Seattle to Los Angeles is about 1100 miles. It is normally 3-5 days ride depending on how much sight-seeing detours one takes. Last time I rode it in 4 days since I was zigzagging through the coastline and inland sceneries. It was cold-fog - hot-scorching sun zigzag. Not this time.
A friend of mine did a similar trip. He finished the road trip with a Grand Finale. He took on the Iron Butt challenge - ride 1000 miles in less than 24 hours. Hmmm… that competitive me and the distance match way too well. My usual ride is 300 miles. This means condensing 3-4 days into one ride. Insane, nevertheless, enticing and fitting.
From Seattle it’ll be a straight fast shot to Los Angeles due to some time constraints. And I need to hug somebody. Luckily, I’ve lived in this part of the country long enough to have done all those West coast roads in Washington, Oregon, and California a few times. Not to say that I would not like to do them again, but that’ll have to be left for another trip. And in the meantime, it looks like I’ll be riding in midst of a heatwave at 90+ degrees. So a fast highway ride may be in order anyways.
I left Seattle at 4:14 AM, and arrived in Los Angeles at 10:10 PM. Eighteen hours on the road! I knew I am going to ride through a heatwave. I forgot that at 4am in Seattle, it ain't going to be a heatwave. For the first 4 hours I was riding at 59 degrees Fahrenheit. And my inner jacket was buried somewhere, so I was a bit cold for a while. I didn't care, because I knew what's coming. Then, the heat turned on, and most of the ride turned was hovering around 90-100 degrees. The evaporative cooling jacket made it possible, even tolerable. As well as the 6 weeks on the road where I've encountered such temperatures many times.
There are strict rules how to document the ride in order to certify. Essentially, capture gas station receipts with place, and time along with your odometer. Surprisingly, it turned out to be easier than I anticipated. Not to say easy by any means. It is a very long ride, a serious challenge, but doable with the right state of mind. At mile 970, I hit a 10 miles backup due to some accident. I was just about to celebrate, but held my horses (ok, the single horse), for when it is fully appropriate. You never know. Lucky for me, I stopped at a gas station just before the backup and was able to do a 10-mile detour and skip the backup.
I felt more comfortable riding in silence, no music, no podcasts, no chats. It was meditative. I have no idea what I was thinking about, and how the time has passed. I was not bored. They call this challenge SaddleSore 1000 for a reason. I know what it is :)
All in all, I completed 7860 miles riding beautiful and super fun roads through some of the most magnificent and varied scenery in the world. I met beautiful people, received help with warm hearts and had great conversations with others and with myself.
So what next? I can’t say for sure—and that’s the point. The epiphany isn’t in a single moment, but in the path itself. I’m still seeking, still leaning into curves, still letting the road surprise me. As Bono sang, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” But I’m no longer “stuck in a moment and can’t get out of it”. I’m riding forward, alive in the search.
Beard looks good