And I would bike 500 miles!

Hello followers - friends and family! 

I'm sitting in a lovely home drinking a cup of peppermint tea. SO MUCH GRATITUDE. I won't begin on this now because we feel gratitude all day, ever day and will likely talk about it in every other post. So... we're only about 20 miles from Rochester where we will take our next set of rest days (whatever we feel they need to be). Today's weather was the most weather, weather of all time. I guess what I mean by that is I couldn't stop thinking about it! It was about 100% humidity and up there around 90 degrees while we were on the road in the middle of the day. Some call it "lake effect" (from Ontario), I call it swimming. Bekah and I were both brushing salt granules off our shoulders and arms all day. HYDRATION was important. Thank you, Sandy, for the Gatorade. 

 OH... [[We're hittin' some big ones here: today has officially been two weeks on the road and yesterday (Saturday) we hit 500 miles! New York has taken us longer than those other three states (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont)]]

So, please read these series of bullet in any order or fashion you like. They're not necessarily related but more just a series of things I wanted to share and express (or things I just find myself thinking about on the bike). There are little segments and themes - there are little moments and big challenges. They are not necessarily whole or complete thoughts (and definitely not all of them are practical). They are: bits of learning, fun moments, and slightly hilarious or unfortunate realities.

• It seems as thought my diagnosed spirit animal (a monkey) might be becoming an accurate portrayal. I started out with a longer arm span than body height. I've got a case of the gangles. But now... things are getting more severe. As you know, a razor is A LOT of extra weight to carry. Therefore, I'm becoming harrier and harrier by the day. I'm also building more muscle (one would hope) sporting the large Morgan forehead and lastly, getting better with tools.
• On a more serious but maybe less personal note, I'm in the process of learning an important lesson. To tell the quick story - on the third day of the trip I started to develop some knee pain, located on the outside of my leg and likely related to tight muscles and an improper bike fit (meaning seat height, cleat placement, etc). The pain has progressed and I'm doing all I can now. I'm stretching, icing, massaging and rolling, taking Ibuprofen (or Vitamin - I, as a friend called it).  Last Tuesday and Wednesday were bad days. I even had to walk up some of the hills because of the pain. As you can imagine, all of that has been a pretty discouraging experience - full of frustration, pain, disappointment, and even fear. The "what-ifs" that I suppressed in my mind moved from there to real conversation. But there is a deeper experience that this all brings to light....
• First, this journey. Bekah, Joey, and I all wanted to internal struggles, challenges, and sufferings to be a part of this trip. We talked about how it is not about the destination as much as it is the journey that gets us there. Therefore, this knee situation has allowed us to have conversations that bring the journey to life. The three of us will get to Seattle together - that is Inventure. We will adapt as necessary - making the trip richer by welcoming the change that may need to come. Isn't this good practice for getting by in our society? Practicing change and adaptation -  The "how" in our lives? These questions and problems are great teachers. We will strive to be open and dig deeper into ourselves when making choices. Sufferings seems to have opportunity to provide newness and enlightened understandings. Success is also only a matter of perspective.
• There is also a more personal learning experience that comes from this and for me this injury is really about self-love. My family gave me some good advice. Treat yourself how you would treat a good friend. So, if it was Bekah or Joey, what advice would I give? I would say: be patient and gentle with yourself. It is so hard to think long term but reaching Seattle is most likely to come if we take the precautionary measure (another lesson for our great country). I'm learning to become my own true friend. And to hold those big dreams dearly but appreciate the nature of paths -- that they change. I appreciate my body and love it for what it allows me to do in my life. I should take care of myself... I know. All that being said, I'm working on figuring out how to be better. The past three days were great until the last 10 miles of today when it got bad again. The plan is to see a doctor in Rochester. I think it is the wisest decision. This has been a really hard (but important) lesson for me, well, for all three of us.
• Before we left Middlebury over a week ago, Lisa let us weight our bikes. SO... it turns out they all weight in the range of70-80 lbs before  our necessary re-stocking of food. That's a lot of weight!
• I had a realization the other day while biking along the beautiful lakes in New York. I was thinking of home and friends and family. It is amazing how time and space are largely under our own control. They can (as they are on this trip) be inverse of one another. What I mean is that as we geographically move from east to west, we move further away from being home. Yet at the very same moment, in time, we get closer and closer to being home. It shows how things are cyclical, not linear. In a linear world, it becomes two paths moving away from each other (maybe that my divide between my mind - thinking of home, and the body - moving west). But it makes more sense as a circle. Here, wherever we are and whatever time we're in, we're on a path that is the same journey. Although moving in different directions, we have the same line and end at the same place. **I illustrated this in my journal -- sorry you won't get to see** But, what does this mean about perspective? Or about place and time? About existing in a multi-dimentional world? It might not be about exactly WHERE our spirits, bodies, and minds are, but more, what are the paths we choose to take and HOW do we move along these paths. Maybe this is some of the difference between traveling lost and traveling grounded. 
• A lot of people mow their lawns. A lot of people do not keep their dogs on leashes. A lot of people give you plenty of space on the road (though not all). A lot of dragonflies die in the shoulder. A lot of Red Winged Black Birds like to talk. A lot of trees try to grow around electrical wires. A lot of bugs take advantage of our moving vehicles and catch a ride. A lot of people say, "you mean... Washington STATE?". A lot of people think Bekah and I are still in school. A lot of people are really nice. A lot of bike grease ALL THE TIME.  A lot of soggy-ness.
• Us three are SO. DIFFERENT. IT'S. AMAZING.
• If you see a diner or bar that says, "BIKERS WELCOME", that doesn't mean you Oforo, Pegasus, or Maia.
• By the end of this trip, our left sides will be much tanner than our right.

Well, that's all for now - it's 10:30 and past our bed time.

My love goes out to you all!