Today was another rest day, but it was also a big decision day for me. I think this decision has been coming for a number of days. Staying in Missoula and enjoying the things (cafes, bookstores, parks, people) you can find in a decent-sized city allowed me to realize that I'm really ready to go home. I spent some time looking at my cycling maps this morning. I'm so close to the coast, and yet so far.
There were a lot of things that went into my decision to stop riding. It's been hard to keep up my energy stores, even though I'm in great shape from the 3000 miles I've put in on the bike since June 10th. But beyond that, I realized today that I'm done mentally and I don't have the desire to keep riding - especially through little towns with little services. And I'm looking forward to getting back to having easy access to wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables and to good bread - all things that are hard to come by in little towns.
I guess 10 weeks away from home is enough for me for now. I could continue, but I don't want to risk destroying my love for cycling and for touring. If I stop now I know I'll be ready to do this again in the future!
I still want to visit the folks at Bike Friday, so I'm going to drive from Missoula to Eugene, Oregon, and I'll fly home from there. I plan to continue writing journal entries until I get home, and I'm sure I'll have some final words to add after I get home next week. Plus, I do plan to upload some more pictures once I get to a faster Internet connection! So keep checking in for the end of my trek...
This has been a great trip so far, and I want to keep it that way!
