The trip ahead was a time to learn who we were and to test that understanding.
Looking back at this adventure, we didn't consider our upcoming bike trip down the west coast of the U.S. one of those bucket list items to check off. People didn't use the term bucket list in the 1970s. During that era, people experienced various adventures. Hearing about men or women hitchhiking across the country was not unusual. Our country's culture had a free spirit, and many wanted to be a part of that. The comfort zone had a different meaning at the time compared to today. It was a carefree decade after living through the Vietnam War, civil unrest, and the aftermath of the tumultuous 1960s. Backpacking through Europe was popular with new High School graduates. The Europass was inexpensive, and youth hostels had reasonable accommodations. Many graduates worked summer jobs down at the New Jersey ocean shore, and many were Europe bound to find themselves. The joy of youth and living with a sense of adventure was priceless.
Our bike trip was one of those adventure-seeking passions we longed for. Our planning was an essential part of our trip. The planning excited us, sparked ideas, and was undoubtedly a learning experience. Something as simple as reducing the weight we had to carry on our bikes was essential. Yet at the time, we brought heavy 35MM cameras to capture the trip. We learned that taking off one pound of weight made a huge difference, but the cameras were necessary! Such is the ironic and contradictory nature of youth.
As the spring of 1976 approached, we purchased our ten-speed Raleigh bikes, racks, saddle bags, tools, and extra tire tubes. We made our purchases in Portland, Oregon, and it was time for one friend in the twin cities and myself to make the one-way flights to Portland by the end of June.
My furthest travels up to that time were only as far as the midwest of America, so this would be an exciting adventure. It's funny how large the world feels in our younger years. With youth comes a certain amount of inexperience and the willingness to take risks.
I've learned in time that I gain wisdom through the adversities and challenges life brings, discovering my values, and being true to myself. Becoming a more seasoned person takes patience and a lot of time. When living through experiences, whether good or bad, surviving and learning from them gives me growth and understanding. Being wiser takes many of these experiences to create a design for a thriving life.
Life for the three of us as friends growing up together gave us inspiration, courage, determination, and a spirit of adventure. Looking back on our families, I realize we all came from dysfunctional backgrounds, unlike the idyllic ones described in a Hallmark movie.
Our backgrounds and our shared pain bonded the three of us closely.
I learned that our veneer, the outward face we show the world, doesn't always mirror our inside persona. It took me several years to see and understand that. The trip ahead was not just a bonding experience of friends but a time to learn who we were and to test that understanding. It wasn't about all the beautiful sites and places we would see and experience; it was about gaining one of those pieces that somebody can carry throughout their lifetime and connect to that design for a living. This trip would be much more than I understood at that time. More than an experience, a discovery, my summer bike trip.
Tom is a retired nurse, volunteer, and lifelong learner living his best life in Montana (USA).
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Next week. A new chapter in this month's series, My Summer Bike Trip.
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