Most of you already know generate all the written content for this
website by tapping away on my iPhone. It is in a sense convenient and
it is light weight, but it is of course far from ideal. It is quite
often difficult for me to write, not for a lack of ideas, I have a
list of nearly a hundred articles I'd like to write for the home page
and many hundreds I could write which don't relate to the trip. And
let's not even mention how desperately behind I am in my journals
where there is so much incredibly good and interesting stuff I can't
wait to share. Part of the reason I am so behind is that I don't have
time in the morning nor during the day. The sun is simply not up for
enough hours. At night I fall asleep quickly and generally feel like a
spent balloon. One that has been inflated and stretched, but then
emptied. Writing feels like picking up that thin sticky shell in your
two hands and trying to wring more air out of it. And in typing on
this little phone it feels like trying to paint a massive painting,
but only being able to see one square inch at a time, and only having
random minutes here and there to work on it. It's like boxing, the
bell dings, you stagger over to the corner and painstakingly add
another inch of color to the canvas, trying to remember what you've
already done and how this square need fit in. Then, much to soon, you
return to the fight.
On March 3rd, 2010 I arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina and ended my journey to the southernmost city in the world.
This ride is a reminder of what can be accomplished through perseverance and a little hard work. It’s a reminder of what we as people are capable of, of what the human mind, body and spirit can achieve. I hope that I can help people realize that while it may take time, and it may be harsh and lonely at times, we can make our lives how we dream them to be. I do not want to be guilty of owning a life devoid of any living. Comfort and convenience are not synonymous with happiness!
For some reason I am under the impression that I will find both myself and God somewhere along this road. Maybe I won’t find either, but I must look! I want to allow the light of introspection a pure and undiluted chance to examine my soul. I have found greater value in thoughts born in solitude than those that spring from the fray of ordinary life. I hope this trip will be the beginning to a life full of experience, beauty and understanding. I don’t ever want to forget the way the world felt when I was a child: magical and huge, full of possibility and hope. I won’t let go of that. I am an artist at heart, and this, I hope, will be my first great work.
For some reason I am under the impression that I will find both myself and God somewhere along this road. Maybe I won’t find either, but I must look! I want to allow the light of introspection a pure and undiluted chance to examine my soul. I have found greater value in thoughts born in solitude than those that spring from the fray of ordinary life. I hope this trip will be the beginning to a life full of experience, beauty and understanding. I don’t ever want to forget the way the world felt when I was a child: magical and huge, full of possibility and hope. I won’t let go of that. I am an artist at heart, and this, I hope, will be my first great work.
I am riding to raise awareness for 'Acirfa,’ a non-profit organization which provides quality bikes to the people of Zambia, giving them the means to help themselves, rather than depend on charity. A bicycle changes the life of a Zambian in ways that are difficult for Americans to imagine, allowing doctors to see more patients, parents to make a living and teachers to get to school.
To clear the air and clear your head, ride a bike once a week!
On Facebook? Join the Earning the Horizon group!
