Doing a Recount and.... Wow.... I should Bitch more often!!

It never ceases to amaze me....

The Nature of Man....

And Woman. 

I love it. 

What am I talking about?

For the first time for the most part on this tour, I did a Major Bitch Session post....

And it got the most response of any post I've done this far....

Isn't that ironic?

Here's the deal. 

For the most part, I lean toward a more pessimistic outlook on life. 

I always describe it as....

Pragmatic at Best. 

Pessimistic at Worst. 

With that said and understood, I've for the most part stayed away from that on this tour....

At least in my representation of It on this blog. 

Because for the most part...

I've really had nothing to bitch about....

Which, for people who know me can tell you, is a rarity. 

I mean - Come on - let's be objective about this and just do a quick synopsis / evaluation of this tour to date. 

52 days

2150 miles

Approx 200 hours of pedal time

Taken over 5000 pictures at least half of which while I was riding the bike. 

Have had several 45+ mph descents on a bottom of the line Trek 3700 Mountain Bike (< $500 new) loaded with 55 - 70# of gear.

Rode 16 days straight in WA and OR where it rained on me sometime during the day.

Slept on the ground 40 days - 37 of which was under the stars, i.e. NO TENT.... Just me and God and the Stars above me. 

Bicycle mechanical failures - 1 rear wheel broken spoke and 1 rear wheel flat. 

I haven't hit the ground 1 time on the bike (God tripped me going up the stairs in the Blue Heron Inn on Mendocino CA but I deserved it). 

I haven't even had a sniffle (but I have blown out a 5 gallon bucket of snot from Seattle to Santa Monica)

I have been passed by 10387 cars, 4962 trucks, 2229 RVs, 1217 18 wheelers, 854 motorcycles, 189 logging trucks, 47 cement trucks and the same dump truck 25 times.....

And have yet to be hit by any one of them or even have a negative interaction with any of them. 

I have been outside in it 99% of the time.... In the elements.... In the fog... In the most.... In the rain... In the sun...

And have seen  and experienced the Wonders of the West Coast up close and personal seeing more in 52 days than most people will see in a lifetime. 

In summary and in long, I have seen it all and done most of it. 

I have been blessed and protected by God through the thoughts and prayers of my friends (some old... some new) and family and through my constant communion with Him directly and through my immersion in His Creation. 

Maybe I was a bit low on my 3.5 estimate of followers and supporters....

So - let's do a recount....

There's my Wife - She says she reads all my posts everyday which I kinda doubt but I have to give her the benefit of a doubt cause....

Well... Cause she's my wife. 

So that's 1.  

Then there's my sister, Diana, who is obviously my #1 supporter cause she reads every post and comments on 90% of them.....

So that's 2. 

Then there's my son, Aaron, the best man I've ever known and a guy I want to be like when I grow up. His wit is so wide ranging and dry I find myself rolling in laughter in the Sahara Desert of his humor daily. 

That's 3. 

My 2nd sister, Vicki, has been reading my blog regularly also. We communicate through personal texts on her thoughts on my tour. 

Number 4. 

Then there's some CB from Middle America that has the completely deluded and misplaced notion that my blog, pictures and writing are worthy of something more than a family entertainment hour. 

Up to 5. 

Out of the Woodwork comes "Towel Girl" (which is a whole story in itself). I'll just call her M. I met M at Cape Mears on one of those 16 rainy days. We see - sawed up the road for a few days until she cut off for Portland. 

So - what is that? 6?

Then there's my daughter, Amy, who's too busy being an Unholy Terror, to read her Dad's blog. That's Ok.... She's 19, beautiful, smart and a Social Animal so I feel lucky if she even calls me.  

I'm giving her a 0.5 so we're up to 6.5. 

I'm gonna lump all the rest of the blog followers, who have not presented themselves or who have have left for 1 reason or another, into the last 1.0. 

So.... There you go.  

I was wrong. 

After 2 years 8 months of doing this blog and 3200 posts and probably > 7000 pictures and 35000 words of commentary, I've got 

7.5 followers. 

I like Small Groups. 

Makes the whole thing more up close and personal. 

Good Morning. 

Let's get this Day of Discovery started.