Origin Story

Plot: Get from Pacific to Atlantic by bike.

Cast: Susan and Jeff, Chronologically Gifted.

Motivation: The Golden Years do not involve enough pain.

Genesis: In early March, 2023, while we were in the family room reading, Susan suddenly and without warning asked "What do you think of riding across the US?"

As it happened, at that moment I was thinking that very thing. It wouldn't be the first time in our marriage where I felt as if when she looks at me she sees a self-announcing teleprompter.

Since I was a teenager, I had not infrequently thought of doing a transcontinental ride, but life kept getting in the way. That did, however, have the benefit of keeping me from getting what I asked.

That excuse is gone. We are retired, with both time enough and money to prevent hiding behind their lack. And despite our being chronologically gifted, all our systems still work reasonably close to original spec.  No shelter there, either.  And the future offers no guarantees.

With those nudges, we got where we are, nearly fourteen months later, on the verge of The Last Hurrah.

Yes, that is an elegiac note you are hearing. We will never again get up to something like this; it is now, or never.

Of course, it is far more accurate in Susan's regard, because she has a fair collection of such Hurrah's, whereas I have, to be generous, none. She rode across the US in 1986:

Ancient, well worn, hand tooled, manual paper planning

But wait, there's more!  She has walked Camino Frances, across England, and around Mt Blanc.

In comparison, I have endured, well, uhh, twenty years of airline catering.

It's a tossup between Last and Only.

Last it is.