Just a Dream

[Ed Hurst]

The bike I have is okay for now. It will get me started down the road. I know that at some point I will be longing for something specifically designed for that kind of long road trips. A mountain bike can do the job, but I won't be doing that much off-road riding any more. It's staring to hurt more than I like. There are specialized touring bikes out there for this, but they are expensive. I'm not in a hurry because I want to make sure this is really what God has in mind for me, not just some wild idea of my own.

[IainH]

Never mind; too many people are already using that as a blog title. I'll use "Bikepacking Okie" just because it leaves open the door somewhere in the future for riding into other states. And yes, "Okie" is a common term for us Oklahomans.

  Merle Haggard was a Californian, proud of his Okie roots. I'd reckon it's about mandatory to like the Hag in Oklahoma much like it is for Doc Watson in NC, well in my part, it's more or less natural. Now, as to those Charlotte people (local term for NC city dwellers) I don't know. It may be a mere affectation that they put on for Merlefest, a 3 day, supposedly Bluegrass festival that brings in money for the good people of Wilkes County. I don't know 'ary a native that has been to it to do anything but, work or perform. I got nothing against the CP per say, they try to be but, sure as hell AIN'T country fried, THEY FLINCH AT GUNFIRE!!! and NO ONE in the unincorporated parts of the county flinches at gunfire. I fear that if the Democrats take over the State Legislature that we will lose our sacred right to our favorite pastime of "shootin' stuff". I don't believe that there is anything in my junkyard that I haven't put a bullet through except my old microwave (Faraday cage for a CME,  that hold spare ignition modules for my truck and motorcycle). Bullet holes, 8mm Mauser, 12 ga, 16 ga, 22lr or 45acp don't affect the scrap value. Sorry for the extended jabbering, I am a notorious motormouth and I'm too lazy to erase it so, y'all will have to do like everbody else and suffer. Now that I'm done I'll get to the point. It's the journey, not the destination.
  The Point:
I can't say anything as to your idea other than to say if the LORD puts it in your heart then, you gotta do it because you'd be miserable otherwise. Dang! That ought to be worth at least a nickel.

[Ed Hurst]

Thanks for the encouragement, Iain. It's best not to leave it with just "go git `em" -- it requires the personal touch of extra verbiage to put it in a proper moral context. And I'll backtrack on one thing I said above: I'm not going to ride only on roads, but I am going to avoid the extreme off-road stuff that is popular with the mountain bike folks, where you'd have a hard time even walking on the trail. I'm not in this for my ego and "look what I can do!" I'm in this to show what most anyone else could do if they tried. The other major element is, "You gotta come see this for yourself." I'll also be advocating for opening more areas for bicycle touring, especially federal lands where biking is typically forbidden, and for no good reason other than prejudice.