final thoughts and photos

I finally uploaded all my pictures and put a caption on all of them. Here is the link at photobucket if you want to check them out. If that doesn't work just search for leftd under people and it should come up.
http://s725.photobucket.com/albums/ww260/leftd/


Sorry about taking so long to upload them all. I wish I had a better excuse besides being lazy, but that is all there is to it. I will probably be rambling a bit so please bear with me. Still broke and looking for a job, but I'll find something eventually. Registered for classes today at the local comm. college, so I am excited to start the long road to becoming a Physical Therapist. I learned some things about myself and other people on the trip. I would do it all over again if I had to, however I don't really want to do another tour like this again. I would like to go over to France or Italy and ride some of those famous grand tour climbs with a light racing bike, though. No, I am not in good enough shape to ride the tour de france if you were wondering. I am neither physiologically gifted enough and started cycling way to late regardless. I rode with the most pain I have ever experienced on the bike when I rode with that infection for 3 days. I also had some amazing days of riding where you get to the end of the day and felt like the luckiest person in the world to be able to experience all that you have. I have seen some incredible scenery and will definitely go back to Utah with my mountain bike and trailrunning shoes sometime in the future. I got rained, snowed, sleeted, hailed, and baked by the sun on my trip. I went through a wide variety of emotions from euphoria and zen like moments to despair and agony. I didn't ever really have a moment where I contemplated quitting, but it was hard to roll out of bed on more than a couple mornings. I saw a lot of the country that few people get to see and by bicycle which, I think, is a more intimate experience with the people you encounter. Shattered some stereotypes that I previously had. Found out that hospitality and welcoming strangers into your home still exists. Met all different types of people from all different walks of life. A lot of the cyclists that I met and spent some time with shared some similar ideas about what I will call their 'philosophy/outlook on life'. Pushed my body into the unknown and myself as well. I want to say thankyou again to everyone who helped me out and left comments or e-mailed me to check up on me. It was greatly appreciated. I think Holly wins for the most comments. The trip also opened my eyes to the possibility of whats possible if you put your mind to something and are willing to sacrifice a little to achieve your goal whatever that is. I know that I told multiple people along the trip that I think: some people settle. settle for a mediocre job/wife/husband/gf/bf, basically life. People to often take the easy route and just get by being vegetables. If you had told me 4 years ago that I would have run a marathon, completed a triathlon, bicycled 204 miles in one day, ran and rode in 30 degree weather, almost won my first bike race and ridden a bicycle across the country I might have laughed at you and definitely told me you were crazy. BUT I HAVE. I know this isn't for everyone, this is just my little niche. I'm not saying its for everyone, but we can do so much more than we think we can if we just put our minds to it. I'm not saying it didn't come without pain, sacrifice, disappointment, doubt, worry or uncertainty but it did come. It doesn't have to be athletic, but strive for something. I don't want to be 60 and wake up one day and say I wish I had done.....
So, here is a partial list of things I want to accomplish.

Ironman triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
learn to swim
hike the washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail with steve
win a bike race
complete a 50 mile run
climb a 14,000 ft peak
backpack in europe
see the tour de france or giro de italia live
visit alaska

anyway, hope you enjoyed the blog and the photos, hopefully will be updateing this when steve and I hike the washington section of the P.C.T. next summer.

Here are a couple of quotes

1 for life

If your life is devoid of any pain, disappointment, or struggle--then you are probably devoid of a life----eric barnes

2 for athletics
CYCLING

"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks."

Scott Martin

RUNNING

"The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die."

-Steve Prefontaine