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.

Something unexpected

Im very tired so this will be a short one but I really wanted to share this.

My host in Richmond set up a place to stay for the following night in South Hill North Carolina. In an interesting turn of events my "host" was a comped room at the local Days Inn by an employee of said company.As she and I conversed over dinner about what Fisher House is and what they do, she became more interested in trying to support them as well.

She has spearheaded a campaign to show support for the Armed Forces before and was looking for a new project to express that appreciation even more. Things are still in the infancy of planning but I will keep in touch with her and she with Fisher House in order to put something together for Fisher House as a donation.

I am very happy to have been shifted here, as I was originally scheduled to be somewhere else that night. In my effort to raise money and AWARENESS, an unexpected donation of non-monetary value but still of high-importance may present itself.

This was something I never considered happening but I am honored to have served as muse for it.


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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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Here's the situation

The past few days have been a lot of fun and I feel very accomplished.

In Hershey, I was hosted by some great people and had some incredible food. I was also able to fulfill something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I went to Herhsey Park.



It was delicious, fun. I was surprised at how many rollercoasters they had there. I was able to ride all but one, but I hear that one isnt all that great. At least thats what I heard from the person I went with.

Hershey had some very cool coasters and we sat right up front on each one so the experience was that much better. Of course I had to buy a chocolate bar there and purchased a big Special Dark Hershey bar but forgot it at the house I was staying at. I remembered when I was about two blocks away but I was too far gone at that point. I have a strict no back-tracking policy, lest I be lost and need to because I took a wrong turn. Enjoy the candy bar you two, its in the freezer.



Riding out I passed through Amish Country and saw Amish carriages, kids in straw hats and bonnets, and bearded men worthy of the name Ezekiel. That was a really cool sight to see. I had been waiting for that since Illinois.



Today, in New Jersey, was able to visit a sight that I have been very excited about. I have wanted to see this since I first heard about it years ago. In a small town called Grover's Mill lies a monument to The War Of The Worlds. I have been a fan of this book and HG Wells since I was a kid so I was more excited about visiting this place than New York. The only thing I regret is not recording a video there. Maybe on my return, if I pass through here again.



I was met there by a nice couple that live nearby treated me to lunch. I hope I get to see them again on the "andback" portion of this ride. Perhaps I can treat them to lunch that time.

All in all, I have had a great week and hope that New York caps off the weekend proper. I just havent decided if I should have New York pizza or hot dogs first.

Appalachians and Malfuntions

I am finally able to upload this. I have been trying for quite some time but have obviously been unsuccessful.

The Appalachians were anti-climactic. When I would tell people of my intended route three things occurred. They would become moon-eyed. They would shift in position. They would say something to the effect of "Good Luck," "Those are some tough climbs," etc. I was expecting something that would nearly stop me in my tracks and reduce me to a quivering mass of a man. It was quite the opposite. Yeah there were 3 or 4 mile uphill climbs but there were descents that were just as long.

The highest ascent.


Not sure if I should be scared or excited.


It wasn't until after the Appalachians that I was truly tested. Outside of Elkins, WV I had to endure an 8 mile uphill climb. I was yelling and frustrated after about 2 miles but I knew that deep down, I loved it. The challenge was incredible and very satisfying.

I was nearly caught in a heavy storm. When I saw these clouds I thought it best to seek cover. Sheet-like rain started pouring literally 30 seconds later. You cant see them but there are actually mountains behind those clouds.


Shortly before reaching my destination my bike decided to become a fixie, constantly spinning the pedals, lest the chain break. This forced me to come up with a very interesting downhill riding position.

Even though it looks like I am, I am not sitting on the ground. This picture was taken sitting on my bike going downhill at speeds upward of 37 miles an hour. With my pedals acting up I had to pull my legs up on top of the crossbar.


After about 40 miles, the bike straightened out and I was able to make the ride into DC and have it fixed. At least I think its fixed. It acted up a bit today but that could have been circumstantial.

I'm currently in DC and will be blogging about that tomorrow (hopefully) but I just wanted to give an account of the Appalachians and whatnot.

All is still on schedule.

Lazy Days

Today is the first day I have not ridden since I left San Antonio, May 7. It has been an interesting feeling. The day has been spent eating, sleeping, internetting, and a doing a bit of productive things.

I woke up to the pitter patter of rain. My rainfly kept everything dry but it reminded me that I had to buy a tarp. If a heavy rain occurs, that would bleed throuh the rainfly and soak everything.

I walked to the camp store and I had to explain to the concerned proprietor that everything was dry but my purchase was just a precaution. I like to be prepared for all situations.

Once I woke up for the second time I cleaned my bike drivetrain, which was desperately needed, and ate breakfast. I also called a reporter that drove out for a newspaper interview. I must take this time to thank the camp worker for helping set that up.

I ended up falling asleep two more times before making dinner and taking a shower.

It has been very relaxing but it is strange knowing that my bike has moved not ten feet the entire day. I took a personal oath to not ride until tomorrow morning so my riding muscles can rest.

Here are a few picture I have taken in West Virgina. The river was on the ride here and the butterfly and flowers are here at the Broken Wheel Campground

Finally

So I was finally able to upload that video onto youtube. I would have just deleted it and made a new one since it was 4 or 5 days old but I really wanted that one up. you can see it on Youtube.

Heidi made a bostonandback Facebook Fanpage. It will condense the information I upload and post it there for people that dare not venture off of FB. Here is the link.

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Instead of a regular blog I will do a photoblog.

Entering Missouri


Tan lines. They were darker two days ago.


Cleaning my bike


At Lake Wappapello


The Monkey on my bike


Tornado Damage in Arkansas. This was weeks before I arrived.