The Inside scoop

(Week 4, Day 2, Tuesday, June 29th)

I had to ride my bike inside today using my trainer, due to threatening thunder and lightning outside this afternoon due to having not ridden early this morning as I should have due to having stayed up late last night watching the Gamecocks win Game 1 of the CWS Championship. Normally I don't much enjoy riding inside - it can get boring quickly and you don't even get to go anywhere. However, it has its advantages...
For instance, there's no need to wear a helmet unless you really have no balance whatsoever and are prone to falling off of stationary bikes. There's also no need for sunscreen (even I can get away without it) or extra water bottles. It's easy to listen to music to keep you entertained, or even watch TV. And, most importantly, there are no cars around to try and run you over.

I used about 20 minutes of my one hour working on my rear derailleur trying to get all seven gears to work. I only succeeded in convincing five of them to cooperate, which is better than none. Once I finally gave up on that, I grabbed a book to read called Blue Highways. It's one of those books I was supposed to read in college for some random class that had nothing to do with my major. Of course, I didn't have enough time to read it when I was supposed to, but kept it in case the future-me had nothing better to do or to read one day and grabbed it. I guess that day was today. I had read some of it back in college - enough to make me want to hang onto it - but I didn't remember a bit of it. And so I began again...

The book began with the author stating, in so many words, that his life was a mess, he felt like a failure, and he just wanted a way to start over. His plan? To take his Ford van and drive across America using only the blue highways on the map. He wanted to experience the back roads, the boondocks, the off-the-beaten-path places and people America has to offer. The book's stories occurred in the 1980s, so it may be slightly outdated... but, then again, it really isn't. I only made it to page 26 during my simulation ride, so I can't yet tell you much about what happens.
As I was reading the book, though, I could understand where the author was coming from and why he was going, for lack of a better word, nowhere. Now, to draw a connection between Blue Highway's purposefully aimless wanderings and my efforts to support the cause for the Alzheimer's Association through a 3-day bike ride is a bit of stretch. However, one of mine and the author's purposes are similar - to get out of our comfort zone, to experience this great country (or at least part of it), to take the road less traveled. When it comes right down to it, I am getting a small chance of a lifetime. I get to hop on my bike and experience the state of SC on two wheels. And, to make things easier for me, I don't even have to worry about water stops, meals, or where I will sleep each night.

Isn't that a pleasant thought to chew on?