Nancy Shepherd must not mind the prospect of hitting the Big 5-0. She used her upcoming birthday as an opportunity to embark on a bicycle tour of the perimeter of the U.S.
I remember how I celebrated by 50th: My friend flew out to visit me at my home in Austin at the time and we rode 50 miles that weekend. It was in the winter off-season, but now it seems lame.
Now I'm inspired to do something more grand for my 60th, which is on the horizon. Thanks Nancy.
Her story
The Ohio bicycle traveler has a good summary of her trip so far, at 12,000-mile Bike Tour. Her journal is U.S. Perimeter Trip at Crazy Guy on a Bike.
Nancy writes that she started thinking about a big challenge when the signs of aging began to show themselves:
“But was it really the physical aspects that distressed me so much? Or was it the equation in my mind: Signs of aging = old age = diminished abilities = loss of dreams?
“I've always been attracted to epic quests and physical challenges. Something stirs inside me when I read of someone's walk across the country or a bicycle trip around the world. It makes me long to go, to break away from everyday life and challenge myself to a task that will test my fortitude and resourcefulness.”
Route
A counter-clockwise bicycle tour of the perimeter of the US was the adventure she chose. She left her home last July and headed west.
Although she used Adventure Cycling maps for much of her route, she also relied on advice from bicyclists she met along the way. To stretch her money, she cooks her own meals and camps for free when possible.
So far she has traveled 4,300 miles, pedaling from Ohio across the Northern Tier to Washington state, then down the Pacific Coast to southern California where she headed east to her daughter's home in New Mexico.
This spring she'll take off across Texas to the East Coast, ride north to Maine, then head west in time to reach her home in Ohio by her 50th birthday in July 2009.
Maybe then she'll planning for 60.
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