"Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will --whatever we may think."
Lawrence Durrell

Monday, January 18, 2010

On The Road Again

I finally got taken off again. After riding eight miles up a road made mostly of wet caliche, I started my trek. At the end of the road I had to clean out packed caliche from my fender. It was so thick and packed it took a lot of work to cycle uphill. I even had to walk at one point.

After nearly three weeks at camp and the many new friends I made and old ones I visited, it was very hard to leave. My friend Debbie gave me a solar charger she wasn't using, so I listened to my ipod without worry of it dying. This helped a bit with the challenge of leaving. I rode west and was aiming to get south of sonora by a little before dark. I made it a little after three and was still struggling with leaving camp behind me, so I headed on to town. I decided to splurge on a motel since I haven't spent much over the last month.

On my way to town I was passed by the retreat group that was at camp this weekend.

I am beginning to wonder how long this trip will continue. I am still enjoying it but stopping for awhile is a challenge for me. A vegabonds life is taking its toll. An author I respect, peter Jenkins, once said that knowing when to end a trip is an artform. This doesn't mean I am calling it off. As of right now I still want to continue with the initial proposed trip. all I know is that the next few days may be tough riding mentally.

I have a couple of days and then I am visiting some more friends. After that I head on to the next most desolate part of my trip as far as friends go. I don't know of anyone until central Arizona.

2 comments:

Hannah said...

May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.
--Edward Abbey

denbec said...

I think your desire to continue will improve after a day or so on the road again. It's not easy to leave comforts and friends but there are new friends and maybe even some comforts out there waiting for you to discover!

As you say - knowing when to end is an art, but listen closely, if you end your adventure too soon you may regret the decision. Pray on it and follow your heart.

May you find warm weather, warm people and warm thoughts on the road ahead!