Adrift in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

In our bicycle travels, the next steps have always been clear. We’ve known where we want to go. We figure out a timeline that works for us and then determine how to get there. Along with how to squeeze in time to freelance, time to document, and time to take care of the bikes and ourselves. 

Minnesota changed all that.

Cortney and I aren’t lost by any means. But we are drifting a bit. Here are a few reasons why.

Summer changed the rules.
The entire time we’ve been out, it’s been technically “off season.” When we camp, there’s always a vacancy and more often than not, we have the place to ourselves. If we need to be inside, we can find a room at a reasonable rate. With the approach of Memorial Day, there are more people on the road now. Campground vacancies, especially on Friday and Saturdays, is nonexistent. And lodging prices are through the roof. Warm Showers has been an incredible resource for us this whole time. But we’re finding a lot of hosts are taking vacations or to getting away—as they should! (It’s great for them, not so much for us.)

Intentional travel is trickier.
For the majority of the trip, we’ve been in control of where we’re going, instead of taking a prescribed route. But lately, we’ve ended up in places out of necessity rather than choice. For example, we might have skipped the detour to Stillwater, MN, only we had our daughter send us a package to the post office there because it was on the Northern Tier. If Cortney hadn’t cracked her rim—again—we wouldn’t have ended up in St. Cloud. (St. Cloud was the closest shop that was open around Memorial Day who had the ability to build the new wheel.) 

Navigating our re-entry.
We need to be back in Idaho mid-July, and we’re excited about that. The tricky part is, we rented our house out for a year, so we can’t move back in till October. It’s a wonderful “problem” to have. It’s going to be a shock to the system. We wake up in a different place and cycle every day. We meet new people and see new places all the time. We wonder if our transition back to “regular” life will be a shock to our systems. Or maybe when we’re still, we’ll modify how we define “regular” life? We talk about it a lot. 

In the middle of this drifting, we anchored in the Twin Cities. While we were there, we were grateful for the reminder of one of the best parts of this rambling experience: making connections and reconnecting with friends. We stayed with J, who we hadn’t seen since we moved to Idaho eight years ago, and shared an awesome dinner and conversation. We met B, zen and guitar teacher and fellow cyclist, who invited us to his home in St. Paul for a stay. And we were able to meet old co-worker and friend Z, along with her parent C + S who generously treated us to dinner. These moments have been among the most memorable and meaningful of our journey. They ground us and provide a sense of community and love when we’re far from home.

One of the main pillars of this trip was to help us seek clarity on our future. We’re getting there. Creative projects, income streams, and how we want to live are all in the queue. We’re navigating how we can shift more of our focus into those efforts, while still staying present and keeping our eye on this life-changing experience. 

One of our Warm Showers hosts said to us, “Why do you need to stop? You can just keep traveling.” It’s a valid point. And while I like that idea, we like having a home base of some sort—and your own bed to come home to every now and then—more. With close to 7k miles under our belt, the future isn’t totally clear. I’m not sure if it ever is to be honest. But it is bright. And we’re figuring it out—together.

-Erik

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