Why I love bicycle touring!

Seeing the world by bike is the best way to travel!

As I ground up a mountain pass the other day I started – for about the hundredth time lately – to question my sanity.  Why in the heck was I out there sweating like a fevered pig and grunting like a strained mule?  Why was I attempting to lug my God-only-knows-how-many pounds of gear up that 7000-foot climb into the Andes?  Why, oh why, didn’t I just hop on a bus and do it the easy way?

Of course, I already knew the answers to those questions – I’ve lived those answers for 27 months now.  For nearly 2.5 years, my family and I have lived on our bikes and traveled many thousands of kilometers through a whole bunch of countries.  We’ve pedaled against horrific headwinds and climbed killer hills.  Our fingers have been numb from the cold and we’ve sweated buckets from extreme heat.  We’ve slept on concrete floors and crammed into a tiny tent hundreds of times.

And yet – I wouldn’t give it up for anything.  For each and every difficult moment, there have been hundreds of times to make up for it.  We’ve seen people come out of the woodwork to help us out in so many ways – by filling our panniers with oranges or tomatoes, inviting us in to sleep in a soft bed, or escorting us across a dangerous bridge or into the city center.  Road Angels of every walk of life – rich and poor, black and white, big and small – have stepped forward to add magic to our lives, and we become more and more grateful each and every day.

Mother Nature has also filled us with awe more times than I can count.  When we crest the top of a hill and gaze out at the spectacular valley below… When dolphins frolic in the waves beneath the bridge we’re crossing… When a bison runs along beside us and his hooves send up little clouds of dust with each thundering step he takes… When the boys discover a discarded cicada shell beneath a tree…  

When I look back upon our many months on the road, it’s not the hardships I remember.  It’s the times when Mother Nature or humanity broadsided us with goodness.  It’s when some small, unexpected gift – maybe a break in the rain at just the right moment or an ice cream shop in the middle of nowhere – has come our way to brighten up our day.  It’s those days when we are reminded – yet again – that our world is a pretty darn special place and exploring it with bicycles is the best way to see it!
 

Contact me via email at familyonbikes@gmail.com

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