BikerDan Writes Again!

It’s been awhile since I last wrote here – nearly 2 years (I have been riding, just not writing) – and a lot has happened since.  Not least is/was the COVID-19 pandemic.  Fortunately, my family and I came through all good.

Addie was unexpectedly unemployed last summer when her instructor job at North Carolina Outward Bound was put on hold, so she drove home to Bedford in May, 2020, to figure things out.  It was a real treat to have her here for that time, especially since she developed a love of cycling and we got to ride together a bunch.

Meanwhile, Ronia was holed up in her apartment in Miami, working from home.  She realized she could work from home in Bedford just as well as in Miami, so she packed her boyfriend David and her dog Zoe into the car, and drove north as well. 

There are three salient points here:

The first is that when they walked through the door, it was the first time we had met the boyfriend, who was going to live with us for an indeterminate length of time. (It turned out to be a year, almost to the day.)  It worked out really well.  We were all happy together, and they were excellent roommates (as was Addie).

The second is that both girls overlapped here for several weeks.  It was really great having them both home at the same time for an extended visit.

The third is that my evening dog walks with Ernie this last year generally included one or both daughters, as well as Jennifer.

On the 4th of July weekend, they all went to visit friends in NH.  Addie left directly from there on a cross country road trip – camping, rock climbing, and visiting friends and relatives across the country.  She made her way to Big Sky, Montana, where her winter job awaited at the Demo Rental Ski shop at the Big Sky ski area. (Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we did not get out there to visit this winter.)  Outward Bound is open this year, where she is leading groups of campers on backpacking, canoeing, and climbing expeditions.  She is coming home to visit in a few weeks, the first we will have seen her in over a year.  Thank heaven for video calls.

Meanwhile, a year after arriving here, Ronia, David and Zoe left on June 1 to take a week to drive to their new apartment together in Miami, visiting friends and relatives along the way.  All parties agreed it was a great stay, especially the dog walks,  and it was great when they left.  They are now happily ensconced in their new apartment and Ronia has been back to the office.

We are empty nesters again!

So what does this have to do with riding?  Not much.

However, I am planning my next big ride (and thinking about the one after that). 

My next big ride, again in support of cancer research and the Pan Mass Challenge, is a 2-week, 450 mile ride from my current home in Bedford, MA, to my childhood home of Williamsport, PA.  I will start riding on August 1, and arrive sometime between the 10th and 13th.  As with my cross-country ride, I will be blogging here along the way.

Subsequent posts here will be more about the preparations and riding.  For now, I just want to ask your support of my PMC campaign. 

Cancer effects us all, and the PMC is a great way for those of us who are not medical professionals or scientists to help find cures.  100% of rider-raised money goes to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  You can contribute by going to www.PMC.org and clicking on the red Donate button.  Help me meet my goal of raising $10,000!

Thank you in advance, and enjoy following along.