Life On A B-I7

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Kentucky. (Subject to change.)

KENTUCKY
Miles: 506, Days 9

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Illinois. (Subject to change.)

ILLINOIS
Miles: 134, Days 4

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Missouri. (Subject to change.)

MISSOURI
Miles: 304, Days 6

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Kansas. (Subject to change.)

KANSAS
Miles: 531, Days 9

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Colorado. (Subject to change.)

COLORADO
Miles: 431, Days 9

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Wyoming. (Subject to change.)

WYOMING
Miles: 462, Days 7

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Montana. (Subject to change.)

MONTANA
Miles: 335, Days 7

Missoula is the home of the Adventure Cycling Association

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Idaho. (Subject to change.)

IDAHO
Miles: 347, Days 5

I have been told that a Mariachi Band will meet me at the Idaho boarder!

Thursday April 20, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

This is the planned itinerary for Oregon. (Subject to change.)

OREGON
Miles: 482, Days 10

Dip the front wheel in the Pacific Ocean!

Thursday April 20, 2023 (Journal Entry)

I am overwhelmed by Rick Rubin’s book.¹ The wisdom it holds is priceless. The beauty is not just that his message applies to the artist, it is beautiful because the message applies to everyone, even those who do not practice art as a vocation. Living an artistic life is not the same as being an artist, but it can bring just as much benefit into the person and the world.

Thursday April 20, 2023 (Journal Entry)

I sit. I stare at the clock on the stove. I notice a minute has gone by. An almost perfect minute of next to nothing. I sip my coffee and decide to write about that minute. The minute that even now I can’t remember. There’s nothing wrong with my mind, time can be fleeting, sometimes it’s not even there. My gaze shifts. I watch the cat drink out of a bowl in the kitchen sink. I wonder what today will be like. How many minutes will I recall at the end of the day? It doesn’t matter really one way or the other. They are all good. Every minute of every day is good. They are never the same but they are all good. Because they are all mine.

Thursday April 20, 2023 (Journal Entry)

Wednesday April 19, 2023 (Journal Entry)

Wouldn’t it be fun to ski all the resorts in New Hampshire? Why? Because they are there. Here they are: Bretton Woods, Canmore, Crotched Mountain, Gunstock, Pats Peak, Loon, Mount Sunapee, Waterville Valley, and Wildcat.

The images show above were taken from James Nieuhues website. He produces spectacular paintings of ski areas. I own two of his prints and his coffee table book, they are prized possessions.

Wednesday April 19, 2023 (Journal Entry)

Sharing fills us up. Ideas are the source of sharing. Whatever it takes to keep ideas flowing is what our work is about. Once the ideas come to us, we let them dictate what their expression will be, then we release them to make room for the next idea. As we move though life different ideas will come to us, they may require us to try different things. That is wonderful. We should always return to the things that we love. One of those things for me is writing. Whatever it is you love to do, do it to the best of your ability. Before I post something here, I first write about it in my journal, when I do that, I try and write with my best handwriting. It makes the experience more enjoyable, more beautiful, even though I am the only one that will ever see it. If I decide not to post what I have written, that’s ok, it’s there for me and a part of me, and it provides the background that allows me to keep evolving. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to share. The only constant is to do it. It doesn’t matter if your life work is creating great art or keeping score at a baseball game, as long as you are following your passion and sharing that with others you will be filled with reward.

Tuesday April 18, 2023 (Journal Entry)

I saw a billboard that said: “Where are you going, Heaven or Hell?”

I don’t usually pay much attention to that sort of thing, I’m the type of person that lives in the here-and-now and doesn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the future (except when it comes to planning an epic bicycle tour.) The billboard had a phone number you can call to talk to someone about what is going on in your head (presumably related to the sign’s message). The number was 83-FOR-TRUTH. That got me pondering, what is meant by the word TRUTH, and what does that have to do with how one lives their life…

No doubt, the key to living your best life is “TRUTH.” Live your truth, but more importantly do it in a way that always weighs truth into the equation you are using to guide your life. Also “live your truth in a way that will make other’s want to follow you.” (RBG.) If you sacrifice what you know is true for any sort of gain or advantage in anything you pursue, you can answer the billboard’s question for yourself without having to pick up the phone…

Tuesday April 18, 2023 (Journal Entry)

Art is choosing to do something skillfully,
caring about the details,
bringing all of yourself
to make the finest work you can.
It is beyond ego, vanity, self-glorification,
and need for approval.

— Rick Rubin

I think this applies to life in general doesn’t it? Living artfully as Rubin describes would bring about countless benefits.

Sunday April 16, 2023 (Journal Entry)

I’m currently reading Rick Rubin’s “A Creative Act.” It is inspirational. I’ve learned so far, that we are all artists, each person in their own way. (Maybe not everyone, but almost all of us.) The better we all are at our art, the better the world becomes, because art is about being in tune and receiving information from the Universe. It doesn’t really matter if we are “good” at our art, just that we are committed to a life that focuses on living artistically. It is our responsibility (not too strong a word) to create “works” that help move the world forward, evolving toward a more perfect version of what the world can be. It’s all about the connections we make and the vibe that we leave behind as we move through the Universe. In other words, sharing ourselves with the Universe. That is our art.

Friday April 14, 2023 (Journal Entry)

Doesn’t this photo say it all…

I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.

Badass, yes. I can do anything. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility. Let’s say for example, next Spring when the wind slab on Mount Washington turns to corn, skiing Tuckerman Ravine… Really, why not?

Editor’s Note. (That’s me.) Skiing Tuckerman Ravine might be just a bit over my head… My back country experience is limited and there are aspects of Tuckerman (the headwall for example) that are considered the most extreme in the Northeast. That said, I’m sure with a couple years of back country experience, I could take on some of the lower aspects.

Thursday April 13, 2023 (Journal Entry)

The real work of the artist
Is a way of being in the world.
—Rick Rubin

Isn’t that true for all of us? We are all artists in our own medium. If we are living our artistic life to the fullest, we are living in a way that allows us to be open to the world around us…

Openness can take many forms. It can be as simple as a conversation we engage in with a stranger, or perhaps a conversation we simply listen to and take in silently, either one can hold the potential to change our life. Either one holds the potential to show us an entirely new path. A path we hadn’t previously considered, but know instantly is the right path for us…

Wednesday April 12, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)

I’ve just completed the weigh-in for my TransAm cycling trip. The break-out looks like this:

The grand total is: 94 lbs.

It is generally considered that weight of bike plus all carry items should fall between 60 and 100 lbs. This is largely dependent on what type of touring you are doing, the sort of bike you are riding, and also, how many people are in your tour group. A solo tour requires carrying a bit more than you might if you could split the gear load between two or more riders. This is a total guess, but based on what I am carrying, I suspect my overall weight could be reduced by about 8 lbs if I were touring with 2 or more people. That said, I wish my load were closer to 80 lbs, but given this is a solo tour, 94 lbs is not too surprising.

Wednesday April 12, 2023 (Journal Entry)

We create our reality through our thoughts. Thoughts are our most powerful tool. Manage them accordingly…

Before you speak
Let your words pass through
Three gates.

The First Gate:
Are my words true?

The Second Gate:
Are my words necessary?

The Third Gate:
Are my words kind?

—Sufi Saying

Wednesday April 12, 2023 (Journal Entry)

Stay away from people with tiny minds and tiny thoughts.
—Jen Sincero

Sunday April 9, 2023 (Journal Entry)

When I have been waiting at a four-way stop and it’s now my turn to proceed into the intersection and a car rolls up on my right and without stopping or even slowing down, turns left in front of me, and I don’t feel just a bit annoyed… then I know I will have enough love for everyone…

Saturday April 8, 2023 (Journal Entry)

I am in the process of learning. Probably a good thing, since I’m no spring chicken. Here’s what I learned today. Affirmations are good. They can become reality if you express them often enough and with sincerity. They can be magical. Okay, that’s what I’m told anyway, but that is what I am going with… I’m going to write these in my journal ten times every day, probably for a long time to come, because I have a long way to go, but that’s not the point really, the point is doing it. The magic will follow.

I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.
I am a badass. I love myself. I have enough love for everyone.

Friday April 7, 2023 (Journal Entry)

I had to leave the cat with a sitter for three weeks. He got seriously pissed at me. I know this because after the second week I went to visit him, when he saw me come into the room he hid his head in his paws and tried his best to ignore me. I left the room to take care of something and when I returned he was under the bed. He was not about to come out no matter how hard I coaxed.

He’s back with me now and everything is fine. I have to admit I missed him, probably more than he missed me. I think he senses that and that has helped him get over his distress at my abandonment. He’s a good boy, the best actually. If it didn’t cost $89 I would register him as an emotional support animal. He is that, no question about it.