What's next

Happy 2007. Within the month I'll be moving to Seattle to work in the wind industry (check out Global Energy Concepts - it's an up and coming company that does great work and has great people). Please come visit soon, because the plan is for me to move to the east coast office outside of Boston this summer. I'd be more than tickled to entertain you, your crazy aunt, and/or your former letter carrier's roommate's 5th-grade teacher's niece. If it takes me a lifetime, I hope to pass on the wonderful hospitality I've received in the past several months.

The End, Part II: CT and beyond

Well, I've been in one place for a week now. There's a lot to say about the Big Trip, and here's just a little bit of it.

My "elcome" to Connecticut. Holy Connecticut - it sounded so far away when I started. I could barely even peek at my whole US map. It was very daunting to see all those states strung together. I had to concentrate only on the next day's ride. 60 miles? I can do that. It turns out you get pretty far if you just point your bike in a direction and go a little bit every day.



Or almost every day. Of the 90 day trip, I think I took almost two weeks off(!). That's about 5178 miles total in 77 days of riding, averaging out to 67 mi/day. I slept outside on 40 nights. It got below freezing on at least three or four of those.

Here's some CT scenery. I knew I was getting close to the end of the trip when I saw this billboard. This fantastic shop is owned by our friends in Westerly, RI.






I had the best welcome to my sister's house. I think the whole King family showed up and waved flags and cheered. What fun!
My niece is the smallest one in the photo, my brother in law is next to me, and I think my sister's taking the photo. Thanks to those of you who wrote congratulatory notes - they made great flags.



Speaking of thanks, there are really too many to mention everyone by name here. It's funny, I started out this trip with the mindset that I was going to ride across the country all by myself. That's laughable now. Not that I didn't personally pedal every inch of the way. (Er, except for the 3 or 4 miles of construction in Wyoming where they insisted on putting me and Wanda in a truck.) But pedaling is only part of the story. I wasn't at all alone in accomplishing my goal because I had so much help along the way. Support came in many forms, including the 29 sets of hosts that took me in, others that connected me with potential hosts, the folks who stopped to ask if I needed anything when I was changing a flat tire, the hotel owner who cooked me dinner, my friends and family who offered equipment, encouragement and blogomments.

My especial and particular thanks to my sister Ba[rb], the 'media liaison' who updated the blog every day and my brother-in-law Dan who provided tech support. Yeah, and for providing me with a welcoming home.

So a sincere and heartfelt thanks everybody. f you ever want to feel very far from being alone in the world, just go out on a trek and ask for help. You'll find generous, friendly people everywhere. It's wonderful.

Now to address just a few of the most popular questions.
#22 'Did it change your opinion about the USA? How?'One of the reasons I wanted to ride through Kansas was to find something redeeming about it. I found interesting, generous, educated people who were happy to live where they did and I found subtle beauty. I guess the same could be said about the whole middle of the country. I stayed with folks who shared my political beliefs and those who didn't, but they were all good hearted. People were kind to me without exception. It makes me want to go out and find people to be nice to.

M.P.Q. #8 'What will you do when you get to Connecticut?'
I'll tell you just the highlights: spending time with my amazing 3.5 year old niece and looking for a job. Hey, if anyone knows of a job opening in an environmental field (and in a bike-friendly location), give me a ring.

Meanwhile I am also contemplating my next adventure. I'd like to explore New England, the maritime provinces of Canada, France of course, and so many other places. Perhaps I will also include some alternative forms of transportation ...














By the way, to check out a wider selection of pictures from my trip, try clicking here. York Photo will probably make you sign in, so I created a fake account for just such a purpose.
Login: ilove2bike@junkmail.com
password: ilove2bike




And if you ever want to hear more about my trip, let me know. (And if you want me to talk about something else, let me know that too.) Thanks all!

The End, Part I: Winter in NY

First up, some notes about my trek across NY.

My parents, Gordon and Ginger, were very happy to have me home for the weekend.







This photo pretty much summarizes my journey through New York: mostly sunny, wintry and hilly.







I've pedaled through so many pretty places, but I happen to especially like the hilly farm country in western/upstate NY. Maybe it has something to do with the preconditioning of my brain's beauty receptors.





Frosty morning. There were a lot of those.








You know, people talk about the WalMartification of the country, but does anyone ever mention Dollar Generalization? These things are everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.






To continue the theme of seemingly random photos... This is my favorite sign. Not this one in particular, but this sentiment. Speed Zone Ahead means I'm getting somewhere. Making progress. And there may very well be bathrooms ahead. And who knows what else! I'm excited when I reach civilization and I'm glad when I leave it, too. What can I say? I'm easy to please.






Once again, I managed to photograph only a few of my wonderful hosts. I enjoyed an evening of conversation about birds and traveling with Roger and Pat in Canisteo.
I spent Halloween in Ithaca with Lars (3rd from left as John Steed from the Avengers - his partner Mrs. Emma Peel is to his left / your right) and Kate (2nd from right). The rest of the crowd is post-apocalyptic... and I just have scary hair. Really scary hair. They're a fun crowd, in or out of costume, pre and post apocalypse.


Back to normal and a lovely evening with Arlene and Clare Price in scenic Greene.











A delicious time was had by all in Stamford. From left: Bob, Peg, Becky and Mike. My delightful host Peg invited some cycling enthusiasts to join us for dinner. Bob rode part way with me that day - my first cycling partner since Colorado! Mike rode across the country via the northern route this summer. He also lent me his booties, which kept my feet toasty for the remainder of the trip. Fantastic.

Did I mention there were some frosty mornings? This is outside Peg's family farmhouse. I made it through the Catskills that day to visit relatives in Kingston: Lee, Didi, Tom, Andrew and Ethan. The latter were particularly fun conversationalists. And I spent my last night on the road - no in a warm and welcoming house - with family friends Alicia, Russ, Jacob and Caleb in Winsted, CT.



Part II -- wherein the blogger finishes her trip and ruminates upon it -- is forthcoming.

By the way, happy election day! For all of you who were concerned about my disenfranchisement - an absentee ballot awaited me when I reached CT, so I filled it up and sent it in. Yay democracy.

Seasonal cycling

Well here's a post for those who requested more photos.

Cycling in the fall is great, assuming you’re not getting snowed on too much. There are (or were) colorful leaves and Halloween decorations everywhere – including some scary campaign signs. Then there are the pumpkins, apples, cider…

If you’re ever in Winchester, Indiana, stop by and get some organic produce from Charles Rich. Or order seeds from him online at Rich Farm Garden Supply. I think he loves what he does.

Ohio’s got some great bike paths that used to be railways. Now they’re populated by cyclists, joggers, deer, and hunters. Really, I’d never seen folks with guns or fresh vennison on a bike path before.

From Ohio I did a little back-tracking to Chicago to experience various forms of public transportation. Here I am at the Art Institute getting culturized. Note the bike bag. I think my favorite part of Chicago was riding the el. We chased the marathoners all over town on the el…

I don’t have any good picts of Dave running, ‘cause he’s just too fast. Here he is afterwards with one of our go-Dave signs.

Marathon watchers are a rowdy bunch, and Dave’s extended family was no exception. I only managed to catch his mom and sister (Gretchen and Louise) in this photo.

Back on the road, pedaling on my personal transportation device. Hey, I must be in Pennsylvania! Go Lions!

Action shot. It’s a bit blustery these days. Riding around Lake Erie was actually quite pretty. I’m intrigued with the vineyards. Or maybe I just liked the smell of the grapes.

The welcoming committee! It was so sweet of Mary to come out and welcome me to my home town. I was trying to sneak in unnoticed, but at least I snuck in before the rain.

So I’ve been staying in warm homes with warm folks for the past couple of weeks. I did not manage to get photos of everyone, but I am no less grateful to those whose photos are not here. In Ohio I got to stay with all kinds of great folks. Laurie, Justin and Ana hosted me in Greenville. I got a little extra culture since Ana’s from Brazil.

Larry and Jane, photo by Emma. It was fun meeting the Griffins (also Calvin, briefly) in Columbus and I was glad I was able to fit into a hole in their very busy schedule.

Jeanne and Brye. I stayed with my friend Gretchen’s parents Jeanne and Steve in beautiful Gambier, and I even got to see Jeanne tap dance!










My friend Katie’s cousin Paul not only let me crash at his place in Akron but also gave me some cycling advice and a clean chain. Super!









I can’t say thanks enough to Cousins Barb and George. They’re fun people, and they very generously drove me to and from Cleveland to catch my bus to Chicago in the dark and rain and snow.





My cousin Andrea was a fabulous Chicago tour guide, and I got to meet her extended, furry family – not including her horse this time around. I also had a great time meeting Dave’s extended family. Since I didn’t get to Wisconsin on this trip, they brought Wisconsin to me. Many thanks to Doug for the couch and for driving me to the train station early in the morning.

Back in Ohio, I enjoyed scientific and philosophical discussions with hosts Allison and Tom in Austinburg.

On my one night in PA, I also enjoyed meeting my uncle’s cousins Greg and Ellen in Erie, shown here with just one of the many roosters that also inhabit their beautiful home. I also had great thai food and found a some extra connections with Phyllis and Jay in Fredonia, NY.

I’m spending the weekend with my parents, hiding from the rain, snow and wind. I’ve only gone about 4705 miles so far, and I’m much too stubborn to stop now. The forecast is for sun on Monday!

Questions

I think I've been a fair distance now (4477 miles according to my calculations) and met quite a number of people. Despite the varied topography, geography and demography, I always get asked the same questions, pretty much in the same order. Ready?

• Where are you going?
• Really? On that thing? Where did you start?
• Not by yourself?
• What does your mother think?
• How many miles do you ride a day?

For the record, although I know she does the requisite amount of worrying, I believe my mother is in full support of my adventure. (Right Mom?) Some folks are kind enough to go on to ask if I need anything. And usually I get to ask them about where they live and what they do too, though I haven't yet asked what their mothers have to say about it...

Well, I'm staying with family in Ohio at the moment and I'll be taking a vacation from my bike trip this weekend. I'm taking the bus to Chicago to watch the marathon and to cheer on my friend Dave (who rode with me from Boulder to Pueblo). Stay tuned for more on my recent adventures and many thanks to all the great folks I've been able to meet and stay with.