Why cycle? Why not drive? Part 2

It’s been 2 years now since I moved to California. One of the most enchanting beauty of California is its great outdoors. I’ve taken road trips in the west coast (California, Nevada, Arizona) and the east coast (New York, Boston, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia). But can I say this (without incurring the wrath of my east coast friends) - that California offers the best climate and natural beauty in this country - it has a year-round Mediterranean climate, where its summers are cool and its winters warm.

Its landscape is varied, vast and expansive - from mountains to oceans, breathtaking national parks and gorgeous rivers.

The beauty of nature here in California, in my humble opinion, surpasses that of any other state in this country. Pardon my naivety, because I have yet to see the remaining 37 states.

And this is why I will be riding across the country come June 2014 - to experience this great land in its entirety, from west to east - not driving, but relying instead, on pure human grit and strength.

Seated in a car, shielded from the elements, driving, is never the same as cycling - you’re hauling and propelling your body weight and your bike, you’re out in the elements, feeling your sweat running down your temples, dripping onto your tired hands gripping the handlebars - the experience is tangible, real and raw. You breath in the crisp, fresh air, you hear the sound of tire rubbing against the road as you pedal continuously on long stretches and steadily pedal uphill, you feel the surge of inertia and adrenalin as you fly downhill on long, steep descents, hands clutching the handlebars tightly as you maneuver the mountain bends.

Cycling puts you at one with nature, and makes you come alive.

You experience nature in its purest form, in a way you never could, seated comfortably in a car.

And this is why, I ride.

Note: All photos were taken by yours truly in my travels.