Safety Measures

Abstract

A solo cross-country bike adventure. Safety Measures is a lyric collection of creative nonfiction and prose poetry. This creative response documents my solo cross-country 4,300-mile, 59-day bicycle ride from Anacortes, Washington, to Bar Harbor, Maine. I planned a route to begin and end in Minnesota because my family’s summer vacation was held at Leach Lake as a kid. Biking, fishing, beachcombing, and other lake events with my dad had instilled an adventurous spirit. I hoped to reconnect with the fierce energy of the young gal I once was. After the first day of support to make sure my bicycle, Lexa, worked, I rode alone for three weeks heading east. As planned, once there, my husband arrived to drive support. At Bar Harbor, we drove west, with a few bonus miles of bicycling along the way. Out west, my bicycle, Lexa, was lost, but someone found her, and she was repaired. Then I got going again towards Minnesota. Ultimately, the 59-day bicycle journey included nine days of bonus miles. For 78% or 39-days, I biked it alone with Lexa. The journey let me reflect on what it means to be a woman, self-supported, and safe. I felt scared, intimidated, and bullied. Harassment, threat, and being followed left me shaken. To be fair, nothing really happened. Sheriffs swept the road everywhere, making everyone behave. Semi-drivers scooted over, good stewards of littler riders like bicycles. Fellow bikers exchanged advice on the road ahead. I thanked, waved, or called, Safe travels, to such companionable travelers, grateful for their presence. I kept a journal during the ride, upon which this book is based. I held to writing assignments, challenges, and intentions. I collected data with a fitness tracker watch and cyclometer. Sports technology malfunction caused some rides to be recreated online. I logged this data, as well as other data points, in a spreadsheet and online. The data in this collection is based upon this record keeping.