--- Just going through drafts of blogs I never posted... so this one is from maybe around last summer (2011). I would also like to add a note that since this was written we have sold the last bike mentioned and he now has two new bikes, one that is built and "a piece of art" one that is waiting for further funding and space to be assembled. ---
Few people know the distance that bikes have travelled with Alex and then myself on our journey around the world. He began with a road bike which he rode often in Australia and found it a necessity to bring it to Canada on his move there (which lasted 10 days). He made it to Seattle with the bike, it was a pain to lug to the hotel, but we had it checked away so it didn't take up heaps of space. After leaving the hotel, he again lugged it to a bus which took him to Vancouver. From there, he left the bike with all intention of going back to get it or have Hilary (the friend he left it with, bring it or mail it down).
Upon our trip to Colorado and Utah, on our mountain biking adventure up a literal mountain on rocks bigger than houses he decided a mountain bike with his rugged tires is what he would need to cycle to work in London, it would be able to stand the elements better and go through the ins and outs of London traffic. So, we purchased a mountain bike in Aspen, loaded it in the car, and worked the luggage around it, taking it on the long drive back to Missouri.
We then asked Hilary to sell the original road bike and bring the bag (full of Hockey gear and Lord knows what else) with her when she came to visit us in Missouri. After being stopped and questioned at customs regarding the contents of the bag, the officials asking if there was a body in it (aptly it is named a 'Body bag") her informing them that no, it was sports equipment, no, not hers, someone else's. Accepting responsibility for what was in the bag, since it was not her own.. they let her come through. Once packing to move we again packaged the bike in hockey gear and vacuum packed bags of clothes and loaded it into the back of the truck along with the 13 other bags... once in St. Louis, we transported it to a friends apartment, then as she so graciously drove us at 5 am to pick up our rental car (ie. the biggest SUV they had, I think we had a Ford Explorer or something absolutely massive!) We went back to her place, and just get everything to fit, and began our drive to Newark New Jersey that was scheduled to take.... 23 hours, with a pit stop somewhere to too far from NJ for a few hours sleep. We check into our hotel at 6 something AM, leave our luggage stored away and catch a train into NYC. Upon leaving NYC after a few days, we then loaded all 14 bags, into the shuttle then into the airport, with a bit of assistance from the staff, onto another shuttle and off to Brooklyn Harbour we went. We now passed off the majority of the 14 bags to the men who would load it onto the ship, and put it in our state rooms for us. Once in our room for the next week, we tucked all pieces of luggage away as much as we could and enjoyed ourselves.
Upon landing in South Hampton UK we collected our luggage, had an interesting time getting it to the next transportation shuttle and pissed off a grumpy middle aged woman whom was not happy that she was asked ... by the bus driver, to move seats from her emergency exit (extra leg room) spot so the bike could go there, as it would not fit anywhere else. The coach took us to Victoria station, and Alex went to check in a few bags to ease the struggle, after proving that we still needed to deposit more bags for overnight storage, we lugged, painfully, stressfully the remainder of the bags up and down several stairs and escalators through several stations finally into a cab and out to Sid (Alex's great uncle... I think would be the actual relationship) whom was so gracious to let us stay with him for the first few weeks of getting our feet on the ground here in London. The next day we returned and made a similar, painstaking journey. I had bruises up and down my arms and legs... it looks like my husband beat me. Life flashed before my eyes on an escalator when the huge and heavy cricket bag I was in charge of transporting began to tip backwards and pull me with it to tumble down the long, sharp set of stairs. Luckily Alex was there to push the tumbling bag and myself back into up-right positions. But, we made it, bike and 13 other bags, then moved them all to our first flat on Finchley road, and now to our flat in Crouch End.
Alex then talked me in to him purchasing a road bike, because it would be much better for riding to work, save heaps on tube travel cards and give him a work out, I of course... was persuaded by my little law man. We locked the rough and tumble mountain bike up outside with a super thick cable lock, and made a spot for the new road bike (it's a piece of art you know) inside.
A few days ago, while I was in the kitchen doing dishes, Alex ran to take the trash out, and came in to inform me that the bike had been stolen, just like that... this thing that we had lugged to the other side of the world was taken from us, the cable cut with some crazy industrial scissors or something. Alex promises he isn't too bothered, that he has the one he really wants, and that we were asking for it by putting it out there, he says how it happens all the time. I am simply annoyed, as I HATE thieves. I am also annoyed, that I get crap all the time for the bags we brought... yes they were mostly filled with my clothes, but I have barely bought any since moving! Quite an accomplishment for me. Yet, I am very overly protective of these... the bike which now is gone, which took up so much space, which was so overly awkward... is now gone, and eh, no big deal! AH.... ah, all that I feel like I went through with this bike... and all the bikes for that matter! Let's all hope and pray that this one is with us for quite some time!
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