girl + bicycle = love

I guess I love my bike because it sets me free. Same reason I love my snowboard, my scuba equipment, and my running shoes for that matter. These things that put my body to work, pull my soul out of my chest, and allow me to be more than just a vessel, a useless shell containing facts, emotions, and a BA of archaeology. At times I feel a harsh and unsettling disconnect from my body, and it totally disgusts me. I fear I spend too much time inside my head, and not enough time actually physically engaging in the world around me. The brain and the body. How can there be two separate Meaghans? Sometimes that's the way it feels.

So, I love biking because it enables me to test my physical strength and stamina, while giving me time to meditate on the myriad facets of life. Pedaling through the damp mossy rain forests of Haida Gwaii, sweeping windswept hills of Oregon, grafittied rocks and cacti reaching for the sky of desert Baja, and metropolitan cities of Southern California. Engaging the legs, stimulating the mind, and moving from one place to another like a nomadic sheepherder. Searching for a place to sleep at sunset, meeting people from all walks of life, and waking up with the sun. That's what I love, and that's why I bike.