THE GOOD OLD DAYS...

For some reason after reading my buddy Steve's blog, I started to think about all the things I should be thankful for. In 2001 prior to my PCS transfer from the Air Station Barbers Point to Yorktown, Virginia a good friend of mine, Jeff Conners talked me into doing the America By Bicycle Tour. At first I was hesitant but eventually gave in and signed up. The ride started in San Francisco, Ca. and ended in Portsmouth, NH. Those were the good old days! You would wake up and the most difficult decession of the day would be deciding which jersey to wear.

You would ride on an average of 60-80 miles a day, get to the hotel, buy the beer, sit at the pool and BIKE TALK the rest of the afternoon until dinner. Then you would go to bed, wake up the next morning and repeat like shampoo! At times we all got a bit crazy! For example, I bought some Oakley Scar sunglasses and everyone knows how I have to match. So I decided to bleach my hair blond but it turned ORANGE and was a perfect match for the sunglasses!

The next day 4 other riders did the same! I made some really great friends and we all have remained in touch ever since. Life was so simple and fun even though it was only for 30 days. You forgot about life's ugly side and appreciated how beautiful our country is. Friendly people in the middle of nowhere offering you food as you waved to them in Lycra! Our tour ended just 3 days prior to September 11th. We all flew out of Boston in which I had a flight to Los Angeles so I could pick up my vehicle and drive back east. I was going to take 3 days and spend it with some friends in Mystic, CT. Could I have been on that plane that was hijacked? Enjoy life, family and friends. I am really seriously thinking about doing another one next year (30 days) tour. I would be more than happy to tell you all the stories over a beer.