Yeah. I would say this was a significant event in my existence. Never before have I dreamt about one thing for two weeks straight. Do I long for a return to this kind of simplicity pictured here?
Or does doing one thing for 12-16 hours per day for over 20 days just leave an enormous impact on one's mind? An impact that is relived in vivid dreams for weeks following?
I just can't write another traditional race report for this one. The daily mileage chart and a "yay I am riding my bike its a good day" blog has been done to death. Not to say there is anything wrong with it, but the Tour Divide is a different beast. It's too big, too profound and too lengthy. We all have access to the route beta and I didn't really take too many pictures. I would bore myself writing it as much as it would bore you who read (or wouldn't read) it all. I kept a trail journal from which I will share some excerpts of my thoughts, but for now I am still contemplating on how to share such a journey.
I am leaning towards short stories recounting my encounters with all the different people along the way. I want to share those memories because they taught me some things I needed to learn. From Mr. Pissed-Off School Teacher in Salida to Ma Barnes in Polaris to the film crew and riders I rode and camped with at Tuchuck Campground to lifelong friends I made the people on this journey were as memorable to me as the sunset on Red Rocks Pass, the elk south of Pie Town or the brutal climb away from I-15 after Fleecer.
Our lives intersected because of a bike.
That's pretty damn cool.....
