{"id":1744,"date":"2019-11-29T12:22:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T17:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/?p=1744"},"modified":"2021-06-17T09:33:45","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T13:33:45","slug":"thanksgiving-and-giving-thanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/thanksgiving-and-giving-thanks\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving and giving thanks!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tomorrow Laf and I will fly back to Whitehorse, marking the end of the North American chapter of the CAT project. Exactly 6 months after Steve dropped me off in Deadhorse.<\/p>\n<p>I wish I could elegantly summarize this wonderful adventure, but I can&#8217;t: this is exactly why I decided to take a break. \u00a0It is impossible to absorb everything that happened over half a year of traveling on a bike without taking a good chunk of time to absorb it all.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1739\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1739\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/79bcac49-79ac-4828-9846-663683c5f43b.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1739 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/79bcac49-79ac-4828-9846-663683c5f43b-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/79bcac49-79ac-4828-9846-663683c5f43b-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/79bcac49-79ac-4828-9846-663683c5f43b-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/79bcac49-79ac-4828-9846-663683c5f43b-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/79bcac49-79ac-4828-9846-663683c5f43b.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The &#8220;finish line&#8221;!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even on my last day of riding, which was pretty easy, I didn&#8217;t really have a chance to think much, between having to navigate, trying to catch the ferry to Coronado and having other cyclists riding and chatting with me on the bike paths. And contrary to other places that felt like a milestone (namely the end of the Dalton Hwy, Fairbanks, Whitehorse and San Francisco), completing the ride across North America didn&#8217;t feel like a big accomplishment, but rather just another day on the bike. Or the &#8220;end of the introduction&#8221; to a much bigger adventure.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1728\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1728\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1728 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7414.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1728\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lots of beautiful beaches on the way to San Diego, and lots of surfers enjoying the big waves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1729\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1729\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1729 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7415.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beautiful houses along the coast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1730\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1730\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7418.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1730 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7418-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7418-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7418-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7418-203x270.jpg 203w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7418.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1730\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Double bike lanes! Amazing&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1731\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1731\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1731 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7424.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1731\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Diego viewed from the ferry to Coronado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Well, I felt some sadness at the fact that Mexico is a stone throw away but I will not cross the border for sometime. But that was counterbalanced by the fact that I was going to spent the afternoon with two friends that were likely feeling more or less the same.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_510\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-510\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/73CEB853-A3B7-47A0-BA37-E007F252FB82.jpeg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-510 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/73CEB853-A3B7-47A0-BA37-E007F252FB82-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/73CEB853-A3B7-47A0-BA37-E007F252FB82-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/73CEB853-A3B7-47A0-BA37-E007F252FB82-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/73CEB853-A3B7-47A0-BA37-E007F252FB82-203x270.jpeg 203w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/73CEB853-A3B7-47A0-BA37-E007F252FB82.jpeg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-510\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">North America, from north&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1732\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1732\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1732 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7429.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1732\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8230;to south!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_451\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-451\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/F62FBB42-A920-4D11-B60D-A3E0117A9D6A.jpeg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-451 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/F62FBB42-A920-4D11-B60D-A3E0117A9D6A-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/F62FBB42-A920-4D11-B60D-A3E0117A9D6A-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/F62FBB42-A920-4D11-B60D-A3E0117A9D6A-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/F62FBB42-A920-4D11-B60D-A3E0117A9D6A-203x270.jpeg 203w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/F62FBB42-A920-4D11-B60D-A3E0117A9D6A.jpeg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-451\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It was still just a dream&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1748\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1748\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7468.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1748 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7468-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7468-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7468-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7468-203x270.jpg 203w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7468.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8230;but now it&#8217;s 8763 km of memories<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I couldn&#8217;t have asked for a better way to end the journey: Mark, who had finished his tour 2 days earlier was waiting for me at Imperial Beach, to give me a hug and buy me some ice cream. Sam joined us a couple of hours later.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1734\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1734\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1734 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7434.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1734\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Pier where Mark, Sam and I met for one last time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1736\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1736\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7438.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1736 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7438-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7438-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7438-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7438-203x270.jpg 203w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7438.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1736\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We watched the sunset before we all went our separate ways<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For the record: I didn&#8217;t go all the way to the border with Laf. Mark and I walked on the beach from where we could see Tijuana, less than 4 km away. Good enough.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1735\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1735\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1735 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7436.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1735\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Imperial Beach with Tijuana in the distance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I was then once again hosted by fantastic people, first in Coronado and then in San Diego. I even had the chance to celebrate American Thanksgiving with Chris&#8217; family. The food was so amazing, that I think I regained the 10 lbs I had lost earlier, all in one night! And talking about great hosts,\u00a0I added a few pictures to the previous blog, thanks to Ken who sent them to me.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1746\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1746\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1746 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7464.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sue and Craig, lovely hosts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thanksgiving: what an appropriate time to end this part of the journey! This is all I can say: <strong>thank you<\/strong>, to all the people I met, to all the hosts, the supporters, the donators, the ones who smiled, who shared my happiness, sometimes for a moment and sometimes for days, to all the blog followers, to the ones who contributed to this project in one way or another, to the fellow riders. And also thanks to all the ones who bike toured before, and wrote about their stories, which inspired me to embark on this journey.<\/p>\n<p>To answer the question that many asked: I will likely resume the CAT project in the summer or fall of 2020. \u00a0Why such a long break? Because if I travel in Mexico in the summer, it will be too hot, and then I would hit the hurricane season in Central America. And as I realized over the last few weeks, I <em>really<\/em> want to take my time to do this trip, so it will be a multi-year\/multi-chapter adventure. But as a friend said, even if I take breaks, it is still the same journey&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>And by the way, for those who haven&#8217;t already subscribe to the blog, you can do so at <a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/subscribe\/\">https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/subscribe\/<\/a>, that way you will be notified when I start posting again. It&#8217;s easy to unsubscribe.<\/p>\n<p>To answer another common question: even if it&#8217;s hard to choose between all the amazing moments of the trip, the best certainly was riding the Dalton Highway, especially reaching the Dalton Highway sign, at the south end. The low point was without a doubt spending the night on the floor of the campground restroom in Manchester, shivering and vomiting.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe the best thing about doing a trip like this though, is to realize and fully appreciate that the world is a good place, that there are really good people everywhere, and that even if we are all unique, we are also all very human, with similar needs. Paradoxically, we all seem to want to be different, and yet we seek and find comfort in connectedness.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1737\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1737\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1737 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/f7f5caeb-54ad-4822-8f9e-6b70246d8624.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Special thanks to Mark and Sam, true soul mates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I was wondering what &#8220;final words&#8221; I would add to this post. \u00a0Luck has it that Chris (awesome Warmshowers host where I am staying now) has this perfect sign in his yard:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466.jpg\" rel=\"foobox\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1747\" src=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/11\/IMG_7466.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tomorrow Laf and I will fly back to Whitehorse, marking the end of the North American chapter of the CAT project. Exactly 6 months after Steve dropped me off in Deadhorse. I wish I could elegantly summarize this wonderful adventure, but I can&#8217;t: this is exactly why I decided to take a break. \u00a0It is impossible to absorb everything that happened over half a year of traveling on a bike without taking a good chunk of time to absorb it&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/thanksgiving-and-giving-thanks\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,18,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california","category-north-america","category-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1744"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1767,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1744\/revisions\/1767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cathmandu.com\/catproject\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}