I'm excited! If all goes well -- and God is willing -- I will begin a four-day bicycle ride from Reading, PA, to Long Island tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!
Here's a clickable version of the above map of my route. Each of the green bikes represents a stop on my planned path. It took me many hours to plan the route across northern New Jersey (not exactly known for its bicycle-friendly roads!), but with the help of njbikemap.com and Google Earth I feel pretty confident I've plotted out a survivable path. I did a similar ride from Reading to the Atlantic Ocean (Long Branch, to be exact) last summer, so I have some idea of what's ahead. I wrote about one of the most exciting and inspiring portions of that trip here. This will be a shorter trip because I am only planning on bike riding one way.
Why am I doing this? I am reminded of the famous quote about climbing Mt. Everest -- "because it's there". That is, it will be a real challenge for me, not just physically, but from the difficulty of finding (and following!) a ride-able route. And because I really don't know what I will find out there. Previous trips have brought flat tires, broken spokes and other equipment failures; I hope to be going out with all the tools -- and knowledge -- I will need to handle them if they come. I'll be depending on my own resources the whole way because I'm riding solo.
Why else do I go? The people. The places. The things. It's America out there. It's God's world. It's everything inspiring and exciting in creation. There's no better way to see it then on two wheels driven by your own power!
Say a prayer that my battered bike (and my battered body!!) will hold up for the next few days!
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