Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
pulling a george washington
I crossed the Delaware River at the end of my trip today. not quite as epic as history, admittedly, but still nice.I started this morning in Lancaster, PA from my aunt and uncle's house. Had a nice pancake and egg breakfast, and then hit the road. Route 30 to 202. And suddenly, 88 miles later, I'm in Lambertville, NJ at the house of the brother of our neighbor from Swan's Island.
It was hot today. 94 and humid. Amazing what the breeze from the bike ride can do, though.
Part of the motivation to ride quickly was that there was supposedly a storm behind me. It hasn't hit yet, but it was worth it anyway.
Tomorrow I'm going to Newark to hang out with some VT friends. 50 miles to there.
thus ends the first day of the second half of the trip.
This is where my dad went to school
friend in Lambertville, NJ.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
tomorrow it continues
after two weeks of family time, i leave tomorrow for the rest of the trip to Swan's Island.
It's been great. time blurs together the days and the events. so, I won't present it chronologically. but here are some pictures of the moments:
This was my first bike. it's still awesome. i took it out for a spin, but when i was coming off of some sweet jump i broke the chain. lesson: don't wear flip-flops when riding a 5 year old's bike. even if that five year old was you.
this was from a ride through York county. it's been really hot here (90s, humid), but the retraining for the trip has been going well. knee and ankle are both healed. for now.
this is a picture that Katie (my 8 year old sister) drew for my dad on father's day. it's the family in flower form.
this is the house in which i grew up until i was 8 years old.
this is fresh roasted coffee that Ruth (Dan's wife) roasted over the fire one day. pretty great.
this is a sub, which is pretty similar to the one that my mom made at my surprise 16th birthday party. 
this is by brother 
you probably recognize my first bike on the right. well, the one on the left is my first mountain bike. it was a 50 lb Huffy. solidly built, probably heavier than me at the time. I remember riding that thing at Rocky Ridge when i was 13. we sold it at the yard sale for $5. (btw, Dan is doing his classic head-in-the-shot pose. way to be)
It's been great. time blurs together the days and the events. so, I won't present it chronologically. but here are some pictures of the moments:
This was my first bike. it's still awesome. i took it out for a spin, but when i was coming off of some sweet jump i broke the chain. lesson: don't wear flip-flops when riding a 5 year old's bike. even if that five year old was you.
this was from a ride through York county. it's been really hot here (90s, humid), but the retraining for the trip has been going well. knee and ankle are both healed. for now.this is a picture that Katie (my 8 year old sister) drew for my dad on father's day. it's the family in flower form.this is the house in which i grew up until i was 8 years old. this is fresh roasted coffee that Ruth (Dan's wife) roasted over the fire one day. pretty great.this is a sub, which is pretty similar to the one that my mom made at my surprise 16th birthday party. this is by brother Dan when we were hanging out in Philly at a train station. 
this is under my favorite tree. I set up the table for meals. it's ideal.
this is under my favorite tree. I set up the table for meals. it's ideal. you probably recognize my first bike on the right. well, the one on the left is my first mountain bike. it was a 50 lb Huffy. solidly built, probably heavier than me at the time. I remember riding that thing at Rocky Ridge when i was 13. we sold it at the yard sale for $5. (btw, Dan is doing his classic head-in-the-shot pose. way to be)It's going to be tough to leave the family, though I'll see them again in a few weeks in Maine. Nevertheless, I'm ready for the road again. There's something stable about it even though I don't really know what I'm doing.
The plan from here: go through lancaster, princeton, newark, and get to boston by the weekend. Hanging out with my friend Daniel for independence day. then continue through portland and up the coast to bar harbor. then take the ferry to swan's island.
two more weeks of who knows what. going to go pack my bags now.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
This is basically a breakfast blog now
And she had this hot sauce called 'kick ass sauce' which I
underestimated as I dumped it on and proceeded to cry through the
meal. I'm not too good with warning labels. But i'm pretty good with
eating a bunch of breakfast all the time.
amish country
just rode 30 miles through Lancaster County Amish country before 8am with my uncle. perfect weather, smooth roads, interesting smells, and recovering legs. it's good to be back on the saddle.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
home
relaxing at home next to the best tree in existence. and forget about the bike trip. i bought a Tesla.
(When my mom takes pictures with the iphone, she shakes it and somehow manages to stretch the photo. i didn't actually fall into the car. until i drove around in it forever. then i woke up.)
I'm going to Philly today/tomorrow with Dan to see some friends.
Monday, June 14, 2010
how to age gracefully
Here I am, on a train to York, PA. How? Here:
Last Thursday was my birthday. It was a nice day. Just hung out at the coffee shop, went to a park with Nathan and Robert, swung on rope over a pond, got my ATM card denied for no reason, rode around town trying to fix that problem, fixed it, had a little pizza party that night with some friends.
Oh, and meanwhile my right ankle got worse and started swelling. I was using my right leg to compensate for my left knee, so it hurt, so I stretched it. Too much.
I spent the second half of my birthday and the next few days icing and propping up my ankle. Felt like a pro. Luckily, on my birthday I was also sipping scotch, so it wasn’t so bad…
I went the next morning and got some crutches from the thrift store and some self-adhesive wrap from the drug store. And ibuprofen. I was pretty tempted to get the motorized seat from the thrift store, but thought that might be overkill for two days of keeping weight off my ankle. Only slightly excessive.
Friday was pretty basic. Watched some of the World Cup. Played darts at the Underground.
Saturday I jumped in the car with Nathan, Matt, Tanya, and Andy to go to Charlottesville to see Shaun and Courtney. Of course, I was supposed to be biking up there, but thought it best to lay low for another 2 days. So, the car and the compromise.
Charlottesville is great. We went to a vineyard and enjoyed a pretty extensive wine tasting. Had some nice foods and cheeses and drinks at great restaurants (C&O is a must).
Woke up, talked with my Dad on Sunday morning. Turns out, Dan and Ruth (brother and sister-in-law) were getting in that evening from Ethiopia. If I was to catch them in their busy schedule, I should get up to York now. So, I checked the train schedule.
Condensed version: many Amtrak trains don’t have the ability to carry bikes, including the one I’m on (it’s Monday morning now). So, I had to pack my bike in a box and put it on the 7:20am train to Baltimore and now I’m on the 8:52 train to there, hoping they remember to take the bike off the train and that it’s waiting there for me. Please…
I’ll be hanging out with my family this week. I’m feeling ambivalent about this change in the trip plans, of course. My mindset was just to be on the bike the whole time. But, this is good. I get to be with my family for a while (a week or so), see my brother, eat great food, swim, sleep…
And build up my cycling routine so that when I get back on the road I’m actually ready to do 75 mile days every day. Going biking with my uncle a bit, looking forward to that. But these injuries are dumb. Turns out when you get older it’s not really the muscles that break, but all the in betweens.
Also: it’s really different sitting on a train and seeing the countryside flying by. I wish I was out on those little roads stopping for water and at diners for breakfast and jumping into the woods to find places to sleep. Soon I’ll do that again. For now, I’m on a vacation from vacation.
Last Thursday was my birthday. It was a nice day. Just hung out at the coffee shop, went to a park with Nathan and Robert, swung on rope over a pond, got my ATM card denied for no reason, rode around town trying to fix that problem, fixed it, had a little pizza party that night with some friends.
Oh, and meanwhile my right ankle got worse and started swelling. I was using my right leg to compensate for my left knee, so it hurt, so I stretched it. Too much.
I spent the second half of my birthday and the next few days icing and propping up my ankle. Felt like a pro. Luckily, on my birthday I was also sipping scotch, so it wasn’t so bad…
I went the next morning and got some crutches from the thrift store and some self-adhesive wrap from the drug store. And ibuprofen. I was pretty tempted to get the motorized seat from the thrift store, but thought that might be overkill for two days of keeping weight off my ankle. Only slightly excessive.
Friday was pretty basic. Watched some of the World Cup. Played darts at the Underground.
Saturday I jumped in the car with Nathan, Matt, Tanya, and Andy to go to Charlottesville to see Shaun and Courtney. Of course, I was supposed to be biking up there, but thought it best to lay low for another 2 days. So, the car and the compromise.
Charlottesville is great. We went to a vineyard and enjoyed a pretty extensive wine tasting. Had some nice foods and cheeses and drinks at great restaurants (C&O is a must).
Woke up, talked with my Dad on Sunday morning. Turns out, Dan and Ruth (brother and sister-in-law) were getting in that evening from Ethiopia. If I was to catch them in their busy schedule, I should get up to York now. So, I checked the train schedule.
Condensed version: many Amtrak trains don’t have the ability to carry bikes, including the one I’m on (it’s Monday morning now). So, I had to pack my bike in a box and put it on the 7:20am train to Baltimore and now I’m on the 8:52 train to there, hoping they remember to take the bike off the train and that it’s waiting there for me. Please…
I’ll be hanging out with my family this week. I’m feeling ambivalent about this change in the trip plans, of course. My mindset was just to be on the bike the whole time. But, this is good. I get to be with my family for a while (a week or so), see my brother, eat great food, swim, sleep…
And build up my cycling routine so that when I get back on the road I’m actually ready to do 75 mile days every day. Going biking with my uncle a bit, looking forward to that. But these injuries are dumb. Turns out when you get older it’s not really the muscles that break, but all the in betweens.
Also: it’s really different sitting on a train and seeing the countryside flying by. I wish I was out on those little roads stopping for water and at diners for breakfast and jumping into the woods to find places to sleep. Soon I’ll do that again. For now, I’m on a vacation from vacation.
Friday, June 11, 2010
on the way to blacksburg
68 miles to blacksburg. i got off the blue ridge onto the back country roads, some of which were unpaved. like route 666. predictable! the devil can't do anything right.
part of the reason I pushed it the day before is that there were some storms coming into the area. i rode through the rain at times in the morning.
also, i ran into some blacksburg people i recognized along the road. it was a couple, and they were just setting off from blacksburg to move to portland by biking across the country. it was a nice chat.
eventually, i got into blacksburg and went straight to gillies. ordered a beer, a carrot-beet-ginger juice, a burrito, and a tortilla soup. and anita gave me half of her burrito and chips. mmmm.
then i went to robert's house, nathan came over, and then sarah came over with a blueberry pie as an early birthday treat. and that night i had a pita pizza at the cellar.
welcome back to bburg.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
how (not to) sleep after a long ride
So, on Tuesday I kept riding. I stopped along the way and met an attorney from Nashville
Then I’m at 78 miles, and I’m still feeling ok. So I keep going. 100 isn’t too far, i thought.
Well, the last few miles were all uphill.
Long day short: 100 miles at sunset.
Before it gets dark I need to find a place to sleep. The first place that shows itself, on a dirt road parallel to the blue ridge parkway, is a seemingly abandoned Methodist church from the 19th century. There is a patch of grass next to the graveyard…
I set up my tarp over the bike, eat some trail mix, crawl into the bivy and try to fall asleep.
Turns out, there are multiple reasons why it’s difficult to sleep in this situation. First: I’m in a graveyard. Second: the old building looms eerily in the moonlight. Third: I don’t want to get eaten by a bear. Fourth: there are DOZENS of spiders crawling all over me and my stuff. I have never seen so many spiders at once.
I stayed awake pretty much all night. Until 5am, at which point it was time to get back on the road.
What a creepy night.
1st night on the blue ridge (or just next to...)
Well, I'm in blacksburg now. we've got some catching up to do.
I was told yesterday by a friend that this is an almost annoyingly pure blog. he meant this well, in the sense that i'm just talking about what's happening in a somewhat dry way. no major philosophizing, politicizing... like a chronicle. or an annal.
guess i'll keep doing the same thing. if only to remember this trip better than my memory allows. it's hard enough to remember three days ago. which is what i'm attempting to do right now.
ok, i left asheville. the mountains were great. fog at the top, sun throughout, impossible views around every corner. I stopped at pretty much every overlook.
oh, and i took a nap on a bench near a cliff. not that near. but near enough where the wind came up over it.
near the end of the day, I was climbing a hill and this older guy (early 60s) starts passing me. I could have done two things. i could have pushed myself to try to get up the hill and not be shown up by this obviously more capable guy. or i could start conversation. call me lazy; i chose the latter.
his name is mike. his wife's name is ann. they're great.
mike's been riding the blue ridge for 25 years straight. he bikes an average of 250 miles a week and is about to go on a tour of the last 10 stages of the tour de france. turns out, the official race goes in the afternoon. so, they're ride the same course in the morning. that's awesome.
eventually, 15 miles into our conversation (and with my legs nearly dead from trying to keep up), he says "well, you about ready to call it a day? cause we have dinner, a hot shower, and a bed for you tonight back at the house if you'd like. i don't really do this, but you seem like a nice enough guy." i said yes immediately, of course.
so, we rode 8 more miles, got to his truck, drove to his house. along the way we almost hit one of his cycling friends. that would have been pretty bad. there are these great winding downhills around his house, and it's important to stay in your lane. don't go so fast that you have to go to the other lane and get hit. lesson # 53.
ok, mike and ann's house is wonderful. it's at the top of a hill in the middle of the mountains. they have miniature horses, fainting goats, chickens, dogs, a garden, and a cut-your-own tree farm. here's the view from the top of their hill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=874eYeOmQI4
anyway, i went and had a shower, then they fed me dinner and beers, washed my clothes, and i went to bed. incredibly hospitable. and great conversation.
in the morning i woke up to the smell of fried potatoes and farm fresh eggs. mike and i got on the road around 8:30. We rode together for 15 miles or so and then he went his own way. i really liked him.
then i kept riding.
I was told yesterday by a friend that this is an almost annoyingly pure blog. he meant this well, in the sense that i'm just talking about what's happening in a somewhat dry way. no major philosophizing, politicizing... like a chronicle. or an annal.
guess i'll keep doing the same thing. if only to remember this trip better than my memory allows. it's hard enough to remember three days ago. which is what i'm attempting to do right now.
ok, i left asheville. the mountains were great. fog at the top, sun throughout, impossible views around every corner. I stopped at pretty much every overlook.
oh, and i took a nap on a bench near a cliff. not that near. but near enough where the wind came up over it.
near the end of the day, I was climbing a hill and this older guy (early 60s) starts passing me. I could have done two things. i could have pushed myself to try to get up the hill and not be shown up by this obviously more capable guy. or i could start conversation. call me lazy; i chose the latter.
his name is mike. his wife's name is ann. they're great.
mike's been riding the blue ridge for 25 years straight. he bikes an average of 250 miles a week and is about to go on a tour of the last 10 stages of the tour de france. turns out, the official race goes in the afternoon. so, they're ride the same course in the morning. that's awesome.
eventually, 15 miles into our conversation (and with my legs nearly dead from trying to keep up), he says "well, you about ready to call it a day? cause we have dinner, a hot shower, and a bed for you tonight back at the house if you'd like. i don't really do this, but you seem like a nice enough guy." i said yes immediately, of course.
so, we rode 8 more miles, got to his truck, drove to his house. along the way we almost hit one of his cycling friends. that would have been pretty bad. there are these great winding downhills around his house, and it's important to stay in your lane. don't go so fast that you have to go to the other lane and get hit. lesson # 53.
ok, mike and ann's house is wonderful. it's at the top of a hill in the middle of the mountains. they have miniature horses, fainting goats, chickens, dogs, a garden, and a cut-your-own tree farm. here's the view from the top of their hill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=874eYeOmQI4
anyway, i went and had a shower, then they fed me dinner and beers, washed my clothes, and i went to bed. incredibly hospitable. and great conversation.
in the morning i woke up to the smell of fried potatoes and farm fresh eggs. mike and i got on the road around 8:30. We rode together for 15 miles or so and then he went his own way. i really liked him.
then i kept riding.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Almost to a destination
I'm alive, despite sleeping in an abandoned church's graveyard. More
details when I get to Blacksburg today. Just 50 more miles.
details when I get to Blacksburg today. Just 50 more miles.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Blue Ridge day 1
biking the blue ridge is an alternation between exciting and climbing.climbing.climbing uphill.
I beat my speed record today by .02 mph. 45.39.
The weather was amazing. (another reason for not leaving Asheville yesterday was the storminess). high 70s today.
there were a bunch of overlooks along the way to stop at and try not to take a dozillion pictures (not of me... but my mom likes it when i take pictures of myself at places, so I do that).
I did stop at one of the overlooks and met this guy. he gave me a sandwhich and we ate lunch. super cool. turns out, he has been doing bike tours for much of his life. He grew up in Philly and used to bring inner city kids into the PA country on bike tours. now he's a part of the Greensboro, NC bike coop. (btw, Nashville: we need to start a coop NOW)
anyway, he said that eventually you get older and buy a moped. I'm down with that. we had a great talk.
then I got hungry again. my bike wasn't hungry, so I ate the trail mix. I also ate a cucumber. and a banana.
then I took a scenic shot that totally did it justice. tons of justice.
overall, enjoyed the day. tried to take it easy but wanted to push through. like always.
I beat my speed record today by .02 mph. 45.39.
The weather was amazing. (another reason for not leaving Asheville yesterday was the storminess). high 70s today.
there were a bunch of overlooks along the way to stop at and try not to take a dozillion pictures (not of me... but my mom likes it when i take pictures of myself at places, so I do that).
I did stop at one of the overlooks and met this guy. he gave me a sandwhich and we ate lunch. super cool. turns out, he has been doing bike tours for much of his life. He grew up in Philly and used to bring inner city kids into the PA country on bike tours. now he's a part of the Greensboro, NC bike coop. (btw, Nashville: we need to start a coop NOW)
anyway, he said that eventually you get older and buy a moped. I'm down with that. we had a great talk.
then I got hungry again. my bike wasn't hungry, so I ate the trail mix. I also ate a cucumber. and a banana.
then I took a scenic shot that totally did it justice. tons of justice.
overall, enjoyed the day. tried to take it easy but wanted to push through. like always.
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