The Adventure Continues

To my Friends and Family,

I may be far away, but right now I feel home. I've ridden with the
wheeled migration for 250 miles from Pescadero to San Luis Obispo, and
have now followed them back to Chico to continue my journey. As the
list of people I'm sending this to grows, I realize you may wonder
what the hell I've been up to. I've moved back to Santa Cruz, and am
steadfastily continuing my education, with the goal of a degree in
Mechanical Engineering. Two weeks ago I joined a group of wild, free
spirited cyclists called Wheeled Migration
(http://www.wheeledmigration.org) and we rode our touring bikes to the
7th Annual Sustainability conference at Cal Poly. My intention was to
network with people and get a clearer direction with regards to my
future, and above all to have more fun than I thought possible.

My past bicycle tours have always been an excercise in solitude,
character building and physical challenge. On this trip I joined up
with twenty other riders whom I didn't know, and I honestly had my
doubts about how well it would go. And it's now that I wonder if I can
ever go back to the solitary masochism of my old ways. I've never
felt so at home with a group of people that I just met. Perhaps it
was the way that nobody did this ride with their ego on the line, or
the way that despite the broad range of speeds and skill levels,
nobody was left behind and nobody dragged the group down. Maybe there
is just something so special and empowering about carrying all that
you need to survive on a bicycle. Freedom from the confines of steel
and glass boxes, from air conditioning and the social norms that
govern our petroleum addicted society. Maybe it's the way that right
now in Chico I have more offers for floors, couches, beds and
backyards to stay in than I have in Santa Cruz.

The major recurring theme on this adventure so far has been that I
cannot do this alone. It seems that as I grow and mature there are
more and more things I wish to accomplish, and while I am strong and
driven I have learned that many more are stronger. I've broken down a
lot of personal barriers on this ride, and many seeds have been
planted in my fertile mind.

The Sustainability Conference was anti-climatic, if anything. In many
ways a big let down, but at the same time I still walked away with a
good set of ideas that I will grow over the next couple of weeks on
the road. After spending so much time on a bicycle with no walls
surrounding me, being back in the civilized, air conditioned,
shoe-wearing, quantified world was a terrible shock to all of our
systems. The conference was all ideas and talk of sustainability, but
did not seem sustainable in practice or execution. It was hard to
find interest in changing the policies of institutions to be more
sustainable when the people and environment that surrounded me was
not. Change in the world starts within each one of us, and I believe
that if I can make my own existence less of a burden and more of a
gift to the earth and my community, the rest will fall into place.
I've learned more about personal sustainability from my fellow riders
than from any speaker or panel at the conference. Over hills and
through headwinds, across the hundreds miles of enlightening
conversations.

Following the conference I hitched a ride in our sagwagon Myrtle back
to Chico. I've spent so much time with the Chico crew that I feel
like I'm from there, although I'm only just arriving for the first
time. Chico people, I want to drink at least one beer and go for at
least one bike ride before I go. I'll be around here, you'll find me.
I've got my bicycle and everything I need for the road with me, and I
will be rolling back to Santa Cruz.... someday.

For the next couple of weeks I'm going to be thinking about how I can
grow and strengthen my cycling community at home. How can I teach
people that cycling is a fun, enlivening and effective method of
transportation, how can I get them all on good, safe bicycles, and how
can I promote understanding between motorists and cyclists? I want us
to have conversations about how the Wheeled Migration can continue to
grow and flourish, and how we can bring it all back home.

My ever evolving plan, as it stands in this moment, is to ride to
Shasta and Headwaters Outdoor School sometime next week, and ride home
from there. Wish me luck, I'll be thinking of you...

Much love to all,

-Blair