Sea to Sea-final day for me!

The last post was submitted prior to dinner with Ruth Friday evening, which was at her favorite place-The Curragh Irish Pub. When I returned to my dorm room I could see that dorm living seems to have brought out the sophmoric prankster in someone:

Turns out the signs were correct because there were both women and men in the rest room. Crazy fun!

 

Saturday's ride was sort-under 50 miles. A ride from Hope college to Calvin College stopping at Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids for lunch. There was an open invitation for anyone to ride along so the number of people riding was at least twice as many as usual. Here is what most of the ride looked like:

Many new riders who were not experienced in riding in a group. There is a set of behaviors that those of us who are experienced look for in others who want to ride with us. Things like keeping a constant speed, not crossing wheels, not swerving, calling out or signaling obstacles, etc. so this ride made me nervous. The last few miles were done all in one mass of riders. Here we are queuing for departure from Calvin CRC:

I felt this was the most dangerous part of the week, but everyone made it to Calvin College without incident.

 

So, now that I have completed my week, a couple of thoughts.

The most valuable lesson of doing this didn't have anything to do with bicycling or anything related to that. It was that I can sometimes completely loose control of the situation and still have a positive experience. I rode in weather that I wouldn't choose to ride in. I camped in conditions I wouldn't choose to camp in. We took routes I wouldn't choose to take. I have been very fortunate to adjust my lifestyle so as to be in control of most of it. But spending a week out of my control was a good thing for me. Because when it really comes down to it, I'm not in control of anything.

 

Would I do this again? Yes! Probably a different part of the country, maybe more than one week. Not the full ride unless we somehow retire from innkeeping entirely. But if Sea to Sea rides again, I will be participating.

 

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