One year ago today we sat in the
Nashville International Airport like open books waiting to be filled with
material in just a few short months. A year ago our lives were devoid of an
unimaginable number of experiences that have shaped us into three people who
are just not quite the same as the ones you see here in this picture. At that
moment, we had just said our goodbyes to our family as well as our precious
vehicles for the next couple of months until our arrival in Portland, Oregon. I
am not sure if we were more concerned with the safety of our family and
ourselves for the next few months, or for the safety of our bikes and equipment
for the next few hours. Tough call. And after weeks of planning, stressing,
fund-raising and questioning, we were here at the terminal with nothing left
but to hop along for the ride and finally the chance to let this decision
resonate within us.
So don’t let our goofy faces fool
you! Deep down we were more than terrified at what we were actually getting
ourselves into and beyond disbelief that this adventure truly was about to
begin. We did however, have nothing but good signs up to this point to help
reassure us that we were not necessarily biting off more than we could chew. We
would not have even made it as far as the airport on this morning if it were
not for the financial support, but even more so, the emotional support from
sponsors, friends, family and random strangers. Little did we know all of this
kindness was also foreshadowing our trip to come. We could have never guessed
the acts of kindness that we were about to receive over the next 2-3 months. If
while sitting in this airport someone told us that people were going to buy our
meals, put us up in hotels, let us sleep inside their homes, and hand us a
large donation after a conversation at the bar we would have never believed it.
We were much more likely to believe that people were going to try to run us off
of the road, avoid our stinky selves in restaurants, and call us crazy hippies
who needed to get jobs or do something productive with our lives.
If you followed our trip, or even
just take a minute to skim the good news of our blog, you know we had the time
of our lives. We could reminisce on the still breathtaking views and awe-inspiring
acts of kindness but instead we just want to thank everyone who contributed. (and
we believe there to be hundreds of you!) Donations and places to stay were more
than we could have ever hoped for or deserved but the enormous amount of tiny
acts really added up for us. Things like positive conversations, no matter how
short, fresh rhubarb from someone’s garden on a hot day in Hells Canyon, a
comment on the Facebook page to reassure that someone is actually following our
story, a hand as we attempted to push our bikes up the beach after “dipping our
wheels” all contributed to the success of our trip. So we want to thank you all
for that with a little education. This is a list we compiled of things we
learned a long our trip and quotes that were too good not to share. We hope
that this information will be valuable to your life. Enjoy.
We would like to share with you all
of the NEAT knowledge about Neature and the world that we learned on our trip
so that it’s not just us knowin’ it.(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jgvNqNKJ5Q) We couldn’t possible share
everything but here are a few things that really stood out:
Skua/ Skuaing (Skoo-uh-ing)- a
verb that means to scavenge, thrift or even purge personal belongings. It
originates from an Antarctican bird, the Skua, which resembles a seagull with
talons. This bird is known for dive bombing lunch trays in order to “skua” food
from people. We acquired this knowledge from Gracie in Nathrop, Colorado. You
remember the one who unicycled across the country? Well she also lived in
Antarctica, naturally.
Used in a sentence: “Jordan skuaed a jacket off of the side
of the road one day.”
Pueblo Dad- a very specific yet very generic breed of man common to
the Pueblo, Colorado area. They are very easy to spot. Always wearing some sort
of sports team t-shirt, but most frequently that of the Denver Broncos. They
also all wear the same pair of Nike Shox. Our wonderful host and Pueblo native,
Dane, and friend Previn enlightened us on this species. They are easily spotted
in grocery stores and sporting good stores however, their kind has taken a
dangerous decline since the very tragic event known as Superbowl XLVII. It is unknown
what is happening to the Pueblo Dads but a common myth is that they have
converted to Seahawks fans and moved to Seattle. The true explanation remain a
mystery. Used in a sentence: “Hey, look at that cherry Pueblo Dad over there
riding a cruiser from Sundance Cycles”
Dwayne’s Day- A day of rest. Also known as Zwayne’s Day. On this
day, you do not have to do anything that you do not want to do. You don’t have
to do any work or even answer any phone calls for the entire 24 hour duration. The
traditional Dwayne’s Day falls on every Wednesday of every week, but Dwayne’s
Day is your day so you do you. This one was brought to us on the flight to
Portland by none other than Dwayne. Used in a sentence: “I need to ask Dwayne a
question but I will have to wait until tomorrow because today is Dwayne’s Day.”
Rusting- A chemical reaction that affects Eastern Oregonians when the
sun comes out. This phenomenon is often confused with “tanning”, the darkening
of the skin also catalyzed by the sun, but only affecting the entire world
population with the exception of Eastern Oregonians. Used in a phrase:
“Shirley, look how rust I got today from working in the yard! I think I am
going to have a farmer’s rust.”
Quotes Worth Sharing:
“Nope. We don’t have a bathroom
around here but I’ll tell ya what, there is the great outdoors and you can’t
beat it with a stick. Trust me.” – The Post Office Lady. Moran, Wyoming.
“Keep two wheels on the ground”- Kurt
the Bar/Restaurant Owner. Richland, Oregon.
“If you get hit by a car you’re
considered and endangered species.” –Some dude we chose not to spend another
second hanging around. Just Outside of Yellowstone National Park.
“I can give ya’ll some bear spray
if you want. You may need it around here. You are not supposed to spray humans
with it. That didn’t stop me though.” Gabi the Vietnam Vet. A bar in Walden, CO.
*Gabi had many more memorable quotes, however, this was the only one we felt comfortable repeating.
*Gabi had many more memorable quotes, however, this was the only one we felt comfortable repeating.
“Umm..this is a European style
coffee shop.” – Lady at the coffee shop when we asked if they had Wifi.
Tillamook, Oregon. *This was said after she asked us to clarify what Wifi was.
“Hang
on! I gotta go get the back-up rum balls!” –Lex of Lex’s Cool Stuff, yelled out
of her car window as she went to get the back-up rum balls. Netarts, Oregon
“You’re
gonna gain weight ya know.” – Creepy Old Dude in a bar on Father’s Day. Missoula, Montana.
*This comment was made to Natalee in response to our bike trip,
but most importantly it was made after he showed her a picture of his recently
dead dog…in a bar.
