We spent our last day in Vegas with my Dad and his buddy Cliff. Taylor and I went on a small 20mi ride around the neighborhood I used to live in before the crazy winds came. We ate doughnuts, drank beer, and packed out bikes. Taylor tried margaritas for the first time, and I believe his response was, "That tastes like something you would clean toilets with." Instead he found that he liked Budlight Lime. Ahh to be young.
That night we packed Taylor's bike, walked the strip, and hypothesized who was about to win Strade Bianche the following morning. The next day we woke up early, ate breakfast and I dropped Taylor off at the airport. I had to get back on the road to Salt Lake City as I had a snowstorm I needed to beat. It was a good thing I rolled out early because by the following day I would be standing in a foot of snow!
A lot went into making this trip happen and I am forever grateful for the opportunity Taylor and I had to escape reality and live simply for a week. We live in such a fast paced world that it is easy to let an entire day escape you. Living life on the bike has a great way of making you slow down and really live each moment of each day. If you are riding 10mph into a headwind for two hours, then that is where you are. There's no browsing Facebook or conference calls. You are living each of those moments, experiencing the high's and low's. Rolling through such beautiful parts of the country we also had the opportunity to meet a lot of really nice people. I am amazed how nice people are when they see you traveling by bike. In the city it seems to always be a tense balance between motorists and cyclists. Out on the road we encountered nothing but great people and respectful drivers. I lost count of the number of times someone would ask, "Where y'all headed." Quickly followed by, "Are you serious!?" From the nice couple we chatted with in Amboy who where driving Route 66 to explore a new side of the US to Taylor's Coffee/Tea friend to the countless small conversations had while refueling at stores, I am left encouraged by the kindness of strangers when you get outside of the city.
Our experience in the desert has only strengthened the strong sense of belonging the outdoors brings me. It has certainly motivated me to find more adventures to explore in the coming year. However more than anything it has given me a strong set of memories and positive feelings to pull from when my day job gets tiring or life gets frustrating. Let's just say that for me, balance was restored.
Until next time!
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