Pedaling Pilgrim Blog Home

Them wild-eyed boys that had been away.

Seems crazy, but Geeto and Lecy met us at Common Fields in Corvallis this afternoon. We had bikes and bags packed and ready; after a celebratory beer we hid the road for Newport.

We took highway 20 over the densely forested Oregon Coast Range, some of which we’ll be riding on tomorrow. The rush hour traffic and occasional logging truck made for some heightened anxiety; we hope it’s a little more relaxed tomorrow as we have nearly 10 miles to travel on this road before we branch off. This may well be the most nerve wracking stretch of the 3,730 total upcoming miles of travel. But, I always told my kids growing up, “Its like my grandfather always said, if you eat a live toad first thing in the morning, nothing worse can happen to you the rest of the day.” Neither of my grandfathers actually ever said that; I don’t know where I heard it; but maybe one day my grandkids will attribute this saying to me when instructing my great grandkids.

(Quick aside: for those on Strava, all of our daily routes are out there as public maps. Here’s our ride tomorrow: Day 1: Newport to Corvallis. I’ll try to remember to provide these links in the future for you Strava nerds; I’m still trying to decide if I like it.)

It felt surreal with all of us in Corvallis today; it felt more strange with us three riders in the backseat as my girls drove us to the coast. It felt more like we were being driven to our execution than the start of a fantastic land voyage. But, we briefly enjoyed the beach. And, after a dinner filled with love and laughter, I’m reminded why I’m excited and grateful for this opportunity. Once we start turning the pedals over tomorrow, we’ll be where we’re supposed to be.

After over a year of scheming and many months of detailed planning, I’m ready to get this journey underway. This Anders Osborne song seems fitting; it’s not the most popular song ever, but I hope you enjoy it as it captures some of my feelings tonight: I’m Ready.