Detours

ANIMALS I’VE SEEN:
1. Big turtle (Virginia and Wisconsin)

2. Bright orange salamander (George Washington State Forest)
3. Orange and black 3″ centipede (George Washington State Forest)
4. “Wildomestic” dogs (Virginia, W. Virginia, Ohio)
5. Bald Eagle (W. Virginia, Idaho)
22. Longhorn Bull (Ohio)
7. Wild Llama? (Ohio)
8. Black weasel (Indiana)
9. Muskrat (Wisconsin)
10. Giant snapping turtle (Wisconsin)
11. Timber rattlesnake (Mississippi River Wisconsin)
12. Pelicans (Minnesota, Oregon, Norcal)
13. Pheasants (Minnesota, South Dakota)
14. Mule deer (Badlands, Colorado)
15. Desert chipmunk? (Badlands)
16. Owl (South Dakota, Colorado, Washington)
17. Dinosaur (South Dakota)
18. Buffalo/Bison (South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah)
19. Camel (Wyoming)
20. Prairie Dogs (Colorado)
21. Foxes (Colorado)
22. Black bear (Colorado Rockies, Washington Cascades)
23. Elk (Boulder, Wyoming, Big Sur)
24. Moose (Idaho)
25. Crawfish swarm (Utah)
26. Quail (somewhere in the midwest)
27. Whale (Port Orford, OR)
28. Brown Praying Mantis (Norcal)
29. Vultures (Norcal)
30. Unusually tiny squirrels (Norcal)
31. Starfish (Norcal)
32. Sea Otters (Santa Cruz)
33. Dolphins (Malibu)

NUMBERS
Times I’ve fallen over just trying to get started:
6
Inspirational people I’ve met:
100+
Inches of beard:
2+
Water bottles left behind:
4
Socks left behind:
5 (not sure what I’ll do with that extra one)
License plates found:
11
Hottest/coldest riding temperatures:
110/40 (Idaho)
Most days without a shower:
5 (South Dakota)

SOME THOUGHTS I’VE HAD:
-Sometimes it’s the place and sometimes it’s the people. Home is where it’s both.

-Traveling alone forces me to approach everyone as a potential friend, otherwise it would be a lonely journey!

-You can eat anything you want, just not everything you want at once.

-We can only sit in silent admiration for so long before our hearts pull us to experience it for ourselves.

-The more you expect good things to happen, the less it seems they do. Fortunately, the opposite also seems to be true.

-Rainy days make the sunny days brighter (which is also literally true if you think about how shiny things are when they’re wet!)

-If everything we said and did had to have a point then we would all be quiet, uncreative people.

-If knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss, then are power and bliss polar opposites?

REASONS TO GO EAST-WEST:
1. You’re not staring into the rising sun every morning
2. Crossing into a new timezone gives you an hour (not the opposite)
3. Lewis and Clark did it
4. I did it
5. The northwest is a great bicycle mecca in which to brag about your achievements
6. The California coast may be the best destination for recovery
7. Doing it in the face of prevailing winds give you serious cred
8. More towns east of the Mississippi means an easier time acclimating to long days on the bike.

ROADSIDE FREEBIES:
1. Hot Wheels Cadillac
2. Plastic toy lizard
3. Foam toy tiger head
4. Bungee cords
5. Pinwheel
6. Animal bones (small deer?)
7. Antlers
8. Construction safety vest (2)
9. Cotton shirt
10. Dollar bill
11. Live baby bird (moved to safety)
12. Bandanna
13. Belt
14. American flag
15. License plates (11)

THINGS YOU CAN DO WHILE TOURING…THAT YOU CAN’T DO AT HOME:
1. Snot rockets
2. Pee on the side of the road
3. Use (clean) boxers for a towel
4. Walk around in spandex (and feel good about it)
5. Wear the same couple of shirts and shorts without anyone ever noticing
6. Smell really bad for at least 8 hours a day…everyday
7. Wear Subway sandwich bags on your feet for a good reason (rain)