Winding Down

Today I am sitting in a coffee shop called Java Coffee in Sunset Beach. I was talking to a couple of guys here this morning named Roger and Ray about my travels. They had the typical response of "no way," "nobody did that," "I don't believe it." I am used to people having a hard time believing that I have done some of the things I have done. I am not your typical American. I have been wandering the world for decades and lots of crazy things have happened around me and to me. I find it entertaining that people do not believe it all. I could care less about believers because I just travel for my own personal reasons and write about it for my own personal reasons. I am not out to impress anyone. There is no need for me to do that. I get plenty of satisfaction just doing my thing. Last night I ran into a guy that had just returned from a several month tour of India. One of the nonbelievers was listening to us talk about India and all of a sudden he spoke up and said "Wow. You really do know what you are talking about if you even know directions around town in Calcutta India like that." I had to laugh at his response but it is not the first time that happened. I am still in Sunset Beach North Carolina. The weather sucks. I am seriously considering ending my ride when I get to Virginia. I will have ridden almost 4900 miles by then and I am starting to burn out physically. My knees are starting to hurt when I ride and I do not want to cause permanent damage on my knees by overdoing it. I am not a young whippersnapper any more and it takes me a while to heal up. The weather is also not making it much fun. Thundershowers are the daily norm and they do not go well with riding a bike and camping. I am tired too. My nightly pain levels are very high recently. It all adds up to the common sense thing and flying back to California. I am thinking about going back to Bakersfield so I can see the grandson. Maybe next spring I can return to Virginia and continue on my ride around the country. This is not an iron man contest for me, I just want to enjoy the ride and meet nice people and see the country from an up close point of view. I hope to leave tomorrow for Virginia if the weather allows. It is a three day ride to get there. I will visit Wendy in Chesapeake and ship my bike home then fly back. Such is the life of a wandering biker.