2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 9 - Rosedale, VA

"Hate never conquers hate; only love can do that."

Today I'd like to write about a topic that I think is really important, although it maybe a bit uncomfortable.  Some of you will think I am wrong, and that's OK.  I will espouse a philosophy that, while it might seem odd, is not something I came up with but is instead ancient as the hills.

 Riding through rural Virginia on back roads as we have, has been an awesome experience.  People have been so generous and kind and just wonderful.  There is a "downside", though - at least if you choose to see it that way.  We saw a few dozen confederate flags, a number of Trump signs.  We stopped at an unused convenience store and saw the "N" word graffitied on the floor.  Now, I know that, for a lot of people, these things are just wrong, as are the people that do them.  And that's the end of the story.  Fair enough.  I understand that perspective.  I empathize.   

Just a few weeks ago, I was out at dinner with a number of friends, and we started drinking and talking about politics (a dangerous combination).  I was labeled a Trump supporter.  Let me be clear: I am not a Trump supporter.  I am everything but a Trump supporter.  What I will claim, however, is that I am a Trump supporter supporter.  That is to say, I support the humanity and the fundamental value of people, even those that support Trump.  For example, my parents support Donald Trump for President, and I honor them as my parents, as human beings, and as my elders.  Do I think that Donald Trump would make a good president?  I do not.  I think he would be a disaster.  But that is not what I'm saying.  What I'm saying is that, even though a person puts up a confederate flag, I still respect them as a human.  I may feel that they are wrong, but I do not think they are somehow less of a person.  And this is where so many people go wrong; they lose respect for people with different opinions.  Then, because they have less respect, they talk down to them.  They try to tell them what to do, explain to them how wrong and evil they are.  And guess what?  It never, ever works.  Nobody responds to advice delivered without respect.  They will ignore you, and if you assert your authority, they will fight you, and if somehow you still win, they will do what you say under coercion, but they will hate you the whole time.  I believe this firmly: Donald Trump is partially a creation of the dominant liberal paradigm which refuses to treat their fellow citizens with respect and thus incites anger and rage.  I am interested in winning; both this election and the race for the fate of the country.  But I want to do it respectfully.  I want to be a good winner.  I want to shake hands at the end.  Hate never conquers hate; only love can do that.  

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 8 - Rural Retreat, VA

Today was an excellent day of riding through rural Virginia.  It was challenging, to be sure - we had a bit of wind and there were some hills.  But by and large, my body has responded really well to the ride, with no real aches and pains to speak of.  I've talked before here about how lucky I feel that I don't have a disease like MS.  But I think I haven't been adequately grateful for how well my body works.  I mean, I'm no athlete, and I could stand to lose some pounds, but really, I am in remarkably good shape, considering some of my poor habits.  I am riding with a bunch of young twenty-somethings and keeping up with them really well.  The point of this is not to brag; while I do feel that I can take credit for some of it, a lot of it is just luck.  Take my knee, for example; when I was 10 years old, I had that bad football accident and the doctors told me I might never walk without a limp.  And here I am, after 5 marathons and well over 3000 miles of bike touring, and I have so little pain that I can't tell which knee it is. 

I really feel inspired to use my body; given that it's healthy, I want to be out there, every day if possible, doing all the things. 

Meanwhile, here's some pictures of Virginia! 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 7 - Blacksburg, VA

All along the way, I learn or re-learn little life lessons.  Today we went and did a service project at the home of someone with MS; we raked all the leaves out of her yard.  And I was reminded that volunteering doesn't always involve glamour or even appreciation.  Not that today's work was unglamorous or unappreciated; it was awesome and they were happy to have us.  But the woman who actually has MS couldn't even come out to greet us because she has seizure-related issues.  I was just reminded that sometimes when you volunteer it can be thankless, and that when we volunteer, we have to do it without any expectation of a "return on investment".  The Baghvad Gita teaches that actions should be performed without regard to results but rather in accordance with conscience.  So that's today's lesson. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 6 - Blacksburg, VA

I have a little bit more time today to write - today was a short day into Blacksburg, only 40 miles, in preparation for our first rest day tomorrow off the bike.  There's a lot I could write about, but one of the things that I found interesting is this: Facebook is dead.  I've been hanging out with a pack of early twenty somethings, because they happen to share my biking pace, and one thing I've realized is that none of them give much of a crap about Facebook.  Oh, most of them have accounts, but they really don't use them.  Some of them just don't much care for social media period, but most of them do, they just don't use Facebook any more.  It's all about Instagram, or Snapchat, or a million other things.  All of which, by the way, they do on their phone.  For my age bracket, Facebook was a Big Deal.  We put our secrets up there, we planned our parties on there.  It was everything.  But they don't see it that way.  The ones that use it at all see it almost more as a professional network, a place maybe to talk about politics or causes that are important to them, or to hang out with family.  

Time marches on, huh? 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 5 - Troutville, VA

Depression is something I've struggled my whole life with.  It's something I am not alone in struggling with, of course; I had a conversation just today with a good friend about a depression-related issue.  One of the interesting and defining characteristics of my ride 2 years ago, though, was that I really never felt depressed.  I mean, I got sad during that trip for sure; I remember pulling off to the side of the road beneath a big tree and just crying my eyes out for 30 minutes.  But that felt like a release, not like anxiety or being trapped.

So I was sad, and a little surprised, to find that today I was depressed.  I wondered what was different about this trip.  Fortunately, because I've put time in on self-understanding, I figured it out quickly: it's the presence of other people, the struggle to fit in to a social group.  I suddenly realized I was worried about every little thing.  Will people think it's weird if I only brush my teeth at night?  Should I go hang out with this person, or that other one?  Why does everyone get up so early?  Why doesn't anyone seem to like my Facebook posts?  Am I a loser because I couldn't get enough donations?  Etc., etc.  My mind was occupied with this.  The blissful thing about that trip in 2014 was that I was absolutely, totally, 100% myself.

And so I made a commitment to myself: this trip is for me.  I'm going to do what I want, when I want, and be myself.  Not in an aggressive way, or to be difficult, but just to reassert that feeling of self-worth.

Also, Troutville is a hiking town, and that's really cool.  And fire departments are awesome people.

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 4 - Vesuvius, VA

Virginia is exceptionally green.  And I enjoy climbing things on my bike.  Those two things make the Blue Ridge Parkway a great place to hang out. 

Also, people are very nice.  That is all. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 3 - Charlottesville, VA

Today we got to meet our first recipient of some of our fundraising money.  I'd love to say it was a really heroic and inspiring experience - and of course it was, if you want to look at it through that lens.  But what I was really struck by was the humanity of it, the day-to-day issues.  This woman - Angela - and her husband - were there, her in her wheelchair.  And you think about the little things.  Not being able to own a normal car.  Him having to feed her at a restaurant because she can't work a fork.  This was just a normal woman, who had 2 boys and used to like to run and ride her bike.  And now she can't.

That's what stays with me. 

Also, the UVA campus is gorgeous.  Good job, Thomas. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 2 - Mineral, VA

It's always interesting when you try to start integrating yourself into a new social group.  Today's lesson: I need to adjust to be an early riser.  I'm usually an out-by-9:30-ish kinda guy.  So last night when they told us the van was heading out at 8:00, I set my alarm for 7:00.  By 7:30, when I walked out into the parking lot, the place was a ghost town!  So I'm traveling with early risers.  That's OK; I can adjust! 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 1 - Glendale, CA (65.96 mi)

Day 1 in the bag.  A beautiful ride through eastern Virginia.  Virginia (the state) recently built a really awesome bike path that goes a good 30+ miles, and we rode the whole length of it, under trees and shade.  It was, really, a perfect day of riding, a great way to get started and get our legs under us. 

2016 TransAm/Western Express Day 0 - Yorktown, VA

Today was day 0 - Yorktown, VA.  Getting ready to start the ride, saying goodbye to my parents.  We visited the American Revolution museum here and saw some cool stuff, watched a man firing a musket and demonstrating "linear tactics" (I.e. Stand here and die, please).  Interesting tidbit: we really won the war because of the French.  I can't wait to get on the bike and get started! 

Day 141 - Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico

A brief PSA about sunburn.  One of the downsides of my awesome kayaking adventure in the sun is some red, sensitive skin.  My father has had skin cancer over 10 different times, and my mom's had it as well - so watch it!  I'm not a big sunscreen fan, but of course it's the best medicine.  I'm inclined to think the sun has positive effects as well, but too much is no good.  And a huge part of prevention is staying aware of your own skin and watching for any weird changes.  I'm including a link here to WebMD's great page about skin cancer.  Check yourself!

http://www.m.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/melanoma-guide/sunburn-and-skin-cancer-topic-overview

Day 140 - Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico

“A fool will ask for a glass of water while he is drowning” - American Dictionary of Proverbs

As I lay back in the kayak and stared up at the sun, paddle laying across my legs, I realized I was having a Moment.  I’ve developed this particular aspect to my life philosophy; this idea of Moments.  It all started when I was running the San Francisco Marathon for the first time.  It was as I stepped off the curb on to The Embarcadero, at about mile 25.  I suddenly realized that the moment I was living in, that particular moment, was one I would remember the rest of my life.  Time slowed down and all the details of the moment got burned into my brain; the way the curb looked and felt, the aching in my legs, the finish line banner up ahead.  I had recently completed some meditation training and I think I was looking to live in the moment; *working* at it when suddenly it just naturally clicked and washed over me.  I realized it was a special moment, and even though I didn’t know quite what it meant, I swore I would look for more of those in the future.  That moment felt like a beginning.  I’ve since had one other; when I was on my bike ride and I stopped at a river outside of Sweethome, left my bike along the banks of the river and went and sat down on a rock and let the water flow over me.  Again, I didn’t ask for the moment; I suddenly felt it again; this sense that this particular moment was worth the pursuit.  It was like a sign that I was on the right path.

And now, here in Puerto Vallarta, I had my third.  In that moment I realized that it was all building up to this.  It’s hard to put into words, but they’re like lights at the feet along a path, illuminating just enough to get you near to the next one, so that the leaps of faith are a bit less scary.  This one felt like an inflection point; a sort of beginning, but maybe more like a transition between acts.  In that moment, I realized that only three things really mattered to me; the people I care about, the beauty of teaching, and the joy of personal fitness.  Nothing else much matters to me.  And so, one of the reasons I’m mentioning that here is that I think it will inform how this blog works going forward.  I may still write about philosophy and life.  I’ll certainly be writing about travel while I’m on my bike trip.  But increasingly you’ll find more here about health, fitness, nutrition and a lifestyle that blends body and mind.  Not to sound like a hippie.  I think my engineering background will still inform my desire to stick to science and things that make concrete realistic sense.  But the goals have shifted; it’s less about success and more about the feeling of the sun on your back, kayak paddle gripped in both hands, arms burning and a smile as big as the bay around Puerto Vallarta.  So look for more along the lines of exercise science, nutrition goals, outdoors knowledge and the active lifestyle here in this space.

Day 126 - Jacksonville, FL - Consumerism

I know, I know.  It's boring.  "Buying things is bad".  "Americans buy too much stuff".   Thing is, though, like a lot of boring stuff in life, it's still true.  Sitting here in BJs, waiting for my parents to finish picking out...actually I don't know what they're picking out...I feel like this makes a good theme for the blog today.  What I've figured out is, it isn't buying things per Se is bad.  Here's the issue: things we buy control us.  Partly that's because of the ownership; they take space, they need maintaining.  Possessions take work.  But more crucially, every dollar we spend is like a tiny little cage.  It obligates us to then earn that dollar back.  The more dollars we spend, the more we have to earn.  The first few dollars aren't so bad; we can do what we love and still make some money.  But as we start to spend more dollars, we work ourselves into a corner.  Either we have to deal with the anxiety of being broke or in debt, or we have to find something really lucrative to do.  If you're lucky enough to genuinely love doing something that also turns out to be lucrative, then more power to you.  But for most of us, being forced to make more money really limits our options.  And many of us wind up doing something we don't love to support our possessions.  And then, the irony is, if you're me anyway, you wind up spending a lot of that money trying to forget your unhappiness at what you wind up doing with your life.  Which is a vicious cycle.

So, you know, like your mom always said, when you pick it up, think twice about whether you really need it.  And maybe spend less time at BJs. 

Day 125 - Jacksonville, FL - Planet Fitness

Here to train for my up coming ride (http://tinyurl.com/AdamBikes) in addition to visit my family, I wanted to join a gym.  My home gym is 24 Hour Fitness, and I like them very much, but they don't exist out here yet.  The closest gym to my parents' place is a Planet Fitness, so I decided to give them a try.  Planet Fitness has a really interesting model/niche; they are the gym for people who have never joined a gym.  Their gyms are very basic, by a gym rat's standards.  There are no swimming pools or hot tubs or saunas or towel service.  There aren't even any classes, which are a staple these days.  The equipment, in scope, resembles a hotel workout center: cardio machines of various stripes and then weight machines.  A real gym aficionado would turn up their nose.  However, they have a few huge advantages.  First, they are really clean.  They smell good.  All the equipment works and is identical and easy to use.  They clearly contract out their workout equipment; it's all done up in their own colors and uses a coherent and consistent system.  They have messaging all over the gym about how "You belong", "Judgement Free zone", etc., etc.  Unlike most gyms, the clientele is generally older and out of shape.  They're open 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and staffed at all times.  They teach "training classes" which are small-group (5-1 max) training classes about how to use the machines and work on different muscle groups. And maybe most importantly, they are dirt, dirt cheap.  All of this is set up to appeal to the person who traditionally made excuses not to go (too expensive, too confusing, too many beautiful people).

Day 124 - Nashville, TN - Prince's Hot Chicken Shack

I swear this isn't going to turn into a food blog.  The thing is, though, when you're flying through a city, the one thing you always have time for is a hot meal.  And, in this case, we drove all day to go to Prince's Hot Chicken Shack.  I loved this place.  First of all the food was amazing.  The chicken was fried in very hot grease which keeps the flavor in without making things greasy.  I got the Hot and my Dad got the Medium but they were both hot enough to make our lips hurt and the tops of our heads sweat.  But you knew it would be good because there was no attempt to butter you up with decor or anything.  The place was very real.  I commented to my Dad that one of the things I liked about places like that was you could feel their relationship to the local community.  I guarantee they were providing a bunch of jobs, and probably to people that needed them.  And the woman sitting at the front selling her baked goods makes a mean chocolate chess pie.   

Day 123 - Columbia, MO - Braum's

Kansas, y'all.  Kansas.  As I rode across that great state, I got excited for the return trip on my bike.  Boy, it sure is flat. 

Anyway, one nice thing about sailing through KS is that I got to return to one of my roots; Braum's Ice Cream.  Braum's, for those who didn't spend significant time in the Kansas/Oklahoma/North Texas area, is a chain of fast food-ice cream restaurants that have grocery stores inside them.  It's a weird combination that works for them because most of them got their start as small stores in small towns.  And they still have that small town feel.  Most importantly, though, they make an absolutely killer hot fudge sundae.  Worth the drive.​

Day 122 - Denver, CO - Arches National Park

I'm mostly going to just let the pictures speak for themselves today.  Arches is really cool (obviously).  We also got to drive through Moab, and I really would like to get back there someday; there's a company called Boutique Air that can get you there from Denver and I'd like to spend a week there biking, rafting, and climbing.  Arches is a reminder of the power and the ephemeral nature of the natural world and I'm glad I got to see it, however briefly. 

Day 121 - Salt Lake City, UT - Panic Button

Today was an interesting day.  Taken as a whole, we had a good day of travel, making it over 600 miles.  I got to show my Dad the John Day Fossil Beds, which are amazing.  And the terrain was beautiful.  We had a few issues with the car.  Essentially, we ran out of oil, and we have no idea why.  I happened to decide to make a stop to get off at Culver's for ice cream, and it's a good thing I did, because if I hadn't, we might have had the engine seize up on us on the highway.  We ended up bouncing around going to Walgreens and Walmart looking for oil.  It was one of those experiences in life where there's moments of sheer panic and confusion but everything turns out all right in the end!  I'm learning to try to roll with those moments more; everything always seems to turn out all right, so what's the point of panicking?  It was great to have my Dad around; he was a big help.  We still have no idea what - if anything - might be wrong with the car.  But it's a beautiful day, we made good progress, and the world is a happy place. 

Day 120 - Mitchell, OR - Eastern Oregon is cool

Yeseterday and today have been really dense and it's going to take some time to unpack them.  Right now I am in the Oregon Hotel in Mitchell, OR.  This is a place I've been before; in fact, I know what day it was because I left my name in the Guest Book on July 17, 2014.  That was the day I chased the Forrest fires that had closed Highway 26 by riding my bicycle on Forest Road 22 around through rutted pathways and hung out with a wagon train in the Oregon forest.  It's so fun to relive those memories; it's even more fun to do it with my Dad.  Life is full of bizarre coincidences and weird moments; right now my Dad is using my virtual reality helmet to watch great white sharks in a hotel I stayed in 2 years ago.  We're here because we ran out of gas, and a trucker here in Mitchell had to help us refill our tank, and while we were at it, somehow we ended up with a hotel room.  Skeeter - the woman who rented me my first room - is still here.  Sadly her husband had a stroke so now she runs the whole hotel.  126 people live in Mitchell, and I think we met half of them. 

I forget sometimes how great life can be.  Today is an exercise in remembering. 

Day 118 - Portland, OR - Taking Yourself Seriously

A few days ago, I was talking to my Dad - you can always count on my Dad to get to the heart of the matter - and, deep into the conversation, he made the throwaway observation that I "take myself too seriously.  It's just life."

At the time that observation didn't make much of an impact on me, but as I've had time to sit with it, it's occurred to me that he is really, really right.  The last 7 or 8 years, I've felt this sense that I'm on a journey.  This journey has led me to do things like run marathons, climb mountains, lose weight, move around, date a lot, get another Masters degree, try to become a teacher, learn to rock climb, etc., etc.  All of which is great.  But a creeping trend has started to seep in around the edges: I don't really have as much fun as I used to.  It's not something that happened all of a sudden.  I never sat down and said "fun is bad".  It's just been an outgrowth of getting older, of spending a lot of time alone, and of generally finding that I mistrusted people more than I used to, combined with this sense, this drive that somehow I had to accomplish something, get something done.  I think it's made me grumpy, and I need to course correct away from it.  Not in a rictus smile "Mandatory Fun" kind of way, but just in a genuine, natural way.  For example, I used to play video games for fun.  Now I rarely do that, and when I do, I'm really type A about it.  I used to read murder mysteries, just for kicks.  I liked to eat and drink a lot.  I threw parties.  Now I go out and hike; which is great, and awesome.  But sometimes I just don't let my inner child out.  I used to do theater.  I even tried to learn to sing.  Now I don't even sing in the shower. 

I was reading this really interesting story in the New York Times today about psychology in China, and there was the following passage, about the oppression of people, but it resonated with me: "the pressure to succeed is enormously high. They hope that with success they can protect themselves from the arbitrariness of the rulers. They strive like this to avoid becoming helpless objects. Basically this obsession with success is a fearful way to live." [emphasis mine].  That's pretty deep right there. 

I tell this story to remind myself, but also as a cautionary tale to anyone else out there who, like me, might be headed into their late thirties and maybe has lost the drive to just be stupid, to go out and have a good time, to let loose and not take things as seriously.