Dear Dervla Murphy,
Greetings from the saddle in Ethiopia, saddle in this case meaning my magic bicycle, not mule! I am writing to say thank you for setting the bar so high for the rest of us. When I started rounding the world alone by bicycle in 2009; I had hardly traveled, never cycled and had not yet heard about you. I had no idea this journey was even possible. All I knew for sure was that I could try.
In Ireland, I was often asked “Have you heard of Dervla Murphy?” In Laos, people echoed “Why don’t you have more gear? Have you read Dervla Murphy’s books?” In Mongolia, at a table of travelers, after I had a run in with wolves, people commented, “I can’t believe you are camping alone, cycling, smoking and drinking. Have you heard of Dervla Murphy?”
Many KM’s later, crouching over a copy of Full Title, drying out in a library in Dunedin, New Zealand, I realized the wisdom the travelers I met along the trail had offered me in recommending your work. Now if I stumble upon a library or a book trade shelf, I embrace my good fortune and park.
I turned a moldy 39 this past year while pedaling, and started staring at my wrinkles in mirrors. Later, I opened an email containing an article about your 80th birthday. I cracked a dolphin like smile, straightened my headscarf, got back on the magic bicycle and wished you a Happy Birthday. Today, I cycled by a gregarious mule, here in Ethiopia. I giggled and wondered whether or not he really would make a good traveling partner.
Those who travel by instinct instead of a tour guide, trusting the gut instead of the ink of a map are rare these days. Perched on a magic bicycle with 3 little bicycle bags, I continue to greet the world. Thank you for sharing your adventures through your gift for writing hilarious passages, and for being a role model and providing inspiration for the rest of us.
Again, I would like to thank you. Knowing there are other solo female adventure travelers out there helped me to realize that traveling around the world by bicycle is indeed possible.
Signed, utterly humbled by your neighbor’s invitation to share my letter with you,
Loretta Henderson
My skalatitude.com website documenting my travels continues to get reviewed with comments such as “You are like Dervla Murphy, traveling to meet the people for the sake of travel.” “You write with legendary wit, your writing style reminds me of Dervla Murphy.”
WOW(Women On Wheels) and The Big WOW Book, A collection of blogs, books, and photos on the website celebrating solo female bicycle touring, highlighting Full Tilt and dervlamurphy.com and other solo female bicycle tourists.