Living the dream

Hello Everyone,

When I was a competitive fencer, I would occasionally get to live the life of a full time athlete. Not professional athlete, mind you, I didn't get paid, much less had people watch me compete, but for a week at a time I would get to do nothing else but live to train. No job, no school, no other responsibilities, just live in a hotel or at the gym, train twice a day, eat and collapse in bed at night. It was great, I loved it, but ultimately knew it could not be forever. Not just that there are actually bills to pay and other responsibilities in life, but that living a life with only a single facet is ultimately an unfulfilling one. But for those short periods, it was a lot of fun.

In some ways, the last few days with Jonny and Dave here have been like that. As previously mentioned, it's a vacation within a vacation, which means the normal responsibilities aren't there. I don't have to figure out where to sleep at night, or which meals to cook or a bunch of other things that go with life on the road. We just live in the hotel, eat breakfast in the lounge, and then head out for the trails.

And we have been extraordinarily lucky. Even when the weather wasn't perfect, we found great places to ride. On top of that, Dave's rental bike was a gem, no one's been injured (despite Jonny bailing a few times) and we have biked so much that my roommates have been popping anti-inflammatories like candy to keep their joints working. It's a good bike trip when you go home with aching legs and no desire to ride again for a few days.

But it's only Dave going home for now, and Jonny in a few days. Home is a long way away for me, geographically and otherwise. For me, the real world starts up again, but that is as it should be.

I'm not on this trip to live in hotel rooms and stay in the same city. Tomorrow, Jonny and I head up through nothern California towards Oregon. I'm not sure where we are going to stay or what we will find, but that's why I'm here. Dreams are great, but I have no desire to live in one.

wes