August 18: It’s a Wrap - Coming Home
It’s a wrap! As I pack my bags and get ready to leave for the airport, I can’t help but think about the highlights of the summer as well as my gratitude for the pit crew at home that supported me all the way.
Although the distance covered on this year’s journey was the shortest yet at just a little over 8,500 miles, in some ways it was the most logistically complex. I made necessary adjustments to my gear to account for the extended time in severe heat, changing up my base layers and adding increased water storage. I familiarized myself with various safety measures I could take to minimize risk in less developed or crime prone areas such as only drinking bottled water and staying at hotels with secure parking. Making sure I had the proper documentation at each of the dozens of border checkpoints was another priority.
Every bit of trip preparation as well as the work I put in on the road paid off in spades, as my adventure was filled with once in a lifetime experiences and mouthwatering food.
Overall, Morocco was both the most challenging destination to travel in as well as the most rewarding. Riding around hairpin curves on a two-way road with enough asphalt for one vehicle wondering whether each turn would be my last was nerve wracking to say the least. Making my way on dirt and gravel paths through little villages occasionally left me wondering if I was lost. Finding myself exhausted from the severe heat despite my best attempts at hydration made me question what on earth I was doing riding to the Sahara Desert in the summer.
But the far-reaching, vast expanses of richly colored red earth and sand mountains, hills, and flatlands took my breath away and left me seeking more. The unimaginable kindness of the locals who had so little in the way of material possessions themselves caused me to question my own priorities. The encounters I had there will stay in my memory for a lifetime.
Two of my favorite experiences in Africa were riding a camel in the Sahara and getting a late-night Hammam at a bath house in Marakesh.
Sitting atop a dromedary in 104-degree heat after riding and waiting in temperatures up to 108 degrees over the previous 13 hours was not easy. But as the huge beast lumbered his way up and over a variety of dunes, I was stunned by the beauty of the shadows he created on the deep orange sand mounds all around me. When we stopped to watch the sunset over the bank of red soil, I couldn’t help but laugh when the Camel’s slobber almost flapped into my face.
Two days later in Marakesh, after an already spectacular evening of food and entertainment, I decided at the last minute to take advantage of an opportunity to get a Hammam not far from my hotel. After stripping off all my clothes, I laid down on the warm marble bed while the female attendant scrubbed, cleaned, massaged, and oiled my skin within an inch of my life. When she dumped buckets of cold water over me between each step of the process, I felt like I was receiving a gift more priceless than gold.
My hiking and rafting tour of Slovenia’s best natural gems was another key highlight. Standing behind the Pericnik Waterfall with the mist spraying in my face and dew from the overhand dropping on my head was both refreshing and breathtaking. Sliding off my upturned boat into the frigid, dazzling light blue and green waters of the Socha River was thrilling and restorative after days of riding in the heat. I can understand why some tourists come to Slovenia primarily to raft in that visually stunning spot.
I feel blessed to have had so many wonderful meals on this trip, many of which I have already written about. But if I had to pick my favorite food item of the journey, it would be the dessert I had at MamaMia in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After an already incredible meal of a perfectly cooked dry aged T-bone steak, my eyes watered in joy when I took a bite of my poppyseed cake covered and filled with mascarpone cream, laid in a bed of vanilla cream and raspberry puree, and topped with cranberries and edible red flower petals.
Because my radiation treatments in 2020 severely burned my mouth, I find it difficult to taste foods that are not very wet, making most cakes rather flavorless to me. But because this cake itself was so moist and also drenched in cream, I was able to taste it fully in a way that has not been possible for me for years.
Throughout all these experiences, I was able to venture forth into unfamiliar lands knowing that I had the full support of my pit crew back home.
Allen Nay checked in with me daily and Kathy Nesper and Grant Myers tracked me using my Garmin Mini In Reach. Sometimes after charging my device and turning it off for the night, I would forget to turn it back on. Grant, ever watchful would shoot me a text to make sure I got back on the map. When I became overcome by heat in Africa, Kathy coached me on the best food to replenish my electrolytes and recover in general. Allen could always be counted on for prayer support, even today when I temporarily misplaced my extra key in the shuffle to pack. Because all three of these dear friends have different sleep schedules and live in different states, I knew that there was someone I could reach out to around the clock. I may have been traveling by myself, but I was not alone.
As I head to the airport and bring this summer’s trip to a close, I’d also like to thank the faithful Facebook Friends who offered up encouragement and affirmation throughout my journey. Your support, kind words, and intriguing questions gave me another reason to look for the magical moments in every day.
