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Several years ago I did three weeks of a bicycle trip with my sister. She had done a trip much like it - from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic - in 1982, with our younger sister. The 2016 trip was also designed as a cross-country trip, following the Adventure Cycling route, Sierra-Cascades. She rode from the Canadian border toward Mexico, though the routes are designed to be ridden either way.
She had been inspired to do the ride after reading the terrific blog of a fellow that was riding the basic route my sisters had ridden in 1982, only east to west. His name is Dan.
I am not linking to the man’s blog, as I did not obtain permission to do so prior to writing this diary. But it was quite exceptional. I re-read it last week, and was more impressed than when I was reading it as he posted updates.
It is a story of a man on a mission, to travel, to see the country, to be with people, to connect and engage. He has a fine spirit, calm, stable, open, honest. He made many friends along the way, and had some great adventures. I had some correspondence with him over the years, and I have followed him on social media. Well after his trip, in 2017, he spent some time working as a school bus driver.
I have never done that, but I have read stories of school bus drivers, and I rode a few buses when I was in school, so I have some sense of the challenges of that position. Challenges before Covid, even.
One of his social media postings described a rather hellish day at the front of the bus.
Here is how he described it:
[The bus] was filled to capacity (78 kids), it was over 100º on the bus, everyone was screaming and telling, and I was going to quit. Then, as I dropped off my last students, Rosy said. “This is for you, Mr. Dan,’ as she handed me a folded piece of paper. I opened it and everything changed.
And this is what he saw.
I don’t know about you, but seeing that changed things for me, too. Well done, Mr. Dan! Well done, Rosy!
Thanks for reading. On to tonight’s comments.
TOP COMMENTS
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From belinda ridgewood:
In Greg Dworkin's APR today, he shared a very entertaining meme about the Trump boat parade, and exlrrp was able to see immediately just what the problem at Lake Travis was.
From BlackSheep1:
From Youffraita:
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