ONE THOUSAND MILES BEHIND US

POST #20

1,000 MILES BEHIND US. What a January it’s been so far! We’re two and a half weeks into the New Year and we’ve pedaled over 1,000 miles / 1,600 kilometers. It’s a milestone to which we’ve been looking forward. But you just don’t realize it’s happening out on the road. Bob and John forgot about the moment and decided to really crank it the last 20 km into Nirmal, averaging over 30 kph / 18 mph for the distance. All eventually made it to the town safely. Photo: villagers hitch a ride to a nearby town in the back of a lory/truck.


INDIAN AND GUEST RIDERS. We are joined by two Telegu-speaking Indian riders for this phase of the journey. A young man from Hyderabad named Munoz and an older man from Yavatmal area named K. P. Mudave. In addition to these, David Goodnight of Seattle, Washington is riding with us to Umri. Today, his teenage daughter Audra rode 40 km. It’s hard to imagine what village people we passed thought about a young woman riding a bicycle along in our single-file entourage. Photo: David Goodnight pushes himself up a hill.

THE PASSING SCENE. We pass through such beautiful landscapes and rustic village scenes each day that it’s hard to put it all into perspective. Joe James’ photos capture a good sense of what we’re seeing and experiencing. A man follows a plow pulled by oxen. Women plant rice fields in calf-deep mud and water. Traffic slows for a herd of cattle being driven down the road. A flock of goats forage by the road, several with their front feet on the trunk of a tree while they reach for tender leaves. School children in uniform wait for their transportation beside the road, smiling, waving, and calling out to us. Men on motorcycles and in auto-rickshaws slow down to ask about us. A caravan of oxcarts with sugar cane piled high creates a challenge for steering your bike as you approach them from behind. There’s an ancient fort on the right. See that little Hindu shrine over there? Monkeys play along the side of the road. And this is just the countryside; India’s cities and towns are even more interesting. India by bicycle is an effervescent feast for the senses and an artesian well for the heart. Photo: how large loads of laundry get cleaned.

Here are some more photos from recent days: