Day 22 - and that's all she wrote
Trip Start
Mar 23, 2011
1
23
Trip End
Apr 15, 2011
Jekyll Island, Georgia
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
How happy? There is a DirecTV commercial out. In it, some old rich guy has died, and they are reading his will. The trophy wife gets all the money and property, and the son gets his dad's DirecTV account. Did he get the thing most people would have wanted? No, doesn't matter. He goes nuts. He is screaming, waving his jacket in the air, King of the World happy. That's pretty much how I felt.
Why? I tried to do this once and failed miserably. I thought about it, tried to learn from my mistakes, and came up with a new plan. Because it's always good to have a plan. And then, wonder of wonders, the plan worked. Damn, that's satisfying.
Is my world any different now? Did I uncover the meaning of life? No, but I was reminded of things we all already know. There are a lot of parallels between a bike ride like this and everyday life. You can see the road immediately ahead pretty clearly. But there is a point, beyond which, you just don't know what lies ahead. You know how you would like things to be like when reach that point, you can imagine what perfection would be. But you know when you do get there, perfection isn't likely. What is likely, is that some of what you hoped for will be there, some of it will not be. And this, of course, is the critical juncture. Will you choose to be happy and appreciate what you do have, or resent the fact that things could be better. Boy, life seemed a lot better when I let go of the things I was less than happy with and focused on the positive. I guess that's true for all of us, every day.
I want to end by saying thanks. Thanks to Patty for understanding, to the boys for stepping up in my absence, to Johann for helping me through it, to everyone at work who proved that I really am not needed. And a special thanks to those of you who shared this journey by reading this blog, making comments, and sending emails. Made me feel a lot less alone out there.
Take care,
Jim
Comments
It was really fun hearing what you said each day!!! I enjoyed it!!! What an accomplishment!!!! Your house has been just fine here without you as well but I'm sure they will be happy to have you home!!!
Wow--the last two entries -- so well written (and the last one so true!) I'm proud of my brother.
Huge Congratulations Jim. Thanks for letting me share the Blog. . It was a joy.
A great read each morning. Thanks!
Jim, looking at the picture of you and the Atlantic Ocean, the first thought that popped into my mind was "Oh yeah! Look at choo!".
I will miss checking out the blog with my morning cup of joe. Congrats on completing a great adventure!!!
Jim, thanks for letting us all share this adventure with you. I enjoyed reading your blogs and thinking about you day after day getting up and hitting the road on your bike. Some days I really don't feel like getting up and going to work. However, my task each day seems pretty easy compared to yours. I think mentally it would be hard to hit the road again and again despite the physical issues. You did it!! That is so awsome. All those miles behind you and all the miles of life still to go. Now, you know you can do it. (Not that you had any doubts about life.) Life should be an easy road after the roads, trails, paths you have biked over these past weeks.
I want to know the statistics of this trip. How many total miles did you cover??? What was your average miles per day? What was your average speed during this journey? Which state did you enjoy the most? Which state did you enjoy the least? How many miles did Johann cover? If and when one of your sons set out to do this adventure, what seat for their bike would you recommend. (Oh, aren't you going to design the "perfect" seat.)
Cheers! I can't wait for your next adventure. What will it be? For the Frondorf family, it will be Ross getting his driver's license, Brett going to college, Ryan moving to the high school and Patty running in the Flying Pig. Happy days ahead. Enjoy!
P.S. Do you know where Tony is on his journey? I know his end was Jacksonville Beach? When will he get there?
Jim great job. Huge accomplishment. Now time to get that instrument rating!!!
A few details... a number of people have asked the same couple of questions... stuff I left out or don't know. Turns out the entire trip was 2536 miles. Did it in 22 days, averaged around 16 mph over the whole thing. As far as Tony goes, I wish I knew how he did. Never got his number, I do regret that. He had to start pulling a trailer after he left Texas, so it's likely that it took him a few extra days. But I fell confident that he made it as well.
Just returned from vacation and was able to get on line. Congratulations on your success. I knew when you left Texas, you were going to make it. What an experience! I have shared your quest and story with a few dozen people over the last few weeks. To a person, they all had a dream quest they wished they had tried but didn't. You tried, more than once, and made it happen!!
CONGRATULATIONS, Jim! That is such an amazing accomplishment! You're super man...
Hey Jim - congratulations on this great accomplishment. I have been out of town and have just read through the last week of your journey. You are truly an inspiration, in many ways. I love the last blog and the picture of you on the beach - I can't imagine the level of satisfaction you must have felt. I bet that is the best beach you will ever sit on! Enjoy the feeling......now, what's next on your bucket list?