I crossed the border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua to Presidio, Texas, on an overcast day in late February 2007. The U.S. customs officer had to come out and take a look at my bike when I told him I was cycling from Mexico to New York City. "You're going all the way on this?
" he asked.
"Yep.
"
He handed me back my passport. "Good luck.
"
I sailed along with a tail wind, and after a few miles I passed the Outward Bound headquarters at Big Bend, a two story building on the banks of the Rio Grande. I didn't stop to say hello, I had too far to go and precious little daylight. But seeing the sign was enough. Outward Bound - my experience of the school in Colorado has lived in me since I hiked up into the Rockies in August 1974, at the age of 16.