Rick asked me in the morning to ponder travel plans while pedaling today. He has to be back in the States early April, and given our lost week, that’s not enough time for him to ride the South Island. I needed to decide whether to continue the TA without him or join him to Australia to visit a mutual friend. On one hand, I have a stated intention of riding my bicycle across New Zealand, tip to tip. I like to do what I say and finish what I start. And my legs have finally turned into pistons, just as Rick promised during the misery of week 1. On the other hand, I’m on sabbatical, which is about chasing aliveness and seeing the world. Once the North Island is through, will I have sucked the enough marrow out of the thing? Would South Island be more so an exercise in aliveness or in self duty? Did momma raise a quitter? Do I abandon friends on trips halfway across the world? What does Rick want? What does Ian want? What do I want? Pedaling is good for thinkin thoughts, and by the end of the day, I had a decision.