Beginnings

Meet the ten riders who have self selected to cycle across the country with people they don’t know and become part of a unique “family”. The very nature of the trip, self contained with no vehicle support, means we will be depending on each other.

Shopping, cooking and clean-up for the group is shared. Two people do the work every five days. This first week we are getting used to the routine and learning the ropes. We have a terrific ride leader from Adventure Cycling Association who is next to me in the photo above, Wally.

Marie is French Canadian and one of two women on the ride. The day before we were set to depart from Williamsburg she had a freak fall in the parking lot at the motel and broke her wrist! It looked like her ride might end before it began. Instead of leaving with us in the morning she went to see an orthopedist. This evening, at the campground where we landed after two days of riding, Marie rejoined us. Here she is showing off her new cast. We are so glad to have her back with us.

It turns out that each of us has a unique reason for taking this journey as we have started to share with each other. We all know that we will be quite changed when it’s over, but at this point we don’t know just how. The journey has only begun.