Explore, Dream, Discover

I’m wedged into something that resembles a giant black fish. It’s covered in thousands of signatures, it has two wheels, and on it, I’m flying down the sharp mountainous curves of Highway 17 from Santa Cruz to San Francisco.

This is a world away from my hair curling, heel wearing, desk sitting days, the days I worked for the UN in Thailand writing newsletter articles, the days I spent bouncing from one fancy hotel to another discussing the educational policy issues of countries I’d never visited.

In this new world, I’m crossing California on what feels like a magical land born fish. I’m with Terry Hershner, the first to cross America - or any country - on an electric motorcycle, and as we race toward another sharp bend at terrific speed, I wonder why I left the tamely life of coffee breaks, sweets and cakes to plummet down a mountain on the back of his fishlike bike.

But as Mark Twain famously said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

With this guiding wisdom, I left my old life to travel the length of United States. I took a scooter and rode through underground caves in Tennessee and across the cascading hills of New Mexico. I travelled Route 66 from Oklahoma, past the oil rigs of Texas and the gaping Grand Canyon. I cruised the dazzling Las Vegas strip and I watched the sunset across the great California coast of Big Sur. Now Mark Twain’s advice had taken me back to California to reconnect with fellow adventurist, Terry Hershner, and begin a new record-setting journey: 1000 miles on an electric motorcycle in one day.

“Hey, is that, like, a big infected sperm?” A pert, punkish youth appears next to us as we finally descend Highway 17 and pull up at traffic lights.

“Yes! That’s EXACTLY what this is! How did you guess?” For the uncountable hours spent remodelling his electric motorcycle, for all the speed records he’s set, and for all his passionate dedication to rid us of our dependence on gasoline, there is nothing pompous about Terry.

So why am I here? Because Mark Twain’s wisdom holds true and I’m emboldened by it. By traversing California on this freakishly fast motorcycle and by stepping into the proverbial shoes of another, not only will I have one heck of a travel story to share; I’ll be living my life to the fullest.