Hard to Believe

There goes Ezy
Ezy Ryder
Ridin’ down the highway of desire
He says the free wind
Takes him higher
Tryin’ to find his heaven above
But he’s dyin to be loved, dyin’ to be loved

-Jimi Hendrix, EZY Ryder (1969)

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Yes, it’s hard to believe that I have only one more day of riding to reach the Atlantic Ocean. I knew that the “one day at a time” mindset that I’ve hewed to would lead to this moment, where I look up from the execution of the dream to see its fruition.

But this has not been an exercise in belief. There was a fair amount of planning, but it was more about focus and determination than anything else.

BUT

It’s not over til it’s over, so even on the eve of accomplishment I will not get ahead of myself.

I made a change to my original route to the Atlantic. I thought I would ferry hop across the southern Chesapeake Bay and ride to Chincoteague. Relative to how the crow flies, it was not the shortest path to the surf. I chose this route to the ocean because any closer alternative would require crossing the heavily trafficked Bay Bridge on US 50. And the trip would also take longer because of the ferry schedule; it requires a full day just to cross the bay because there is no direct link. The ferry traffic stops in Tangier Island, and you have to wait several hours for the ferry to Maryland. As a result, I would only land on the Maryland side of the bay at 5:30 pm. And then would be forced to spend the night nearby as there is still another 45 miles to get to the ocean. These constraints meant that the ride from Reston to the Atlantic would take almost 4 days.

I had invited my brother Mark to ride the last few days me. He didn’t have availability for the entire time it would take to ride and ferry to Chincoteague. But he offered an alternative: he suggested that I ride to Annapolis, Maryland where he and Hindy would meet me. In the morning, Hindy would ferry the two of us with our bikes across the Bay Bridge and set us down in Stevensville, MD, where we would ride to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware (90 miles). So, here I am in Annapolis, ready to ride 90 miles to the Atlantic tomorrow.