Today we reached our goal, after nearly 2000 miles of pedaling. We ended the day at the US border with Mexico. Most of the day we rode through wealthy California with manicured landscaped yards, tree lined streets, immaculate parks, and pretty beaches. Late in the day was a long ride through the labyrinth of the industrial sector of south San Diego. We had to wind our way through countless back roads, railroad tracks, and uneven broken asphalt sections to get there. On the way we passed loading docks with huge ships and cranes. Some areas looked as though we were already in Mexico. Amy and Andy met us near the border. We dismantled our loaded bikes, and secured them to the roof racks on the suburban.
Throughout the day as we passed the several beaches I found myself already becoming nostalgic about this trip. I tried to stamp the scenes before me into my permanent memory so that I would always be able to recall them with pleasure and immense satisfaction. I tried to memorize the fresh smell of the slightly salty ocean air, the sounds of the sea birds, and to internalize the unhurried freedom I felt moving through the world at 15 mph.
This evening at dinner I listened as Kristi regaled Amy with the tales of the hard days. She was especially intense as she recounted the mental toughness needed to get through them, and the indelible lessons she had learned. One in particular was especially poignant. Kristi recounted when she thought she had no more strength left and her limit had been reached, that she discovered her pre-set "limit" was naïve, and that she kept redefining her limit according to what was needed. She said her limit had to be whatever was needed, not some artificial end point of capacity. Whatever it takes was the only valid limit. A long arduous trip like this burns into your psyche several invaluable skills, adapted by each rider to their own set of personal weaknesses and strengths. Among these are how to pace yourself through a long-term goal by concentrating on the immediate task at hand, thereby refusing to allow the magnitude to crush you. Discovering the immediate positives in an adverse environment is another crucial skill, the mantra of which is "hate makes you weak and love makes you strong". Understanding how to tap into the support of family and Jesus is also pivotal. Humility, born of adversity, a realization of your own nothingness, and the towering landscape itself has to mix with all these revelations as a necessary catalyst.
This is very likely my last big bike trip. I have done 11 of these, 4 of which were over 2000 miles. I will miss this part of my life, to have a front row seat as my children internalize some of life's greatest lessons. I will especially miss the deep love I feel as I have pedaled beside them while they struggled from fear, to doubt, to faith, and finally love. Through these experiences I believe I understand better how Heavenly Father feels as I work to conquer my own frailties.
This trip is over, but the memories will become the stuff of family legend, and in private moments when the lessons need to be taught to the next generation. We will never be able to forget the month of May in 2009, when we three pedaled from Canada to Mexico.
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