Evidence

As my dear Dan often tells me, you can know a thing to be true and still appreciate supporting evidence. He's right. I've always maintained that people are fundamentally good and our time riding through Michigan has provided ample evidence to support my perspective. Christy the bartender in Walkerville who called the Bitely Boys Motorcycle Gang to get us a free camping spot, Rusty and Jack and Don of said gang who chatted, Sandy the Bitely bartender who gave us coffee and pancakes and wouldn't take payment, Donnie and Kim who let us sleep in their award-winning pole barn and swim in their pool, Pete and Judy who bought us coffee and joined me in geeking out over gear stuff and gave us Tour de France updates and a beautiful route out of Midland, and now Gerry and Sara who opened their jaw-droppingly gorgeous historic (1872! Survived a wildfire!) home and their homemade wine and vegetarian pizza and stayed up laughing with us til faaar too late at night--- all kind and lively souls who reached out to us, each one the source of stories we'll be telling for years. Amazing.

And that's just over the last 10 days. I'd be remiss if I failed to also mention the enthusiastic support we've gotten from the homefront. There was a great deal of collaborative work in the lead-up to this adventure: before the sendoff brunch and the Zion camping, there were months of speculation and planning and chatter. My mom and Dad and Dan and Arline and Ruth and Max and Rachel and Dave and Toby and Stacey and Nick and the crews at Uptown Bikes and Boulevard Bikes and Johnny Sprockets-- good lord, you guys. Words fail. Big hugs.

I continue to be overwhelmed by the graciousness and generosity and good humor of the people I encounter, both in regular life and in epic undertakings like this one. You all make it easy for me to be happy and hopeful. Hooray for evidence.

xoxoxo,
meg