Segment Two starts tomorrow

I've always been pretty good with math so here is a problem: My Burley bicycle trailer will haul about 50 # comfortably. The gear bag I'm taking tomorrow on the airplane weighs about 60#. Somewhere, tomorrow, I will also have to add food! So. . . . . between now and tomorrow at 8:30 when I leave for the airport I have to shed about 20#.
When I left home (mid-teens) I had all of my clothing, all of my equestrian equipment including a Heizer saddle that was given to me by my greatgrandfather, a toothbrush, a 25/35 Winchester lever action deer rifle, several books, and my dog. All of this (except the dog) fit in the trunk of the Ford sedan I stole from my parents and I still had room for the luggage of several more people if I had taken any passengers. I had enough room to haul cargo for hire!  I thought I was rich! Now my wealth is measured not stocks and bonds, gold buried in the back yard, the value of my wisdom, but rather in stuff! I could run the next space mission given the redundant stuff I have packed in my duffel. How many riding jerseys, bicycling shorts, helmets, gloves, sunglasses, etc do I really need? In thinking it through and looking at a map of Washington state it occurred to me that surely somewhere along the way I can find new stuff that I might need! I must remember the basics when I go shopping in Monroe WA: toilet paper, a tube of toothpaste because invariably Homeland Security confiscates my almost new tube of toothpaste at the airport, Cholula hot sauce, a spoon, and fuel for my stove.

I do have extra parts for the bicycle because I know that between Monroe and Wenatchee and between Wenatchee and Spokane there are probably few bicycle shops. I could buy parts for a tractor, feed for my cows, white bread and bad coffee almost anywhere along the way but bicycle parts?

I bought the bicycle I'm using (a Giant) from Contender Bicycles in SLC several weeks ago. I mentioned to Reed, the store manager, that I needed something that was light weight, could pull a cargo trailer, and didn't cost more than a new Subaru. He fixed me right up. When I went in yesterday to buy some parts he not only remembered me, my trip plans, but also remembered the modifications he made to the new bicycle for me. He and his staff are superb and they know bicycles. Go in an see them.


On Monday morning I will head east on Highway 2 over the Cascade range. As I pedal along I want to stop in each small town and visit with locals. I want to get a feel for what people in that part of the world are thinking concerning current issues.This is going to be a pulse check for me. I want to see if my worldview has been as seriously influenced by the Utah lens I look through, as I suspect it has been. I have been growing evermore concerned about the divisiveness in our country. It seems that much of our information comes from the personal opinion of pundits (both sides), the well-stocked but questionable data from the internet, and small soundbites that are almost impossible to fact check if one is so inclined. Leadership at all levels seems to be seriously dysfunctional. Even at the local level, in Holladay Utah, it is clear that the Mayor and our town board have been compromised by developers and personal interests. It seems that citizens are susceptible to radicalization because they are more concerned about keeping a job, making mortgage payments, keeping the boat they unwisely bought with a second mortgage. They don't have or don't feel they have the time to think for themselves. A patriot is not someone who follows blindly rather it is someone who questions and thinks for themselves before acting.
But does every state have Gail Ruzekas, Mike Noels, and clones of the other scoundrels that we keep in power in Utah? If so (and I think they do) are these "leaders" as morally bankrupt, ethically challenged, and myopic as ours?

I might not like what I hear but I'm going to give it a go. I need to know so I can start thinking about how I can influence change. But I'm not going to let it get to me. I still intend to look at the landscape about, gather roadside blackberries, and if I get the chance try to find the place I'm sure I saw Sasquatch a few days ago.