As you may guess, Seth is the author here, the one responsible for the eloquently-written blog posts. He writes well and several people have commented as such. With my guest appearance, I can guarantee you a (sometimes brutally) honest change in perspective.
We have a lot of time to think every day while riding our bikes. Sometimes we can at least talk to each other, but we are typically too far apart or separated by deafening winds, whether it's a head wind from dear Mother Nature, or caused by increased speed traveling downhill (our favorite), or created by the many cars and trucks passing us by. It was in the past few days that I started to think about a blog post from me. And when discussed with Seth, he confirmed my thought, "Schwan, that's a great idea!" So -- here I am.
We have a lot of time to think every day while riding our bikes. Sometimes we can at least talk to each other, but we are typically too far apart or separated by deafening winds, whether it's a head wind from dear Mother Nature, or caused by increased speed traveling downhill (our favorite), or created by the many cars and trucks passing us by. It was in the past few days that I started to think about a blog post from me. And when discussed with Seth, he confirmed my thought, "Schwan, that's a great idea!" So -- here I am.
An example of the distance between us as I wait for Seth's arrival at the top of a hill. Plus I wanted to capture the beautiful scenery behind him. If you look closely, you can see the road we had already traveled in the background.
My perspective on this trip is an interesting one. I am an able-bodied person riding a typical upright bike with no obvious musculature aiding in my propulsion (such as Seth's arms that gain many comments). I don't like to be the center of attention, but neither does Seth. Only, he has no choice here. Everyone we encounter goes straight to him. They either stare with no spoken words or say things like: "That looks comfortable!" or "You like that bike? I bet you'd get used to it." (Implying that he has a choice to use a handcycle). Or as the ferry workers in the Bay Area demanded several times, "Get up and walk, you can't ride that on here." They even said it with a smile, assuming we were joking as we informed them of Seth's inability to walk. One of my favorite comments was said to me after giving Seth a good stare-down, "Why you making him do all the work?!" I guess the guy didn't notice the trailer, wheelchair wheels attached to the trailer, 4 paniers and 2 sleeping pads that are hanging off my bike. Seth and I just laughed.
This is a top shot of my bike as we were all laughing about how much crap I had exposed. I was drying the towels that got wet in the fog overnight, was attempting to charge a battery pack with the solar charger, had a speaker out to get us through the boring farm land, as well as the usual rain jackets and our shirts as we shed layers in the sun.
I am curious to see how this perspective changes as we start to cross southern borders. Simply said, Seth is a beast and deserves the attention and accolades. Of course people notice him. Good thing he's so chill and able to handle whatever comes his way, including the awkward questions and comments from strangers.
It's always an adventure when a McBride is involved. And to think we still have 11 months on this journey together...
Seth showing his goofy facial expressions, making us both laugh, no matter what (most of the time).
An awesome campsite in Big Sur, the southern-most region for Redwood Trees.
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