Day 17: 762 miles

I'm writing this the next day at our own library in Marion. It's hot off the mountain. Since Uwharrie didn't seem all that interested in a walk out on the scorching blacktop, Matt looked at me and said, "Hey, wanna bike?"

We made it home faster than we had projected -- even what we projected on Sunday morning. I am thankful that we made it safely across all those miles, traffic, gusty gaps, steep downhills. At the fabric store today, the owners said they saw us come in on Hwy 221. Matt also saw a student of ours. There's something satisfactory about having witnesses for our finish. The kicker was that we entered the city limits and still didn't head straight for my apartment and that shower: Instead, we stopped at the movie theatre to see the long-anticipated Star Trek. (It was awesome, by the way.)

I'm still trying to process our great adventure, but I already think the enduring legacy is that it made me very comfortable on my bike. I am just as good at biking as I am at hiking. And I can trust my bike to perform and not break down. Now, there's no excuse not to commute to work -- and that three miles is an easy ride when I put it in perspective.