this is the route ahead
My tempo feels a bit off today. I’m leaving early in the morning, bound for Oregon. I’ve been here in San Fran for six days and it’s time to go. The land legs are back and there has been time to rejuvenate. Recognizing that I’ve reached the halfway point is making me a bit introspective. Breaking the tempo is good and bad.
Living out of two saddlebags sometimes creates a sense of claustrophobia. Six days at the Hotel Mirabelle has offered the perfect reprieve for a halfway point. My stuff is now hanging up in a closet in a very normal fashion. My shrine is lit. My toiletries are spread about and even the bedspread is carelessly frumpled. I have, in a sense, a room of my own, a recollection of home. Finally, after 10 days, ahhhh, a laundromat. Daphne gave me a hard time that my clothes reeked of campfire. I don’t think anyone else noticed over the 2 stroke smoke at the scooter rally….
I’ve even just simply sat in here and fallen asleep while reading. On Friday we went to City Lights, the notorious Beat Poet bookstore. It’s a San Fran landmark. They had every single book on my list that Barnes and Nobles never has. So I splurged and bought I see By My Own Outfit, by Peter Beagle. So far it’s a well written, inspiring account of two men traveling cross country by scooter, in the 60’s. When I’m not scootering, I want to read about it.
Once I gear up the scoot and start riding my reality will be normal again. Earlier in the trip I was able to volunteer more. Then my focus became surviving the South West.
Next, it became coordinating the ride for two people. Shaun commented the other day that I never stop “doing.” I was becoming overwhelmed by the amount of logistics that must always be done, yet impressed at how much I can do when I put my mind to it.
Maps, lodging, blogging, driving, eating, friends to see, strangers to meet, volunteer orgs, Peace orgs, raffle tallies, email responses, promoting, video.
I don’t have a lot of gusto for all the planning, it’s just something I do. Sometimes the strapping and shoving and balancing gear feels like a waste of time-as though all day is just spent preparing for the Peace ride. I want to talk about Peace. I want to volunteer. I want to fundraise.
If you can help me with these things-please send me an email. Can you coordinate a group ride for Peace if I’m visiting your town? Do you know where I can stay? Do you have a radio show contact? Can you send out an email letting your friends know about the website?
Can you help raise funds? I am a bit shy of reaching the 50% mark.
The odometer hit 17,000 miles the other day. It humors me to say- “Oh, only 5,000 miles left,”-a proper cross country trip in itself. There is still much to look forward to, especially the North Midwest and parts east of Chicago, like Kent State-places I’ve never really explored.
Those who have contributed to this ride are a continual inspiration to me. I miss the many folks I’ve met while arriving at this point. I’ve received a few kind emails letting me know I have family in those parts shall I ever return.
Not only will this be the largest Peace sign created in history, it will be the best, because of the people who helped create it with me.
It’s time to start wrestling with the gear and say goodbye to the charming Hotel Mirabelle.
The latest collection to my riding gear comes from Dainese. Barry convinced a raffle winner at the rally to give me the prize-a pair of cargo pants with knee/shin armor that slips in easily. They are fancy pants and I adore them. All of my possessions right now are mostly functional things.
Today I went by the Dainese shop and spoke with Shelley for a couple of hours. This lady has really put some road miles behind her. She offered a lower back support brace. Oh, on Sunday I won my first rally award, for longest distance scooted-although I would have impeached someone had I not won. But it was a thrill and one of my cool prizes was a new orange safety vest. THIS PHOTO was taken with just a camera flash, all the lights were off.
The road promises an early salutation, so I bid you goodnight.
go scooters! peace, peter
Alix, it strikes me that – as well as promoting peace – your efforts of building a community around you, and educating yourself, are shining through as a major point of your trip. Not only are you getting people to TALK about Peace, but you’re educating yourself, touching other people’s lives (and they yours), and learning learning learning. This is your mission. I can envision you almost as a basin being filled up with more and more knowledge and growth as you go along. You are growing, and you are connecting. And, that, to me, is the real point of life. You are doing beautiful work.