is in pieces now and all boxed up with some of my dirty clothes taking up what breathing space their used to be in there. I really got attached to my bike. It became less of an instrument, and more of a friend to me - especially after a numbingly cold & wet 2 days in Glacier National Park. At the base of Logan Pass, when the sun finally came out, and we were able to pull off some of the layers of clothing we had on, we stopped at a little General Store. I found a great sticker that said "Glacier" and had a picture of a Moose on it - and I adorned the BFG's rear wheel bar with the sticker. That moment I realized she was more to me than a vehicle of rubber and aluminum.

Will I anxiously pull her out of the box when the Fed-Ex man drops her off at my door? I think I might. I've not ridden my bike for nearly 10 days now, and I'm actually excited to get back in the saddle again. Certainly not for a 70-mile ride, but maybe 20 would be nice. My riding confidence has skyrocketed, and so I know my rides at home now will be much more enjoyable than they were back in May and early June.

I'd try to give details of my trip now, but the timing is all off, and I couldn't do it justice re-writing it all in this blog. The second half in summary:

Wisconsin: Unexpectedly beautiful, rolling hills, farms, little traffic.
Minnesota: More swampy than expected, mosquitos, trees.
North Dakota: More green than normal, flat, lots of colors, beautiful - had the most terrifying roads of our trip.
Montana: East is boring, West is AMAZING. I have to come back
Washington: Mountains, trees, rivers, great people

What a great great GREAT experience. One that nobody can ever take away from any of us. I LOVE NUS'10 and I will miss you all <3

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