Many years ago in our pre-cycling years, Laura and I did a road trip from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada in a car. It was somewhere in the Redwoods that I saw my first bike tourists huffing up the hill with bags on their bikes and sweat pouring down their faces. I saw them and felt a mixed feeling of awe and horror. Who were these people and what were they doing?

I remember when we got home I looked up “bike touring” since it was so new to me and the whole idea lit my brain afire. That is what I wanted to do – what THOSE crazy bikers were doing!

Fast forward five years – Laura and I (at the moment of this update) are IN the Redwoods, having coffee across the street from the giant Paul Bunyon and Babe. We have BECOME those crazy bikers that filled my head and heart with lofty dreams of hitting the road on a bike.

As we huff up our own hills with sweat pouring down our faces, I’d like to think that maybe in one of the cars that have passed us, was another wide-eyed couple who will think – “Wow, I’ve got to do that someday!”