7 weeks, 51 days, and 1,700 miles down the coast has taught our team so much and while there will never be any way to fully explain what being a part of the 2021 Pedal the Pacific team has taught me, I have tried my best to consolidate some of my top takeaways from this ride.
- Teamwork makes the dream work
- It costs you zero effort to encourage those around you
- Water resistant is just a fancy way of saying things will dry faster. It is not waterproof
- Oatmeal tastes better with loads of peanut butter & cinnamon sugar in it
- Braids > every other helmet-friendly hairstyle
- The best way to make it up a hill is to listen to music on the way
- A little weight gain is not the end of the world
- Falling off your bike is funny for the people watching but not that funny for the person falling
- Put your trash in the van every night because you might just find yourself smack-dab in the middle of bear country calling 911 at 1 in the morning asking for their help in scaring away a bear
- This too shall pass
- Making calls to your teammates in an Australian accent might be hard to understand, but it sure is funny
- If you see a fruit stand on the side of the road, stop
- No one is drinking enough water
- Awake chocolates are always the move
- Getting out of your comfort zone is 9 times out of 10 going to be a good idea
- Your body is capable of so much more than you expect
- There is no one perfect answer to fighting against sex trafficking, but if we all try the best we can to help fight against injustice, we will have a much better chance of preventing trafficking and supporting survivors.
It’s hard to believe that our time on this ride is coming to a close, but I know that the lessons this team has taught me will last a lifetime. Here’s to the rest of our journey growing as advocates off of the coast!
-Cara
