| At 18, Vicky read the famous “cycling diary” of Hu Rong-hua. Always an active and outgoing girl, she was inspired to take a solo bike tour of southern Taiwan. 18岁时，林姬莹读了胡荣华的那本名著《单骑走天涯》。一直都是个积极外向的女孩，她受其鼓舞于是一个人骑自行车环游南台湾。 Two years later, in 1991, while riding along the island's east coast, she met a Japanese cyclist, who invited her to join him on a world cycling tour. 两年后，即1991年，当她沿着台湾的东海岸骑车时，遇到一位日本籍自行车骑士，那位骑士邀她加入他的自行车环游世界之旅。 In July 1998, they began their trip in Alaska. Vicky soon realized, however, that their travel philosophies were quite different. 1998年7月，他们在阿拉斯加开始了他们的旅程。然而，姬莹很快了解到他们的骑车哲学很不一样。 Her partner seemed intent on testing his stamina, while she preferred admiring the fantastic scenery and meeting the locals. 她的伙伴似乎热衷于体能耐力的考验，她却偏爱欣赏绮丽的自然风光，以及与当地人接触。 They parted after a month. Vicky cycled alone through the Rocky Mountains down to the western United States. 一个月后两人便分道扬镳。姬莹一人骑车穿过洛基山脉抵达美国西部。 By this time, her constant efforts to persuade her college friend, Pinky, to join her had succeeded.这时，她不断地游说她的大学好友加入这一旅程，她的努力终于成功了。 Although Pinky was more conservative than Vicky, she found that she, too, had an adventurous spirit. 虽然江秋萍比林姬莹保守，但她发现自己也很有冒险精神。 They met up in San Francisco, and headed north in summer, south in winter, like migratory birds chasing the sunshine. 两人在旧金山碰面，开始了夏天向北，冬天朝南，如候鸟追逐阳光般的旅程。 |
