The ultimate destination would find a gathering of many such bikers, from many different places around the country. (This represented my first foray on such an extended trip.)
Our first stop en route was scheduled somewhere near Yosemite. Midway thru the first leg of our trip, we stopped at the home of an elderly couple (parents or friends of one of the other riders), where we ate lunch and rested on big, comfy couches.
It surprised me to hear the trip-leader say (an hour before sunset) it was time to saddle up and get back on the road .. after taking such a long break during daylight hours.
First I needed to make a call. That's when I noticed the battery on my cell was low, so I wanted to charge it for 10 minutes before heading out.
The trip-leader said something like, "If you're not smart enough to charge your phone while we're here, then that's too bad for you."
(This guy seemed to be on an ego-trip. Because of his experience, I felt dependent on him, which made me very uncomfortable.)
••• today's entry continues here below •••
"He knows I've never done this before,"
I thought, plugging my charger into a nearby outlet. While lacing up my bike-shoes, I realized I'd forgot to put my backpack in the van which was transporting our supplies ahead of us to the final destination.
By the time I walked outside and climbed on my bike, I saw the other riders round a distant corner and quickly disappear.
With the backpack, I realized I'd never catch them. (Bummer.) Then it occurred to me that I also had everything with me that I needed to continue the trip by myself. That's when I had an epiphany (zing!) in which I realized I was never supposed to have made the trip with the impatient ego-trippers.
The group-trip was merely a mechanism (by the gods?) to get me started on this long journey .. something I never would've attempted without the encouragement and support of an experienced group. But they were merely repeating the same trip over and over, every year, year after year.
Now that my journey had begun (and being too far along to turn back), I could see that, for the others, the trip was about proceeding (mindlessly, mechanically, as if by habit) to a known destination .. while for me, the trip was about exploring the unknown, which required an open mind (and a bit of courage).
I could also see that my journey would bring me in contact with people and experiences that would teach me many things about life. That's when I woke (~5AM, feeling unsettled), and I've been thinking about it ever since.
The message I perceived » don't fret when you feel as if you're being left behind to face a big unknown by yourself, for the Known is not your destination. And don't fret about feeling unprepared, for you already have everything you need (which includes the willingness to explore the unknown and an open mind).