Very Brief Hiatus.

In response to your inquiries about where exactly I am at the moment:

I am in DC.

Don't panic! The bike ride is not cancelled, postponed, or falling apart in any way. We ran into some unexpected situations, but they are all being dealt with. Full story:

As previously reported, Iris's bike sustained massive trauma at the hands of a drunk driver. The parts were ordered, repairs were made, and the bike is good as new. However - Iris and Jon both had pressing engagements in Tulsa, OK, on Saturday morning. The original plan was to ride from Tuesday - Friday, end up near Fayetteville, Arkansas, and grab a ride into Tulsa. We were then going to stay in F-ville until July 5th, and then head towards Colorado.

Obviously, the 3-day setback made it impossible to bike form St. Louis to Arkansas and still be in Tulsa by Saturday. Once these facts became clear, I did some thinking. I have yet to move out of my apartment in Alexandria, something which must be done by the end of July. So, in an impromtu move, I cashed in all of my SouthWest Airlines credit and flew into DC late Wednesday night. I'm heading back to Arkansas to meet up with Jon and Iris on Tuesday morning. My bike is safe and sound in Tulsa thanks to one Mike Mertz, and by the time all is said and done, I'll be packed and mostly moved out by the end of this weekend.

Yes, I realize that in some ways, this constitutes "cheating", at least in terms of my original plan to bike nonstop across the country. I am very ok with this. The break will hopefully A.) give my poor, palsy-ridden hands some time to heal, and B.) alleviate the stress/anxiety I was feeling about leaving all of my personal belongings scattered across my apartment instead of packed and ready to move. Plus, I get to spend time with some wonderful people whom I've missed very much. Yes, homesickness was a mild motivator in this decision. I'm ok with that, too.

I've talked to Iris and Jon several times since I've been back in DC. There was absolutely some seperation anxiety, and I am VERY excited to get to Fayetteville. They are picking me up at the airport at 10:30 and we're headed directly to some local winery that Jon swears is a great time. There are also plans for some canoeing and just general promises of Fun.

In the meantime, I have plenty of chores to complete and people to see while I'm here. Even nomads appreciate the occasional return to Real Life.