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Standing in the Atlantic Ocean after 45 days of challenges.

Steve Garufi did it. 45 days. His dream of biking across America was completed. We’re not talking about on a Harley, either. We’re talking about a bicycle. He left San Diego on February 1st standing in the Pacific Ocean and on March 16th, he stood successfully in the Atlantic Ocean at Jekyll Island, Georgia.

At the time I wrote Part 2, Steve’s bike had just been stolen here in Phoenix. I really thought this would have been a blow that would have ended his dream.

It didn’t.

And then there were some serious tire problems on his way out of Phoenix. I actually had to go pick him up as he was stranded about 50 miles east of town. His spirit was really shaken on that day and when I dropped him off that night at a hotel near the bike shop, I really thought he would call it off.

He is presently in the process of documenting the achievement at his website Bike Across America. On the occasions that I talked with him during the trip, one thing that became very clear was that the experience was viewed two very different ways. The first way was the thoughts of those watching it happen. I and others really had this image of how exciting and wonderful it must be to be out there! Seeing the country from west to east! How cool. If only we could do that. Our view was through the rose colored glasses, so to speak. The second view was from the guy doing it, and that view was different in a stark way.

On day 13, Steve writes from New Mexico:

This road was very quiet, really quiet! There was nothing but myself, some nice views, the sound of occasional wind gusts, and a vehicle in either direction every five minutes. That was it!

Yes, bicycling across America was an intensely lonely experience. I’d like to think I’m well acquainted with the experience of loneliness. I have been single my entire life, work alone, run a business alone, cook all my meals alone, live alone, go on vacations alone, etc. Ah, but this trip provided me with a new experience of loneliness.

A week before my trip, a supportive woman at my church enthusiastically suggested I would have all sorts of wonderful interactions with people, where God in his masterful planning, would set circumstances just right for me to be a blessing to someone. “You will be Jesus to the people you meet!” she insisted.

After two weeks, however, the results were clear: I could have been Jesus to more people if I would have stayed home! Out here, it was just myself and the road, my bike and my body. I simply did not encounter many people. Imagine spending 5-7 hours everyday on a bike on side of the highway without speaking to another person. I saw hardly any bicyclists for much of my 45 day journey and definitely none on today’s route. My social interaction was limited to when I sought some kind of service, mainly eating at a restaurant, buying supplies in a store or paying for a motel room. Lastly, being exhausted after a day’s ride did not provide much ambition to seek meaningful connections either.

You get a distinct understanding that actually being out there was really nothing like the quixotic feelings we had of the adventure. On Day 15, slowed by the threat of an approaching snow storm, he comments:

Strangely, the journey no longer seemed like a big deal to me two weeks and one day into the ride - a stark contrast from the feedback I received from friends and family who were continually in awe and praise. Still, I had a profound and settled peace in my soul that I was making this adventure a reality, even if it was a fairly monotonous routine of motels, lonely rides and physical exhaustion. It simply felt great to actually do what I have always wanted to do.

There’s a lot of things to learn from someone that sets out on achieving a goal. Whether they make it or not is really not the point. It’s really the doing that seems to be the point. Where it starts and ends just isn’t the deal. So Steve’s report on his ride across the country is most interesting on Day 2 through Day 44. Isn’t that true regarding life as well. The day we were born and the day we die — we will be most remembered and value most found on those days in between.

And something else that Steve’s journey clearly illustrates — the perspective is significantly different depending on whose shoes you are wearing.

Congratulations, Steve! What a great achievement.