Two Days of Wisdom, pretending to know what I'm talking about

I was able to snag a bit of time, so here's what riding a bike everyday (for 2 days) feels like so far:

Places to go, but nowhere to be

I must say that the strangest part about it is the feeling of having a place to go, but no particular reason to go there. At times it can be somewhat scary, especially with questions like: "Where will you sleep?" Overall, though, it is a truly exciting and new feeling to set off from one town on your way to another, with so many unknowns along the way. I am not sure if that is what "adventure" feels like, but it is pretty neat so far.

On the feeling of distance

The difference, mentally, between my first day and second day was pretty astonishing. I am not sure exactly what I was expecting from riding my bike from place to place, but it certainly took WAY longer than I thought it would. I suppose any time I had ever ridden anywhere by bike, I would usually arrive at my destination no more than 30 minutes later. 

Obviously, this is not true on a bike tour! However, once I had a chance to change my mindset and try to enjoy the surroundings a bit more, everything became easier. Though I had only traveled 45 km or so on the first day, it felt like I had gone for some unbelievable distance. When riding a bike, the added amount of sights, sounds, feelings and thoughts make the journey quite interesting.

Sometimes, a man CAN be an island

For anyone who had done a backpacking trip, they can relate to this feeling, the sense that you are you're own, self-contained bubble. Everything I have with me right now is everything I will have with me for every day of the trip. I am my own ecosystem, my own island chugging along winding mountain roads, and also drying my laundry!

My current setup. Bandana and Towel didn't dry fast enough, so they got the strap treatment.

As it stands now, I am still terribly excited about doing this whole trip, and my motivation has only increased (let's hope it stays that way!). Finding good, cheap places to sleep, I predict, will remain a troublesome and persistent issue, but that's all part of the adventure, right!? 

At least someone here has a sense of humor...

A cycling computer, it can tell you the time AND laugh in your face (7:07 a.m. for those who couldn' tell)