Middle-aged reminiscing
A note from Scott: Thanks to Forrest for contributing this story as part of our 25th anniversary. I just learned that both Forrest and I read this book before embarking on our own cross-country bicycle trips, where we would meet some months later in Kentucky — a meeting that now seems like destiny. Not only were we both residing in Washington, DC and working in the media industry, but a few days prior, Forrest met Rich Suleski, another man cycling across the country from my hometown, Waukesha, WI. How incredible is that!? It’s what you call trail magic. Two men from the same hometown, cycling across the country, crossing paths but just missing each other. I would later meet Rich, who helped encourage my adventures and books. More about Rich here.
Forrest and I would go on to share quite a few adventures ourselves. One memorable occasion was when we saved an old African American woman who had fallen down in the heat and couldn’t get up. We carried her into her home to learn that she was a school teacher who had lived a life we could hardly imagine — only two generations removed from slavery. But, as they say, that’s a story best left for another time. Meanwhile, please enjoy Forrest’s reminiscing.
Time has a way of slipping by unnoticed. Revisiting David Lamb’s 1996 book about his mid-life exploration of bicycle touring brought back a rush of memories. Lamb, a journalist (March 5, 1940 – June 5, 2016), chronicled his cross-country cycling adventure at the age of 54, a journey marked by both physical challenge and his unsuccessful attempt to quit smoking while doing the trip.
News of his passing in 2016 had been a somber note, and tonight, reflecting on his work, I was struck by a personal connection. Lamb wrote the book at 55-56, the same age I am now. The realization was a jolt, a stark reminder of the passage of time and my familiar internal prodding to “do something,” to create, to leave a mark. I even exchanged a few brief letters with Lamb, who lived in Alexandria, Virginia, when the book was published. At 28, I had been deeply impressed by his insights and wisdom, even if his middle-aged reflections weren’t entirely relatable. Ironically, I was about to embark on my own long-distance cycling tour, a solo trip from Raleigh, NC, to Jamestown, Colorado, in 1997, a 32-day, approximately 1800-mile journey.
David was an accomplished journalist. After graduating from the University of Maine’s School of Journalism in 1962, where he honed his skills as a member of Beta Theta Pi, his career took off. He embarked on a global journey, starting with The Okinawa Morning Star, then moving to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Oakland Tribune. His path led him to United Press International, where he served in San Francisco and Denver before becoming a battlefront correspondent in Saigon from 1968 to 1970. In 1970, he joined the Los Angeles Times, establishing himself in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C., and leading bureaus in Sydney, Nairobi, Cairo, and Hanoi. Notably, he returned to Saigon in April 1975 on a special assignment for The Los Angeles Times to cover its fall. He also wrote several other books.
It’s a good read! Especially for middle-aged dudes like myself.
