Vagabond Voyager

I had way more footage than I thought, so there was heeps that I couldn't include. Here are some of the more interesting clips though. I'll probably do one more video.


A link to the video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy01qYFxKwU

Artsy Fartsy

These are some of my favorite photographs from the trip, ones that haven't been posted yet at least. Some of you may recognize them from the postcards I sent out. Eventually I'd like to start selling some of my photography. Tell me what you think!

Digital Memories

So, here are some photos throughout the trip that I decided to save. Some are great, some are good, and some are mediocre at best. Most of my landscape shots came out rather grainy and overexposed which is a little disappointing. There are a few I am rather pleased with though.


(If you click on them you can see enlarged versions. If you enlarge them make sure to click the magnifying glass (near the corner) for all vertical photos to enlarge them further or they will appear blurry.

Make that Choo Choo Sound (i.e. Epic Train Ride)

The whole trip I had this romantic vision of myself as a classy gentlemen riding a train for three days eating in the dining car while traveling through the mountains, relaxing, and sleeping whenever I wanted. My expectations were immediately shattered when I got put in a seat with only a partial view next to a stranger only to travel through uninteresting landscape for a full day, eat a $6 microwaved veggie burger (worst I've ever had) and a $6 microwaved mini-pizza, and not get any sleep because I could not get comfortable. I still had two days so I was a little discouraged.
The second train (transfer in Chicago), however, was AWESOME. It had two decks, a lounge car, a cafe, and a dining car. I got put in a great seat with a full view near the back of the train seated next to "the infamous John," one of the cyclists I traveled with for a while. The dining car had decent food as well. The second night I even slept like a bum on the floor in the lounge car guerrilla style, and I slept amazingly well. When I woke up there were people sitting all around me, which was actually rather hilarious. John then moved to the seat across the aisle, so for the third night we each got two chairs to ourselves to stretch out on. The views going through the Rockies were outstanding. There was even a six mile tunnel through one of the hills which was just rad. The landscape in Nevada was just as spectacular, as were the sunrises and sunsets of the whole trip. My romantic vision came true and I am now a huge fan of riding by train. If you haven't done it...do it.

Pictures were hard to get from the train through the glass, and moving fairly fast, but here are a couple sky shots from the train.

Lunchin' Along (Days 72-74)

I have arrived in Reno and have been putting off finishing up the blog, mostly because I've been rather busy, but also because I was lazy. I am glad to be home though. Everyone has made me feel so welcome.

Day 72:
Sarah invited me to a birthday party for one of her friends. There was a full table filled with vegetarian food and delicious homemade desserts, so needless to say it was amazing. Many people showed up and I had a great time making some of them listen to my stories of the adventure. Thanks for inviting a stranger into your home Sarah, this was one of the most memorable nights I had in D.C. You gave me hope that random kindness can also be found in big cities. On the way back to Mike & Trina's I got lost for 10 miles and rode through the ghetto. Demetrii kept me safe though. (14.6 miles)
Day 73:
Rode along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal bike trail, 25.4 miles.
Day 74:
Visited the National Zoo. I didn't know whether to feel warm and fuzzy from looking at awesome cuddly animals, or depressed because they were locked in cages. D.C. zoo is crazy about pandas though. CRAZY. Went to a toy store afterward, then to the National Air and Space Museum. Pretty neat stuff. Finished the day at another zoo, the upscale Georgetown shopping district. (16 miles)

I think I can, I think I can

I want to specially thank Mike and Trina, who have graciously hosted me in their wonderful apartment for 8 nights. Trusting a weary-bearded-stranger to stay in their home for so long was a huge undertaking on their part.
Thank you for everything. I had an amazing time in D.C., I could not have stayed anymore more wonderful. I am anxious to bestow the kindness you shared with me on the unsuspecting inhabitants of Reno. They'll never know what hit 'em. <3

Choo Choo Train ride home begins today, and I grow ever-excited to see everyone in Reno.
To-do list (no particular order):
Edit and post photos
Post my contemplative summary of the trip, or not
Edit and post a video or two
Visit friends and family
Shower (no shower on train)
Overhaul Demetrii
Play Super Street Fighter IV
Do everything I've missed doing

Anyways, Reno...here I come!

D.C. Cycling

D.C. cycling was pretty intimidating on arrival. I went from two months of small towns and small roads to traveling in a huge city with crazy heavy traffic. I felt like I was getting blasted by too many sights, sounds, and signals to ride safely. Over the past week though, I've really come to enjoy getting around the city on a bicycle. There are bikes everywhere. Half the street signs in the city have a bike locked to them, and if not locked to a sign then to a rack, fence, tree, or whatever is handy. There are huge bike lanes on the busy streets, lanes that go in the very center of the road between all the traffic, some with special bike signals. The best part though, is that the sidewalks are typically huge, and it's legal in some areas (and unregulated in all others) to ride on them in any direction. I asked a cop for directions when I first got into the city and he told me to just ride on the sidewalk to the street I needed. I was of course puzzled, and asked if I could actually do that. He looked at me like I was crazy and just said yes. Having the option of the road, a bike lane, and a sidewalk means that if you are skilled and aggressive enough, you can just fly around the city like a madman. Not that I condone that sort of thing, but I've been having a blast with it.

Over the course of the trip I've really fallen in love with cycling.

In the spirit of cycling here are a couple photos of Peggy Rennolds (a host I stayed with in La Plata, MD) and her best bud Poo riding the Bikecentennial Transamerica route in 1976. Stylin'!

Mambo Sauce (Days 67-71)

There are heeps of free things to do in D.C.
The Lincoln Memorial is huge, I never realized it from photos.
People are actually out doing things at night, yeah!
Bicycle riders everywhere, yipee!
Being in the city again is odd. People are too busy, TV sucks, my one change of clothes is no longer fashionable, restaurants are expensive, and I am paranoid someone will run off with Demetrii. On the plus side, I don't feel strange telling people I am vegetarian and no one mentions my piercings.

Day 67:
Left late and rode a short distance to arrive in D.C., much of which was on some nice bike trails. Made it to Mike and Trina's place (Warmshowers.org) around 7:00PM. Mike and Trina have an awesome apartment right near almost everything in D.C. I care to see. They have done their own Transamerica cycling tour, as well as a few other tours, so we shared some stories until bed time and I crashed pretty hard. (42.7 miles)
Day 68:
10.6 miles
-National Museum of Natural History
-National Gallery of Art
Day 69:
7 miles
-National Geographic Museum
-The White House
-Picked vegetables at Department of Interior with Sarah (A girl I met coming into town that inquired about my heavy baggage that I randomly met up with again while riding today. She is a horticulturist for the government and took me to a little garden that we ransacked before riding around in the rain.)
-Got soaking wet in the rain
Day 70:
15.2 miles
-Constitution Gardens
-Lincoln Memorial
-Theodore Roosevelt Memorial
-Thomas Jefferson Memorial
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
-Walked to Adams Morgan District
-People watched at Dupont Circle
Day 71:
4.4 miles
-Made postcards
-Went to a BBQ hosted by some of Trina's friends (veggie burgers, yum!).

F.D.R. and Fala just chillin'.

Mr. Jefferson, hello sir.

Teddy and I are besties.

Honest Abe, keepin' it real.

BAM! Giant cucumber.

Bonus Round (Days 63-66)

Day 63:
Rode a couple miles around Yorktown, visited the visitor's center and signed their cross-country log, and ate an awesome breakfast. Around noon, Teri Zodda (from Couchsurfing.org) was kind enough to pick me up in her SUV and drive Demetrii and I to her home 10 miles away (I couldn't say no to her offer, my body did not want to ride anymore). Teri made a fantastic lunch and dinner and I have to say she is a completely amazing cook. We talked and mostly relaxed for the rest of the day. Teri and Marley (her dog) really made me feel comfortable in their home.
Day 64:
Zero miles proudly pedaled. Planned my route to D.C. and ate more of Teri's awesome cooking. Her sisters came over for dinner so I got to eat even more delicious food and converse of my summer cycling travels and experiences with Teri and her family. By nightfall I felt great again and was eager to start the last leg of my journey.
Day 65:
Teri dropped me back off and we said our farewells. I tuned and cleaned Demetrii and was glad to start riding again. While exploring the area some more I immediately realized I left two of my water bottles in Teri's fridge. During my stay with Teri I had become her "newly adopted son" so I couldn't wait to give her a hard time about sending me off without water. What kind of mother sends her child off on an adventure to die of thirst? After I had planned out the joke to myself, 20 miles in I hear this honking from the other side of the freeway and look up with complete surprise to see Teri swinging around with my water bottles (which means she had to drive about 30 miles out of her way and 30 miles back). Teri, you are just too awesome. I guess I really am your newly adopted son. Thanks for taking me into your lovely home on such short notice, letting me clean out your fridge, and treating me like your son.
Well I planned on only riding about 40 miles, but I couldn't get ahold of my Couchsurfing host, so I ended up riding about 80 miles to Hustle, VA and staying with Mr. and Mrs. Rennolds (Warmshowers.org). Peggy Rennolds rode the Transamerica bicycle route in 1976, when the trail was first established to celebrate the U.S. Bikecentennial. She had some amazing stories from her '76 tour, and a more recent tour with her daughter in Europe. She met "The Cookie Lady" before she had started helping cyclists and she showed me pictures of herself on tour in '76 (with her poodle riding lead in her handlebar bag every pedal stroke made). She showed me video of her daughters cross-country tour from the year before. Seeing things in the video that I had seen on tour was really cool. That night we ate stir-fry straight from the garden outside, but only after they gave me a complete tour of their farm, pond, and land via motorized golf cart. Your stories were absolutely delightful, thank you Mr. and Mrs. Rennolds.
Day 66:
After having a scrumptious breakfast straight from the chicken coop, I hit the road again planning to do a short 30 mile ride. Well, I arrived in town too early and decided to just keep going to my next Warmshowers host in La Plata, MD. Along the way I had to cross the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, a 1.7 mile bridge with no shoulder. I called MD Department of Transportation and a transport via truck was three hours out. To save myself some time I waited for 10 minutes on the side of the road near the bridge with my thumb out. A nice woman with a truck stopped so I put my bike in the back and hopped in the cab. She rode me across without any trouble and I finished the 60.7 mile ride at the doorstep of Walter and Zoa (plus their energetic children Miya and Evan). Walt and Zoa collect all their food from organic farmers within 30 miles, so needless to say having dinner, breakfast, and lunch with them was both delicious and healthy. Because of my limited dining options this trip I haven't been able to eat as well as I would have liked. Eating fresh organic food again with my last few hosts has really made my brain feel good. Zoa, I know you work hard to live conservatively and eat healthily, thank you for sharing that with me.

Coast to Coast

San Francisco, California to Yorktown, Virginia.
Started June 05, 2010, complete August 05, 2010.
Odometer reads 3994.8 miles.

Please stay tuned for another couple weeks if you are following. I'll be updating the blog with my ride to D.C., some exploration, but more importantly a video or two and some nice photographs of the trip when I arrive back in Reno.

Demetrii's celebratory swim.

The view from the porch of the church house I stayed at in Yorktown.

This is the Yorktown victory monument, the final stop riding Transamerica. It was built to signify the end of the American Revolution. A fitting place to end.

Finish Line (Days 61-62)

Day 61:
Colby's Mom, Dianna, made us the best breakfast, including some amazing homemade pancakes (with secret ingredient). Colby's dad, Seth, offered to be our supported-tour driver for the last two days, so Colby and I gladly loaded most of our gear into his SUV and left. For the first time this trip I finally feel I have become a cyclist, riding without my gear. I rode the first 20 miles in a breeze, flying up hills like they were nothing. Just as my confidence peaked the threading on my left pedal gave out and the pedal slid clean off the post that attaches to the crank arm. Seth was right there with a ride back to the nearest town with a bike shop. They opened early at 11:30AM, I got some new pedals and cleats, and hit the road again to make up for lost time. Every breakdown I've had, I've been so fortunate to get it fixed or get into a bike shop nearby, thank my lucky stars. If Seth wasn't there, I would have easily lost a day of riding, and had a very hard time hitchhiking back to the city. Colby and I arrived in Mechanicsville, VA fairly late, and to get to the hotel Seth was at we decided to ride on the freeway for a mile, the most frightening mile of the trip. Cars and trucks were whizzing by, getting on the freeway, getting off the freeway, and the shoulder was filled with all kinds of rocks and debris that made it nearly impossible to ride in. Just before getting off we went through some junk in the road and Colby and I both got flats at the same time. They both held out until the end of the freeway, then I only had to walk a couple blocks to the hotel room where I was able to switch it out in comfort. It was a long, hot, tiring 96 mile day, even without gear, so stopping at the hotel was such a nice treat, I cannot thank you enough Seth.
Day 62:
The day felt long, but coming around the corner and seeing the ocean washed away my tiredness in a wave of bliss as I realized I just rode my bicycle across the country. Yorktown. The beach. I did it. I said goodbye to Seth and Colby after going for a swim, and I am at this amazing little church house for the night. I feel great, though I am tired and need to rest.

First view of the ocean.

IT'S OVER 9000!!!!

You dared challenge my power, mountains of the East, and as you raised your jagged claw in gall, I strucketh and defeated thee with but thine silver sword in hand.
Final elevation profile.

Blue stars, I have achieved maximum power.

Salty, Foggy, Cool Breeze (Days 54-60)

I can feel the ocean in the air as I draw closer to Yorktown, and I feel so excited to be nearing the coast. Virginia weather has been strange, three or four straight days of a pure gray sky, foggy mornings, and light rain on and off. Cold too, which is very surprising. It sometimes feels as I am riding towards the end of the world. On the mountains looking over the edge I just see pure white nothing. It’s very surreal.

>3800 miles

Day 53:
One mile into the day climbing up the first little hill and my chain breaks. Of course within 30 seconds it starts raining. Colby and I took shelter on someones porch, and I was able to use my chain tool to fix the chain. Colby had some extra links and parts that made fixing it pretty simple, and I was able to continue without having to lose any gears. I just crossed my fingers and prayed it would go another 200 miles to the next bike shop. After 67 miles we stayed at a church in Hindman, KY. We arrived expecting to camp at the historical society, but due to family illness they were closed. We got food and as we were leaving someone from the church stopped us and said we could stay in the church basement. How do I keep getting so lucky? We watched Lord of the Rings, then the guy came back and gave us two full cheese pizzas and a pie!
Day 54:
78 long hard miles through the hills, Colby and I ended in Haysi, VA, the final state. The motel there, our planned lodging for the night, was filled up so we set up our tents behind the library and passed out pretty hard.
Day 55:
69 miles to Damascus, VA and what a wonderful ride. The roads were all shaded, scenic, and quiet. Butterflies were flying around me as I climbed through the hills, and the sense of magic gave the climbs a great feeling. Arrived in Damascus early in the afternoon and hit the bike shop finally. New chain, new brake pads, new rear tire and I was back in business. This town was awesome though. It was an intersection of a few hiker/biker trails, so for a town of only 1000 people there were several bike stores, outfitters, hostels, and rental places. Stayed at a church hostel with Colby and got a good night of rest.
Day 56:
The town was too nice not to take a rest day (plus I was feeling beat), so Colby and I just hung around all day with some hikers at the hostel, traded stories, ate well, relaxed, and cleaned up. Good day.
Day 57:
Only one word can accurately described this day. Sloggy. The day started with Colby getting a flat, then progressed into a 62 mile ride through a non-stop downpour of cold rain. I stopped two hours for breakfast, waiting for the rain to stop, but it just kept going. I even took a nap at the table. Well, we got to Wytheville, VA and decided to just get a motel, dry out and warm up with some Chinese food.
Day 58:
58 miles to Christiansburg, VA. Adam and Jessy, from couchsurfing.org, were kind enough to host Colby and I in their awesome house. They drove us to a restaurant in Blacksburg and gave us a tour of Virginia Tech. Then we went back to their house and had some awesome debates and discussions for a couple hours. Both Adam and Jessy are incredibly smart PHD students which provided for some awesome conversation. Talking with them was awesome, their dog was awesome, the bed and shower they gave me was awesome, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Day 59:
Adam and Jessy fed us a big healthy breakfast for the long day ahead, 102 miles to a hostel outside of Lexington, VA. Leaving Lexington for the last 8 miles to the hostel, I got honked at twice, screamed at three times by people hanging out the car window (one holding a bottle of liquor), and almost ran over by someone passing another car across a double yellow line. At the hostel the police knocked on our door thinking it was the office because of a domestic dispute in the campground. I feel as if I have now left the Midwest, and arrived in the East.
Day 60:
The last mountain, four miles of 10-12% grade into up and down climbs across the ridge, and I killed it. Did not even bother to set a foot down to rest while climbing. Any debates about the Appalachians being the hardest mountains on route are bogus. To any Westbound riders who read this, it was cake, your stories about them being incredibly difficult are being destroyed by riders from the West. <3. Half way through the day Colby and I stopped and met “The Cookie Lady,” an 89 year old woman who has been helping cyclists since 1976. She gave us food and some lengthy stories about “the good ol’ days” before we hit the road again. 70 miles, and we arrived at Colby’s house in Charlottesville, VA. His house is awesome and his parents were kind enough to take us out to a sweet restaurant. They really made me feel like part of their family. Thank you! I am so very glad I followed Colby up those hills to your house on the mountain.

Virginia country.

Moo.

Cookie Lady's hostel/museum. >30 years of bicycle rider collections.

You could spend days in this house and not have time to see everything.

Edge of the world.