| Interviewer: |
So today is your birthday. Just how old are you? |
| Gary: |
I’m as old as I feel – I think it’s about 35. |
| Interviewer: |
What did you do special for your birthday? |
| Gary: |
I rode my bike. Then I had a nice dinner and a couple of beers at the
Panamint Springs Resort restaurant. |
| Interviewer: |
How far did you ride today? |
| Gary: |
About 55 miles. |
| Interviewer: |
Easy day, huh? |
| Gary: |
Not really. About 20 miles of it was straight uphill, from 190 feet below
sea level at the Visitor Center to 4956 feet above sea level at Towne Pass. |
| Interviewer: |
You reached a couple of milestones this week – 6 months on the road
and 10,000 miles on your odometer. How do you feel about that? |
| Gary: |
I feel great. I can’t believe that 6 months are already gone. It went
so fast. I still have 6 months to go, however, and I’m a "glass half-full"
person. I’m greatly looking forward to the second half of this journey. Even if it
had to end tomorrow, however, I would still be proud that I went for 6 months, 10,000
miles, 17 states and 27 National Parks. |
| Interviewer: |
You’ve referred to this as a journey, not a trip. Could you explain
the difference? |
| Gary: |
A trip is just going from one place to another. You just try to get there
as soon as you can. I’ve met some bicyclists who have bragged about averaging 145
miles a day. They’re just on a trip. A journey is taking time to absorb what is
around you day after day. It means learning something about the region or the park or the
people who live (or lived) there. It means getting mentally involved in the process of
traveling from one place to another. |
| Interviewer: |
What have you learned from the experience of this journey? |
| Gary: |
A lot. I’ve learned much about our country and its National Parks.
I’ve also learned a lot about small towns and Indian Tribes and environmental issues
and other things. Most importantly, I’ve learned a lot about myself. Things like
determination, courage, discipline, endurance and how to express my feelings. |
| Interviewer: |
What made you decide to do this in the first place? |
| Gary: |
It’s really a two-part answer. First, it’s a combination of
several things that I like – bicycling, the outdoors, National Parks and other great
scenic places. It therefore became a "natural" dream of mine to make a journey
such as this. The second part of the answer is that once someone has a dream like this, he
or she should do whatever is necessary to make it come true. Take the risks; step out of
the comfort zone; make it happen for yourself. |
| Interviewer: |
Knowing what you know now, would you still take this journey if you were
just getting ready to begin? |
| Gary: |
Are you kidding? Absolutely! This has met and exceeded all of my
expectations. This is the great adventure of my life. I feel like Bilbo Baggins (The
Hobbit). I’m just an ordinary person, having an extraordinary adventure. I think
I’ll mount my bicycle over the mantle when I’m done. |
| Interviewer: |
Would you like to do it again? I mean like a second time around the U.S. |
| Gary: |
Nope. I think once around the U.S. is enough for me. I wouldn’t mind
a similar journey around Western Europe or Australia, however. |
| Interviewer: |
You seem to really love what you’re doing. Is there any "down
side" to this journey? |
| Gary: |
Sure, I miss my family greatly. But at least I’m able to talk with
them on my cell phone once in awhile. And E-mail helps a lot too. It’s also getting
cold at night. I stay warm enough in my sleeping bag, but it’s tough getting out
of my sleeping bag in the morning. |
| Interviewer: |
Is there anything else you’d like to say? |
| Gary: |
Yeah, GO BROWNS. |
| Interviewer: |
Huh? |
| Gary: |
Never mind. |
(Great
Adventures to Scenic Places)
