Some Stray Thoughts!

Some Stray Thoughts from others who also like to turn the crank as a means of transportation, recreation, and adventure:

"The world lies right beyond the handlebars of any bicycle." -Daniel Berhman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles

"I delighted in the supreme sense of freedom that comes with the first mile of a bicycle journey." -Dan Buettner, on beginning his 12,000 mile, 277-day ride across Africa.

"The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew, and live through it." -Doug Bradbury

"Movement, on a cross-country ride, it's your lifeblood." -Frosty Woolridge

"Bicycles have no walls." -Paul Cornish

"A raggedy ride beats a dressed-up walk." -Simon Peat

"The only regret I have in my life is never learning to ride a bicycle." -Helen Hayes

"I like riding a bicycle built for two--by myself." -Harry S. Truman

"If the wind is not against you, it is not blowing." -James E. Starrs, The Noiseless Tenor

"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, quite so worthwhile as simply messing about on bicycles." -Tom Kunich

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride." -John F. Kennedy

"Never use your face as a brake pad." -Jake Watson

"There are three ways to pedal a bike. With your legs, with your lungs, or with your heart." -Mandible Jones, Carpet Particles

"Dad, if you get to the top of a hill and there are no numbers, stop pedaling, you're dead." -Sarah, one of my daughters, after she gave me a heart monitor.

"You think a Christian is a sissy? meek and mild? less than a man? The young men who rode from ocean to ocean on bicycles--thirty-five hundred miles in seven weeks--will prove you wrong." -Jack Houston, Wandering Wheels, (the book that started it all for me)

"If we can do it, you can do it." -Richard and Barbara Siegert, Bicycle Across America

"Two boys on a bike trip are sure to find adventure. Send them off into the wilds of the American West, and it's a safe bet adventure will find them." -Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, Two Wheels North

"No car rides, no walking hills, and no hangers-on." -Brian Newhouse, A Crossing

"There were big cities, rural towns and great stretches of open land. Heroes and villains are out there too, but mostly it's fine people living day-to-day . . . The weather wasn't left out either. From the first winter storm in the mountains of Washington through the tailwinds in Idaho to the heat and storms of the South, weather kept things from getting boring. Seeing America at ten miles an hour without the protective shell of a car allows all the senses to get to know the country. It was an interesting ride with insights into culture and sore muscles." -T. E. Trimbath, Just Keep Pedaling

"Once you've made it through Kansas you've got it licked." -Phil Shrout, america at twelve miles an hour

"You know, we have had a good time. The weather, as I said, is very hot today, but it was pleasant yesterday. We had some strong wind in our faces and that made it miserable for a while, but cloud cover helped and we really have done pretty well. As the wind turns around and gets to your back, it makes the ride very, very comfortable. So we've had a good time so far." -Mike Trout, The Heart of America

"A man can live ten minutes without air, two days without water, and forty days without food--but not a single second without hope." -Norman Cousins

Some Stray Thoughts of my own:

"There's no such thing as a free downhill."

"It's a ride not a race."

"Pedal smarter not harder!"

"Stop . . . I've gotta take a picture." -to Jonathan about every 15 miles pedaled on the 2009 cross-country ride.

"You don't stop riding because you get old, you get old because you stop riding." -Moab t-shirt

"We're going to Maine." -kind of the Battle Cry of the first ride.

"The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship." -Psalm 19:1

I love quotes. Quotes are like proverbs and proverbs are like billboards: short and to the point. Quotes are also easy to remember. Proverbs 17:27a reminds me, "A truly wise person uses few words . . . " Seven wise words reminding me that I don't have to say a lot to say a lot. In fact, sometimes saying nothing is better than even a few words. Proverbs 17:28 tells it like it is: "Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent."

Now that I'm older and maybe wiser I probably like quotes because something shorter is easier for me to remember. My motto for life has been for several years, "I can read but I can't remember so write it down." That's why I journal, that's why I blog and that's why I will blog for the next ride. Even good memories are worthless if they can't be remembered.

Which reminds me . . . lots of followers sent lots of quotes to 4295miles.blogspot.com. Maybe you've got a favorite quote or two about riding, or life in general, and you'd like to share words of wisdom with someone who can read but can't remember and others just like me. We'd love to hear from you. Billboards, quotes, proverbs, or bumper stickers . . . bring 'em on.

A truly wise person uses few words . . . truly wise people write them down too!