What's Next?

Over time I have traveled through most of the states but usually, at, or exceeding the speed limit or flying in and out. Except for states I’ve lived in I’ve never spent the kind of time (pace) in a state that I’ve spent in Washington. I spent time in the coastal ecologic and social zones and have pedaled at 10 mph through the Cascades and almost succumbed to dehydration surrounded by wheat! I stopped and talked to quite a few people in the small towns scattered across Washington State. I found the people to be a bit stand-offish at first, until I made an effort to visit with them. Then they shared, in some cases, more than I wanted to hear! They were direct and straight-forward. It was refreshing.
All of them, I think, thought I was a bit crazy for doing what I’m doing. Especially when I didn’t have a ready answer to the question: “Why?”
I don’t know why. I do know I’m not seeking a revelation about my contradictions, my world view, nor am I seeking a revelation that will lead to the creation of another religion. I couldn’t take that kind of pressure. I can barely manage my thoughts about my own beliefs. I can’t imagine what it would take to manage the thoughts of followers. I think in part the trip is to see what I have left in me. I also know I want to get a feel for what other people are thinking. It was fun to listen to their stories about the land, work, politics; to try to answer questions about Utah: Did I know any polygamists? (yes, quite a few) Was I Mormon? (nope!) And there were also questions about my ethnicity. Are you: Italian, Egyptian, Spanish, . . . . .(fill in the label for any ethnic group with olive skin)?
They did ask why, at my age, I was bicycling across their state. One of my contradictions is that I’ve always seemed to do things backwards. It would have made more sense to have done this in the first half of my life instead of now. But it never occurred to me then to do something like this; when I didn’t have to main-line Ibuprofen; when I could sleep on the ground and not realize why I was so stiff in the morning. Don’t you just love contradictions especially your own? Investigating them and then either embracing change or embracing acceptance and mitigating, is a great feeling. So is saying: the hell with that one. I can live with it!
When I return to my journey, either late next week or just after Labor Day, I will tackle the Rockies. I’m not sure what route I will take. If anyone knows safer routes let me know. I’m not overly concerned about how steep a hill is. One of the advantages of doing it at this age is that my ego and I have reached detente. If it doesn’t like me bailing off and pushing the bicycle then it can . . . . . !!