Facing Sunset: 3800 solo miles; a woman's journey back and forward
405
Facing Sunset: 3800 solo miles; a woman's journey back and forward
405eBook
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Overview
Facing Sunset; a woman's journey back and forward, is a coming-of-a-certain-age memoir framed within sixty-year-old patti brehler's 2016 bicycle tour between her home in northeastern Michigan and Missoula, Montana.
Forty years earlier, patti brehler was one of more than 4000 bicyclists taking part in Bikecentennial '76, a transcontinental ride honoring our nation's 200th birthday. Twenty years old, she flew to the west coast joining a group of strangers riding together from Oregon to Virginia. While patti had two self-supported tours under her wheels before Bikecentennial '76, those eighty-four days cemented her ride-her-own-road approach to living. Dipping her front wheel in the Atlantic left her yearning for more: an open-ended adventure, a "Forrest Gump" ride: riding until desire for discovery disappeared. Only then would she be done.
Life realities deferred patti's dream. Shorter tours weren't enough. Competing in ultramarathon events such as twenty-four-hour road races, a multiple-day randonnée in France, a seventeen-day-transcontinental crossing from California to Florida, and a February mountain bike race on Alaska's Iditarod Trail, didn't satisfy her longing. Marriage and buying a bike store at age thirty-eight made that Forrest Gump ride a pipe dream.
Years later, patti learned of the Adventure Cycling Association's 40th anniversary Bikecentennial '76 celebration. A break between family caregiving responsibilities made for good timing. How cool would it be to ride to Missoula for the party? And after? Perhaps a real chance for her open-ended ride.
Off she went, despite a belly full of butterflies, solo and with her husband's blessing. Well-equipped to handle mechanical breakdowns, patti knew how far to push her body. She adjusted her route on the fly, using Adventure Cycling maps, carrying everything she needed for daily camps and meals. Taxed by wind, strangers energized her, while mystical animal appearances assured she was on the right path.
More than a bicycle travelogue, Facing Sunset reflects on a rebellious, pioneering life; affirms what a woman can accomplish against physical and metaphorical headwinds; and witnesses the people populating our vast and wondrous country-who are more alike than different when the veils of politics are stripped away. The author traces how a lifelong dream brought her to the right place in her life, "facing sunset," even as the reality of riding her "own ride" wasn't quite what she expected.
Interested in a first-hand experience pedaling across the country without actually sweating? Sit with patti on her comfortable recumbent bicycle. Meet headwinds, heat, arduous climbs, thrilling downhills, otherworldly landscapes, and synchronistic encounters. Share patti's positive interactions with strangers, a reminder there is hope for humanity. Struggle with her as she debates what "being done" means, even as she comes to terms with her place in the universe.
"I hover among stars at the brink of earth and water, existing in human form this brief moment of time, occupying a nano-space of no consequence, at once all and nothing," she writes her first night out. Her way of being in the moment and trusting herself is an inspiration to anyone finding their own, particular way through life.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781735338774 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Patricia L Brehler |
| Publication date: | 06/09/2021 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 405 |
| File size: | 12 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Facing Sunset is a coming-of-a-certain-age memoir in the form of an introspective bicycle travelogue, each chapter of patti brehler's book depicts a day of physical effort, chance encounters, and reflection. Chapters open with memories of her formative years, an exploration of her non-traditional life. Her descriptive writing brings readers right along with her. Photographs (old and new, taken during her trip) and Facebook posts she wrote during her journey are sprinkled throughout the book.
A forward by the author's husband is his take on how his wife became the independent woman she is, comfortable enough to tour solo on her bicycle for 65 days. His words are a testimonial. "For two-and-a-half decades I have watched an wondered at this extraordinary, ordinary woman. Her bike ride...is a metaphor for her life. 'I wonder what's down that road,' she would say. Thankfully for me, I was down one of those roads."
Chapters 1-36
At age 60, the author realizes a bicycle ride to Missoula, MT might be her last chance to fulfill a dream of "riding until I am done." The 40th-anniversary celebration of Bikecentennial '76, a cross-country tour she did on the 200th birthday of the United States, was the perfect excuse. With her husband's blessings, she hits the road. Challenging days are filled with beauty and freedom, graced by inspirational meetings with strangers. Yet, she questions her motives. She is committed to pedaling to Missoula. After that? She's not sure. She thought she might keep going "until she was done," but she's already thinking of home. Maybe she'll take a train.
Chapters 37-39
During the nostalgic weekend celebration of Bikecentennial '76, patti realizes the impact that tour had on the rest of her life. No, she isn't done. She abandons the train idea.
Chapters 40-65
But love calls. A desire to ride with abandon blends with years of competing in ultramarathon cycling events and patti rides with a mission. The otherworldly landscape of the plains expands her mind and she discovers a significance to her adventure.
An excerpt from the last chapter:
"Keen to be home, I tuck unrequited wanderlust into grandmother's dusty attic trunk. I am grateful, previous-me-girl, that you embraced a drive to ride. Somehow you knew I'd need this, my 'true' Forrest Gump ride. What is a 'true' Forrest Gump ride? Gump ran across the country out of grief but running also freed him from bullies and restrictions. Throughout his life he ran for love and purpose, and his running created inspiration in others.
I see now my desire goes beyond a simple 'ride until I am done.' Riding is my own metaphor for living, for keeping a sense of curiosity, to witness others, of being in the now. (Yes, Bunny, I remember.) In his later years, our trepidation years, Dad would say, 'Don't worry about me. I've had a good life.' I've had a good life too. For now, I am content. Content with my dear in our bit of heaven, our patch.
There could be worse things."
Afterward
The author arrives home in time for a visit with her step-kids.
Appendix
Gear and equipment lists
Mom's pastie recipe