Final Post - The Meaning of Life

Final thoughts, first these two quotes from Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the the United States. Coolidge may have been one of the greatest Presidents of the last century.

"I have never been hurt by what I have not said."

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

I did discover the meaning of life during this odessey. But I can't tell you the answer. That is the big secret. You have to find "It" for yourself.

There is a hint to what I think "It" is in the above photograph. I think this photo is my favorite of the entire tour.

So, what have you learned Dorothy?

These are the lessons I learned during my odessey.

- This tour was much more difficult mentally and emotionally than physically.

- Stay positive and see the all the possibilities, not the obstacles. This will allow you to achieve great endeavors in your life.

- Never sign up for a bike trip when you have been drinking.

- Wear sunscreen.

- Always check the direction of the wind before peeing.

- Buy Fedex stock. I saw Fedex trucks every day of the trip in the most remote places.

- Riding into a headwind is really hard, and a tailwind is really easy. The difference between a headwind and a tailwind can mean taking one hour or four hours to finish the last 30 miles before reaching your destination. So whenever possible, go with the flow.

- People working together is so much easier than one working alone. I discovered this riding bikes taking turns drafting behind other cyclists. This is true in life too. It is easier to have others to help you share the effort. One can rest a little bit while the others takes on the effort. Still, I think I rode over 99 percent of the time by myself.

- Riding together can also lead to wrecks since you can't always see what is in front of you. So be careful who you choose to ride through life with.

- Never ever complain, no one listens anyhow. People will perceive you as negative and will eventually avoid you.

- You can almost live on granola bars and Gatorade.

- I did not see a newspaper or turn on a TV for six weeks. All the same news happened whether I watched it or not. So who cares, turn off the news. Leave the TV and radio behind.

- You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to.

- Take deep breaths.

- If all you do all week is go to work and come home at night and watch TV, then on the weekends work on your home and yard, all you have really done is build yourself a really nice comfortable prison.

- If there is something you really want to do in life, do it now, or make plans to do it. You never know when your time is up, and tomorrow is promised to no one.

- Anything is possible if you prepare and plan well, and are very organized. Then while in the endeavour, focus only on that day and the immediate task before you. Then go with the flow.

The Tour is Complete

Totals from The Tour De Continental Divide:

- 2,455 miles ridden
- 139,397 feet of cumulative elevation gain, almost 5 times as high as Mt. Everest
- 38 days riding
- 200:28 hours riding time (elapsed time front wheel is turning as measured by the cyclocomputer, also the rear wheel is turning too!)
- 248:00 hours total time from departure destination to arrival destination

- Average Speed - 12.275 mph
- Top speed, 46.9 mph

- Total Days of Tour, 43
- Times rained on, 0
- Days of brilliant sunshine all day long, 42
- States, 5
- Countries, 2
- Provinces, 2
- Wrong Turns, 0

- Different motels, 41
- Times I forgot my motel room number and had to go to the front desk to get into my room, 1
- Times I locked myself out of my room, 1

- Sets of new tires, 3
- Flat tires, 0
- Mechanical Failures, 0
- Bicycle adjustments, 0
- Advil Pills, 162

Casualties - one camera broken, two lost cycling gloves, one Halo headband (guess I lost my halo on this tour, never mind, I found the headband as the last item I removed from my suitcase, amazing how something can get lost in a suitcase), one lost cleat cover, one deer.

Memory

Funny thing is, one of my most distinct memories of the entire tour is one where I had no idea of where I was at all. I woke up around 2 am, like I normally did, since I got up at 4am just about every day of the tour. Usually I would go back to sleep for an hour or two. This night when I woke up, I had absolutely no idea where I was. I just knew I was not home. I did not know what town I was in, which hotel I was in, or where I was at all. I guess after almost 40 days on the road, each night in a different place, this is not too surprising. I needed to get to the bathroom so I could get a drink of water. I remember walking very carefully, shuffling my feet so very gingerly and slowly so that I would not stub a toe or trip in the dark over unseen furniture or my luggage and stuff strewn around the room. Since I had no idea where I was, I did not remember the layout of the room or where I put all my stuff which was often on the floor if there was not a second bed in the room. To this day I am not sure where this momentary lapse of remembering where I was happened. I just know it happened in Canada because it was near the end of the tour.

Bike for Sale

Bike for sale, barely used, like new, low mileage, runs good, lots of chrome.

Southern Half of Pinellas

Last shot before descending into Tampa Airport. I think it will be a few months or weeks before the magnitude of this trip really sinks in.

Mid section of Pinellas

My home is somewhere in this photo.
I remember when I flew out of Tampa on June 1st, I could distinctly see my neighborhood. That day seemed like such a long time ago now.