Words by Issa Breibish // Photography by Nita Breibish

It’s hard to believe that our Transamerican adventure has ended. It seems like we’d been planning the trip for weeks prior to our departure, with countless nights spent imagining what the trip may entail. The road travelled delivered us twists and turns both literally and figuratively. The story of our trip unfolded in ways we could have never imagined – from a “day one” we couldn’t have dreamed up, to riding through clouds in the Appalachians, to hiking the ridges along the Tetons and meandering through fields of Bison in Yellowstone.  Along the way we met so many wonderful people and saw such beautiful sights all without truly travelling somewhere completely foreign. We *did* see the differences in people created simply by distance but we also saw common threads that weaved their way through our trip, reflected in the actions, smiles and words of the people we met.

There were ideas – perhaps philosophies – that made everything better. Normally, it’s in my nature to push forward, to push through imagined barriers to make things happen in a schedule that I’ve set. Typically this creates stress as the world pushes back while it tells me to “slow down” & “let things take their course.” Travelling on a bike forces you to listen to whats happening around you – there’s no pushing through nature, the environment and man-made barriers. You have to accept, rearrange, re-route and enjoy the gentle nudges that guide you effortlessly down unplanned paths. To fight them is truly misery and to accept them can yield such joy. It’s a lesson I’ve been trying to learn and this trip was a big step for me down that path.

So now that we’re back, it’s about not letting those lessons go unpracticed in our lives. It’s a time for us to be honest about what parts of our lives are a struggle manufactured by our own perceptions of “normal” and “success” – and to take a moment to rediscover the moments in our lives that fill us with passion, joy and excitement. And so we begin planning our next adventure – one that will certainly be substantially grander in scale.

And, as with all adventure, our pockets will be filled with Patience & Flexibility.