Sourced from material written or otherwise captured on the road, The Biking Jay is a travel blog by Portland-based Jay Kapp as he rides his bike from Portland to New York.

A Homebody's Epilogue

A Homebody's Epilogue

Joseph Kapp

$3500 (and counting) raised for CASA

 

For most of my adult life, I've left in my wake a trail of keys, wallets, sunglasses, headphones, etc... ("You really need to stop losing passports," the State Dept agent told me in December). Friends know not to trust my pockets with anything essential. But on my bike trip across the country, I didn't lose anything. Every strap, wrench, pen, needle, lighter, earplug, sock and cord could -- at any point -- be accounted for. I paired my life down; nothing was redundant. Now that I'm home, I'm back in the world of abundance. My 900-sq-ft house overflows with stuff; the things I carried across the country have already sunk into the sea of domestic accumulation.

 

For the entire six hour flight back to Portland, I marveled at the window as my 50-day adventure unspooled so effortlessly. The country's lakes, mountains, plains (and the winds born thereof) revealed their continental context and then, just as quickly, vanished. Days disappeared in seconds.

 

Coincidentally, I arrived back in Portland the same Sunday as Mitchell -- the dude I ran into in Montana moments after my roadside weep. He was in town for a bit and we met up a few days later for a beer. When we were out, he was talking about his recent adventures on the road and my mind wandered into jealousy: "Man, that'd be so cool to just ride your bike across the country." I'd already forgotten. It was Wednesday.

 

I finished my ride six weeks ago and it's a different body I now wear: over those seven weeks of riding, my heart grew accustomed to pumping 5000 calories a day into a singular focus. With that raging beat came overwhelming passion, joy, misery and tears; my sympathetic nervous system ran in its highest gears, charging me with emotion. Back home, I now eat like a human being again, probably clocking in about half as many calories on the daily. I ride in a week what I used to cover in a slow day. My nerves, accordingly, have returned to a more overcast and sustainable state of apathy. Kinda depressing there for a bit.

 

The bike traveled back to PDX via fedex and arrived, a week after I did, on Aug 8. That night I meticulously reassembled my baby and then rode to work the following morning. There's a particular point on the upper deck of the Steel Bridge -- the Willamette beneath, the West Hills beyond, mt st Helens and Rainier in the distant rear view -- at which only a fool couldn't fall in love with this town.

 

It's taken me nearly two months to recover from my two-month trip. But I'm back on board now with this Portland life. Oscar is making swift recovery from an injury that had plagued him the better part of a year. And there are all sorts of people/places/things to explore and adore. It all really came together the other night at the hilltop Ponzi vineyard. Storm Large (my new favorite live performer) gave a benefit concert for CASA. Betsy -- director of Portland's CASA -- brought me on stage before an adoring audience, thanked me with words overpoweringly generous, and topped it all off by complimenting my outfit and gifting me a bottle of perfect red wine. It was an incredible show. We enjoyed a setting sun over the Willamette valley and then drove home.

Ace of Hearts

Ace of Hearts