There's nothing quite like...

I've often said, "There's nothing quite like riding away from home on a bicycle, knowing that you won't be back by bedtime." I don't think it really matters if you've loaded all your gear into panniers or if you put a suitcase in a SAG wagon. Whether you're going to Wickenburg for the night or riding coast-to-coast, either way, I think there's a heightened sense of freedom and independence that you just don't get from a day-ride. Bicycles are often a kid's first real experience with freedom. For me, getting a driver's license as a teenager was a big deal, but it was many years prior to that when I had realized that a bike was good for more than just riding up and down the same old street. With a bike I could actually take myself where I wanted to go and I could cover distances that I'd previously thought required a car and an adult driver.


Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. " I prefer to say that a person really only has to worry about three things in life: We have to protect ourselves from the elements and serious injury; We have to maintain proper nutrition; We have to decide to move around or stay put. Every other worry is either secondary or optional. This doesn't really get much more clearly apparent when traveling under your own steam. That is when you come face-to-face with what's really important in life. "Hydrate or die" isn't just a marketing slogan. The choice of what to take and what to leave behind becomes a very personal decision that has to do with what's really important to you.


Tim and Cindie Travis considered worry number 3 and decided to move around. They rode their bicycles away from their home in Prescott, Arizona and they just kept riding. I suspect that the desire to run away from home is nearly universal. A week in a time-share isn't quite like joining the circus, but maybe the driving force is basically the same for both. I think that the desire for adventure is universal. When I'm touring on my bike, it seems that everybody I end up talking to has a bike story. Usually it has to do with their cousin's daughter who rode to Tierra del Fuego or some such. I regard this as evidence of the universal appeal of adventure. Even if folks aren't up to it themselves, we all seem to thrive on living vicariously. The opportunity to share in other's experiences expands our horizons and makes us feel good. Sometimes it even inspires us into adventures of our own. Sometimes it creates a passion that might even grow to eclipse the original inspiration. I know my Dad's stories of riding his balloon tire bike around New England in his youth inspired me to try my hand at touring by bicycle and it's become a part of my life.

Well, just such an opportunity for inspiration is at our doorstep. Come hear Tim and Cindie Travis share their experiences of years of living on the road and seeing the world from the saddles of their bikes. You'll find the details of this upcoming event elsewhere in this issue of The Chain Letter. This is sure to be an inspiring event suitable for the whole family. Bring the kids, bring your spouse, bring your cousin's daughter. I'm sure you won't look at your bike the same after spending an evening with Tim and Cindie.