On the Precipice of Change : Beautiful People

My bike....minus space

"Do you know what you're doing?"

I laugh, "not really, do you have any idea how to screw this derailleur in?"

And without a second thought, he left his bike to help me reassemble mine. Over an hour, and a fascinating conversation later, we said goodbye to the guys at the shop and biked into downtown Berkeley.

I'd never ridden my bike outside. In fact, I'd never ridden a road bike of any kind outside, and as for city riding, well, Stowe Vermont is the closest place to a city that I've ridden through in the States. But miraculously, biking through Berkeley was a breeze, in great part because I had some one to follow. A stranger, who had no reason to be kind to me.

Flying into Oakland...

And it wasn't just that guy in the bike shop who went out of their way to make a difference in my life. There was the woman in the airport, who told me about her childhood growing up in Montreal and waited so that we could walk to our connecting flight together. And the guy from Michigan who had never been camping, but who nevertheless took great interest in everything I had to say about biking and Kroka. And there is the girl from UC Berkeley who has taken me into her home and who went rock climbing with me last night. And her friend who went for a gorgeous bike ride with me this morning. I feel like I could talk to her forever, philosophizing about life, society, and the universe. What's more, I was lucky enough to talk to a young man from Vermont who did two long tours last year. My conversation with him made me even more excited about biking and helped me get a better sense of what I'm getting into.

A training ride just outside of Berkeley.

I am blessed to meet these wonderful people. They inspire me, and teach me, show me new perspectives. This is why travel is awesome. You meet people, you see things, and you are forced to see the world through different eyes. It's uncomfortable at times, terrifying even, but that is what makes it amazing. Because making it through the hard times gives you more joy than always being comfortable ever could.

As I prepare to head out on Monday, I look forward to learning from all the people I come across on this adventure. I've got a hella nice bike, as the guy from the bike shop said, sage advice from many cyclists, a little too much gear (I promise, I'm sending stuff home!), great maps, the love and support of friends and family from home, an insatiable sense of adventure, and a world to explore. Life couldn't be better.