Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Note from the Support Car

By: Cory Livengood

Now that we've begun the 3rd leg of the trip, I thought I'd share how proud Scott and I in the support car are of Darryl, Matt, and Matt. They have already achieved an amazing feat and all signs seem to indicate that they will push through the cold and arrive safely at our final destination. If all goes according to plan, we'll arrive at the Lincoln Memorial as the Sunday evening concert is beginning, which should be a real treat. We most likely will have to lock up the bikes before we enter the concert due to increased security, but I bet by that time the riders will be happy to leave them behind, at least for a moment.

One of the things that has struck me most about this journey is the profound beauty we've encountered along our way, both in places we've seen and the people we've met. Too often it seems, folks whiz by at 80 miles per hour while real America passes by as a blur ("real" America, of course, includes the farmlands, the cities and all that lies in between). Scott and I have been taking the rural routes and country roads to not only to keep up with the guys, but to try to experience the countryside as they are and as the first generations of Americans did. Our trip takes us along routes our forefathers could have taken to get to the then new capital of this then new country. They didn't see the landscape as a quick blur on the highway and for the first time in my life, even after dozens of visits to Washington and beyond, neither am I. This is America. It is only a small part and this trip is our small contribution, but it is only through the combined influence of small acts that large goals can be achieved. The Obama campaign taught me that and our adventure serves to remind me.

These are my thoughts today. Thank you for reading and wish us luck as we start the second half of the NC Inauguration Bike Ride.

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