Vagabonding's Two Faces

For all of the positive facets of a vagabonding lifestyle (and there are many, as I'll tell you), the lifestyle does have its drawbacks. As I am officially in my last week here in Crested Butte (for the foreseeable future), the brevity and frailty of the personal relationships I've made here, the lessons I've learned, and the experiences I've stumbled into are shown in uncompromising clarity. That sounds a bit cynical, and I by no means mean to imply that because I'm continuing my travels next week that the people I've met are going to disappear from contact, the lessons I've learned will be shelved away, or that the value of these experiences will be diminished, but it must be noted that the slate will be wiped clean again. There's no two ways about it - I will miss a lot of the people, places, and experiences here.

That being said, I am filled with an exuberance I've only felt once before (when moving from Virginia in October) - the exhilaration of adventure. I'll be leaving on Wednesday for a town I've never been to with no concrete plans of where I'll be staying or what I'll be doing when I get there (sure, I've got a job there, but if you let your job define your experience of a place you miss a lot). The open book of travel is a good read. I can't wait to meet new people and experience new things in the new places I'll be going.

I have a few days of cycling in Colorado Springs and Denver to look forward to, then a new adventure in Dillon for April (as if cycling with no destination or preconceptions in Colorado Springs and Denver isn't an adventure unto itself). I have a lot of work to do in Dillon for TakeYourBike.org - keep posted on the development at www.officialtakeyourbike.blogspot.com. It's going to be epic. Are you interested in riding with me from Canada to Mexico in September and October? Email me. You're invited.

I'm living with the intention of dying broke... and I'm ahead of schedule. - guy I met on the bus today.