Why did I go on this trip?

Why did I go on this trip?
There were many, many reasons. I'd say the main reason is simply that I have always wanted to do something like this. I love to calculate things out to see if they are possible- I had my eye on running across the United States for a while. Around March 2014 I saw that graduation was fast approaching. I still didn't really know what I wanted to do career wise. I find it so intimidating that the major you choose in college pretty much defines what you will be doing for the rest of your life. Who could possibly know what job would be a good fit for them when they have zero working experience? Regardless, I figured this could potentially be the only chance I have to leave everything behind and not have to worry about getting back. I originally planned on doing the Southern Tier, a 3100 miles bike route going coast to coast. However, the timing would have been awful. I'd be battling 100+ degree weather for much of the time. Sure, I could have waited and done it in the fall or winter, but I was set on doing it within days of graduation. So I started looking for other routes. The Northern Tier would have been less blazing hot, but it was over 1000 miles more. It just didn't seem worth it. While I was figuring this out, I knew my parents wanted to take me on a week long vacation right after graduation. I was thinking Mexico, but my sister suggested Hawaii. That got me thinking. I wonder what the shortest route through every state is. 6850 miles. More than double what I was originally planning to do. Finding roads that I could actually bike on along that route will likely make the miles add up even more. At first I totally wrote it off, figuring it was simply too long and complicated. A huge benefit of choosing one of the tiers is the fact that many bikers follow it every year. I would surly meet up with other bikers who had a wealth of touring knowledge. If anything went wrong, help would likely be nearby. The infrastructure is better, there are useful maps. This is all great, but I got stuck on the idea that I could visit every state in one summer. I started looking to see if others had done it. There were several, but their routes were virtually always a big circle. In other words, way more that 7000 miles. And it always took them more than 6 months. Hundreds, if not thousands, bike across the country every year. Going through every state would mean I'd be the first at something. Either I'd have the fastest time or the shortest distance for self supported cyclist, or I'd be the most amateur to do it, or I'd be the first person in 2014 to do it. These potentials are what sold me. I know it wasn't a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it felt like it. I would be in Hawaii before the trip, and I'd fly back to Alaska once I was done. The starting point was in Montana, less than 100 miles from my apartment, so I could buy all my gear beforehand. For the first week, I'd be within driving distance of friends and family if anything went wrong.
When I told people about the trip I was planning, their main concern was that I wasn't traveling with anyone. So I started asking. The answers were almost unanimous. The guys always said they wish they could but they were too busy this summer. The gals always said, "No way, I could never do that!" I'm exaggerating a bit here, but there certainly was an interesting trend. I had earned a women's studies minor, and here was clear evidence of what I learned in those classes- that women and men do not have the same opportunities. This helped form a new goal for the trip: prove that girls can be bicycle tourists too. I was obviously a bit late on that. There are many female cyclists on the road. I met one on my trip who had been cycling all parts of the world for seven years. However, I hope that I have at least inspired a few of the ladies in my life to take a leap of faith and try something new and out of the ordinary.
I'll make this the last reason so that I don't write a whole book. I've always been impressed and a bit envious of people who would come back to school after summer break having grown 6 inches taller. Or the people who came back after college with 80 more pounds of muscle. Basically going away and coming back as a changed person. I've been dreaming about this ever since I can remember. I planned on heading out to our remote cabin to read a bunch of textbooks, or to learn a new language, or to learn how to play the piano. I didn't gain much academic knowledge from this trip, but I grew as a person. I know now more than ever who I am and who I want to be. I guessed before the trip that I would feel the same as always, and that only other people who knew what I did would treat me differently. I'm sure I didn't get that quite right. I'm confident people will see me as the same old Tyler, just with a bit more determination and confidence. And I feel different- I've learned so much about the world in the past few months. I hope I can contribute with my knowledge and eye for improving everything in order to help change the world.