Day 5

Day 5: October 3, 2021 (Salome AZ to Peoria AZ)

Today was my 60th birthday.  I don’t like my birthday.  It makes me think too much about my childhood.  This day was no different.  In fact, it was worse because I started the ride at 5 AM in the dark on a stretch of road with no one on it; I saw maybe 10 cars in an hour of riding.  So, way too much time to think about my childhood.

I spent my childhood feeling empty, sad, and defeated; I wanted to curl up into a ball and die.  Sleep was my only relief.  On the ride, I tapped into those feelings.  So, by the time I met up with Logan at the RV, I was feeling empty, sad, and defeated.  All I wanted to do was to sleep and quit the ride.  

Then I started to rationalize why I should quit the ride.  An old guy riding his bike across the country is not news as evidenced by not having any press coverage when I passed through Mesa on Day 6.  What might be newsworthy is my story.  Yet, I have not really told my story; I written some blogs about something.

I started thinking that my time would be better spent writing a book about my life instead of riding a bike.  

I have a personal not to make any big decisions when I’m emotional and I was certainly emotional at this time.  

I shared all of this with Logan.  He was great.  He helped get me get back on the bike and we rode to Peoria.