I'm flying out of BWI first thing tomorrow morning. It will be great to be back on the road. Being in DC was fun, though, and I am glad I came back.
Blogging without biking feels a little shameful. I won't be doing much of it until July 5th, unless something really funny happens, or unless my public demands it. I'll pay close attention to reader comments.
Tentative itinerary:
July 5th - Leave Fayetteville, resume biking
July 16thISH - Arrive in Colorado
July 19th-20th - GRUB Tournament in Boulder. I'm playing, maybe.
July23rdISH - Probably out of time and money at this point. Tentative return to Real Life.
Contrary to popular opinion, I am not "moving" to Colorado, at least not this month. Valerie seems to not believe me.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tentative Top Ten
So many people have asked me the same question: "What's the coolest thing that you've seen/done on the trip?" This is a near-impossible question to answer, simply because of the diverse nature of our activities. It's hard to compare standing at the top of the St. Louis arch with being drunk at the home of the mayor of Wytheville, VA. Apples and oranges. However, since I am at a brief stopping point in my TOEQFG, I'll try to sum up, in no exact order, as best I can, the best of the best, so far:
10. Rick's White Lights Cafe in Frankfort, Kentucky. An extremely quirky cafe owned and operated by one of the most charismatic men I've ever encountered. Cheap food, illegal beer, and well worth the 2.5 hours we spent there.
9. The Kentucky border, and the subsequent views from the hills that were nothing short of incredible.
8. The impromtu stop at an Indiana winery, and the subsequent drinking of the wine in a gas station from styrofoam ice cream cups.
7. Visiting the Cookie Lady in Afton. I will never, ever forget her house or her (long-winded) words of advice.
6. Travis and his family.
5. The Blue Ridge Parkway, with its absurd steepness and amazing scenic overlooks
4. Louisville, Kentucky (and Evan, who could not have made it more fun)
3. The view from the top of the St. Louis Arch
2. The crazy chain of events that found us in the home of the mayor of Wytheville
1. Riding through Virginia and seeing (kind of) where I was born.
There's more, obviously. These are what stand out.
10. Rick's White Lights Cafe in Frankfort, Kentucky. An extremely quirky cafe owned and operated by one of the most charismatic men I've ever encountered. Cheap food, illegal beer, and well worth the 2.5 hours we spent there.
9. The Kentucky border, and the subsequent views from the hills that were nothing short of incredible.
8. The impromtu stop at an Indiana winery, and the subsequent drinking of the wine in a gas station from styrofoam ice cream cups.
7. Visiting the Cookie Lady in Afton. I will never, ever forget her house or her (long-winded) words of advice.
6. Travis and his family.
5. The Blue Ridge Parkway, with its absurd steepness and amazing scenic overlooks
4. Louisville, Kentucky (and Evan, who could not have made it more fun)
3. The view from the top of the St. Louis Arch
2. The crazy chain of events that found us in the home of the mayor of Wytheville
1. Riding through Virginia and seeing (kind of) where I was born.
There's more, obviously. These are what stand out.
Proof that I'm actually doing this:
Beautiful Kentucky. The black fuzz in the corner is a spot on my lens.
We had to ride the interstate into Illinois from Indiana because of the flooding. Mildly terrifying, and filled with bugs.
Casks of bourbon.
Jon, sitting next to a winery, drinking a beer. Classy.
The shadow of the arch over the (intensely flooded) Mississippi River.
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
St. Louis.
Made it into St. Louis just in time to load our bikes onto the back of Mike's car, drive into the city, and get rear-ended by some drunk idiot. Iris's bike needs a few parts, so we're waiting in St. Louis for them to be ordered and her bike repaired. Our itinerary, for the immediate, is uncertain. It will most likely involve 2 days in St. Louis and a ride to Arkansas. Jon needs to be in Fayetteville by Friday, hence the sense of urgency.
FYI, everyone in the car was fine, and insurance will cover the bike repairs. Best possible outcome to a crappy situation.
It is pouring rain in St. Louis right now, and I have yet to shower after yesterday's 93 mile ride. Jon and I are getting ready to order some type of unhealthy food and watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We will see the arch tomorrow morning.
FYI, everyone in the car was fine, and insurance will cover the bike repairs. Best possible outcome to a crappy situation.
It is pouring rain in St. Louis right now, and I have yet to shower after yesterday's 93 mile ride. Jon and I are getting ready to order some type of unhealthy food and watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We will see the arch tomorrow morning.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Indiana:
"Hoosier Hospitality." That was the explanation offered by the elderly couple who paid for our lunch on Saturday afternoon in southern Indiana. They asked us a million questions about our trip, wished us luck and safety, and announced that they were paying. Amazing.
To backtrack: We crossed the bridge into Indiana from Kentucky on Friday afternoon. We didn't get on the road until 2PM, and all three of us were tired and a little bit cranky. We rode about 15 miles before finding a genuine biker bar called the Hog Tavern, where we befriended the bartender, a woman named Caroline. Caroline gave us 12 free jello shots, which I put on ice and carried in my drybag.
Sometime around 6PM, the three of us got into an argument outside of a gas station at the top of a very steep hill. Ten miles later, Iris secured us a place to stay for free, with a hot tub. We got into the hot tub, took the jello shots, and became friends again. Incidentally, the place we stayed was called the Scout Mountain Hideaway, and the owner, Mike, was fantastic. He is in the process of starting a winery, and we slept in his air-conditioned workroom, surrounded by glass jugs and other sundry peices of equipment.
On Saturday, refreshed from a good night's sleep, we were on the road by 8:30 and on track to be in Evansville, Indiana, by 5:00 or so. We were riding a beautiful scenic road through a forest, and we were riding far apart from each other, enjoying the view and not worrying about speed. I crested a hill, looked for Jon, and found him sitting against a tree, drinking a warm can of PBR, and pointing to a sign for a nearby winery. The three of us went in for a complimentary tasting, and inside we met Brent and Beth, a couple from Illinois who enjoy traveling to local wineries. They were curious about our trip, and offered to house us if we ever found ourselves in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Foreshadowing? Read on!
Even after a wine tasting, free lunch, and our FIRST FLAT TIRE OF THE TRIP (congrats to Iris) we somehow made it to Evansville, Indiana, where we stayed with a professor named Chris whose phone number we got from Evan (in Louisville.) Chris took us out to dinner at a GREAT German restaurant, where I ate more fried pickles and tried a Rueben for the first time in my whole life. It was delicious. Afterwards, he took us to 80's night at a bar in downtown Evansville. As Indiana IS the birddogging capital of America, Jon pulled out all the stops, and even wore a normal shirt, but he lost to a total Bro and ended up dancing with me and Iris to "Shout." We passed out in Chris's living room in front of Arrest Development and got on the road around 11 this morning, after stopping at WalMart for breakfast and our daily map meeting.
WalMart has become an integral part of this trip. Anytime we pass a Supercenter, we go in, do our seperate shopping, and meet in the attached Subway for a team meeting. Iris usually brings some sort of fruit and deli meat combo, Jon buys a giant sandwich, and I have some strange combination of snack food. This morning, Jon had one of the "Sunday Supreme" sandwiches, Iris had turkey and fruit, and I had a bag of bagels, a tub of cream cheese, six Odwalla bars, and an apple. Obviously, most of that food was not comsumed in one sitting, although the bagels are already half gone because I was silly enough to let Jon carry them.
So. It turned out that Mt. Vernon IS on the way to St. Louis, so we called Brent and Beth, who were wonderful enough to allow us to stay with them tonight. They have four adorable daughters, and Jon, Iris and I are sleeping in a Hannah Montana themed room with bunk beds on one side and a single bed on the other. I let Jon and Iris have the bunks, since my childhood years were spent in bunk beds.
I simply cannot get over the willingness of the people that we meet to help us as much as they do. Every single place we go is marked by people who are so incredibly generous. It is very overwhelming.
To backtrack: We crossed the bridge into Indiana from Kentucky on Friday afternoon. We didn't get on the road until 2PM, and all three of us were tired and a little bit cranky. We rode about 15 miles before finding a genuine biker bar called the Hog Tavern, where we befriended the bartender, a woman named Caroline. Caroline gave us 12 free jello shots, which I put on ice and carried in my drybag.
Sometime around 6PM, the three of us got into an argument outside of a gas station at the top of a very steep hill. Ten miles later, Iris secured us a place to stay for free, with a hot tub. We got into the hot tub, took the jello shots, and became friends again. Incidentally, the place we stayed was called the Scout Mountain Hideaway, and the owner, Mike, was fantastic. He is in the process of starting a winery, and we slept in his air-conditioned workroom, surrounded by glass jugs and other sundry peices of equipment.
On Saturday, refreshed from a good night's sleep, we were on the road by 8:30 and on track to be in Evansville, Indiana, by 5:00 or so. We were riding a beautiful scenic road through a forest, and we were riding far apart from each other, enjoying the view and not worrying about speed. I crested a hill, looked for Jon, and found him sitting against a tree, drinking a warm can of PBR, and pointing to a sign for a nearby winery. The three of us went in for a complimentary tasting, and inside we met Brent and Beth, a couple from Illinois who enjoy traveling to local wineries. They were curious about our trip, and offered to house us if we ever found ourselves in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Foreshadowing? Read on!
Even after a wine tasting, free lunch, and our FIRST FLAT TIRE OF THE TRIP (congrats to Iris) we somehow made it to Evansville, Indiana, where we stayed with a professor named Chris whose phone number we got from Evan (in Louisville.) Chris took us out to dinner at a GREAT German restaurant, where I ate more fried pickles and tried a Rueben for the first time in my whole life. It was delicious. Afterwards, he took us to 80's night at a bar in downtown Evansville. As Indiana IS the birddogging capital of America, Jon pulled out all the stops, and even wore a normal shirt, but he lost to a total Bro and ended up dancing with me and Iris to "Shout." We passed out in Chris's living room in front of Arrest Development and got on the road around 11 this morning, after stopping at WalMart for breakfast and our daily map meeting.
WalMart has become an integral part of this trip. Anytime we pass a Supercenter, we go in, do our seperate shopping, and meet in the attached Subway for a team meeting. Iris usually brings some sort of fruit and deli meat combo, Jon buys a giant sandwich, and I have some strange combination of snack food. This morning, Jon had one of the "Sunday Supreme" sandwiches, Iris had turkey and fruit, and I had a bag of bagels, a tub of cream cheese, six Odwalla bars, and an apple. Obviously, most of that food was not comsumed in one sitting, although the bagels are already half gone because I was silly enough to let Jon carry them.
So. It turned out that Mt. Vernon IS on the way to St. Louis, so we called Brent and Beth, who were wonderful enough to allow us to stay with them tonight. They have four adorable daughters, and Jon, Iris and I are sleeping in a Hannah Montana themed room with bunk beds on one side and a single bed on the other. I let Jon and Iris have the bunks, since my childhood years were spent in bunk beds.
I simply cannot get over the willingness of the people that we meet to help us as much as they do. Every single place we go is marked by people who are so incredibly generous. It is very overwhelming.
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