Greg: One, North America: Zero

New York City! Buildings, people, smog, hustle and bustle- this place has it all! That's right folks, I've made it to New York. The final goal accomplished, the destination met, the peak summited, the final term paper turned in, The curtain dropped, The prom date asked out, the final draft sent to the presses, the five o'clock whistle blown, the big contract won, the last railroad spike driven into its tie with pomp and circumstance thereby connecting the far ends of a continent leading to the splendor and success of a grateful nation. Yea baby, it’s done! Take that, nagging doubts and frowning skeptics! Greg one, North America zero.

NYC from the George Washington Bridge

As many of you may know, I've been here for a little while now. Sorry for the delay in updating that old blog.  Too much to do in the big apple. I suppose I should bring y'all up to speed.

First day onto the road I went through the Philadelphia metro area. I skirted around downtown, which basically made for a full day or riding through sub-urban sprawl. It wasn't too bad though- beautiful weather all day and I got to ride through Valley Forge. That night I made it to the outskirts of Trenton, NJ where I stayed with some couch surfers. The next and last day of riding was again beautiful. Mid 60's and sunny all day long. From Trenton I rode up through Princeton where I stopped for a lunch beer. I figured I had earned it. After a nice lunch break it was only about three hours or riding to the coast. Right outside Belford NJ is where I first saw the ocean. I rode straight up to the water and promptly dipped my tires and tasted the water to make sure it was salty. It was. It was also pretty dirty.

At Belford I hopped on a ferry that took me into Manhattan, right past the statue of liberty. An appropriately epic view to end an epic trip! From the heart of Manhattan I rode across the East River to Brooklyn where I stayed with my friends Mason and Rebecca. Mason had a cold beer (an oatmeal stout) waiting for me and we proceeded to make a feast, including salmon, sweet potatoes rice, spinach, and squash. Damn it was good!  I was quite exhausted and after that meal all I felt up to was kickin back and takin it easy.  A couple pulls on a bottle of Soco and I was ready for bed.  Good day.

So began two weeks of NYC livin'.  Staying up late, sleeping in to 11.  Most days I would just walk around a different neighborhood, see the sights, smell the smells (mostly hobo and falafel), eat good food and drink craft beers.  It was fun.  I rode the subways like a champ.  Lost tourists would ask me how to get somewhere and I would smugly point them in the right direction.  But there was a level of disconnect between myself and the true New Yorkers, I think because they all work 60-70 hours a week.  And I just walk around.

I spent a good deal of time at Occupy Wall St.  On the two month anniversary of the start of the movement, Mason and I went on a march with a relatively small group of occupiers.  The police outnumbered us and took it upon themselves to corral our little operation, but our numbers grew as we got closer to Foley Square and when we arrived we found thousands and thousands of people already gathered.  It was exciting to be part of such a large group of like minded people demanding change, despite the broad and sometimes unclear aims of the movement.  We met up with my good friend Mary and together with nearly 45,000 other people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge.  I must admit there was the fear of arrest, especially considering what happened last time the people occupied the bridge, but everything went smoothly.  And after Mary, Mason Rebecca and all of us in our little group had some pizza at Grimaldi's (best pizza in Brooklyn).  Questlove was sitting at the table across from us.  No big deal.

Z Park Before the Police Raid

Over the Brooklyn Bridge

 I saw a lot of friends, met so many cool people- it was truly excellent.  But ultimately, it didn't really feel like the end of a cross country bike trip.  It felt like hangin out in a cool city, just like I've done in so many other places along the way.  I think I got so used to the traveling way of life that a little bit of salty water in front of me wasn't enough to make it feel over.  And what did I learn?  What will I take away besides a pair of rock hard legs and some funny tan lines?

Memories, yes.  New friends, sure. Bragging rights, you better believe it.  That's all easy.  But am I a better man?  Do I have a new perspective on life?  It’s hard to say, and even harder to spell it out coherently but I do know this:  I want to that again!  Perhaps in a different direction (South,  maybe?)  Or something equally grand like hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  Unfortunately I don't have the money, so I will be going back to work, but hopefully not for long.  Work, adventure, work, adventure: that is how I want to live the rest of my 20s.  The next big test for myself? Can I successfully navigate the waters of working world without becoming a jaded, cynical adult sentenced to a 9 to 5 death.  I think I can do it.  I was recently  offered a job as a pilot for Piedmont Airlines, so that will be an adventure in itself!  Then who knows what will happen next.  I like to keep my options open...

See more photos here: http://s1113.photobucket.com/albums/k503/Gregasus/#!cpZZ53QQtppZZ16

I made it!

Sorry for the delay, more to come, I promise!

Almost there!

I am apprehensive...

My currently location is Downingtown PA. I've been here for a little less than a week, visiting family, taking it easy and being lazy. And looking for some answers. I am sooo close!! ... But what does it all mean? Why did I do this again? What's the point of going to New York? Do I want it to be over, or do I want it to never end? I've been spending the last week and a half not bicycling toward my destination. And I know what you're thinking, that's Greg just being Greg; taking his sweet time, running late, whatever. But it feels different this time. It's not just a reluctance to end the trip; I think I am reluctant to move on to a new chapter of my life. How will I be different post Pan-American ride? Will I have to settle down or can I continue to be an irresponsible bum? Can I keep dreaming of the next adventure? I feel like I will confront most, if not all, of these questions upon my completion of this thing, but in the meantime it's way easier to watch TV at my Aunt and Uncle's place than think about these grand ideas.

But TV? Come on, man, get it together! Enough is enough. I feel lazy and sluggish and I don't like it. I bet some people live their entire lives feeling like this. Like they've come close to their goals, but it's easier to take the comfortable routine than aim big and fail. I've got to finish this ride so I can move on to the next big idea.  And what might that next big idea be?  Here's a few of them, in no particular order:

1) Become a real pilot (airlines or something along those lines)
2) Kayak from Alaska to Bellingham
3) Open up my own small business, a pie catering company called Three Point One Four
4) Open up my own small business called Manhattan Hats, and Gentleman's Accessories
5) Learn how to tap dance
6) Move somewhere completely new and exciting
7) Ride my bike to Florida, then to California coast, then back up to Washington
8) Be a drummer on a cruise ship

I don't have to do all of these things, but some would be great. I've decided I don't want any one thing to define the arc of my life (like pilot, or musician, etc.) I want to be a renaissance man. A tap dancing renaissance man!

So let's wrap this thing up! My plan is to leave Downingtown tomorrow, then it should be only a two day ride to the big city, and glory!

I am excited...

Athens (the Bellingham of Ohio) up to the Chocolate City

I rode into Athens Ohio thinking it would be a quick overnight and I would be off again the next day.  Nope!  This town deserves a little more time to really appreciate what it has to offer. I arrived planning on staying with a friend’s sister, Suzi, who recently graduated from Ohio University here.  When I got there she was out of town so I made a beeline for the local brewery.  The owner saw me outside with all my gear and told me I could roll it all inside if I wanted to.  Within seconds, a family sitting near my bike offered me a seat and bought me a beer.  Really nice family, I sat with them for a while before they had to leave.  Suzi arrived shortly after and we had a couple beers there and at a great bar down the road called Casa.  Not a bad start!

Local Brewery

The next day the weather was beautiful so I spent my time walking around town checking out campus and a few of the local bakeries and coffee shops.  I was struck by the fact that there was sooo many young people.  Everywhere you look it was just college kids.  Its like they had taken over a small town.  I kept thinking I would stumble upon a prison camp where they housed everyone over 35 and under 19.  (Maybe I just didn't look hard enough).  A cool town though!  I ended up meeting a lot of new people, some friends of Suzi, others just people I talked to in bars.  It was fun, very much like Bellingham WA.  

Local Bakery

We went on a beautiful hike to Old Man's cave.  A winding trail through a little valley, everyone once in a while you would come upon an old stone bridge over the creek, or stone stairs that wind up into a fissure in the rock face.  A beautiful area, especially with the fall colors on the trees and underfoot.

The next two days were really bad weather.  Cold cold temperatures and raining hard all day.  So I hung around.  Met some more people, took care of some business online.  Hit the bars in the evenings (if you bought me a drink, thanks!) stayed up late and slept in a lot.  A nice little break from my hectic summer schedule:) 

Finally got a day of no rain so reluctantly, I head out to Parkersburg West Virginia.  Stayed with Kim there, who is big in the Mountain biking scene and a bicycle lobbyist.  Only one night though, I had to make up for lost time.  I rode the rail-to-trail between Parkersburg and Clarksburg but it was in pretty bad condition.  The scenery was beautiful and the grades nice and easy, but there were huge mud puddles, pot holes hidden by fallen leaves, giant branches and logs all over the path.  After getting a flat, I gave up on it and rode the hiway the rest of the way.  In Clarksburg I stayed with David.  One of the original couch surfers, this guy had some really interesting stories!  I had a great time in Clarksburg, but again just one night.  Up to Morgantown the next day.

Spooky Tunnel

Morgantown seemed like a cool little town, but again, only one night for me.  My plan was to ride from Morgantown about 85 miles to Cumberland the first day, then 85ish miles from Cumberland to Mercersburg PA, then 80 miles from Mercersburg to Hershey.  It seemed reasonable enough; I've been spinning those kinds of days all summer, so no problem right?  Well unfortunately I did not have a topographical map with me, because these Appalachian 'mountains' are steep!  Real steep!  I put mountains in quotes because I don't believe they can qualify if they are only going up to 3000 ft or so, but let me tell you, riding over them is just as hard (and much less rewarding) than riding over the Rockies, or Cascades out west.  We're talking 13% grades at times, just up and down, up and down, so at the end of the day you've climbed as much as you would in the Rockies, but you're still down near sea level.  Talk about fatiguing!  That combined with an afternoon of rain made my first day out of Morgantown pretty miserable.  I ended up camping in a little park about 30 miles short of Cumberland.  Cold, tired and discouraged.  Then Turkeys invaded my campsite.  The turkeys were a nice change of pace.  

Campsite with Turkeys

But the next day was beautiful!  I decided I would try to make up for lost time and still make it to Mercersburg--  It was mostly downhill out of my campsite to Cumberland and then I was on the C&O trail that connects Pittsburg and DC for about 60 miles.  The trail was really nice at first and absolutely gorgeous.  Just following the Potomac most of the way, and a nice gentle downhill grade, so I was turning about 16 mph the whole time.  But the last 10 miles was really muddy and it became quite frustrating.  Then I got another flat.  Finally got off the trail and started to head north right around sunset.  Still about 20 miles to go.  Back into the hills, and I wasn't really sure where I was going so it was slow progress.  But with some help from some nice people I met at a bar (I was just getting water, Aaron...don't you judge me!) I made it to my warmshowers host in Mercersburg around 9:00 pm.  Really nice people, and they lived in a beautiful old house from built in the 1830s.  Apparently it even had its own resident ghost, but I didn't see it.  

 

Haunted house, Ghost from the civil war

The next day I rode into Hershey along hi way 11.  Now that I was out of the Appalachian hills, it was really easy.  Just an nice ride through PA, which has, by the way, very clean wide shoulders on most of its roads.  Everything was going great until I got to Harrisburg-  Two flat tires within five minutes of each other.  The first caused by some jagged, unseen gouges in the pavement, the second by a big old chunk of glass.  Seriously, what are the odds; I made it nearly 2000 miles before my first flat tire, now I am getting them every other day (or twice in one day).  I guess my tires are just wearing thin.  I did make it into Hershey, which does smell like chocolate.  I'm taking a few days off here, hanging out with my friend Jess and thinking about the rest of the ride.  I am getting near to the end now.  I estimate just three more days of riding to get to New York City.  Three!  One to get to Philadelphia, where I will visit some family, then two to make it into the big city.  Am I ready for this?  Is it really going to be over??

Heading into Harrisburg, land of the flat tires

The answer is yes, I want to get there.   I want it bad.  I want to go there.  I don't want this trip to be over, but I want to get to NYC.  It’s going to feel good.

Madison to Columbus

The Pancakes this morning where a complete failure.  I've never seen pancakes made so poorly; a pathetic excuse for what has the potential to be the best breakfast ever.  I bought some just-add-water pancake mix a while back and this morning, the morning I would ride into Madison, would be the perfect opportunity to cook them on my camp stove.  Step one, Add the water.  This went pretty well.  I measured out the correct amount of water, added it to the mix and stirred.  I was feeling good!  Pancakes! Yea!  Unfortunately  it would all go downhill from here.  I didn't have any butter for the pan, but I did have some olive oil.  That might work, right?  sure why not!  Olive oil in the pan, I poured out the first cake.  Within seconds it had burned to the bottom-- quick flip it!  yea right- if by flip, I mean mangle, then I was successful!  The end result: burned on the outside, completely raw on the inside and the entire cake permeated with olive oil, which, by the way, doesn't  prevent it from sticking it just makes it taste weird. I know what you're thinking, use less heat, right?  Impossible!  I was using as little heat as possible on my cookstove and still getting the same result.  The pan was just too thin.  But I was hungry and I sure as hell wasn't going to let that mix go to waste, so I ended up with a short stack of GregCakes - raw pancake mix, lightly fried in olive oil!

Madison

After my questionable breakfast, I had a mostly uneventful ride into Madison, where I stayed with my friend Nick B.  He was a great host and I had a blast biking around town seeing the sights.  Madison is a groovy city, lots of bikes, breweries, bakeries.  I was also able to meet a few couchsurfers for coffees and lunches;  all cool people, of course. I left with an excellent impression of the city, and I would consider living there, if I wasn't boycotting winter right now.  (BTW, Im boycotting winter-- I hate it, worst season ever!)  Anyways, it was a beautiful city full of good people.  But I couldn't stay forever, so I headed out to Milwaukee.

Nick and I

In Milwaukee I stayed at the Bayview Eco-village, sort of like a co-op house.  My hosts were very nice and gave me a comfortable bed and some tasty food.  I even stayed an extra day and got to go sailing on lake Michigan with Eric, one of the people at the village.  It was really fun!  Now I want to quit my job and be a sailor.  Well I guess I don't have a job now, but I will get one, then quit it and become a sailor!

Our vessel, white cap #3

The next day I rode into Chicago.  Pretty easy ride, until getting closer to the city.  I was planning on riding some bike paths as far as I could into the city, but I ended up meeting a cyclist on the path who took me on a much more scenic route through some beautiful neighborhoods and along the lake.  He rode with me for a while and pretty much took me to my friend Yost's apartment where I would be staying.  I managed to get to Yost's place with out being killed, which I was pleased with because Chicago drivers are nuts, and I enjoy living.

Taking a break on the way out of Milwaukee

Chi-town!

I had a good time in Chicago.  Yost showed me around downtown and a few neighborhoods, including an excellent doughnut shop and a kick-ass music store called Chicago Music Exchange.  I could've spent all day in there.  But I didn't.  We had a few afternoon beers, and in the evening went to the Green Mill and saw an excellent Organ Trio called Deep Blue. (Not the shitty chain Green Mill, the prohibition era jazz bar in chicago)  It was great! $5 cover for four hours of funky Hammond B3, I had a blast!  I also made it to the Art Institute of Chicago and took in some classic pieces.

Wooo!

Gettin ready for a night of good music!

Then I flew from Chicago to Fargo.  I know I know, its going backwards, but I really wanted to make it to the wedding of my good friends Jessica and Matt.  I got a ride up to Grand Forks for the bachelor party, then to Bemidji for the wedding.  It was a lot of fun seeing some old friends and dancing it up at the reception.  Then a quick flight back to Chicago to continue riding.

After a little more time in Chi town it was time to ride on.  I had been warned of the bad neighborhoods in south Chicago and the heavy industrial traffic, so I was a little apprehensive, but I managed to navigate a route that wasn't too bad.  That first day out I was able to get back into the rural farmlands of Indiana, and camped at an airport South east of Gary.  I got rained on all night and the next day was foggy and drizzly.  Pretty awful, but that's what I get for wasting so much time up until now.  I managed to stay dry most of the morning, which was nice, but by the end of the day I was pretty soaked.  I made it to Fort Wayne Indiana, and I was only a couple miles from my warmshowers host's house when I got a flat!  And right as the sun was going down, too.  I stopped under the awning of a Subway to fix it, and as soon as I got under the shelter, it started pouring rain.  I fixed my tire, and right as I finished, the rain stopped.  If it wasn't for that flat, I would've gotten soaked!  Weird, huh? Jenny N was a great host- very accommodating, and the next morning she bought me a coffee before heading out.

Jenny and I

In the next two days I was able to ride to Columbus.  The wind was very strong, but it was mostly out of the West so I was able to get a good tailwind most of the time.  One day I was able to ride almost 70 miles in about 4 hours.  Columbus is a cool town.  I had a few beers at a few bars and met a few locals. Today I explored the campus a bit - it is beautiful.  The library is incredible.  You could spend hours in there before picking up a book of which there are millions to choose from.  Now its 70ish degrees, sunny and Im drinking a locally brewed IPA.  Who says summer is over?

Working on the blog

Mostly a Bluegrass Party, With a Little Biking on the Side for Good Measure

Robert and I

First night out on the road from Minneapolis, Robert and I made it 86 miles to Wabasha, where we stayed in the Tee Pee of a warmshower's host, Terry.  Terry wasn't home but he let us use the Tee Pee and pool house.  We took upon ourselves to make good use of his hot tub and beer collection as well; I don't think he would mind.  Terry is a retired airline pilot and has a beautiful house right on the banks of the Mississippi.  It was a good end to a pretty miserable day-- we ended up riding in the dark for almost two hours...

Tee Pee

The next day we set out for Lacrosse, WI.  We stopped in Winona for some lunch at the local co-op.  While eating I checked my email and saw that someone I contacted in Winona on couchsurfing had offered to let us stay.  I didn't really want to stop for too long in Winona, so we strapped on helmets and were just about to head out, when I had some second thoughts.  It was getting a little late in the day, and it was kinda cold and cloudy out-- not really fun riding weather.  Maybe we could stay just one night.  So we met up with out host, Chen.  We ended up finding the best bar in Winona (Ed's No-name bar) and having a few beers.  It was a fun time, but tomorrow, we would hit the road again!

Well the next morning I woke up to a text: Charlie Parr is playing tonight at the Boats and Bluegrass Festival.  Now I had heard about this festival from another couchsurfer, and I knew Charlie Parr would be at it, but I didn't think he would be playing until later in the weekend, so I never thought we would actually see him.  For those of you who don't know, Charlie Parr is one of my favorite bluegrass musicians.  He is from Duluth MN and he really embodies the spirit of bluegrass.  In Robert's words "He's pretty much the king shit".  And I had been seeing fliers for his shows in small towns all summer across my trip, but I kept missing him by a week.  And now he's playing here in Winona tonight!  Chen knew some people working at the show and he told us he might be able to get us in for free, so of course, we stayed another day.  Spent the day donating blood, hanging in coffee shops, attending philosophy club meetings, and getting more and more excited to see the The Man, CP.
 

Main Stage during the day

Everybody dresses goofy at a bluegrass festival...

Chen got us in for free a couple hours before Charlie took the stage, and while waiting to use a Port-o-john, who do I run into but my old friend from the bakery, Kat Labine!  We had no idea she would be there so it was a great surprise; We all danced it up together at the Charlie Parr show and had a great time. And let me tell you, Charlie was great!  Two encores, everyone in the crowd dancing, it was awesome.  The venue was pretty incredible as well, very small and intimate, not too many people, good beer for sale and they let you bring in any food and drinks you want. So much fun.  But really, tomorrow we will get on the road and make some good cycling progress!

My Sunglasses couldn't survives the enthusiasm of Kat's hug

Friends!!

Well, it would be short ride to LaCrosse, so we might as well go see some bluegrass before leaving...  Ha!  You can't just attend a couple hours of this party and not stay all night!  So we stayed another day.  This time we set up a tent in the middle of the shanty town of tents that sprung up next to the venue (the Blue-verville, if you like) and called Robert's girlfriend and her roommate to come down and party with us.  The music was excellent of course.  The music itself ended at 1:30, but after the show a bunch of the musicians who were (camping right next to us) started up a big fire and jammed until 7:00 in the morning.  I didnt stay up that late, but it was great party. 

Sunset on the Mississippi

Well it would still be a short ride to LaCrosse, so we might as well go see some bluegrass before leaving... It was now the last day of the festival so we watched a couple shows, and this time we were able to drag ourselves away!  We had a real nice ride the rest of the way to LaCrosse and met up with our host, Nicole.  We didn't know how to get downtown, but our instructions when we arrived were to "follow the sounds of drunken madness..."  We arrived on the second day of the week long Octoberfest celebration in LaCrosse, which apparently people from all over the world come to.  Even Germans! And it was absolutely crazy--  Very much like Springfest (or Appleblossom for my Wenatchee people), only 10 times more people!  And not just college students, either.  The streets were closed and people were everywhere.  We had a few drinks, but didn't get too crazy.  In many ways it was very different from the laid back atmosphere of the Bluegrass fest; but we had a great time!  I didn't get any pictures though so here are some giant pictures I found on google search of giant six packs in La Crosse...

Tunnel built in 1870s

The next day Robert hitched a ride back to Minneapolis.  It was a shame he couldn't make it all the way to Madison, but we had a great time!  I continued the ride east, but I was hit with three solid hours of steady rain.  I was pretty well soaked through after the first 30 minutes or so, and to make matters worse, I was riding on a crushed limestone path (not paved) which was muddy and riddled with apples and rocks large enough to cause a fall if you hit them just right.  I took a break in Sparta WI; its a small town that claims to be the bicycling capital of America.  I don't think I saw any other riders on the road, but they did have a museum dedicated entirely to bicycles, airplanes and astronauts.  I had to check it out!

Next Stop, Madison WI!