Chasing 1,500

Tomorrow morning, somewhere on the road to Audubon, Iowa, the odometer will quietly roll past 1,500 miles.

There won’t be any fireworks. Just another turn of the pedals as we make our way toward Albert the Bull. What’s Albert the Bull.

Albert the Bull is a giant concrete Hereford bull statue in Audubon, Iowa, and one of the state’s best-known roadside attractions. Built in 1964 as a tribute to the region’s cattle industry, it is widely promoted as the “World’s Largest Bull” and has become the symbol of the community.

Today we crossed the High Trestle Trail, one of Iowa’s most iconic stretches of trail. Standing on the bridge and looking out across the landscape, it felt like one of those moments that reminds you how far you’ve come and how much country still lies ahead.

Tonight we’re resting at mile marker 1,486.

That number means we’ve traveled through cities and farm towns, across rivers and state lines, through headwinds, rain showers, heat, and more than a few days when the body had a different opinion about the plan.

Tomorrow we’ll pass 1,500 miles. The next day we’ll keep riding. Because the goal is to experience the journey that each mile has to offer.

The miles accumulate quietly. The lessons do too.