Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Reconnecting to the rhythm of peddling and breathing together

It has been a very intense, busy year for us culminating in Jim finishing his PhD after a 12 year process. Go Jimmy, uh, I mean Dr. Jimmy! This will be our 6th tour and while the mountains of Appalachian coal country were amazing, I am very excited about the flatness of the plains (no more over heating our rims and melting tubes as we scream down three mile windy descents).

This tour touches both our roots. Starting in Denver to the plains of KS (my dad's family roots and where I spent most of my formative years), through the Midwest to the edge of the Eastern US, western Pennsylvania where Jim’s family has been settled for generations. There is a caveat. We have a lot of miles to cover and not quite enough time to get there at the pace one of us (e.g. me) likes to go. So Jim has agreed to something that goes against his nature, to take a bus the final miles to reach Jim’s parents’ house in Cranberry, PA on July 4 for Jim’s 24th High School reunion.

As our garden in Denver expands into the bounty that will feed us for the months to com, the two of us will be on the seat of a bicycle built for two. We will reconnect to the rhythm of peddling and breathing together and experience the beauty of everyday living and generosity of those we encounter.

Below- Jim putting our Bike Friday tandem together on our patio with cousin Richie's help.

1 comment:

  1. You both are awesome! I did a similar route in '95 from Denver to Maine via northern Kansas, southern Nebraska, north central Missouri, central Illinois, Indiana, into Cleveland, along Route 6 in Pennsylvania and onward to the ocean. I started on June 4th or so. Your trip takes me back to that ride and the tall buffalo grass, the low-flying pesticide planes, the tornadoes, the heat, the hills, the great folks, the connection to the outside world. Cheers, Mark

    ReplyDelete