Final thoughts on a great trip!

Dec. 19th, 2007 Final thoughts...

These are the final notes on the tremendous trip I had this summer,
from July 24 until it ended on October 24, 2007.

It has been nearly 2 months since my little "mishap" on Oct. 24th.
It has been about 5 weeks since I returned home to Oregon on Nov. 11th.
The rain is POURING down here, and has been for days. Another storm
is out in the Pacific, promising to dump even MORE rain on us over the next week.
There is no riding going on here in the near future.


A NEW BIKE & A NEW TRIP

I have received my check from the insurance company. Sure, I wish it had been a little more, but I think they were "fair" to me. However the whole process was a little frustrating and overwhelming. I won't be going into the insurance biz anytime soon!

Yesterday I received the current issue of Motorcycle Cruiser magazine with a preview of all the 2008 bikes. Over 100 models, in all sizes (primarily cruisers/tourers) and brands are included. I've made no decisions, and probably won't until springtime. As for the new trip, or finishing the old one, a decision on that will have to wait. There are too many things "up in the air" about our future here in Eugene, OR. But I will definitely ride again! The 50mph "get off" was not bad enough to scare me away from the joy of riding! I've talked to folks since my accident, that have had 2, even 3 mishaps, who still ride. Those who ride, you know what I'm talking about!
Yes, to some, the risk IS worth the reward!


ADJUSTING TO HOME

Coming home has been quite an adjustment. I was 1 day short of being gone from home 16 weeks. Wow...how things change. I initially felt like a stranger at home. I know my short trip can't begin to compare, but now I do have an idea about our soldiers struggle to reconnect when they return home after a tour of duty. I know it is far worse and more difficult for them.

According to my daughter, I didn't put things back in the fridge the way "they were supposed to go." I had 4 months of bank statements to review, and accounts to balance. I had a trailer full of gear to unload, unpack and put away. I felt "odd" being here. I was used to being alone and in my own space. Now I felt like a visitor or a guest. When I moved things around, I felt like I was intruding in someone else's space! I was definitely out of my element!

When I looked out the 2nd story windows, or went into in my own back yard, I felt "confined" by the fence surrounding the place. I felt the neighbors were too close. And even though I'd camped very close to the interstate several times, I heard the noise of the traffic around here just more acutely. Later on, my wife told me I was experiencing sensory overload. And later I learned all the "stuff" that was around me was really aggravating me.

It felt good to work in the yard again, to mow the grass, and walk around the house. I'd forgotten about the flowers planted in the spring. I have to say though, my wife did an EXCELLENT job of keeping the yard up while I was gone. I'd forgotten about the new chairs around the kitchen table that Nat had purchased a year ago. I'd forgotten about the new fence I built in the back yard. My favorite easy chair got moved to the bedroom while I was gone. I'd forgotten we even had it. Things I had viewed a hundred times before, now seemed "new" to me.


PROFOUND THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS
...or neat stuff I learned!

Being on the road for 75 days (actual riding days) gave me a lot of time to think,
and a lot of opportunities to interact with people from all walks of life.
In that time, here are only some of the things that impacted me.

1) A lot of us (people in general) have higher opinions of ourselves than we ought to.
2) Most of us are treated better than we deserve.
3) Many have gone ahead of us to prepare the way for what we have and how we live today.
And those folks, some of them, paid with their lives. I need to honor and remember them more.
4) The United States of America is a GREAT place to live. We live in a beautiful land.
Contrasts abound in it's geography, in it's people, and in it's beauty.
5) Life can change in a heartbeat. I need to appreciate each day and LOOK for the good
in the days that don't seem to have any good in them.
6) There are some kind, gracious, helpful, hospitable and friendly people out there all over our land, and in Canada, too! I want and need to be more like them!
7) I had a tremendous opportunity that many will never have. I am grateful and don't take it for granted.
8) Silence and solitude...they can be good things. I need to embrace them more.

I don't really know how to sum up the entire experience. The same old overused adjectives come to mind. Words like awesome, fantastic, beautiful, phenominal, peaceful, serene, restful and WOW! ...all together just cannot convey what I saw, heard, and felt over the 14,000+ miles I traveled, all in the saddle and on 2 wheels. Now when I see someone traveling, especially on 2 wheels, I think to myself "I hope they have as great of a trip as I did." I can only wish that each of you reading this can someday, somehow, experience this great land we live in.

Thank you for reading my ramblings. Thank you for the prayers and well wishes you sent my way. Thank you for the comments you posted, the emails you sent and the phone calls I received. I am grateful for the many friends I have, now all across the country!

God bless you all!