Sometime early last school year as we began our team teaching experience in American Studies, Rich Schurter and I decided that we would ride North on our bikes to Stillwater, Minnesota. Our goals were somewhat unclear, even to this day, but I think we were looking for something in America. What shapes us? What makes us unique? How do "we" change as we get further away from "home?" What is the voice of this land?
It would be the first road trip for me on a bike, and our path would complete a trip Rich started several years ago. We spent the entire year talking and planning. I bought my first road bike in January. Finally, school was out on Friday, May 29, and on Saturday, May 30 we were off. Rich's wife, Vicki, drove us to Kewanee, Illinois for us to start the first stretch to Muscatine, Iowa. The sunny and warm day was perfect except for one thing...wind. The wind was coming out of the west and we were on a westward path 90% of the day. The sustained winds were relentless and really beat us up.
Regardless of the wind, we did find enjoyment and some good laughs. Just south of Cambridge we rode past a "nice" junk shop that had a sign outside naming the establishment as "Fine Junque." I am sure any other day it would have been worth a stop.
The novice rider came out in me when we were leaving the BP station in Cambridge. We stopped in the street to wait for traffic to clear and I couldn't get my shoes out of the pedal clips and down I went, right in the middle of the street. I fell again later in the day, but that was the extent of falling for me on this trip. I was uninjured, but my pride took a bit of a hit.
As we traveled west, we met some very nice people. One in particular was a woman in the Casey's in Reynolds. It was a warm day and she came out to get our bottles to fill with ice and water. She said, "I take care of my bikers." Also, in Sherrard they gave us water and mentioned that it was good "well water." It did taste good! In Muscatine, a nice man at the Salvation Army Thrift store gave us perfect directions to our hotel. All of these people, and others, went out of their way and this day left both of us rejuvinated in the belief that there are good people out there. It is so easy to get caught up in the snap judgements and selfishness of ourselves and others that we begin to lose focus of our relationship with others. The technology that has made communication with others "easy," leave us to interpret or rather misinterpret meaning behind the communication. We forget that we are amongst human beings who live for response, feedback, acceptance. Today, we saw the smiles; we experienced the kind actions; we caught the subtle sarcasm and humor; we rode away into the west with a sense of small town America.
I know physically and mentally, as we pulled in to the Super 8 in Muscatine, I was telling myself that I did not have too many days in me facing the wind. If tomorrow was like today, it would be a much shorter trip than we had planned. We cleaned up, got a good dinner at Applebees and got some sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow, my muscles and mind would be rested.
It would be the first road trip for me on a bike, and our path would complete a trip Rich started several years ago. We spent the entire year talking and planning. I bought my first road bike in January. Finally, school was out on Friday, May 29, and on Saturday, May 30 we were off. Rich's wife, Vicki, drove us to Kewanee, Illinois for us to start the first stretch to Muscatine, Iowa. The sunny and warm day was perfect except for one thing...wind. The wind was coming out of the west and we were on a westward path 90% of the day. The sustained winds were relentless and really beat us up.
Regardless of the wind, we did find enjoyment and some good laughs. Just south of Cambridge we rode past a "nice" junk shop that had a sign outside naming the establishment as "Fine Junque." I am sure any other day it would have been worth a stop.
The novice rider came out in me when we were leaving the BP station in Cambridge. We stopped in the street to wait for traffic to clear and I couldn't get my shoes out of the pedal clips and down I went, right in the middle of the street. I fell again later in the day, but that was the extent of falling for me on this trip. I was uninjured, but my pride took a bit of a hit.
As we traveled west, we met some very nice people. One in particular was a woman in the Casey's in Reynolds. It was a warm day and she came out to get our bottles to fill with ice and water. She said, "I take care of my bikers." Also, in Sherrard they gave us water and mentioned that it was good "well water." It did taste good! In Muscatine, a nice man at the Salvation Army Thrift store gave us perfect directions to our hotel. All of these people, and others, went out of their way and this day left both of us rejuvinated in the belief that there are good people out there. It is so easy to get caught up in the snap judgements and selfishness of ourselves and others that we begin to lose focus of our relationship with others. The technology that has made communication with others "easy," leave us to interpret or rather misinterpret meaning behind the communication. We forget that we are amongst human beings who live for response, feedback, acceptance. Today, we saw the smiles; we experienced the kind actions; we caught the subtle sarcasm and humor; we rode away into the west with a sense of small town America.
I know physically and mentally, as we pulled in to the Super 8 in Muscatine, I was telling myself that I did not have too many days in me facing the wind. If tomorrow was like today, it would be a much shorter trip than we had planned. We cleaned up, got a good dinner at Applebees and got some sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow, my muscles and mind would be rested.
1 comment:
D.T.S.
Nice thoughts, you make us sound far more intelligent than we probably are.
rich
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