Why in the world would I want to do something like this.......?

Sounded cool at the time....after waffling back and forth a few times, I finally decided to follow the advice of one of my favorite quotes (it's on the wall over my desk)........

Risk -
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

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That pretty much sums up the why.

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So anyway, here I am beginning my journey to ride my bicycle across the country. So, in case you're wondering how I got to this point.....

I bought my first road bike and really got into cycling about 4 years ago trying to find a good way to get into shape and have a little fun. For a little motivation, I decided to shoot for the 50 mile Tour de Cure ride here in NW Arkansas. 50 miles! Holy cow, that's a long way! Luckily I had a really good friend to keep me motivated, and push me along to ride farther. I doubt I would've kept riding as long as I have if they hadn't pushed me past the point where the work turned into fun. You know who you are....Thanks again.

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Well, I completed the 50 mile ride with my friend and got some good coaching, and advice, from another friend at work, and from there 50 miles just didn't seem like that far anymore. The following year I rode across Oklahoma with the OK Freewheel, and even made it to Iowa for RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). I had so much fun with these, that I've done RAGBRAI every year since (3 years running, now).

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At RAGBRAI, I started noticing that it always seems to take two or three days to get comfortable riding every day.Then, when you're really starting to enjoy the ride and the freedom of not having a care in the world other than getting to the next town, it ends....and we go home and go back to work.

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So, to answer the question at the top.....I don't really have a great or compelling reason to do this....I really just want to go for a ride that I can lose myself in and not have to go home so soon.

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Ok, so here's the route I'll be doing......