Unexpected Road to Bliss

July 3, 2023

… I started writing this blog in July 2023. I finished it almost a year later…

Sometime ago, maybe a year or more, my friend Sandy Earl asked me to be part of her crew, for her solo attempt at Race Across America (5000 Km time trial from California to Maryland). I accepted, not just because she had done the same for me years ago; not just because I would be there to see her achieve a major life goal. I accepted mainly because I enjoy being part of such an experienced crew of like minded people who can sweat the details and celebrate the many victories along the way. Together, we enjoy the challenge of facing down the chaos, pressing forward step by step in the face of uncertainties;

We were a crew of nine and one racer. Many of the crew I have served with before, others I have acquaintanced. Only one, Kelly Morris I was meeting for the first time. Though Kelly is not an endurance cyclist, she turned out to be great crew. I thoroughly enjoyed serving with her.

We were organized into four groups. I was assigned to the Night Crawlers, along with Phil Plath and Kelly Morris. Our job was to follow the racer through the night, in Mothership. The Day Trippers consisted of Bill Spaeth, Alan Johnson, and Chris Eisenbarth. This group was to follow the racer through the day. Behind their back we called this group the Nerd Patrol, because they were the technical skill set that knew how all the gears turned. Sharon Stevens and Nancy Kenny were the Swing Sisters and were responsible for shopping, laundry, etc. The ninth crew was Kellie Moylan. She was stationed at her home in North Carolina. We could call her day or night for intelligence updates on how we were doing relative to the other racers, and the time limits.

There were three vehicles. Mothership, a Ford Transit was set up with a refrigerator/ freezer and a microwave oven. The Night Crawlers or Day Trippers would take turns driving this vehicle behind the racer most of the time. Enterprise, a Dodge Pacifica was used by Night Crawlers or Day Trippers when it was not that group’s turn to follow. Primarily it was used to shuttle the off duty crew to the next hotel or the next swap site. Sputnik (or Voyager), a Dodge Caravan was used exclusively by the Swing Sisters. All three vehicles were set up with lights and signs so that if Mothership went south, either of the two others could be pressed into service as the follow vehicle.

All vehicles where connected by VHF radios with a 20+ mile range. The racer was linked to the Mothership with BlueTooth audio. Everyone carried a smartphone. Chris Eisenbarth, Sharon Stevens, and I set up our smartphones so that we always knew the others’ locations. The three of us were assigned to the three mobile groups. So each support group could tell where the other groups were without asking. As I write this, I note that the position of Sharon Stevens is still reporting on my phone.

In Oceanside before the race, there were lots of things to do. Vehicles needed signs and lights to meet race regulations. Meetings between RAAM staff and members of our team. Meetings within our group. Shopping, meal prep, etc. The whole group was buzzing about town. Our Crew Chief, Phil Plath was doing a good job of keeping things coordinated. The crew’s experience makes the job go easily. I was surprised to see Phil’s management style in action. I am quite sure he has never been a manager professionally. I guess he’s a natural.

Sharon Stevens, an attractive endurance cyclist from Dallas, TX, had caught my notice. She is only ten years younger than I, but looks very young for her age. We have both been active in endurance bike racing, so I had met her several times through the years. We have many friends in common.

Never before had we ever served on the same crew. This opportunity was unexpected, as there had been some last minute changes in crew staffing. Having already made pleasant conversation with her on a few of the errands. I decided to take a bold step in the frozen food aisle in WalMart. When I said that I really enjoyed being around her, she cooed.

June 3, 2024 (almost a year later )

We are married now and living the life of happy nomads together. It is difficult to capture the details of all that has happened. Here’s an overview.

Our racer Sandy did not finish the Race Across America. She quit in Missouri as a result of an automobile accident in which no one was injured. The Mothership was rear-ended by an inattentive teenage driver. It suddenly gave Sharon and I two days of unscheduled free time. The race crew did not need us for the moment. We agreed to meet them at the finish line in Annapolis, in a few days.

There in the Lake of the Ozarks, I asked Sharon to come with me to New York City. She agreed. We flew out of St. Louis. On the way to New York, I told Sharon we should pretend we are newlyweds on our honeymoon. She readily accepted the idea, and played the part with enthusiasm. We landed in NYC on June 24, 2023; a date we still refer to as our wedding anniversary.

The whole thing was falling together well. You see it was for the last few years that I felt my nomadic life would be perfect, if I had a partner to share it. Sharon was already a long distance cyclist. She clearly liked traveling, and the sense of adventure it brings.

The parts that did not seem to fit were that Sharon had a home in Dallas, TX; and she could not envision a life where all she needed could fit in the panniers of a bicycle. Our joke was that her hair products alone could not fit in the panniers of one bicycle.

The solution I proposed was that we would get an RV of some kind so that she could carry enough to make her feel whole. It was not a perfect solution, but she was willing to consider it. We agreed that we would work out the details when I came to visit her in Dallas in July.

When we got to the finish line in Annapolis, we told the crew we were married; which was not quite true but we both liked continuing the fantasy we had created. Sharon flew back to Dallas, and I flew to New Hampshire to visit my brother.

In New Hampshire, my brother’s son Toshi was working on converting a school bus into an RV. I told him I would like to rent it. I bounced the idea off of Sharon. We named this bus Bodhisattva after the Steely Dan song we both liked.

Toshi is an architect. This bus was no hack job. And it was large enough to have a living space and an office space. Toshi and I cobbled together a rent to own agreement. And Toshi set to work to finish up the preparation while I went back to Dallas to fetch Sharon, this woman I was calling my wife.

While I was in Dallas, Sharon introduced me to many of her friends. We went out sailing on Mike’s boat. He pointed out that I should read up on the Texas common law marriage rules. This is because we clearly met all the requirements. I readily accepted that it was no longer just a fantasy.

Sharon and I were in fact married. We bought wedding rings and Sharon got down on one knee and proposed. I agreed to ride an official two hundred kilometer bike ride with Sharon each and every month, which was her practice for the last seventeen years. The good thing is that these rides are held all over the United States. Thus if we brought our bikes along, we could travel the US.

Our Travels between June 2023 and June 2024

The plan got a little modified along the way. Toshi’s Bus had mechanical issues. Fortunately we discovered this before the launch. So instead, we bought a trailer and pickup truck in California and named them Sparky and Balto respectively.

Sparky and Balto in Wittman, AZ

Major Events

For Thanksgiving our good friends Jim and Cynthia opened there home for us to share the Thanksgiving feast with them. This place is the Gillis Mansion in Yreka, CA. Cynthia runs this as an Airbnb. It is the largest single family home in the county. So, Cynthia and Jim invited not only Sharon and I, but my entire extended family, including my children and grandchildren, my sister and her husband as well. It was a grand weekend.

My brother died suddenly in January 2024. This surprised everyone. Sharon and I left our trailer in Baja, California and flew to New Hampshire to attend the services. I felt very fortunate to have lived together with my brother, Sharon, and Toshi in his house for a month the previous summer.

My brother’s absence in my life is profound. I felt a strong need to fortify my family ties. While we were in New England, Sharon and I quietly got married in the Newton, Massachusetts town hall.

Currently

For her birthday, I bought Sharon a bicycle suitable for touring. We are loading panniers onto it. Together Sharon and I will go full cyclonomad. This will be Sharon’s first experience with extended touring. Keeping mostly to places where hotels are within easy reach, we carefully dip our toes into new terrain for Sharon.

I hope it goes well for us. I would like to continue the nomadic adventure into South America in December. We will see how it goes.