Postscript

November 6, 2008, Morgan Hill, California, the Locsins' house
Well, now the journey is over, but the euphoria of the trip is still lingering in my heart and mind. I didn't have too much time to sit back and write the final entries in the blog until now, November 6, 2008. We are staying with the Locsins until we can find jobs and a house to rent. Gloria and I are staying in their studio, a nice, one-room building with a shower, sink, and refrigerator, all we need, next to their house. The children are staying in other rooms in the house that the Locsins have arranged to accommodate us. Such good people. Our trip stuff is spread out in these different locations. The bikes are under a tarp outside. Denise, Mrs. Locsin, has organized chores for all the kids and includes Paul, Vicky, John, and Sarah in her homeschooling groups. Willie is completing a computer-based ninth grade curriculum at Gilroy High School, which should enable him to catch up by the end of the year. He is wrestling in the 112 pound class for the school. Paul and the younger children are all being home-schooled at the Locsins. Gloria is the math teacher/expert to help with math. Becky, Adriana, and I are looking for jobs. Becky already found work assembling medical parts and tutoring math. Adriana is looking to be a waitress when she turns 18 in three weeks. Becky passed her written test for her driving license and has been practicing with me intensively. She is scheduled to take her driving test this Wednesday. Adriana is also practicing with me around the block until she passes the written test to get her permit, probably tomorrow. Both are doing fine. The little ones find they have lots of playmates and new activities to keep them amused. Our lives have changed pace dramatically since we have finished our trip; like a gust of wind we have entered the fast lane, but I think we we're prepared. I have taken the psychological test for the prison (I hope I passed) and should hear from them within 45 days. In the meantime I need to do something to earn money. Adriana is the only one who has begun typing her four journals to chronicle our trip and compile all the information into one book with pictures that we can appreciate for a lifetime. I still haven't read their journals and it will be a treat to do so when they are done. We have a new email address: ninefoxfamily@yahoo.com so that will be a sure way to communicate with us until we get a permanent place of our own. I figured up the total biking mileage: 4,502. The total number of days of the trip was 135; 95 were riding days. The average mileage on riding days was 47 miles. So, a new chapter has begun and the turns in the road are unknown; so in that way, life now is similar to how it was on the bike. Would I do it again? Yes, absolutely! As long as I could. I loved our adventure and our time together. Will we ever do it again. It's unlikely. Normal life is likely to weave its way into our gypsy fabric and conform us to the practical life. Becky and Adriana have discussed riding across Europe sometime in the future. Maybe they will need an old mechanic. I would still like to do my real adventure: cross the country without money, working my way across. It would take years probably, but it would work. Somebody will do it some day and have great experiences to share. What have I learned? I guess the main thing is not to be afraid to live, to dream, to venture into the unknown. Don't let fear paralyze you. You only have one life to live, and it is short. Live it fully with the gifts God has given you. If you trust Him, God will go before you and prepare the way. When you live this way, life is an adventure.