"Like so many other Americans since the time of Lewis and Clark, Gordon Ward was inspired to follow in the great explorers' footsteps - except that he did it by bicycle, foot, and canoe. As in all great expeditions, he not only had memorable adventures and found new insights about the land and the people he encountered along the way, he made important discoveries about himself as well." –Dayton Duncan: Noted writer and co-producer of the PBS-aired documentary Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery and author of Out West: An American Journey, which chronicles his retracing of the Lewis and Clark trail.
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" Life on the Shoulder is about a journey on many levels. It is one that travels back through time, experiencing the places known and recorded in the pages of history and the journals of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. It is also a journey through the current American west, an area of diverse environments, staggering beauty and powerful natural forces. The landscape also proved to be one of emotional hills and valleys, mountains of elation, pits of exhaustion, prairies of boredom, storms of fear, anger and frustration, and stunning sun flashes of inspiration. "It was a discovery of self and my connection with everything outside of my being. The spiritual lessons taught on this journey made me understand how narrow our scope of life can be, how much energy is wasted on worry, and how, at the moment when we feel we are most alone, we are truly in the company of our most trusted and dependable guides. As a great deal of time was spent literally riding "on the shoulder" of many roads and passing many sights, I, in turn, was passed by many other travelers, be they in cars, trains or logging trucks. The analogy to life became quickly apparent. By living a "life on the shoulder," one allows oneself to step back and permit life's events to unfold naturally, at their own pace, with acceptance and without force. While Lewis and Clark have been credited with exploring the western wilderness, I believe the exploration of the greatest wilderness lies just beneath the skin in the hearts and minds of us all." – Gordon T. Ward
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