Touring - Riding in a Car while Touring

This is for folks who do longer tours - - I usually tour for 3 months. I'm not sure about y'all, but I really find it discombobulating to get in a car in the middle of my tour. I've been touring for years, now. There is a certain quality that you reach while touring - - some je ne sais quoi - - it usually takes a week or two to get into it - - where you shed all of the pressures and lunacies of this world. (To be replaced by flat tires, rain, and mosquitos.) Once you've gotten into that spot, getting into a car really is a jolt.

During almost all of my tours, I have had friends and family members say things like, "Oh, I'll just meet you in Pumpkinville and we'll drive back to Detroit." Like I really want to spend a weekend in Detroit during the middle of my tour - nothing against you Michiganders. Yes, I like the showers and bed and home-cooked food - - and I especially enjoy the company of friends and family, but it's a huge jolt out of my touring mindset.

I'm guessing that friends and family are clueless - they've never toured. Maybe I should insist that if we meet up, we have to stay put and camp - maybe motel it nearby. I'm curious if other people on long tours have had similar experiences.

Best - Jama

I'm with you, brother. Don't even tell anybody you might be passing through.

Yes, it interupts the Zen. I too don't tell relatives when I'm going.

Several trips ago I found myself waiting for a ferry with a kind gentleman in a pick-up truck. He asked me where I started from and where I was going, as well as what appeared to be thoughful questions about bike touring. As the ferry pulled into sight he said "throw your bike in the back, I'll drive you home."

He just didn't get it. Some people never do.