Getting a bike has perhaps been one of the most impulsive things I have done during my travels. Within the span of two full days, I went from marinating the vague and far-off idea of hypothetically getting my own two-wheeled steed, to stepping into a Walmart and acquiring the cheapest one. The very next day, I got a back rack placed, purchased saddle bags, got a small bag to carry my phone and view Maps on, and even bought one of those tiny repair kits with gadgets I had never before seen, let alone know how they need to be used. There was no going back from this. I had become a full-fledged biker. 

Throughout all of that I was unsure on whether I was making the right choice. When first looking at bikes, I had even walked out of Walmart completely and decided to let the idea fester in the realm of possibilities for a little while longer. I would have to rethink my travel plans completely and take trains instead… Was I ready to give up on my idea to travel the U.S. from West to East using just Greyhound buses just like that? And what would I do with my bike once I entered Canada? It is too cold out there to cycle and every Canadian I have somewhat excitedly told about the bike has equally as excitedly shown enthusiasm, while making clear that there is very little cycling to do in winter (in the end, though, I have actually managed to do quite a bit of biking in Montreal). Every pros and cons list that drifted in my head leaned towards the negative… So how did I find myself back inside Walmart thirty minutes later, holding my new bright blue possession tightly and making my way to the register?

Well… it is as simple as this: after I had waited for twenty minutes on my bus to take me back to the hostel, it drove right past me without even giving me the opportunity to wave it down. By now, it was already dark out and it would take another twenty plus minutes for the next one to arrive. At that moment, a bike seemed, on all accounts, more reliable than both public transport and my legs could ever be. Somehow, this trumped the endless list of cons and I ended up shuffling my way back inside the big, impersonal and busy warehouse that Americans have grown to love and hate.

If that bus would have stopped where it needed to, I probably never would have gotten a bike at all. From that moment onwards, owning a bike has quite literally been an uphill battle. But it has also been a challenge that I have been willing to face, and one that has provided me with experiences I wouldn’t have missed for the world. By now, Huffy the bike has traveled with me from New Orleans to Montreal, making it my most loyal travel partner thus far, and although our journey together is nearing its end – I fondly look back to the memories we have made.