Well! Because Mother Nature has a sense of humor, our "victory lap" turned into "50 miles in the driving Scottish highlands wind and rain". But honestly I wouldn't have it any other way; it totally fit to come, dripping and shivering, to the sign at John O'Groats and the end of the journey. It's hard to put into words what these trips mean to me and how much of a role they've come to take on in my life. I feel full and complete when I do these rides, like the real me has a chance to shine through. The night before, I "won" the "most improved attitude" award at the little awards ceremony, and far from being angry or hurt, I totally understood what they meant; at the beginning of the ride I was very grumpy and hurt and sad, and by the end I felt much, much better. Sadly it takes about two weeks for me to really unroll from the previous year, so I only had a few days to really enjoy it. Last night was one of those times, and today was another. After taking some shivering pictures and opening some bottles of champagne, we all retired, laughing to the fields outside the ocean, where we pitched our tents and hoped for the best (but more on that later). I love doing this so much, I love the people that I meet both in the groups and along the way.
One more day of fun and a bit of traveling, then a day of hard core traveling, then finally I arrive home, in time for the next leg of the journey. More on that soon!
