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The Life's Too Short Tour
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Days 96 and 97: On the High Way
St. George, Utah.The picture posted below is the motel room I'm in at the moment. Motels like this are my home. I can't remember the name of this place, Value Inn, Quality Inn, or something like that. It is another Indian-American-owned motel, which I knew the moment I entered the office for the scent of curry and incense. These days I don't even feel good about a motel unless I hear an Indian accent from the clerk. Today, since I have a relative short day of riding, 41 miles, I'll stay here until check out time at 11 a.m.Yesterday's ride on Interstate 15 was fantastic. I like the highway. It was the fastest ride I've accomplished yet. I made 56 miles in about three hours. I-15 is flat, largely downhill, and with a wide shoulder. It was comforting to be on a route that was not in some remote and windswept wilderness. Today I contiunue on I-15 to Mesquite, Nevada. I'll ride through Arizona enroute, through a tricky part of the freeway at Virgin River Gorge, where shoulders narrow for a few miles. Then on to Las Vegas, where Cornerman First Class Stephen is reserving a room for me at Holiday Inn. He continues to be there in my corner between rounds.Today the temperature is going up to 105 degrees fahrenheit. I have faced this kind of heat before, in Virginia, in Kentucky, and once through Kansas, and suprisingly it is not that much of a problem. On the bicycle the forward motion at 10 to 20 miles per hour provides a steady flow of air which cools.On the interstate yesterday I pedaled by two police officers along the way, and they did not react, so that proves the legality of cycling on the highway here in Utah. A few cars honked in salutation, probably fellow bicycle tourers, and I gave each a salute.I was sitting in a mountain cafe eating a burger, and songs that played over the sound system bought back memories. First it was It's Too Late, by Carol King in 1972, which brought me back to Cape May, New Jersey, as a young kid when that song was on the radio. "It's too late, though we really did try to make it, something inside has died..." The scent of the marshes and the sound of the seagulls, in the backseat of a car headed down the highway with my young parents, welled up in my mind. Next it was the song Dream Weaver, by Gary Wright in 1976, which had me in the mountains of Pennsylvania, on a school bus on a winter day. These old memories stirred something up in me, measuring life's brevity in a metric of change and loss, breaking me down there on the mountain.In emails, I frequently get messages from those I've met along the way. Steve and Barb from Minnesota, the cyclists I met in Virginia months ago whom I described as "warm and friendly as people get," continue to keep in touch. Damon from Telluride, who gave me a day in a luxury spa, wrote saying "I know this won't be enough adventure for you. You should get on a freighter and go to China and keep going. And if you do, tell me and maybe I'll join you!" I would keep going, straight to China and onward, if I had the budget for such a trek. I would just keep pedaling and pedaling right around the world, and maybe I will.until later...
4 comments:
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Tommy,
Our friend Arthur always says "When if's and but's are candy and nuts, we'll all have a real good time".
Don't ever give up. You're commitment to love more and better is a worthy road to be on....it's just bumpy is all.
So, so glad to see that you have a room for the night and that Cornerman First Class Stephen is doing a good job. Gotta' love that Cornerman....I sure do!
Dave, Your encouraging and supportive words are wonderful to see. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
Each day a new start - GO, Tom!
Love you very much,
Kathy
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Tom
This is Mitch from your 27th day, in Haysi, VA. I'm glad to see your journey is moving right along, and it appears that it reveals all different kinds of beauty at each new location. That day we drove up the mountain with you toward the Breaks was our first day of the summer in which we had volunteers working on homes. Since then, our 7 weeks managing over 500 volunteers for the summer has ended, and we were able to work on 15 different family's homes, building two large additions for families that didn't have enough bedrooms for their children, building several wheelchair ramps for elderly individuals and for a young man who is paralyzed, rebuilding floors that had already falling through, insulating homes that had no insulation, fixing roofs that had fallen through and were leaking into the homes, providing septic systems for two families that never had healthy and legal means of waste disposal, and we were even able to pave a driveway for a family who's driveway was so steep that they often couldn't drive up to their home when it was raining or snowing. It was an amazing summer and Chelsea, myself, and the rest of my staff felt so blessed to have been a part of it, and to have been a part of so many peoples' lives, including yours. It is very encouraging to see how you have used your life to touch so many others. God Bless on the rest of your journey.
Mitch
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“The more arguments you win, the less friends you will have”
- Anonymous
Tom,
"Breaking Down" always feels to me like something will need fixed. From everything you have been writing I can't help but feel that any needed repairs are well underway. Heightened emotions at times require one to go through a "Cleansing"...amazing how things look and feel afterwards.
You have such a wonderful group of family, supporters and new friends. We that have met you while on your ride are very lucky indeed. The final days of your tour are at hand. I will have a vacant spot when the blog is done but am already looking forward to your planned book. I will surely buy one.
Keep on keeping on. God Bless.
Dave (Kansas)