Terminal Wanderlust

Are you prone to wanderlust? I am. I love planning getaways, the longer the better.

I’m also prone to mild bouts of depression and I’d been feeling blue since returning from a 10-day bike tour along the Erie Canal. I was inspired to undertake such a long distance ride by Russ and Laura of PathLessPedaled, so when I discovered they were coming to Long Beach on Thursday night for a slideshow and talk about their epic journeys, well I had to get out of the house; I’d been moping around for almost two weeks. Maybe this would cure me.

On the way to Long Beach I’m thinking of questions. I decided I would ask about these pesky post-touring blues — did they get them, too? And what, besides getting back on the road, is the cure?

It’s not hard to find the bookstore they’re speaking at; it’s the one with all the bike riders pouring in. Next I notice the bike racks — there are plenty to handle this crowd. As I’m about to walk in, out darts Russ. He turns, “Is that you, Frank?” Well, I’m starting to feel better already. We’ve exchanged emails and I just missed them on my last trip to Portland. Meeting them tonight closes that loop.

Their kick-off video has a soundtrack that suits these perpetual wanderers; it gets everyone in the mood. Russ likes to speed up the video 2 or 3 times normal, to make the cycling scenes more interesting. And the scenery — he knows how to handle a camera. He has gorgeous shots that you know must have taken a lot of effort to arrange. For example, him with the camera at the top of a breath-taking mountain pass, Laura halfway down the valley in silhouette. The extra effort is worth it and it has the desired effect — this audience of 25 wanna be wanderers is mesmerized.

Russ and Laura take turns narrating. The stories are as charming and endearing to hear as the photos are gorgeous to look at. The tales of their fellow bike tourists, like the ones traveling from Alaska to Argentina — we see their picture and hear their story — everyone is smiling, but was it just me wondering: When did some of these characters last take a bath?

After the video they click through their slides beginning with a previous tour, one that covered 10,000 miles over 15 months. They sold all their stuff as they severed their ties to hearth and home.

Not many in the audience will dare take such a drastic step, but some might be tempted to try something more modest, like this year’s journey: after spending the winter in Portland, OR, they set out on their Brompton fold-up bikes for points east, all the way to Glacier National Park. Now a small foldup bike is not what comes to mind as the ultimate touring bike, and maybe that was part of the whole story: If they could tour on such a bike then whatever bike you may have is probably perfectly suitable, too. The fold-ups are well suited for combining pedaling with Amtrak; I know this first hand.

Why do they do all this travel? And then to top it all off, why do they go on a road show, like this evening in Long Beach, to talk about their experiences? They’re advocates. As Russ says, they want “to inspire all types of people to travel by bike.” It worked with me.

So as the evening winds down and everyone’s asked their questions — Is it safe? How about all those hills? How much did you spend? What about all the rain? — it’s time for me to pop my question. First, I own it: I admit to getting the blues as I returned from my first long distance ride. Has it happened to them, too? Russ and Laura immediately relate, “It’s as if you’re really living life when you’re going someplace new everyday. When we came back to Portland we were depressed for 2-3 weeks.” One week still to go, I think. Then they follow up, “but maybe as soon as November we’re planning an all winter-long trip to New Zealand.” I can see their faces light up at the thought; that must be the cure.