Day 12 – Our Hero Rides On!

Yep, this guy just keeps going! Art mastered so many miles on day eleven, it’s a wonder his legs aren’t jelly. But he was up and ready to go the very next day. This time, he rode just twenty-eight miles. After all, he’s put some real tough miles in, including yesterday, so an easy day was certainly called for on day twelve.

We traveled from the West Coast, with its high humidity, to the eastern part of Washington State, which resembles the eastern plains of Colorado – dry, with a high fire hazard, and rocky in places. This caused Art to suddenly develop a bloody nose. If you have a weak stomach, quick! Close your eyes or, a better choice, focus on the landscape behind him. ‘A river runs through it.’ See what I did there? 😉

And some gorgeous rock formations were once again along his path:

It was then that Art unintentionally picked up a side job – cattle herding:

I’m thinking the cow was trying to understand what this contraption heading toward him was. He did move off the path, though. And that’s a good thing. I grew up on the eastern plains of Colorado, where there are open-range places. These cows can become rather wild and mean due to less human interaction. I spent a weekend with a friend at her uncle’s open-range farm when I was a teenager. We were out messing around in the woods. He drove out to drop some hay for the cows and called for us to run to the truck. My friend, Laura, said we had to get there before the cows did. We ran as fast as we could with a couple of cows running right behind us. I barely got my leg inside the bed of the truck before the cow banged against it right where my leg had been a moment before. That likely would have resulted in a fracture, at the very least. If you’re a city person, take note if you are in an open-range area. Avoid approaching these cows. They are not like the ones you’ll find on fenced farmland, where they see and interact regularly with humans.

As you can see, this path was another rocky one. I have to think, whoever created these bike paths has never put two feet on a bicycle:

He rode past this bit of water. In Colorado, we’d call it a lake. In Washington, I’m sure it’s referred to as a pond:

He rode through a mini canyon:

Another gully-type area, surrounded by berms on each side:

Never daunted, but a bit irritated, Art seeks out better paths when he can get reception on his phone. And so he did. It was shorter and easier than what he has been riding:

Notice the real smile has returned to his face.

And he has finally reached town. But this intersection is special because it includes Arthur Street. The second photo shows that:

He has grown so popular, strangers are naming streets after him 😉

Readers, this is not an easy task Art has taken on. And while it is a Journey of a Lifetime, let me assure you, he feels every mile of it. His knee bothers him after, he’s down to the bone tired, and still, he sticks with it and pushes onward. I hope when he reaches the end of it, you’ll greet him with a newfound admiration for his determination. Not to mention his grit. I jokingly call him Our Hero, but what he is doing is truly amazing. I know I couldn’t even get close. Okay, I can barely stay on my bike for a mile, let alone a sixty-eight-mile day, so I’m no comparison. But this is something to be admired, and he deserves your praise.

Please Comment! I will read them to him, and it will lift his spirits and help him along the way. Please Like the posts! It shows people are reading even if they don’t want to comment. Please Subscribe For Free! To follow along with every post.

And most of all, as the author of this blog, thank you for reading and coming with us on this journey. To some of you, Jay and I are strangers, and Art is your friend. To some, it’s the other way around. My purpose in writing this blog is to share some of the amazing things we see, do, and learn as we travel all over the United States. It wasn’t the easiest decision I have ever made to sell our beloved home and many of our possessions, but I’m truly grateful that everything fell into place so we could do it. I hope you’ll continue to read even after the bike ride ends.

As a published author, I hope my words allow you to travel with us in your mind’s eye, that as you read, your imagination takes flight, and you see yourself there. I especially hope that in cases where you may be unable to travel yourself, you can feel as though you have stepped out with us, can smell the scents, feel the breeze, and touch the beauty that this country has to share with us.

I appreciate you, dear Readers. Not only that, but I am grateful you find interest in these words, whether for Art’s bike trip or our travels. Stay awhile and rest while we take you along.