Well, I didn't make it to St. Louis, I didn't ride 1,000 miles, and I've ended four days early. There are a lot of reasons. Mechanical problems, knee problems, and all the forests being private property made it impossible to roadside camp. Most of all, pushing so hard put me into a really low mood, as racing the clock took priority over meeting people and enjoying scenery, and I felt like I was making unsafe decisions to go faster.
Talking to people brought in $50 in cash donations for the Philippines typhoon relief, and gave me more interesting Memories than racing down the shoulders of Louisiana highways. Slowing down got more donations, and hopefully made the blog more fun to follow.
Ending early was the right choice. My contingency plan was perhaps the only thing I thoroughly planned at all. I was grossly unprepared for this ride physically, with my route, and with my gear. I was focused on final exams for the last three weeks, so preparing for this ride came second. I earned very good grades, so my priorities were appropriate.
Maybe this all seems like a bunch of excuses for falling far short of my goal, but to be honest, I hated the first three days on the road. Day 3 was miserable, and I'd had enough. Slowing down save my sanity.
I'm still processing this unexpected outcome, so I'll write more as it starts to make sense to me. I'll check the fundraiser totals when I'm on a secure wifi network. Keep looking here for updates.
Kyle
This ride is in support of Typhoon Haiyan relief in the Philippines, where I served as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer 2011-2012. To make a direct, person-to-person donation to my host family in Calbayog City, or to survivors in Guiuan where the storm made landfall, please click the 'Donate' button in the right column. PayPal and credit cards accepted. I have included donation links for aid organizations providing relief as well. -Kyle
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