is there anybody out there?... just nod if you can hear me

It's been about a month since my last blog - I finished my cross country drive and have finally found some time - so here is the final blog - I'll keep it short and sweet - but I still wanted to give some props to people I met on the trip.

I believe it was Christiansburg, Virgina where Karli, Lisa and I stayed with the Lee family. I don't have a picture of the family, but I do have one of their house -- but they were incredibly nice and provided us beds, laundry and showers. Dr. Lee rode the TransAm a few years back with his two sons.

Outside of Mineral, VA - we stopped in to visit Karli's friend Lauren - who lives and works at a communal living farm called Acorn. Karli and I stayed at Acorn for a few days and helped in the garden and setup thier booth at the local farmers market. I throughly enjoyed my visit at Acorn - the people were super cool and it was a welcome break from the ride to do a little gardening. I would rank it up as one of my favorite stops on the trip - and, if life leads me that way - I may go back to visit and spend more time there. Thanks Lauren and all the other Acorns.

In Mechanicsville, Va we stopped in with the Mackey family - who took us in - beds, laundary, showers, dinner -- gave us a tour of Richmond and even bought us vegan supplies -- you guys rock!

Last but not least I would like to give a shout out to Len --- who I mentioned in an earlier blog --- Len was one of those riders that we kept on running into. Karli and I first met Len as we entered Kansas - he was stopped on the side of the road talking to some Brits that were hiking across the US (now that's crazy!!!) -- he kept up with us for a while and chatted and then stopped to take pics. From there we ran into him again in Pittsburg, KS --- Carbondale, Il -- and Seabre, KY. Len was riding from California (I think San Francisco) to Canada (St. Laurence River) -- and from where we left him in Kentucky he was leaving the TransAm to take the Underground Railroad Route north. Len was super cool - full of energy - and had a good spirit --- good luck with the rest of your trip Len.

Len's blog: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/lenh --- then go to 'the three pistols tour' (kind of wish our tour had a cool name like that)


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Thanks to everyone who provided me with support and encouragement throughout this experience. I hope all the multitude of readers out there enjoyed this blog -- and I also hope that I have inspired you to reach for your dreams - they may seem difficult, but unless you take a leap towards them - you will never know if they are possible.

Peace and Happiness,
paul

Vegan Philly Cheese Steak - Here I Come!

A week ago today, Karli and I stopped in Wilmington, NC to visit/rest for a few days with Jennifer R. - who is super cool and took us in for a few days. It was great - we did a lot of relaxing and made frequent visits to the health food stores -- it rained every day while we were there - so it kind of gave us an excuse to just lay around (except Karli still found time to run). Jenn was a very hospitable host - especially since she had never met us before and was letting us stay for a while - but we all quickly became pals -- you rock Jenn!!

We departed on Tuesday to head down to Southport, NC -- Jenn actually came with us for the trip(again rocking) and stopped in to stay with my cousin Jill D.

Southport is a cool little beach town and my cuz lives just off of the Cape Fear River -- I chilled there for a few days before my flight out to Philladelphia, PA (Shayne, note the PA at the end that denotes Pennsylvania as the state not Philadelphia) earlier today.

Karli, on the other hand, spent the night and continued her trip down to Savannah, GA the next day.

I don't know if I can put into words how fortunate I was to have done this trip with Karli - she is truly an amazing and inspiring person - incredibly knowledgeable and I've learned so much from her. The vegan side of the force is very strong with this one - I couldn't have asked for a better master - maybe better food options - but I feel honored to have had the opportunity to learn under her with such harsh conditions - kudos to you Karlita.

Best of luck on the rest of your trip and be safe -- I miss you girl.

Jill brought me to the airport this morning - and I'm currently blogging with dial-up at my folks house in PA. I've had my cheese steak (x2) - not so vegan - and have even returned my faulty thermarest to REI.

You'd think it ends here - but tomorrow I head down to my brother's house in Maryland where my family is meeting for my sisters birthdays -- and on Monday it's off to SLC with my nephew (Nick) for the wedding - and POSSIBLY down to St. George.

I have a few more people to thank and things to blog about -- but I'll get to those at a later date --- so, don't delete my blog from your favorites yet.

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pics:


Jenn - "working" at home

Jenn rocking - I mean, training for her Ironman competition - Karli and I tried to keep up


Cousin Jill and her dog Floyd (as in Pink) and bird Jimmy (as in Buffet)

moments before Karli leaves and I'm the only one left in the group

all my stuff packed up for the plane ride
homeward bound --- you know it's going to be a good flight if you have to walk out to the plane

author's note: woah buddy that beard grows fast


author's p.s.: if you weren't counting - and you should be - I won --- not only did I get to the Atlantic first, but I also got the girl... however, she does seem to be getting away -- but I do feel like I got the final rose, or the clock, or my torch is still lit or something - so take that everyone else

keep on livin the dream

I do have some more things to post, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to them - but in the mean time, if you are still in need of your blog fix -- check out Karli's perspective of our trip at:
http://arlikay.blogspot.com

I also wanted to note the official weigh in -- 186lbs
I know what your thinking -- and it's not true... my beard didn't weigh 34lbs!!

success!

We have successfully achieved our coast-to-coast journey - reaching the Atlantic Ocean in Kitty Hawk, NC. We cruised south on the Outter Banks and are currently resting in Wilmington, NC. Our OBX (the cool way to write Outter Banks) journey was a little shorter than we had anticipated - due to the expensive nature of a crowded beach community and the crowded beach community. I had visited the OBX back when I was a youngster and had fond memories of a sparsely populated island community - with barley a tourist in sight --- and much to my dismay, it was full of tourist and tourist crap for sale :( -- it was beautiful - however, there was no need to spend too much time there (more rest days!!!)

We have had word from Kev - letting us know that they are just under a week from finishing their trip and that things are going well. They even did a little bit of rock climbing and took a couple of days at Mammoth Caves National Park.

We have had no word from Dave since Damascus - but he has most likely reached the coast and started his ride back to Ann Arbor, MI

Bryan is cruising along and is currently in Missouri - he stayed in Colorado for about a month - where his hottie girlfriend, Jenn (who Karli and I are currently staying with in Wilmington) came out and rode with him for a month -- check out his blog at: http://aguyandhislaptop.blogspot.com/
I may even be able to catch up with him on his ride as I drive back east with Nick -- we'll see though, he might have to ride really slow in order for me to do that and I think he's ready to be back home and will be putting in some big rides.

I spoke with Jay the other day and since I last saw him in New Meadows, ID (where I wrecked) - he rode up to Missoula where he stayed for 5 days, picked up some maps for the Northern Tier Route (http://www.adv-cycling.org/routes/northerntier.cfm) --- he pushed on through Montana, stopping here and there with some families and even working on a farm for a bit -- through North Dakota, where he came down with the flu and had to stop for 9 days to recover ---- and when I talked with him he was just starting into Minnesota and possibly heading up through Canada. His final destination is Boston - where his family resides.

Best of luck to all my friends and fellow bikers that are still riding - keep peddling and may the wind be at your backs ---- keep in touch.

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pics:

the Atlantic is just over this dune (no, we didn't actually ride into the ocean)
kick ass!
totally kick ass!

grass and water -- on the OBXthe Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
our bikes on the OBX ferry
if you zoom in and look really hard, you can see us and our bikes on this OBX ferry
tough as nails -- we had to look tough with all of the tourists checking us out -- otherwise they might have ganged up on us and thrown us over



Joy is of the will which labours, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph.
-William Butler Yeats

60 miles away from the end of the road... or are we?

Current location: Mechanicsville, VA
Google Maps distance to Yorktown: 62 miles
Google Maps distance to final destination: 313 miles... south

Yeppers -- I'm no longer heading north to Pennsylvania - as I had originally planned - but instead I'll be going south to Southport, NC. In the planning stages of the trip I had mulled over the options of riding north to PA or south through the Outer Banks - possibly ending in Myrtle Beach to visit a friend, whom we'll call Bommer - who never returns my calls. And since, Karli is heading south to Savannah (and then catching a ride to Atlanta) - I decided to accompany her as far as I could considering my time constraint -- a flight out of Newark, NJ to Salt Lake City, UT on the 6th of August --- instead of riding solo - through Washington D.C. (the murder capital of the world).

So, from here in Mechanicsville, we will not be going east to Yorktown (the traditional ending at the Atlantic) - instead we will be heading south to Southport, NC. Our anticipated arrival in Southport is in the neighborhood of July 31st - August 2nd --- depending on how much time we spend in the Outer Banks. I fly out of Wilmington to Philadelphia on the 3rd of August --- which is when I'll reach the motherland (testmonkey).

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The current group situation:

MY group currently consists of Karli and myself.

If you reference the 'rain rain go away' post - the last time we saw Kevin, Nix, Derek and Linus was on our way to Toronto, KS from Newton, KS --- and that still stands as the last we've seen of them. However, we have had a few text conversations, so we know that they have been a few days behind and have picked up Mark (Nix's friend from the UK) who was to ride with them for a couple of weeks -- but aside from that, our communications have been slim to none. :( If you guys are reading my blog - I hope your ride is going well and we'd love to hear from you. :)

We saw Dave last in Damascus, VA - where Karli and I took a rest day to wait for my buddy Lisa to come down and visit for a while -- and Dave decided to keep riding. We had hoped to put in some big days to catch up with Dave, but haven't seen him on the route - and our only communication is via email - and this blog --- Hi Dave! hope your ride is going well - drop me a e-line.

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pics:


Lisa-Lisa-Bo-Bisa SAG'd for us for 3 days -- she rocks!! (here's her doing her toes)


















convenient SAG table - to make our favorite meal on the trip -- PB&J/PB&B













we are very demanding and Lisa was very busy













Success! The reason for our SAG -- the climb out of Vesuvius, VA to the Blue Ridge Parkway.












riding through a tunnel somewhere in Virginia



















I've got more pics, but I've got to evacuate from this computer... adios folks.

I don't think I'll be able to post until Wilmington, NC - but we'll see.

ps - yes Matt, cigarettes are vegan and anonymous posts are lame - put your name :)

Ken-tuc-ky

-which is Algonquin for "the good land."

Actually that's a line from Wayne's World doesn't go with Kentucky and I have no idea what Kentucky means -- however I do know that it is not the worst state ever to ride your bike through. It was all hype -- there were no wild dogs - or wild people -- a little bit more trash along the road than normal -- but a very beautiful state with very friendly people - even if you can't understand a word they say.

But I'm not here to tell you about anymore of my progress -- well, OK - we are through Kentucky and now in Damascus, VA - but that's it. This blog is dedicated to a couple brave souls that have put us up along the way.

The first set -- left to right - Heidi and Liz - of Newton, Kansas

I know you're reading this and I would like to say - you guys rock -- we had a ton of fun staying at your place - and you can take pride in knowing it was the only place we stayed for two days (that is if you don't count West Yellowstone and the fact we were waiting for the other 1/2 of the group) -- but still we were psyched to chill with you cats.

There were many firsts --- the first time I've ever been in a rompus room -- the first time I've ever sat down and talked to a Mennonite - let alone more than one -- and then, to top it all off, my first dumpster diving experience. People, let me tell you - dumpster diving in Newton Kansas could be your livelihood --- the booty consisted of numerous CARTONS of cigarettes, a box of cereal, and a muffin mix -- granted it was all expired, but who cares when it's free!

But wait, there's more - I know we already topped it off, but they road out with us the next day -- I believe it was 10 miles -- all before they had to rush back and go to work --- now that's awesome.














Next up - Paige, Andy, Lillian & Claire (and McKenzie but we never actually met) - from Berea, Ky

A very cool family -- actually picked us up in town and brought us to their home - about 6 miles out of Berea - all three of us! Again with the hospitality -- food (including BEER!) - laundry - showers - beds! These guys went out of their way -- Paige even went into town to get vegan food for Karli to enjoy the delicious cookout they prepared.

They have hosted many bikers over the years and the kids seemed to look forward to the newcomers and enjoyed our company -- I think they actually wanted us to stay another day.

This is their newest dog - Monk - named so for his monkey-like appearance -- I couldn't get over how unusual this dog looked - very cute none the less. I don't think the picture captures it's monkey features. The morning we left Paige had to take him into the vet -- hope you are doing well Monk :)








This final shot is classic -- Andy is showing us the short-cuts on the trail -- thanks Andy! We'll take any time saving routes we can get at this point.

And to answer your comment, Andy - Karli (as well as Dave and myself) made it up all the hills - only having to get off the bike on one of them :) -- but still made it -- thanks!

And thanks again for you and your family taking care of us.

This concludes my shout out to our latest "trail angels" -- thanks for your kindness.

just two good old boys (and karli), never meaning no harm...

...someday the mountain might get them but the law never will (still part of the duke boys song).

Anywho - though I'd catch up on some pictures - some from all the way back in Pueblo, Colorado - until last night in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Derek testing the waterproofness of a roadside find --- Karli was more than happy to help

Some lousy ladybug looking to hitch a ride in Kansas -- look how fast I'm going - the road is a blur!Karli and Dave at a little league baseball game in Nickerson, Kansas
This is how we roll.

After a weary night of lightning - wind - thunder - lightning - thunder - lightning.

When you can't swim in the pool - sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands to cool down.

Crossing the Missississisippisssipi.

Remember that last post about the rain? (it rained 8 inches)

See way out there, where the trees should come together on the horizon -- that's a sweet climb we can see from miles away. Crossing the Ohio - can anyone tell me what is above the treeline - just right of center?I wanted to ride under it.

This is Len -- I hope to blog about him later -- but he has replaced Clive as that guy we keep running into.

Karli was locked behind this gate where we were camping -- we had to pass her things - bike included - over the fence to get her out -- then we camped behind the school.

rain rain go away

Hello true believers-

Thought I'd get you up to date -- I was way to exhausted when I posted last to do anything but whine - so here goes with some hard core facts.

Newton, KS to Toronto, KS

The others from our group - Kev, Nix, Derek and Linus -- ended up passing through Newton the day before to camp in a campground about 7 miles out of town - so we ended up running into them at one of the small towns along the route. They were delighted to see us - I think. We rode along with them until it started pouring and I mean pouring -- Karli, Dave and myself -- continued to the campsite at Toronto Lake State Park and I believe the others stopped to catch some lunch and shelter - however, we didn't see them that night - so we don't really know.

Speaking of that night -- I hate raccoons almost as much as cats now! I don't know where my head was as I prepared for bed/tent -- but it was probably the first night I did not secure my food in the tent with me. ERROR. Maybe even an ID10T error. I have no idea what time it was when I first woke up to a rustle by my bike, but it was early morning when I first chased that fiend away. It ended up eating 3/4 of a loaf of bread - a gigantic Vegan cookie (very scarce in these parts - purchased way back in Colorado) - and a Little Debbie's apple pie (also vegan) ---- so I pulled the rest of my food into the tent. Did it go away?? I wouldn't be going into such detail if it did -- so no, it didn't go away -- in fact I believe there were at least 2-3 of those scoundrels -- I kept hearing noises from my bike -- than Dave's bike -- I'd get up and chase them off ---- trying to wake up Dave to let him in on our predicament --- alas, I couldn't wake him (he was off sleeping under the stars somewhere -- but I kept trying to wake him because I had no idea) --- they masked bandits had already eaten his bread and chewed into his tent. That's right, chewed into his tent -- they ripped into one of my waterproof pannier covers -- but luckily not my tent -- although they tried. What a sleepless night -- Dave and I are out for revenge! Karli on the other hand wasn't even bothered by the little rascals --- they must have know she is a true Vegan.

p.s. to that Raccoon story --- I've been Vegan for all of Kansas and most of Missouri (until today!)

Toronto, KS to Pittsburg, KS

Another rainy day -- fortunately it is a warm rain and is actually nice to ride in if it isn't too hard and biting -- although it turns out people in Kansas (and Missouri) don't really like to drive with their lights on when it's raining and sometimes it's hard to see them coming up behind us. We met up with a fair number of other cyclists today -- going our way and the other way - one of them Brian from NJ - rode out the last part of the day with us.

Got a text from the other group letting us know they made it to Erie, KS and would be spending the night there --- we've had little to no cell service going through Missouri - and that's the last we've heard from them --- we'll try later today.

Pittsburg, KS to Ash Grove, MO

Today started off with easy hills and ended with rolling hills/mountains.

Some of the spokes on my rear wheel were extremely loose, so I had my rear wheel trued before leaving Pittsburg. I also had a flat on my front wheel at the end of the day at our campsite.

Ash Grove, MO to Hartville, MO

This was the day of my last post -- please refer to it for how hard it was.

Hartville was a little odd -- I would have to say that it is the first of many creepy towns to come -- go easy on us Kentucky.

Hartville, MO to Eminence, MO

Stilly very hilly -- but not too terrible -- however we were told there was a tornado watch in effect for the county we were in and the surrounding ones. Not so bad - just watch the clouds... right? Then came the thunder -- distant -- then closer. We're almost to Eminence -- then comes the pouring rain -- and lightning/thunder -- and just as the weather is getting worse -- the hills really turn into mountains! Steep as hell --- I was scared shitless going down and begging for mercy going up - fortunately they were few - the rest we left for tomorrow's ride.

Eminence, MO to Centerville, MO

Thank the gods of Kobol it was a short day -- and lets just say I'm glad it's over and I'm now focusing on happy thoughts. (Bryan -- and all those behind us... Good Luck!)

Centerville -- very creepy town -- the city officials/dispatchers that let us camp in the courthouse were awesome -- but the other locals - scary.

Centerville, MO to Farmington, MO

Much easier day ride, but I'm getting tired and looking forward to our rest day when we get to Chester, Illinois tomorrow.

------


Bex - I don't have any more news for you right now -- send me a comment with your email and I'll let you know what I come up with

Mindy - you rock

Jared - you live anywhere near Newark

testmonkey - I haven't seen any checks in the mail for a long time -- maybe you could look into that for me (http://www.washco.state.ut.us/departments.php?whichDept=11)

Cricket - thanks for the b-day wish -- answer your phone!

Mark - I'm not sure how things are going to turn out - but if I'm not with Nix when you arrive - best of luck.

Shayne - no, you rule

Matt - it's coming back, but too slow -- I need a raging beard to look cool in Kentucky

Everyone Else -- comments make me happy :)

Bye-bye everybody!

-pictures next time I hope -- I haven't been taking too many (Kansas/Missouri)

what's the dillio?

Well, we just finished our second ride day in Missouri -- and I feel like I just got my ass kicked - and everyone we've passed says it only gets worse. Didn't we just conquer the Rocky Mountains!!? I've been to Missouri - St. Louis only - but I've never heard anyone EVER talk about the rolling mountains of Missouri - it's crazy! And I know you are all in suspense about this one -- but I've never sweat so much in my life --- we had rain the last 2 days in Kansas - which turned out to be super sweet --- and now it's just completely muggy.

Before I go -- and I know it was short, but I just told you I feel like my ass has been kicked -- but I'd like to give a shout out to my hommies at Red Rock Bicycle in St. George Utah --- they totally rebuilt my front wheel and sent it to me in Colorado -- so, now I'm rolling on a sweet new wheel. Thanks guys -- and for the bonus tubes!

Peace, Blue Skies and Tailwinds

Newton, Kansas

Did you know that the Arkansas River is pronounced R-Kansas here in Kansas -- what a conundrum -- I'm going to start pronouncing Kansas -- Can-Saw -- while I'm here --- just to see how that goes over.

Hello faithful blog readers -- and any newbies that might have stumbled by -- we are now taking Kansas by storm.

When last I blogged, we were staying with Gillian (to your right with her puppy, Tigger) -- very cool - not only did she let us borrow her car to get groceries, she also took Linus and Derek horseback riding! Way cool -- so, here is a blog shout out to her and for any bikers looking for a stop over in Ordway -- she is located at 413 W 9th Street --- check her out.

OK - from there we took off to Eads, Co - met up with the Adventure Cycling group (15 riders) heading west (Adventure Cycling publishes the route maps that we are using for the trip www.adv-cycling.org/) -- they were very cool and let us stay with them at in the auditorium at the fairgrounds in Eads - even had us join them for dinner. Sorry to say, but they are all kind of suckers -- trip cost: $4,000.

Anywho, in Eads we were also reunited with a fellow rider - David Y. - that had camped with us WAY BACK in Oregon. Dave is from Ann Arbor, Michigan - where he worked as a bike mechanic. Dave ->

It was an early start the next morning - the AC group turned the lights on at 5am -- good thing they're heading in the opposite direction -- who wants to get up at 5am? Kev,Nix, and Linus took off early - Derek was MIA since he decided to sleep outside (somewhere) - Karli and I took off shortly after - around 6:30. It was mega foggy - and by mega, I mean REALLY foggy and luckily we had a good shoulder for most of it in the morning.

Karli and I had talked about breaking ahead of the group for a few days to do some long rides -- then meeting back up in Newton, KS on a rest day. So, we put in around 103 miles to Scott City, KS. The ride went well - no major hills but we did have the wind to contend with - as well as the heat. We got into town and stayed in the city park -- where, fortunately for us, they had their sprinklers on -- and proceeded to cool down in them.

Off to Rush Center --- oh, but wait -- Great Bend is only 32 miles further ---- off to Great Bend for a 119 miles! We had just passed into Central Time Zone the day before, so Karli and I got up a little later than planned - but it was still early and cool. Dave actually rolled in late that night and ended up sleeping on one of the playground equipment in the park - and met up with him later in Rush Center. The 32 miles from Rush Center to Great Bend were tough -- heavy cross and head winds -- it seemed like we were riding 10 miles and the next thing I knew we passed a mile post indicating we had gone 3 -- oh buddy! We eventually rolled into Great Bend and got a room for the night.

Great Bend to Nickerson --- this was a much shorter day -- we got up late and took it easy -- around 50 miles. This was another night in the city park -- gotta love those free camp nights! The park was sweet -- lots of playground equipment -- even a seesaw! They were having a baseball tournament that evening and we stayed up to cheer on the home team - ages 10-12. Reminded me of little league and playing for Geigertown!

Nickerson to Newton -- this was another short day, but while in Wyoming we caught wind of a sweet health food store where a couple of cyclists that worked there would put us up for the night. It turns out that Heidi and Liz both rode the TransAm last year and were housing bikers as they came through Newton -- so we decided to stop in. And have a rest day to wait for the others. And have another rest day to wait for the others - who should be here today (Monday, June 25th).

cheerio

Mark - pruchased your tickets, that's smashing! We're all looking forward to riding with you old chap.
-cheers

a Bee Foster tribute

May 7 - first ride day on the Oregon coast

Eugene, Or -- hard at it


chillin by some lake just after climbing over the Cascades -- as you can see, we weren't too close then
short hair - no side burns -- in jail
somewhere in eastern Oregon

somewhere

Yellowstone - touristYellowstone - cyclist (notice the buffalo)taking a picture of Bryan taking a self picture

sick as hell -- new pair of trousers ---- notice the burns and fro

just before we ditched him in Breckenridge