In the end all is as it was

It is incredible how difficult it is to compose one blog when you are faced with responsibilities again. I have been back for one week and am just now able to do this. I honestly dont know what is going to come out on this one simply because I dont have hours on end to think about it.

The last week was riddled with rain and flats. Longer than that, actually. Ominous clouds followed me since I first entered Alabama and I had flats on a regular basis for the last two weeks. Its pretty bad when one refers to such things as "my daily flat."

A couple of blogs ago I said I would accomplish one more feat of strength and stupidity before my miles were met. The flats encouraged this. What happened was, I was so tired of patching up tubes that I decided to end it all. One last run in one day. Houston to San Antonio.

It was all planned out. Start at 5:00 AM, ride throughout the day, stop only when necessary, eat while riding and it would be done. So I appropriated all needed supplies: Twelve slices of stuffed-crust meat lovers for carbs and protein, a box of Zebra Cakes for sugar and a resolve to not deal with flats anymore.

Special thanks to this animal for providing the protein on the last day.


The ride took 16 hours total with about 15 hours of riding. A large part of the hour off the bike was mainly dealing with a flat in the rain. The other part was shifting food around. I would tie the bag to the cargo net securing my sleeping bag and then reach back and grab a slice whenever hungry. I also rode through the rain, which added up to a couple of hours of riding.

At the end of the day I finished 3 days early and smashed my previous recored of 151 miles in one day by covering 202 miles in one day. The last two hours were in the dark. If anyone says that night-riding doesnt count because any record can be broken when you dont stop at night, know this: before the sun slept, I cleared 180 miles.



I ended the ride at Fisher House two mornings later. I was greeted by the managers, volunteer staff, a couple of Soldier's Angels, and guests of Fisher House. It was great meeting the guests because it gave a face to the cause. Many pictures were taken but no one who took any have emailed them to me. It would be great to receive the pictures of I took with the many people I met on this ride.

Now, well after the end of the ride, I am awake and the chance to dream is passed on to another. Whatever your desires, wherever your heart lies, turn aspirations to action and dreams into reality.

I dont think this is the best I have written but there is not much more to share. The one thing I have left is this:

As victorious horn heralds journey's end, I bid new friends many thanks, farewell, may we meet again.

John Reyes



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The Microscopic Mindest

In Montgomery, Alabama, my host stated "Friendly people live in a friendly world, hostile people live in a hostile world. What do you think about that?"

It was funny that he asked me that because that was something I have thought about this entire trip. Not in those exact words but the spirit of the statement.

The summary of my response was, "From my experience, all people want to help. On an individual basis everyone is very friendly, but on the macroscopic level everyone is hostile."

Since Im at the opposite end of the color spectrum, and am often confused for many other ethnicities, my main concern was racism. Thankfully I havent encountered any. Almost everyone I have met has been friendly. Those that werent were usually in cars and I only had a moment of interaction with them.

On a microscopic level, the individual level, everyone wants to help someone. The desire to help transcends many things. Age, class, social status, economic status, race, religion, so on and so forth. However, there is one thing this desire cannot overcome, social mindset. From our youth we are raised to believe "dog eat dog," "man vs. world," "fend for yourself," etc. What this does is cause us to become introverts and the macroscopic world becomes hostile. We see people we can help but we dont because it is not our problem. So we live and let live content behind these walls around us.

What we should do is stop seeing the world as a sea of faces and apppreciate the individual. Strange as it sounds the people you meet in the briefest of times can sometimes have the greatest effect. So adopt a microscopic view and live in a friendly world. When you do, you allow yourself to influence others as well as be influenced.

So how can you start thinking on a microscopic level? Start by helping at a level you are comfortable with. You can donate blood, money, clothes, food, etc. You can also volunteer to do many things. Big Brothers Big Sisters, soup kitchens, Soldiers Angels. The first step covers the greatest distance.

Thats what I've been thinking about on this trip. I have seen the greatness one and now see the potential of the whole.

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New Orleans is a fantastic city. It has everything I love. I do believe the following picture perfectly sums it up.



The also had one of these. Something I think every city needs.



Of course being the birthplace of Jazz I had to take in some of the sounds. I came across a great jazz club on Bourbon Street.



Of course I gave a recap on Youtube and Im assuming that video was watched by those that read the blog. If you havent seen it, click the link below. There is one thing that I didnt elaborate on. My attendance to a city council meeting.



When I heard New Orleans doesnt have pedicabs I was very surprised. By coincidence, there was a meeting the day after my arrival in which the future of pedicabs in NOLA was to be decided. Being a pedicab operator in San Antoonio, I was eager to show my support. So the following day I went to the city council meeting and ended up speaking for a couple of minutes.

Being at the meeting was interesting. The main argument is pedicabs will take rides from the taxis and carriages. As an operator in a city that has all three institutions I can say this is not true. It was strange hearing the various excuses those opposed to pedicabs came up with. Some legitimate but exaggerated and others absurdly funny. My favorite was a man against pedicabs list health issues, to a panel of women mind you. He said helmets would be needed and since they would be shared that would be unsanitary because, "you know these long-haired girls be having head lice." Oh, the look on the women's faces was priceless.

At the end of the meeting the guy spear-heading the pedicab movement came up to me and said "That speech was incredible. I couldn't have written a better speech. You have some public speaker in you." The ordinance will now be passed on and then another meeting will be held in September. It feels great to think I helped pedicabs get approved in New Orleans.

A sign that sums up the beginning and end of this ride perfectly. The first and last major stops on this trip.


Only a few days left.

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The End Is Nigh!

Traveling without a GPS was interesting. Florida was an kind of easy. I wrote down all the directions before I left and then rode using the written text and cyclometer.

While in Florida I had an epiphany. Unless at a campsite, I cannot relax in nature. I went to the beach but kept wanting to paraglide. The reason I couldn't was because I'm too skinny. Apparently the weight to wind ratio works better when you are heavier.

I ended up leaving a day early because I was kind of bored. Turned out to be a good thing though. The next day had scattered storms so Florida wouldn't have been pretty anyway.

The storms also kept me from reaching my ideal destination and I had to stop in Mobile for the night. I met a freight-hopper that was stuck just outside of the city for three days because he couldn't figure out a way in. A 30 mile state road detour, a tunnel, and a river kept him out. He and I were able to hitch a ride through the tunnel where we parted ways and I got a room.

Throughout my 12 hour ride I managed to stay completely dry. I paid for the room and headed for it and SPLASH walked right into a puddle. Both feet. Soaked.

The main reason I wasn't too worried about the lack of GPS was because its pretty much a straight shot on the 90.



Nearly impossible to get lost. Nearly. I did somehow get turned around, biked 10 miles on the wrong road, and had to ride another 18 to course correct. That's another reason I didn't make it to my intended stop.


Not quite.

I then spent two nights at a campsite with a couple I met at the beginning in Missouri. It is interesting how life works out. I met them about 12 days out and now, with 12 days left (at the time) I was meeting them again.

I also made the most perfect camp stove pancakes I have ever made.


Now I am in New Orleans, having fun and some other stuff that I will blog about in one dedicated to my stay here.

A friend made me realize that a big accomplishment is not just finishing the ride on time but finishing it safely. On this ride I have done the following:

650 miles cleared in the first 6 days.
77 days riding with under 7 non-riding days. All other days hit at least 20 miles.
The Appalachians and foothills in near or over 100 degree weather.
100 miles in 6 1/2 hours
151 miles in one day
Giving a pint of blood then riding another 30 miles to finish the day.
Riding without a GPS.

Taking all this into consideration makes me realize what the human body is capable of. Before this ride's end I will add another item to that list. People may say I'm crazy or extreme but I will simply expand upon the statement I told my friend.

Life is experience magnified by memory. Things that seem miniscule, trivial, or troubling become cherished moments as days go by.

Philadelphia, America's Birthplace

Philadelphia has been 99% pleasant.



After dropping my gear off at my host house I headed into the heart of the city. I started exploring kind of late and didnt really have an objective so I didnt see much the first day. I did however see the Liberty Bell and Penn Landing. The rest of the day was spent riding around figuring forming a plan for the next day. It was very cool to see a cop pull someone over for blatently cutting me off while riding my bike. Quite surprising.

A different view of the Liberty Bell


I woke up very early (this would be my 4th day averaging 5 hours sleep) and went to pick up my ticket for Independence Hall. This day I was able to see Independence Hall, two other building on the property whose names escape me, and the Graft House where Jefferson wrote the declaration. At this point I decided to have lunch which consisted of a giant banana split and a phily cheesesteak, in that order.

Independence Hall




I then spent an hour or more at the Betsy Ross house, who is of course famous for sewing the first American Flag. I didnt think there would be much to interest me there but I was happily mistaken.

Betsy Ross House


After that my journey took me to the Rodin Museum which has some incredible sculptures. My first official day of exploration ended with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Of course, I had to run up the famous steps that Rocky ran up in the movie. It was here that I finally realized I am not the runner I used to be.

Rodin' Thinker


Evil Eye


What I though I would look like at the top.


What I really looked like.


The third day I slept in. There was a time when sleeping in meant waking up at 1 pm. Now it is waking up at 8:30. My final day in Philadelphia was primarily spent in the Ben Franklin Institute. I was there with one of my hosts and their child so we were there for quite a while using all the exhibits.

Philly's got heart.


And here I am at the end of my final day as minutes become hours and my time of departure creeps ever closer. I shall venture forth upon paths unknown to a new city and a new home.

True Freedom



The one percent dissatisfaction was because my pricey airpump was stolen.

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Bahstun

I made a video revealing some interesting things about me, in regard to the ride, but the lighting was horrendous so I took it down. Guess I should start watching them before I post. Or pick better spots. I will re-record the video and post it soon.

Boston, halfway.

It was a great stay, I had a lot of fun, and a lot of firsts. The first day was productive but no exploration was accomplished so I will skip forward to the second day.

While here I was able to ride some of the Freedom Trail but I was sidetracked by a Beatles tribute band. They were actually really good and I ended up watching them and making a meal out of free samples for nearly an hour.

The band's name was Beatle Juice


I was able to walk through Paul Revere's house and visit a very interesting cemetery. In addition to these excursions I went to Boston Common, the Public Garden and purchased some nifty and needed bike gear.

Revere's House


Cemetery


The first day of exploration ended with a dinner with a family I met through Soldier's Angels (all the Soldier's Angels people have been incredible) and they took me to eat fried seafood at a delicious restaurant called Seawitch*. After dinner, they took me to Salem, which I was very interested in seeing, for ice-cream. Salem had some great sights too and the history I heard about certain places there was fantastic. I was very glad to have met these people and seen these sights.
*No witches were present.

House of Seven Gables


Statue in Salem


My second full day truly was a day of firsts. I kayaked for the first time along the Charles River. Kayaks could only be rented on the weekend along the Hudson so I wasn't able to in New York but I was glad that I wasn't. Kayaking at my turnaround point was a great close to the second leg. A few people commented, in a positive manner, that I was moving pretty fast.





After kayaking I went sailing for the first time. My host in Boston loves sailing and offered to take me on the river. That was a lot of fun as well. It reminded me of being on a water-park ride. The views from the water were incredible but I didn't have my camera from me as I was wisely advised that I should leave them on shore.

During this time I recorded the video that I didn't post because it was too dark then went back to the host home for dinner and preparations for the next day. Dinner was home-cooked lobster. Not better than the haddock the night prior, just different. The lobster reminded me of eating steak, consistency wise. Thus I shall refer to it henceforth as "steak of the sea."

So it seems in a city of history my exploration of was lacking but I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, for it consisted of experiences not previously known.

I realize that the writing style of this entry becomes very distinct at the end, to say the least. I shall attribute this to a fatigue induced poetic delirium.

And I ride on. . .


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What moves me?

It is my belief that the true measure of a life well lived is not in material possession and accumulated wealth but in experience and joy. That belief is one of the factors compelling me to do this trip. Below, in no particular order, is a short but strong list of movies and one graphic novel that inspires me to push myself beyond my limits and experience life beyond the confines of society.

Bucketlist - If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. It is the incredibly powerful story of two men who concurrently find out they have months left to live. With their deaths ever-approaching, they make a list of things they want to do before they die and set out to cross the items off that list.
This movie makes the viewer ask themselves, "What do I want to do before I die?" A select few viewers will ask themselves, "What do I need to do to accomplish this?" I am proud to say that I have answered both those questions and will be able to cross an item off my personal list this summer.
Instead of including a trailer, I will include the John Mayer music video, "Say," a song that is essentially about living with no regrets and is just as poignant.



Into The Wild - I first heard about Chris McCandless in grade school. It wasn't until 13-15 years later that I heard about him again via the movie Into The Wild. This is a docudrama inspired by the writings in his diary as well as interviews. Chris McCandless abandoned his conventional lifestyle in order to realize his dreams and discover who he is.
The reason this movie touches me so much is because it captures the spirit of desire. No matter what anyone says to dissuade you, if you want something, you have to do everything in your power to make it happen. McCandless realized that and he did something so many are afraid to do. He acted upon it.
Even now, when I watch this movie a fervent envy consumes me. Until I reach the end, that is. I envy everything but the end. This movie shows us the beauty of all that is around us if we would just be willing to venture outside of our comfort zone.



Hidalgo - I saw this movie in theaters and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a great story about a man and his horse competing in a race with the odds stacked against them. In the end it becomes not just a race, but a test of endurance and self-discovery.
As my riders in spin class and fellow cabbers can attest, I am all about testing endurance. For me, there is no greater feeling than putting oneself into a truly arduous task and emerging victorious. That is why I have the distance and timeframe set on this trip. It is not just about the experience but the test of physical prowess. It's not just about traveling by bike and seeing lots of sights, it's about seeing what I am capable of.

The clip below is the first 4 minutes of the movie but only the first 2.5 are applicable to what I wanted to convey. Natural beauty and test of strength.



Midnight Nation - Many who know me personally know that I am a nerd. Particularly, a sci-fi/comic book nerd. Midnight Nation is a graphic novel (a snazzy way of saying "long comic book") that follows one man as he walks across America's shadowlands in an effort to reclaim his soul. Below is a link to a very powerful scene in the novel and below that is an explanation of why it affected me so greatly. If you plan to read the comic, you should skip to the last paragraph.

Midnight Nation

The reason this scene is so awesome is because it talks about what I have been talking about all along. People don't do what they want to do because they are afraid of what may or may not happen. Instead they huddle inside their safe zone, with a content regret of what never was. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked, "Aren't you afraid to go?" which is followed by, "I would be to scared to do anything like that."
If we let fear dictate our every move, we would merely exist. I want to LIVE.

I suppose the only thing left to post is a couple of questions to you, the reader. What do YOU want to do before you die? What do YOU need to do to accomplish this?

John

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