Everything checks out

Today was a good day, as most have been in portlandia. Its been sunny most of the days, warm, and inviting to be slow down and exist on whatever level I need to. I've been really enjoying watering the beautiful gardens that Daniel has created. For me its been the perfect way to slow down and get in touch with caring for something else. This mind set has made it much easier to care for myself in the ways that I need.

Speaking of care. I went to the orthopedist trained chiropractor who was suggested to me by Luke's acupuncturist. At first I was hessitant about going to a chiropractor for my knee with tendinitis. But this man was great. He sat woth me for like 10 minutes and we just talked. Through this talking something I thought was totally unrelated came up and he made a possible connection. So right before I left NYC I had some bad digestion problems that I had to go to the doctor for. They gave me Cipro which is an antibiotic. Apparently a major side effects is tendinitis (see the link). Of course I had no idea and I went ahead and took it cause I needed my stomach to get better. Little did I know it would have a lasting impact of my bike journey.    Drugs are crazy man!

That being said I started to feel a whole lot better about this whole injury thing. Now it still could be that I just completely over did it. My weak ankle could have upset my knee just a little bit and the extra effort of the journey could have put it over the top and cause it to happen. But the added effect of the Cipro probably did not help the situation. The doctor dude told me that I was already doing a lot of good things by resting, massaging, and icing. The major thing he suggested was to take it even easier, and ice more. He said to ice after any physical activity. So guess what I'm doing right now!

I am a firm believer in the fact that all things happen for a reason and the best way to move forward is to accept this and find the best possible next step to continue.

So that's what I'm doing. Taking my anticipated journey that came to a hault prematurely and finding a new path as my step forward. I feel that I'm already doing what I was hoping the west coast would encourage: slowing down and being more mindful of what I do and how I do it.

Speakin of my next step, I got to meet up with Joel and do a test drive of the truck we will be taking down to Arcata. Interesting dude that Joel. Got himself some tickets in Cali that he decided not to pay. $3000 dollars later and a revoked license and this guys needs a ride back to sort things out. I have some experience with this as I was 16 once and sped a bit too much and got my license taken away. Not a fun thing to have happen. One major difference here is that Joel has got to be 35 or 40 and owns two cars. I mean what was he thinking. Oh well, it has given me the opportunity to drive myself and my bike to arcata and get a visit in with my cousin.

Next step, Luke's show then off to Arcata/Trinidad CA for some solid chill time on the NorCal coast. I hear my cousin built a rockin 6" mini ramp for his son. That will be sweet to check out. Now after a burger and a wonderful day I'm ready for some nice rest.

Be well and look up every once and a while you might be surprised at what you see.

Next STEP (ie not pedaling)

As I have expressed in past entries... my knee is messed up. I pushed too hard with too much weight over too many hills that I had not prepared for. As a result pedaling is out of the picture. After some thought and reflection it seemed the only option was the throw in the towel and take care of myself by catching the train or a ride to Berkeley, CA where I could set up shop, slow down and really take care of my body for the long haul.

My brother Luke kept suggesting that I check out Rideshare on Craigslist.org. I was a little bit skeptical as I've never done anything like this and didn't know what to expect. So far what I have learned about is that it's like hitchhiking but with a buffer in place. You can get to know the driver/passengers before you agree to drive/ride with them. I think it's brilliant as it takes most of the dangerous elements out of the hitching experience.

So last night I posted: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/rid/2511708386.html
"I am a 27 year old Bike tourist who's knee went out when I was on my way south. I need to get to the bay area to heal up and get better. I have my bike and my gear that I need to travel with me. I will pay extra for the extra stuff. Let me know if you can accommodate my needs." I added a few pictures you all have seen and laid my head to rest wondering what the universe would serve up to me in the morning.

Well come morning time I had two condolences and offerings to drive me to the Bay area. One guy from Isreal who has done a bike trip from Helsinki to Milan, and another couple that does trips all the time. Not knowing how to proceed I checked back with craigslist and found a guy who needed someone to drive him and his truck to Humboldt county CA. As I was originally planning on heading through there to visit my cousin and his family and really didn't want to miss out on this I contacted him to figure out some details.

This is the story, with more details to come of course. He has his license suspended in Oregon and thus can't drive his truck. He needs to get back to California with his truck so he can actually get around. He specifically said that he doesn't want any hippies or people looking to transport any illegals he just needs to get back to the other city.

Here are the key particulars for me. A) he has space for my bike B) he is basically taking me to my next stopping point anyway C) I will be driving and can make sure I stay safe along my journey D) If this works out I get to stay and listen to Luke's band play Thursday night.

Once this option started to settle in the more and more I liked it and the less and less I wanted to just head to the bay area. Besides my homeslice Reuben was going to be out of town anyway. So, its ending up either go to Bay area and set up shop alone and sad for the end of my journey or take a truck trip over the mountains to my cousins, continue the journey and enjoy some time with great family. Hmmm... difficult decision i know.

The real test is tomorrow around 12 Im going to meet up with the guy and his truck and do a meet-greet-drive. He wants to make sure I can actually drive the thing and I want to make sure he is legit. If all goes well Friday morning I'm gonna be heading to the Arcata coast in a little truck with a camper on the back. So I will be sure to check back in tomorrow after things get figured out. Other than that it is looking like I have tons of options even if this doesn't work out. From my add requesting rides tons of people are contacting me and offering up space for me to get to the bay area. Pretty solid if you ask me.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I got to "go to the river" yesterday. A day of enjoying the sunshine, rocks, river jumping and generally good people. Solid day if you ask me. Before I even arrived in Portland I kept hearing that "if its a nice day out you should go to the river". Every time I heard this I said to myself "right on, the Columbia river is right there, so there must be tons of spots to chill and enjoy the sunshine." Apparently I was mistaken, for when we journeyed out to the river we drove over the Columbia and just kept right on going. We drove for a good 30 minutes into Washington back country and found this great creek called Rock Creek. It was a little bit of a hike in and off the trail to get to a spot that wasn't over run by people but this ended up being well worth it. We found an outstanding spot that had a great wading pool, spots to jump in, rocks to scramble over and explore.


After a while of jumping and cooling down we set up shop and ate some food, drank some whiskey and basked in the sun. The day couldn't have been more gorgeous. At the start of the day I was worried about how many clouds there were in the sky. However, later on in the day I grew to love those clouds as the sun was pretty strong and they provided needed respite. It was really cool to go out with relative new people and be able to enjoy myself so thoroughly. It was just Dana (Luke's band mate), his girlfriend and two of their friends. Now I've met Dana before and hung out with him a little but nothing to long or in depth. So it was nice to really get a chance to relax joke around and have fun on a day off.


After a while it was time to pack it up and head home. We were all pretty tired from the sun and fun. On our way back we happened upon some salamanders sitting in the warm pools by the creek. They were so cute and very friendly (even though I know as a scientist that you should never ascribe human emotions to animals... very dangerous thing to do indeed). We had fun holding them for a little bit then put them back where they came from and headed on.

I came home, took a nap and made another kick ass dinner. Man do I love my protein. Quinoa, lemon pepper Chicken, and a fresh green salad from the garden. MMM MMM Goodness. I laid low all night and relaxed into my book and my decision to not continue my journey. By this point it almost seemed inevitable that I was gonna swing the non-biking way of things.

So I am now well rested, still injured but excited to have a new step to my journey. To Arcata, CA I go. I still have a little bit more time left here in Portland and want to make sure I get to see and experience as much as possible. It's been great so far and I can only expect that to continue.

Be well.

Portland and all things enjoyable

So these past few days I've been outwardly very focused on my knee, with good reason. However, now I would like to focus on how nice being in Portland has been. My brother Luke has been so very understanding with my situation and has been supportive in every way he can. He has a lot on his plate right now with an album deadline coming up, his work and needing to take down his studio space all in the span of a few days. I can only be appreciative of the time and energy he has given me. He continues to offer his advice and connect me with his friends for hang out time and shared experiences with other knee injuries and recoveries. For all of this I have been greatly appreciative.

Speaking of hang out time I got to go to PDX Pop Now which is a free concert series that happens for 3 days in Portland highlighting local bands. Luke's friend Michelle picked me and another friend Rene up and we went down to the show together. It was nice to see some live music even if the sound was pretty crappy. The crowed was all over the place and half of the fun was just people watching. Portland women are beautiful in a completely unique sort of way. Each and every person seems to have their own style and approach to how they put themselves together. It shows in their outward appearance as well as when I speak with them.
This is The Lovers live onstage. They had a great performance and stage presence I can only imagine that if the sound were better I would have really loved them. We got to see the start of one of the outdoor sets and it was much better sounding even if the music itself was a little old and dated. I couldn't help but think they sounded like another band I've heard before. For some reason I remember my brother Seth introducing them to me and saying that they are a Brooklyn based band. They have a really unique lead singer voice, kinda higher pitch and maybe a little bit whiney. Not really sure. Once I hear it I will remember.

Anyway that was a good night. As was this one day spent in the Fernhill park across the street from Luke's house. The house Luke lives in has this wonderful Golden retriever named Lola. She has one of the sweetest spirits Ive seen in a dog in a long while. Well Luke and I went to the park to hang out and enjoy the sunlight as it had rained on be for the past 5 days. The sun was wonderful and so were all the dogs in the off leash area of the park. I got to just kick it with the dogs and check out the beauty of the summertime. What more can you ask for when you are incapacitated and cannot continue on a journey you set out for yourself. It was nice to be in the moment and just enjoy for a while.

These past few days I have been waking up and hanging out on the back porch in the sunlight working on my stretches and coming into the day slowly. Today was one of the best mornings yet as I woke up on my own, made a cup of tea, did some yoga and some reading on meditation. Then hung out with Lola while I ate breakfast. Later I got to water the front gardens where all the greens are growing for the wonderful salads I get to eat. It felt good to give back to the house a little bit as I feel so well taken care of being here. Then I just went back out to the porch and hung out, read, rested, looked around, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. In my reading a major quote stood out to me and my injured status.

"Everyday we touch what is wrong, and, as a result, we become less and less healthy." Thich Naht Hanh. He goes on to suggest that instead of only touching that which hurts but also touch and smile with that which is not hurting. He suggests breathing in and smiling to the fact that we don't have a toothache, as we all know how much touching and focus teeth get when they do ache. So today in my practice of stretching and massage I shifted towards a more balanced approach of acknowledging that which hurts but also appreciating that which does not. Perhaps in doing so I can engage other areas of strength to help this area of weakness.

Working with what I've got is all I can do. Slowing down has been amazing. Allowing myself to breath in, breath out and to focus on not much other than that is quite a gift. I can only hope that this translates into some healing for my body as well as my mind.

Be well and love life.

ACL?

Today marks day 3 of rest time here in PDX. I truthfully did not not expect to spend more than 1.5 days here. Originally I wanted to stop in and see my brother play some music (the show got postponed before I even arrived) and then head back out onto the road. Life as it would have it had different plans. So here I am seeking the source of the pain and a possible solution.

Instead of just keeping with the same plan of "rest will heal everything" I decided to be a little bit proactive today. I thought a little bit deeper about my knee, where the pain was and what could be the cause of it. As I ruminated there came a small little light bulb... maybe its past injury that is just over a year old on the same leg. Yeah the one where I shattered my ankle and still have metal in there, THAT ONE. I know that my left leg is weaker that my right. I spend about 4 months not using the muscles below my knee at all. And it is still visibly smaller than my right leg.

Not to hard of a connection to make if you ask me. However, I wanted to take it one step further, I wanted to know just what was pulling on what to make my knee hurt so much. So I decided to give myself a little anatomy refresher. Looking at some pictures online and some books Luke's roommate had around the house I was able to identify the muscles and tendons that were paining me and seemingly weaker than they are on the other side. My Rectus Femoris was very tight and requires lots of massaging daily to be normalize with the other side. That connects directing to the Petala (knee cap) which in turn connects to the ACL below. This keeps the knee from moving too far forward and controls the general rotation of the knee (in conjunction with other tendons of course). Well this is the main area of pain the ACL/Patela.

Next I needed to find a connection to the ankle the possible source of the pulling and straining on the patela and ACL. traking down the shin the Tibialis Anterior connects into the same place as the ACL and tracks all the way down to a major hot spot for my ankle injury. This muscle and corresponding tendons are also wrapped by the Extensor Retinacula down on the front of the ankle. When the surgeon went into my ankle to attach all of the metal after my severe break they had to add an extra pin across the tibia and fibula down around this tendon. This is because this tendon was severely stretched by the break and rotation of the foot during the injury. So these are definite weak areas of my ankle that the rest of my body would need to compensate for.

During my recovery I was able to get back to walking and a general good range of motion fairly quickly. The physical therapist was happy with my progress but I always felt that I needed more as I could feel the difference between my two ankles. That being said I really was not good about doing the exercises I could at home. I was only and still am only doing the exercises when I hurt. Rather than doing them as preventative measures. Well it appears my concerns about my ankle were valid, and my lack of work have combined to create quite a situation for myself. My weakened ankle and my pushing to ride hard have combined to hurt yet another part of my body. My knee is still in pain and hurts with every pedal that I try to take.

I have yet to resign this campaign down the road. But I am seriously contemplating the pros and cons of continuing vs. putting everything on hold to address my physical well being. The great thing about the road and journeys... they are always there to come back to. If I were to stop riding and take a train down to the bay area it would not be quitting in my mind. It would be following the path I need to, a different journey. Originally I felt that this bike journey would be good for me to process the past 4 years. Maybe I have put too much on hold for the past 4 years and in order to move forward to more adventures I need to actually slow down and take care of myself in a good environment. Finding balance is what keeps coming to mind. So this is what I will set out to find. Wish me luck in making the correct decision as it approaches.

Injury Time Out

So today was my first day in a few that my butt didn't even touch the saddle I've come to know so well. No time pedaling and no miles under my belt. But that being said it appears that it was exactly what I needed. My knee is still hurting quite a bit. There is a huge amount of compensation going on for my former ankle injury all the way from my left ankle to my shoulder. That side of my body is tense and struggling with what I'm demanding of it. So I needed some time to stop, slow down and assess where I am at, and how I want to proceed.

So this Portland respite is much needed and probably much deserved (if I do say so myself). I was treated to a wonderful 2 hour massage by Luke's house mate Dan. He is an amazing, intuitive and responsive massage therapist that worked with me and provided an outstanding amount of attention to everything I was feeling and needed. His attention and my recognition of my level of pain led me to a place of questioning whether or not I should continue. If after 5 days this is whats happening to my body, what about after 1.5 months? Can I really handle that much time on the road and in the saddle? A lot of questions and thoughts have been rolling around this noggin of mine.

I decided to relax into it and keep all options open. Maybe I do stop, take a train to San Fran and work on my ankle then restart at another time. Or maybe I take some time here in Portland (without over staying my welcome) and continue on when I feel I'm ok. Maybe I just keep going and self medicate with stretching, anti-inflammatory, and less mileage. With all options in mind I went through all of my gear and purged another 10 lbs out of my packs that I don't need to carry up all those hills every pedal of the way. It was a way of making a tangible step forward when I know that I can't really push my knee forward without just giving it time.

So it's time that I'm working on giving it. I am going to take an extra day here in Portland to just rest and recoup. I have taken extra pounds off my bike. I am going to do less miles per day and take more breaks. One of my mental goals of this trip was to slow down and be more mindful and reflective of myself and my surroundings. I have to be honest, I've got the surroundings bit down pat! I love biking through the forests and experiencing the weather. Man is it beautiful through these woods. However, I have really been missing out on the mindfulness of myself. I have been pushing too hard and I'm feeling the consequences. I feel this is an overflow of my NYC mentality. So many times when I was living in NYC I would just push hard until the next break, or until the weekend and then allow myself to recover. Now looking back this strikes me as a Binge and Recover way of living. Push push push until you can't anymore, take a few days, rest and recover but then repeat. I know this is not the way everyone does NYC. And I know that the people who knew me in NYC might not think that's the way I did it. I was not out every night of the week, I didn't party all the time, or go to tons of shows. However, I did push hard with the work I was doing, put in the extra effort and time with those I cared about. At the end of the week I was mentally and physically exhausted and in desperate need of the weekend. I would recover over Saturday and then Sunday would begin the work week for me. Taking care of household business and preparing for the week. 1 day off in 7. Not a great ratio.

Here I am on the open road, with no time limit, no need to be anywhere at a certain time and I can't seem to shake this way of being. I still pushed hard. Every pedal I felt that I needed to feel the resistance, to know that I'm pushing harder and going as fast as my little legs could carry me. What is that? What is that all about? I'm on the road to enjoy it, not beat it to pieces. So here I am, at a cross roads that I expected... kinda. I knew I would struggle with the transition out of the Big Apple. The change of pace and lifestyle after 4 years is bound to be tough and challenging. I just didn't realize it would come this soon or be this stark.

In some ways I thought that just by saying that "the goal of this journey is to slow down and reflect" that is exactly what I would do. That the goal would be a self actualizing prophecy, just by saying it BAM it is true. Instead, here I am struggling with this major transition and figuring out how to make this happen, in reality. Slowing down, reflecting, listening not only to my surroundings but to myself. These I feel are my next steps and areas for growth. I feel that I am very good at listening to others and very adept at doing what I can to cater to their needs. I have always struggled with doing the same for myself. Now, on the road, all by myself I need to find a way to make that happen. Put all my knowledge and understanding I have gained from those around me to work. I know how to do it, it's just a matter of making it happen and reaching out when I need it.

All of that Heaviness being said today was a great day. Portland was sunny and warm. People were out and enjoying it. I was able to allow myself to slow down and start to take it all in. Hanging out in the park across the street from my brothers place really helped. Nothing to do but sit and enjoy the dogs playing and the sun shining. After a good burrito from a food cart and free hand made Ice Cream (paid for by the local bank) it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Even if I was struggling with my knee pain and whether or not to continue my journey. Simply being able to enjoy a beautiful day made it all worth while.


I think that in the end I will take an extra rest day, slow down, stretch, push less and think more. I want to continue on, but be more mindful of how I am doing.

Be well, and do good work y'all

Entrance to Portland (and other stories I forgot to tell)

Today marks Day 5 of my journey.

It has been been pretty jammed packed so far and much more than I had expected has already happened. The road is simply gorgeous. Thanks to American Cycling Association and their lovely little maps I have been on back roads for the most part with NO trucks, very little traffic and just the sounds of my bike tires and the woods besides me. Those have been the best moments thus far.

Going the speed I am I can hear the birds communicating to one another, feel the slight change in forest temperature as I travel from a shady spot to one that was previously in the sunlight. I can smell the differences in forest make up on the air and try my best to savor them all.

These past two days have taken me off the maps and on to Google map directions to my campsite and then on to Portland. What a drastic change. There are two really good things about these directions the first being that they worked. The second is that they kept me off any major highway or byway. This is huge for my safety and mental well being. That is pretty much all I can say for these directions though. There was very little sight seeing and alone time in the woods. In fact even though it kept me off the major roads it in turn kept me right along side them. If anyone has ever heard of I-5 you know what I'm talking about, if not then it is a major interstate that runs from Portland, OR to Vancouver, BC. It is no minor highway. A lot of today and yesterday was spend within eye or ear shot of said highway. Quite a different experience.

This brings me to one of my first forgotten stories. As I was riding, what I will call, "off route" to my campsite yesterday I was passed by a female rider. Feeling a surge of energy, (oh my god there is someone else on the road, I can actually talk to her!) I slowly caught up to her on the next hill and started talking. Turns out she is from Canada, I knew before she even told me her accent was awesome. She was returning from a sailing trip with a friend of hers. She told me that they started in Kalama, Washington and sailed out on the Columbia River to the pacific and then north to Vancouver. Sounded pretty awesome to me. Her only catch was that she drove down from Canada and had to come back to pick up her car. So she joked that its been like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Remember the movie with John Candy? Well it was a good one. Anyway, she had taken a boat to two trains to her bike to her car. So its more like Boats, Trains, bikes and automobiles. It's official she has the movie beat. We chatted it up and I ended up helping her with directions, thanks to my trusty GPS mapping system built into my phone (that was fully charged cause of the nice people at Nipps Burgers in Longview). It's funny how things all come together sometimes. We rode together through some pretty epic Railroad yards. Well maintained and actually kinda beautiful to see for their mechanical wonder. One of them said that their engines run on remote control. If that's not a child's dream I don't know what is. Remote controlling a train yard, HECK YEAH.

Forgotten Story #2
(warning this one is a little racist but funny/interesting)

Before I arrived to my campsite two days ago in the Old growth forest I stopped off at a corner espresso shop to warm my body and spirits before I set up camp in the rain after a full day of riding in the rain. The place was barren inside, apparently designed for drive up customers only. This old asian lady was running it, I assumed her name was Marry as it was Mary's Corner Espresso (I later found out that intersection was called Mary's Corner). I ordered a nice tall coffee and a scone. She was so nice and we got to talking. I told my story for another time, allowing some of the details to wait for the right questions. Where are heading? Where did you start? Where are you from? Why are you doing this? What do you do? etc. That's generally how the line of questioning goes.

Somewhere in that line of question we got to talking about the Washington forests. I expressed how amazing I found them. So lush and green and full of life. At which point 'Mary' asked me why I want to move to California when the forests are so wonderful up here. She said her sister "the jokester" likes to say the trees in Washington are like Asian hair, long and straight. Where as "the trees in California are all kinky like black people hair because they are always struggling for water, not like Washington."

As I retype it I wonder if that's not a 'Had to be there' moment. Anyway I found it funny and quite possibly an accurate assessment... of trees.

Day 5:
Everyone at the campsite woke up at the same time. Apparently a few Crows mistook themselves for roosters and as of 7:04 am they flew right into our site and started crowing at each other. It was perfect for me, but from the looks of the other campers they were not that happy. I packed up camp (keeps getting easier and easier) and stretched in hope that it would help my knee not hurt as much.

Today's riding was short (29 miles) but definitely not sweet. I started out and only a few miles down the road I had to stop and tape my knee up again. It was pretty painful and I was struggling with the uphills. Looking back, I think my seat is set too high and I'm gonna need to lower it. I also need to slow down my average pace. I think I'm cranking too hard and my body doesn't like it so much. All throughout the day of riding side by side the interstate all I could think of was arriving on Luke's doorstep. It was so close and I really needed the break. The directions were a little convoluted. Left, right, right, left, right right, etc. but it got be there. Through a few towns and onto the bridge over the Columbia.

I hate to admit it but at some points I unclipped my left leg and started pedaling with just the good leg. I figured why add insult to injury ;) As I came continued over the bridge a lady rode up behind me. She seemed like she was a seasoned rider as she looked at all my gear. I nodded and smiled saying "too much gear huh" She nodded with a smile "yeah way too much". She chatted it up with me about her husband and son who rode to San Fran once. Said the hills are pretty tough at times. We rode together until I was only a few blocks from Luke's house. Nice to have someone around who knew the area and wanted to talk.

Showed up at the house with luke already preparing a kick ass salad made from the ingredients in the garden, some smoked steak and fried eggs. Nothing could have been better. After a much needed shower and a nap I headed off to the local coffee shop which definitely held up to the Portland standard in coffee, Extracto. Then a stint in the local "soaking pool" to ease the pain of my knee and muscles and some good conversation with everyone around. Man this day was packed and its not even over yet.

We then went to a local bbq joint, so damn good. I got the brisket with collard greens, corn bread and squash cassarol. A helluva lot of food, but I ate it all! And still managed to have room for a good ol slice of pecan pie. Gotta love southern cookin/bakin! 

So an end to another packed out day. Its amazing how much can happen in one day when you are open to it all. If you think of all the things we do in our routines, that are second nature now, it really adds up to a lot. I felt that when I was back in NYC I had so many thing packed into my routines that they didn't even count as doing things. Now as I slow down I realize that I was packing my days in just as much there just with a lot of stuff I overlooked or didn't highlight as being important to notice. Just some random thoughts at the end of a kick ass day. Be well world and love life (its the only one we've got)

Cheers

Pic 1: welcome to oregon (my first state line)
Pic 2: my animal cookie life sized

Day 4: toughest day yet

Today started off with prospects of good weather and a nice ride along the rivers feeding into the Columbia on my way to portland. I planned on pushing the milage a bit today to arrive earlier in the day tomorrow to enjoy more of Portland. Little did I know what the day had in store for me.

As I started out from my amazing campsite in the old growth forest my legs and arms were a little bit creaky from the constant new movement and all the cold rain. I didn't think much of it as I thought I just needed to warm up. Well after warming up all the pains went away besides my creaky knee. I stopped a drug store to pick up some icy/hot and advil. Then tried to tape it up like they do in the pros (it actually helped a lot, until it came off from all my sweat). I also got directions to the nearest verizon store... apparently in all my excitement of sleeping in a warm clean bed I left my phone charger there... no contact with the world = bad.

So here I am biking down the road with a slightly painful knee and verbal directions for 9 miles to the next verizon store. Thank god the woman knew what she was doing (and I remembered it all) for not to long after I was eating a great burger from Nipps in Longview, WA and getting my phone charged up behiind the soda machine (such nice people here).

I had though ahead for such instances, having already written out the google directions to my next campsite on the way to Portland I would be ok that far... after that however, I did not have directions. So thanks to some very nice people I'm was back on tack and hit the road.

The combination of the tape and icy/hot worked really well until the tape fell off. And I started biking up a steep hill. A REALLY steep hill. And when I say really steep I mean I was in the lowest of my low gears and crankin hard. This thing ended up being 1000 ft verticle in 1 mile. I had to stop 3 times to catch my breath and drink some water. Finally I ended up walking the bike the last bit as I wanted to take care of my knee (see mom and dad I do listen to my body).

Every cyclist know that with great work, up hills, comes great rewards, downhills. This was the best downhill I have been on in my life, not cause it was the steepest, but rather because it was perfectly sloped. I didn't really have to break, there were not turns on steep sections. It's like it was designed for a cyclist who just had a rough day and didn't really need much else to worry about. Ahhhh the fresh air and cooling effect of wind on my sweaty jersey (too graphic sorry, but it felt awesome).

On down the road I knew I was getting close to my campsite (still further than I had anticipated) and what did I see but a little gift from god: Fresh Raspberries $1. You have no idea how great they tasted, and how cute the mother and daughter who sold them where. Wow I can still taste em. They were great fuel for the last clim of the day. I think I was only able to do it cause I knew it was the last climb. At the top there was a traffic jam. Apparently an oversized load truck got too close to the ditch and slid on in... traffic was shut down so much that I, the person biking up the hill with 60 lbs of gear, was able to pass a few cars. Imagine the looks on the people as they saw me pass them by... So Good!

Another campsite. Less bugs, less rain, more used to it. It keeps getting better and better. In spite of all the trials of today, I feel very successful. The highest milage yet 67.5, a detour, I'm so close to portland I can taste it and I'm still safe. Tomorrow will be a much lighter day (25 miles) and I plan on getting a massage for my achy body (thanks pops for makin that possible).

Peace and love

1 pic: the top of my climb

One more

This was the view at the top of my mile long 1000 ft hill I had to climb with all my gear. Totally unexpected and took everything I had to get up it.

Photos 2

Me on a hike and my sandels during the same hike

Photos

Apparently adding photos is killing my ability upload my posts. So ill try to do them individually.

View from my tent

Day 3 (third try to get it to upload)

My phone battery is going to die soon so ill keep it short with updates later or tomorrow.

Today was an awesome day. Easy riding in the morning gave me an average flat road speed of 15 mph (very nize). Cruzing along I decided to push further than my privious plan. This worked out great. Even though it rained all day (again) I was singing, bouncing in the saddle and generally appreciative to be free on the road. Ended up going 58 miles or so and it feels great (sore, but great).

I'm here now at lewis and clark park outside of Toldeo, WA and I'm camping in an old growth forest! How awesome is that? I decided to set up camp and relax. The mosquitos are a bit much, as it is so darn wet here in Washington state. I worked on some directions to portland, had a snack and headed out for a walk on the roads. Little did I know I would end up finding an awesome path through the woods! Only problem... I was wearing sandles. No matter, adventures are here to be had and darn it I'm going to have an adventure. The beauty was astounding (see picture). I can't even begin to explain how all this rain has just made the forest seem more alive. So envigorating after a long day on the road.

Day 1 and 2

So I typed everything for Day 1 and my phone decided to not post or let me even look at it. So here I am at a hostel (for the first time ever) busting away on my computer. I guess I should start at the beginning.

Day 1:
Started off the day with an amazing complimentary breakfast. I ate extra calories in anticipation of the days ride. At this point I haven't gotten as much practice as I originally wanted to so I knew I would be huffing and puffing for a few days. And my muscles will need extra fuel to build and repair the muscle I'm trying to build. I then went back up to the room, put on some music and kept cranking on putting my bike back together. There was a little cosmetic damage (that's what I get for a hasty pack job) but other than that things went together smoothly.

I then headed out to the bike shop that had the tires I wanted Schwalbe Marathon Plus. The are supposed to be the best when it comes to touring: traction, puncture resistance, and general ride. They are a bit heavier than normal tires but worth it for the added benefits. When I looked up the directions to this bike shop it said 19 minutes. I was pumped, it was so close and I could then just head out to the ferry. I started biking without looking at the details of the directions, 30 minutes later I checked everything out again only to find out it was 19 miles not 19 minutes. What a difference. It turned out to be ok as it was in the right direction, taking me closer to the ferry, for the most part. They helped me out with a few things and even gave me a free cup of coffee. Aaron's bike Shop in west Seattle is the spot to check out.


6 miles later I was at the ferry building waiting for the ferry (check out photo 4). I happened to run into a guy who had a broken pedal on his bike. Conversation started there and didn't finish till we got off in Bermerton across the Puget sound. He was a cool dude who works for the Coast Guard as a DC (Damage control) working on this insides of the boats that the Coast Guard runs. He was really chill and had tons of stories and suggestions of places to go. He kept talking about one suggestion in general: Rainbow Pools. Apparently its just outside of Yosemite (near where he grew up) and sounded amazing. So first place I go after this Journey = rainbow pools. I have also started keeping a list of places people suggest that I go to.

Only one wrong turn (that sent me up a RIDICULOUS hill) and 19 miles later and I ended up at my first campsite; Belfair State Park. The only problem was that it started to rain as I pulled in and didn't stop until I arrived at my next destination... the next day. So I spent the night eating my canned goods, dried fruits and nuts. Sitting in my tent and going through all my gear to try and get rid of more gear. After that ridiculous hill I almost couldn't make it up and the hill that was the right direction that was the exact same thing I knew I needed to get rid of more gear. So I went through everything and selected a lot of extra stuff that can go home. I packed it up and went went to sleep after a few phone calls from awesome people. No reading that night, I was too tired and had too many things to keep track of. It was my first day after all and I put in over 40 miles (who woulda thought). Check out the photo of the inside of my tent (Photo 2).

DAY 2
Started out riding with rain and ended riding with rain. Somehow though it was still gorgeous maybe it's a sign of the mental state I'm in but I just loved it. Yeah there were times when I was cold, sore and tired. Most of the time, however, I was just enjoying the smooth ride through the evergreen forests looking around listening to the sounds and getting used to my new lifestyle. I got breakfast at this fun spot called Hideaway Grill. The people there were SUPER friendly and it was all conversation and questions about my journey. I'm getting pretty good at telling my story, it kinda makes it more and more real every time I describe what I'm doing. At one time the clouds opened up and it was sunny for a brief while. It felt like magic. (Photo 1) At that time I took off my rain pants because it felt like they were restricting some movement... BIG mistake. It kept raining and raining. It would let up some then down pour. Man was I glad I had fenders and a rain jacket on... I was just bummed I had already taken off my rain pants. My legs got soaked and later on they were very cold. I stopped by an amazing lunch spot (gotta keep my calories up) Super bike friendly, they even let me bring my bike inside the restaurant. It's called Pine Tree and the owner was a such a easy going guy who knew all of his customers personally. Pretty cool. Over the hills and through some rain to Elma I go. I got through 49 miles between 9 and 3 including a stop for lunch. It felt great and was gorgeous. At one point I couldn't help but think that the forest definitely looked like the one in the Twilight movies.

I ended up at Gray Harbor hostel in Elma. What a little haven with a quirky but super friendly owner. This place has an 18 hole disc Golf course. After getting all set up, taking a shower (mainly to warm up) and walking I found some discs and played the course. Man was it hard and was I bad. What and experience though. Walking around his property (aka a swamp from all the rain) soaking my shoes and having fun just tossing a disc. After a ride into town I made myself some good dinner. (see previous post) Shared with some fellow Hostelers (is that a word?) and hung out talking for most of the night. Another solid and good day. I do hope that there is less rain tomorrow so I can dry out my gear and enjoy some sunshine tomorrow.

The route has been awesome so far with gorgeous rides through back country along lakes, ponds and creeks. Man what a great opportunity to do this. So happy to be on the road.

Pictures: (in reverse chronological order)
1 the sky opened up in the middle of all day rains, it felt glorious
2 the inside of my tent. Tied to make it feel homey using the flags
3 Seattle skyline from the ferry building
4 my loaded bike waiting for the ferry ride
5 finally all set up and ready to go (wayyyyy too much gear)
6 Breakfast of champions

Dinner day 2

There is much more to come but I'm just so happy to be in this hostel cooking a real (large) meal. Just take a look!

And I'm off

So things have been amazing leading up to this trip. Last nights dinner was great. Sharing food and drinks with those closest to me really made the send off feel right. So many people came out. Cheers to those that came and made the experience memorable. Rachel, Leah, Sillup, Tawanda, Vickie and Daniel. Even Goldy showed up for an after dinner drink. It was so good to share stories, update each other and afirm the friendships I have with all these amazing people.

This morning continued the whirlwind of wrapping up NYC and heading out west. Breakfast for the last time from Bergen Bagels (Jason and Matthew you know the place) was oh so good! Then I headed out to return the cablebox and get one last bike ride in before I packed it up. My sunglasses were finished on time and I imediately got to go pick those bad boys up. They are taking some getting used to but are good all around.

Then the packing happened, like I do, last minute! With 2 hours before I leave I started the packing and cleaning process. Remember how I said I had already done a test pack and everything went amazingly. Well after some advice I decided to try and fit my tires in as well. As a result the packing was not as smooth. It took a full hour to get it all packed and once I finished duct taping it all together I looked down to find my fenders sitting out on the floor. SHIT... I tried packing it in with my other gear in my second bag... but I had too much of that to begin with. So back to the box, cut the tape, insert and retape. What a bummer.

Have you ever seen those comedy movies or cartoons where the character is sitting on the luggage trying to get it to zip closed...? well that was me hopping up and down rearranging my helmet and the 6 bags inside the bag so that the large duffle could close. Wow what a hilarious process. The bag ended up being 64 lbs!! (See picture) That's the wieght I'm supposed to be biking with down the road. The bike was 44 the gear is 64 and I'm 150... that's about 250 pounds traveling down the road powered by nothing more than my skinny thighs. What a crazy but cool thought.

As I was walking out the door my bike computer was delivered by UPS... litterally as I opened the door to walk out, BAM, there was the UPS dude with the little package for me. Only thing was... no kick ass tires were included in the package which were apart of the original order. This turned out to be a minor detail as Seattle and the west coast are huge biking areas. Two calls later and I found a shop that carries the exact tires I want and a guy who has done the journey three times. He knows all the routes and was talking my ear off. One line stood out to me. He said "oh man you are gonna have so much fun, so many people do it there are parties as each campsite. You will see and meet so many fun people you won't want it to stop." What a great thing to hear as I head off on my 1st bike trip adventure alone. Do you hear that worried family, so many people do this trip I will spend very little time alone.

And now here I am at the airport. I have checked in and I'm waiting for my plane. I'm so excited my hands are shaking as I type. I think its partly nerves and partly excitement. This feels like such a huge leap of faith. I'm reaching outside of my boundaries in so many ways. New coast, new journey, new job (who knows what it will be yet), new pretty much everything. Well the journey has begun, its time to settle down and start enjoying it. NYC is all wrapped up and will always have a special place in my heart. Hopefully I can rest a big and slow my brain down in preparation. If not I have countless miles on the road for that to happen.

So, As the bud light commercials say "Here we go!"

Pics= 1: everything that's flying and biking with me 2: the total poundage of gear (hoping to get this down a bit when I get to seattle)

The last day's check list

What a jam packed two days leading up to my departure. I really got to enjoy the city in a new way with my friend Erin. We bounced around the city, did brunch, the brooklyn bridge, the NY public library, a bike ride, and the dinner in the east village. The main public library on 42nd and 5th ave is amazing by the way. What outstanding archecture. So grandiose and awe inspiring. A building that's 100 years hold and holding texts from so much further back. Wandering through the hallways had an almost mystical feeling. Each room being devoted to a specific type of writing era or genre. Erin and I spoke of designing research projects just so we can gain access to those rooms, as they are locked to only those who have expressed need and permission to access them.

The day ended with an 11pm sale of a book case to a funny little asian boy who leter emailed me telling me thanks and commenting on how cute he thought I was. How nice of him, awkward and funny, but nice.

The next day starts off with a calm home cooked breakfast then a super busy day. Oh the new york way of life. Being here I find that I tend to over anticipate the amount I can get done in one day. And so today I cleaned out the kitchen, put stuff to the curb that will be free to whoever wants it, packed up Tawanda and moved him to storage, shipped out my stereo, and two pieces of artwork (one of which is a photo of my brothers and I when I'm probably 6 or 7, hilarious). Then I proceeded to shave (my surprise to all my friends who have known me all these years) and go meet my friend Sephali for gelato and iced coffees in battery park.

Sephali has been apart of a crew of people who have had a huge positive impact on my self image as a teacher. Over this past year I feel that I have gone through a major shift in the way I think of myself as a teacher. With my core group of friends expanding, my teaching situation shifting, a new area for both teaching and living, and finally having a group of other passionate teachers with whom I'm in constant contact my life as a teacher was drastically changed in one year. I felt myself become more passionate, more confident, able to expect more of myself, my students and my peers etc. A lot of things are different for me now and it feels great. This is part of why I feel I'm leaving NY teaching on a good note. I have come full circle. I came here inspired, passionate and idealistic (if a little nieve). Then went through some really tough growing pains of learning to cope and deal with what reality chose to throw at me. And now I'm back to being passionate, connected and maybe more realistic about my goals and direction I wish to go. I thank a lot of this process to those people around me these past 4 years. To think of myself 4 years ago I want to giggle. What a difference!!

Well now I'm off to enjoy some last hours with my bestest friends here in brooklyn as Pacifico over some Margaritas. I hope its festive and fun. And probably a little surprise for my friends as I haven't seen them since I shaved my beard off (for the first time in 3 years). Hazzah

Pics= Margaritas and rainbows over brooklyn

Shipping

Just got back from the amtrak station. Wow what an undiscovered treasure they are. I was able to box up and ship out all of my stuff (670 lbs worth) for under $400. And that includes the zip car I rented to bring it all to Amtrak.

Now, Amtrak does not advertise these services and I think for good reason. I bet they would hate to deal with all the laypeople day in and day out. They already deal with so many other people its insane. *I saw a woman come up to drop her baggage off for a train trip, then 5 min later come back to get her "baby's milk" which consisted of to blankets when the attendant wasn't missing. All of this for a train that was leaving in 5 minutes.

Anyway, my friend patrick and I found the loading dock and proceeded to wait as the baggage people where busy with customer like the above. While we waited we decided to unload everything and stack it up on the pallet I found on the street two weeks prior. Right as we were finishing up the attendant came out and helped finish up. 15 min later I had the receipt in hand and I was off back to my home. The total weight of stuff I shipped out... 670 lbs. Can you believe it. I whittled everything I own down to that little (or that much depending on how you look at it). For me it was a huge downsizing. (Check out the picture of all my stuff stacked up)

Now all that is left is me, my bike and the stuff coming down the road with me.

I practiced boxing up my bike, it works. Found out that I will need to carry my tires on the plane which shouldn't be a problem (fingers crossed).  This means I will have my boxed bike, my duffle bag full of the panniers (bike bags), my wheels and a drawstring bag with things to do on the plane.

THAT'S IT.

Everything else is either getting sold, or put on the sidewalk for free. This has been an amazing process. I have slowly sold all of my larger belongings via craigslist. I only have a few more to go and its just gonna be me and my sleeping pad :) It's so liberating selling it all off. Feels like a big weight being lifted off my back. I no longer am anchored to NYC. I am now offcially free floating. If I wanted to I could start biking and camping right now. It's an amazing feeling and I suggest everyone tries it once. Sell as much as you can off, put the rest in storage and just go. Do what you wanna do. Travel, camp, go to an artists community, read a book a day, see the world etc. Try not to let yourself have regrets. Not that I have regreted these past 4 years but it is definitely time to live life, to go on and adventure and see what life brings me.

Cheers to the unknown :)

Lead Up

One Sunday morning I was sitting at my computer stressing out about how many things I had to do and how I didn't think I was going to be able to get them done. After about 30 minutes of trying my damnedest to get to work I decided to give up, make a cup of coffee and sit in my window sill to write. For a while I sat and ruminated on my year to date of teaching, my time in NYC, and my impending move to California. You see I had already decided to move to the west coast a few months prior. It was only now that this sensation was beginning to take hold of my consciousness. I was thinking of the gravity of moving from one coast to the next, making a major shift in my life style and potentially reevaluating what line of work I pursue. I was thinking of wrapping up my time in NYC in the right way, on a positive note. And in thinking of all of this a huge idea came into my head. "Why not ride my bike across the country". The way I figured it, this would allow for a slow processing journey. Thus allowing me to think about all that had happened in NYC, all that I enjoyed, all that I struggled with, and everything I've had the opportunity to learn.

Now I have never, ever done a camping bike trip in my life... but hey if you are gonna do it might as well do it big (or so I thought). So there it was my initial idea. Bike the country and end up at my new destination having thought about everything and fully knowing what my next direction should be. Well as life would have it a lot of things happened between that initial idea junction and the final departure date.

I set up a training calendar, I started increasing my mileage, I started reading blogs, purchasing gear etc. I was doing everything I could to get ready for the big journey ahead of me. I even started biking to school 3-4 days a week, rain or shine. As chance would have it I was out on a bike ride one day and had just completed a 24 mile ride in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and as I came down the road on my way home a car turned and cut off my bike line. I had nowhere to go, he had completely blocked any path. So, BAM, I slammed into his mini Cooper and went flying, up and over the car and landed on the far side. Man was that a blow. I mean I've been hit before, but was always able to get back up and keep riding, so it has never been anything too serious. This, though, was different. My bike was destroyed, I was battered and disoriented. The ambulance came and they checked me out at the hospital... somehow I came out of the whole ordeal with nothing more than a broken bike and some bruised ribs. WHOA!



Well after this big set back and a whole bunch of conversations with my family it became ever apparent that biking across the country by myself might not be the best idea. Spending all that time alone, by myself at the whim of all the drivers on the road with no one around to help me if that did happen... this was not what would be best for me. I also thought to myself "I've already driven across the US with my mom, why not do something new?" So as I slowed down to let my body heal I looked instead towards the pacific coast. I know a whole bunch of people all the way down and what better way to get used to my new home than to ride the entirety of it. As I explored this option and looked for a new bike I got more and more excited. The 1800 mile ride was touted to be one of the most beautiful in the U.S., trailing right along the Puget sound, the Oregon and California Coastlines and stopping in some amazing cities.



For 3 months now I have been gearing up and training for this huge bike tour of the West Coast. The idea has gone through many permutations and convolutions and has ended up being, what I think is, the best possible option. So now I am 4 days away from the flight to Seattle where I will spend the night, put my bike together and set out on my journey. I am 4 days away from leaving NYC and setting out on the next steps of my life. It has been an amazing time here. That's for sure. I have met and befriended many amazing people. I have grown in ways I never could have anticipated. I know I will miss NYC but I also know that this is totally the right next step in the journey of my life.

Here is to new beginnings!!