A Long Fall From the Top

Grab a bag of popcorn and drink for this one. It's long, but it will all make sense by the end.

Short Version:

Long Version:
When I started this journey, I knew the biggest problem I faced was that I needed to cross the desert before it heated up, before all the water was gone from the few streams/rivers it has. Mid March was supposed to be the perfect time for this. Unfortunately, California is in a huge drought (yes even for the desert, usually the desert gets all the mountain snow run off, but all the streams were bone dry). The problem was not rooted in the physical part of running, injury, mental, emotional. The problem was in water, how often I could get my hands on water. Towns were 75+ miles apart (at the shortest) and I was running into issues early. Just take a look at what I was dealing with:

(smart phone users click here)

Catch 22 Paradox: 

• The more water you carry, the harder it is to push the stroller, the more you sweat, the more water you need. 
• Carry minimal water, easier to push, less sweat, but can you make it to the next town on what you have?

Essentially what it boiled down to: 
My route was stupid, I got caught up in the hype of crossing Death Valley by foot. I couldn't go north (Washington/Oregon/NorCal) because of the snow/weather. And going further south would have posed the same water issues.

I wasn't even in Death Valley when I called the trip, I was still 100+ miles away, and I was essentially peeing out lemon jello (when I even had to pee), my eyes looked like I popped all my blood vessels, my kidneys/liver weren't happy. I was essentially wandering around in the desert just asking for something bad to happen.

This trip failed miserably, there is no doubt that I am embarrassed to get beat at my own game: running. I played the Ace I kept in my back pocket, and I got it thrown right back in my face. I had no response.

What's Next:
I'll try this again. I'll just have a support crew to carry all my gear in an RV or something.
This stroller was honestly the bane of my existence:

I honestly thought about just ditching the stroller at this point. I was out of water, I was over 20 miles from a city just baking in 80+ degree dry desert sun. I looked/felt like hell.

The lessons are still there, I had a blast living out a dream since November, waking up when I wanted, going where I wanted, seeing what I wanted, not having a care in the world. It was truly phenomenal to just focus in on what's at hand. Hopefully I can find a job that allows me as much freedom as possible for adventures/experiences like this to occur. No one can ever take this away from me,  this will be a memory for the ages, and I'll never wonder: what if, what if.
I think that might be the biggest lesson of all, don't ever leave a "what if" on the table.

Thank you all who supported this trip/me. I'm glad I provided some good laughs for people. In no particular order:

To the Shahs: you have always been there for me, helping me out with jobs, ideas, etc. I can not thank you guys enough for encouraging me to drop everything and trade it for the priceless experience of travel.

To Jean: My time with you at TCS was priceless. Working on bikes, the studio, training plans or grilling on the roof top made for one of the best summers. You always made sure I was taken care of.

To Tim: I don't know if I would have made it out of Chicago if it weren't for you. You were the eye in the sky making sure all was well on the route. The best advice (also most "obvious" that I didn't realize): You'll have good days and bad days, you'll have to figure it out and roll with things. One thing at a time. Tim, you were a game changer.

Aaron, Mac, Andy, Sparks: thank you for the send off gear. All of it was used and improved the journey. I may not road cycle much anymore after this, but I look forward to riding with you guys in your denim cycling outfits.

To Jenny/Molly, my life coaches. Training "Hot Babes Do Yellowstone" was comical, educational, and overall a fantastical time. You ladies were the most refreshing thing in that studio. I have learned a tremendous amount from you two. Thank you for the encouragement to chase after opportunities that I may regret in 4 or 5 years. Oh wells, instead of what ifs

To Rich: You're the man. Thank you for the place to stay, the constant encouragement on the trip, always wanting updates and hearing the "real" stories. It's always nice to tell the raw or unedited version to someone.

To TCS/Michael: thank you for the opportunity at the gym, I had a lot of laughs and a great learning experience. I met a lot of great people at TCS who became pinnacle players in my trip.

Chris, Scotty and Element Multisport:: Chris the journey would have never taken place if it weren't for you. The Surly Ogre, the bags/gear. You provided all the gear I needed. Thank you for the opportunity at Element.
Scotty- you probably thought I was full of shit when I said I wanted to cycle to Costa Rica (although I never made it, for safety issues), you humored me for a month as we looked at bikes, I bought the bike we picked, and you made sure that thing was fine tuned, ready to go. You provided great insight of what to expect and how to set up the rig.

To my editor, Beth (Yes this thing was edited (not this post, though)! Didn't you notice the grammatical errors just disappeared one day?) Thank you for reading over my crap, making it sound coherent, and readable. Sorry for the all the scares, I should have clarified more when I sent you "If I Die" text messages.

Warmshowers and all the hosts. The trip would not have lasted long if weren't for you guys. I had a great time in all the cities.

To everyone who read, I hope you got some shits and giggles from it. Hopefully it inspires people to get out there and adventure. You know you can always contact me if you need a good adventure/laugh/ or just a flat out weird experience.