Why
I've got a big idea. I want to ride my bike 600 plus miles from my house in northwest Iowa to my in-laws in eastern Illinois. On the way I want to stop at my brother and sister-in-law's house near central Iowa. I want to do it in less than two weeks. I want to do it by myself camping along the way. I want to make big miles and go at my own pace. I want to have fun. Most of all, I just want to do it--deep down I'm not sure why.
I want to cook my own food as well. Not all of it--I look forward to greasy burgers at small town diners with fries on the side. I want to make Ramen noodles, beans and rice, and the occasional pork chop or steak on my small camp burner I haul along with me on my bike. I want to make instant coffee in the morning before I pack everything up and hit the road again.
I want to sleep in my tent in small campgrounds along the way. I want to pedal up to the site with everything I need on my bike. I want to setup camp, get a good night's rest, and pack up in the morning ready for whatever awaits. Hopefully, it will be smooth pedaling and gorgeous weather. I want to be prepared in case it is not.
I want to be flexible enough to adjust to reality. Right now the idea is to make it to my stop in central Iowa in a fairly short amount of time. If that doesn't happen because of weather or anything else, I'm willing to use support to get there and reset the trip.
I want to write about the trip before, during, and possibly after. I want to take pictures and possibly video. I think this will be difficult for me since most of the time, taking pictures is usually an afterthought. Perhaps I'm too old to be a part of the "snapchat" generation. I usually tend to want to enjoy the moment as it is instead of interrupting it for a "selfie." Call me old-fashioned. I don't mind. But, a trip like this deserves to be documented and I think, in the end, I'll be glad I did.
I call it an "idea" because that is it's current state. It hasn't quite made it past the point of being called a plan. Hopefully, writing all this down will help it cross that line. We'll see.
- Next: Let's do this.