Upon first mention of the bike trip to my parents, I got exactly the reaction I expected:

"Why?"

Why. Not 'You wanna do what?!', or 'What about school?', or 'Yeah, Kaylyn, sure you will'.

Just 'Why'.

A reason, a justification; that's all they would need to be able to tell whether or not my heart was in it, whether or not this trip was worthy of not taking summer classes or working, or finding an internship somewhere.

"Why?"

I can't hide the consequences. There's no way to balance out the fact that I'll be missing an opportunity to get ahead in my classes. No magical justification as to why I'll be taking heavy semester loads next year. I can't even conjure up a reason why this trip would benefit my Zoology degree.

All I could tell them- all I needed to tell them- was this:

"It's an adventure".

My life has been made up of adventures. From visiting national parks to studying abroad in France, from weekend sailing trips to living on a boat in the Caribbean, I've had some amazing opportunities to see and experience things some people will never have the chance to.

These adventures are what make me who I am. They're what I wrote my college admission essays on, what I say when told to 'tell us something special about yourself', they're how I chronicle my life.

I'm hooked.

This bike trip is another amazing opportunity for me to explore, for me to experience what life is all about. If anybody understands that, it's my parents.

"Why?" "It's an adventure."

"Then go."

Let the adventure begin...