Ed & Sharla's Final Thoughts

Now that this dream is complete we wanted to put together a few thoughts about the journey.

Ed's Thoughts:

One of my goals was to use this time to get to better know my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I believe this was furthered in several ways.  The time on a bike allows you to experience your surroundings much more than in a car.  You not only can enjoy the surroundings more because you are doing it slower and have unrestricted views, but you also use your other senses such as smelling and hearing to experience it.  This allowed me to get a better view of His creation and recognize what a creative God we have.  He created magnificent vistas to view His handy work from the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. He also created such a variety of wildlife from birds and mammals to many types of animals that live in the sea.  These experiences demonstrated what a unique and wonderful place God created for us to enjoy and take care of.

I really enjoyed meeting people along the way that were either interested in what we were doing or were fellow touring cyclists with various dreams of their own.  We got a chance to interact with people we never would have had the opportunity to meet without this journey.  A lesson I learned was that I should not judge people based on my first impressions, because after I spent a little time with them I found out they had a story of their own and it was probably not what I had imagined.  It was also very easy to start a conversation by being on a touring bicycle and meeting all these new people was a highlight of the trip.

This adventure really ended up being a journey and not a destination and I am now wondering how God will use it to shape my future.  I feel greatly blessed to be able to have physically accomplished this and also have the time and resources to do it.  I am most blessed that my wife, Sharla, did this with me!  She was amazing and experiencing this adventure together brought us even closer to one another!

One last thought is that people keep asking me what was the best part of the trip and other than meeting some amazing people, it had to be riding along side the Pacific Ocean on a bright sun shinny day with a light wind to my back and minimal traffic.  The miles passed quickly and it was utterly exhilarating!  We had a number of these experiences throughout the journey  in Canada, Washington, Oregon and California.  I still can't believe we did it...

Sharla's thoughts in a nutshell:

I also can't believe we did it but my knees, legs, funny tan lines and so many memories let me know we did. It was an amazing adventure to share with Ed. Beforehand, I wondered how we would manage with so much together time. I can say now, we managed pretty well and I would say our relationship is closer as a result of this experience. 

I think back on the mountains, mountain passes, hundreds of hills and even some bridges that challenged me the most. As you've read this blog, you know I didn't appreciate them too much but there is a sense of accomplishment each time I made it up and over them.  I learned to focus on the task at hand and just take it 1 day at a time, 1 visible climb at a time, a half mile at a time and know that there was a downhill coming. I praise God for giving me the strength and determination to complete this journey.

Having bikes with panniers and pulling a trailer was an instant conversation starter. A highlight of the trip was the people we met along the way. So many people stopped us and wanted to know where we were going to and coming from. It was very fun to meet fellow bicyclists...some of them several times at camps who we would have never met due to age difference or whatever but here we had a common denominator in bicycling.

I also praise God for the beauty He created that was so evident in the sites I saw. There were also so many times I felt God's intervention from using a car accident on a bridge for me to catch my breath to recently placing people who helped direct our path--one at the right moment came along and kept us from ending up on a dead-end strand of land and another helped us figure the best place for my sister to meet us by the border.

All in all, it has been a wonderful, unforgettable experience.

We also thank our neighbors niece, Tori, for making this possible by agreeing to take care of our house and animals while we were gone.  We also thank our neighbors Rod and Nella for their part in taking care of our property while we were away.  Without them this dream would not have ben possible.

We were unable to post pictures during our journey but will try to add them in the next few weeks after we get home, so check back later if you want to see them.