Its all downhill from here. . .

I googled "bostonandback" as one word and my twitter, youtube, Fisher House donations page, and this blog all come up in the first 5 results. Thats pretty cool. Now you know, if you are referring someone to this blog, just tell them to search "bostonandback" as one word.

About a week left and still not highly excited. I was a bit disappointed actually. I was driving home from school today and saw one of those guys that ride the tricycles selling mexican ice-cream, or as they are known down here, "palettas." The ice-cream, not the guy. I think the guys are called "paletta pushers." So the guy was wearing slacks, a long-sleeved shirt, a cap and a handkerchief to cover his neck but I noticed his hands. They were very dark and all I thought was, "Oh, I hope I don't get burnt and crispy on my ride." This is my paradox. I love cycling but I dont like getting dark. I hope the gloves I will be wearing will help keep me in the lighter dark tones.

On the ride related side of things, I am still making minute adjustments to my gear but no where near as much as before. I used to get packages from Amazon daily, it seemed, but no longer. All I really have to do now is charge my gadgets, everything else is packed. I have sent out emails to the remaining cities I still needed a place to stay. Among the ones still in question are New Orleans, Pensacola, my second stay in New York, and BOSTON! Seriously, my turnaround point and I cant find a place to stay. Oi!

I am currently tying up loose ends. Doing things I said I would do that I never got around to, with an exception to studying, and saying my goodbyes. On a serious note, I imagine this is what knowing your expiration date must feel like. I know that is quite macabre but it's true in an exaggerated sense. One doesn't undertake such a journey and come back the same. I am really looking forward to meeting the person I will become.

I should stop there but I want to take this time to say this is the general direction these blogs will take from here on out. The first blog was a formal introduction to everyone, and as such was very proper. Now I will just blog about my experiences and thoughts while on this ride. At various points in this blog you will see various facets of my personality. Among them are the instropective side and the macabre side, both of which were previewed in the preceding paragraph. Many will most-likely miss my dry sense of humor, presented presently in my "paletta pushers" proclamation. If anyone has noticed already, kudos to you, but you will quickly learn of my affinity for alliteration, I love lively linguistics. Through it all I will use what many like to call "big words." I don't do this to feign intelligence nor do I want to seem pretentious. I simply use the words I use because they are the ones that best communicate the point I wish to convey.

I hope that anyone that reads this will enjoy my ramblings and join me on my journey, albeit electronically.

If you have read all this, thank you,

John

I believe introductions are in order.

About me:
My name is John and I have been an avid cyclist for a few years now. I am in no way a lycra freak but I do fancy myself quite the commuter. Bikes I currently own include a Trek mountain bike, a tandem (for a personal project of mine,) and a Surly Long Haul Trucker. The latter is the bike I will be using on my summer-long cycling tour. I would also like a dedicated commuter and a road bike. 5 bikes, that all I need, then I shall be happy.

The ride:
This summer I will embark on a road-trip across America in order to realize a personal dream. I will depart San Antonio, Texas and ride to Boston Massachusetts and back. In an effort to truly test my physical abilities I am giving myself a 3 month deadline.

The fundraiser:
One day I was talking to a friend about the ride and he asked, "Why would anyone want to do something like that?" I quickly answered, "It's about freedom. The freedom to do whatever you want and to go wherever you want." However, this freedom is not without cost. After talking with some family, I decided to use this ride celebrating my freedom as a way to say "Thank you," to those that help preserve that freedom, our United States Armed Forces.

During this ride I will attempt to raise awareness and raise funds for the Fisher House Organization. For those that are not familiar with this organization I will include a link at the bottom of this post, as well as a video.

If you would like to follow me along this trip, please continue to visit this blog.

If vlogs are more to your liking, you can see them on Youtube

You can also follow me on Twitter for various updates.

If you would like to donate, here is your chance.


For information about Fisher House, click here or watch the video below.