Side Effects

After taking a rest day in Kincaid State Park, we trucked our bikes to Indiana yesterday to only find ourselves back in Kentucky to spend the evening in Louisville. All in all, Kentucky has been a gorgeous ride complemented by smiling people and herds of dogs chasing after us.  

Now that we have all been on the road a few weeks, the side effects of long-term bike travel have become clear - each side effect is experienced in varying degrees amongst the whole group.  

First, the coolest side effect is that when you are on a bicycle loaded with way too much stuff, people are immediately friendly and curious about what we are doing. Bob, one of our gracious hosts in Madison, IN, poignantly described that bikes have a way of disarming and opening people up to one another in a whole new way. Definitely true. Everywhere we have gone, we have been welcomed with open arms as if we are family or old childhood friends dropping in for a visit. The simple generosity people have given touches us everyday and brings us one step closer to Oregon with full hearts and sore legs.

A second glaring side effect is the obliteration of social boundaries that outline  public and private spheres of living. Appropriate behavior deemed for public and private have become mashed together to the point where we sometimes even forget their used to be a boundary. This became evident when one of our dear riders noisily let one rip in the middle of a restaurant without a second thought. I give my apologies now for all the people we have or will offend throughout the duration of this trip due to    any lack of appropriate behavior and perpetual state of delirium. 

Lastly, when traveling with any number of companions, spending hours upon hours with one another, life turns into a sitcom. Living with people is one thing, traveling with people is an entirely different thing. The script and situations are never ending and pumped with laughter, annoyance, exhilaration, frustration, one-liners, absurdities and some weird form of teamwork. 

Before I go, I am ecstatic to report that I finally got to see Fast and the Furious 6. My review is nothing less than to say it is the best movie ever.