Almost Made It

So the big question on my mind was whether or not I would make it from Baltimore, MD to Williamsburg, VA in 3 days. I pedalled almost 80 miles/day for 3 days. I came up just shy and my sister picked me up from a Macdonald's in West Point, Virginia (about 20 miles from the target). I was able to see the Saints game (as great as THAT was) and have had a place to sleep these last few nights which has been nice. Before I go any further, I want you to know that I will be dropped back off at said Macdonald's to resume the trek from there.

Deprivation of everyday things such as social interaction, hot cooked food, and a bed at night are things that I have learned to appreciate in a way that I haven't before. A home cooked meal tastes unlike anything I have ever eaten. A bed feels softer than anything I have ever touched. And a conversation with a stranger is enough to keep me smiling for hours.

I have been at my sister's house the last couple of days, quite ahead of schedule, so I have been able to let the pistons rest for a few days. I got to watch the Saints game with my nephews which was great. Eating such great food, a lengthy visit with family, and a warm bed every night have almost been sensory overload as it has been such a great last couple of days. Tropical Storm Gabrielle is lengthening this stay by a day or so, but that is just fine with me.

Monday morning I go back to that same Macdonald's in West Point to continue south toward the Outer Banks of the Carolinas. Drop me a line if you know anybody in the area, I'd love to meet them.

N Y See ya later!

I left NYC from Times Square to meet me lady in Flemington, NJ. Tired as sin, we both passed out watching TV. The evening turned out to be exactly what I wanted of it… just a relaxing evening with m’girl.

I rode the next day and spent the night in a plum orchard somewhere near the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I was positive I was keeping it on the slick, but the lady who owned the land spotted me while riding by on her bike. Noticing her mode of transpo, I struck up a conversation and she was more than happy to help me in my voyage. I set up my camp and she later brought me tomatoes and plums which were delicious.

I woke up and made an oatmeal breakfast, and after getting lost (as I have found often happens), I met a fella on a bike on a backroad in Pennsylvania. He offered to bring me on a roundabout journey back to my route; the only catch was that I would have to stay with him and ride his workout. I did. And he brought me to places that haven’t been on maps in years. Abondoned roads, covered decaying bridges, all of it. Some of the roads he claimed George Washington had used.

Trying to make it to Columbia, PA from the orchard proved to be a challenge. I fell short. With night falling, I asked a couple where a safe place to camp may be… winking at the nearby park. They directed me to a place which I scouted, and soon after a cop showed up. He explained that he could not let me camp in the park but he would bring me to a place where it was okay. I followed the cruiser to a boat dock on the Sesquehanna River and went to a secluded trail at the end of the parking lot. Upon his recommendation, I camped in the woods there, about 20 yards from some railroad tracks. I met another cop that night, Dave. We had dinner on the tailgate of his pickup… I cooked my noodles on may camping stove, he ate his Subway. He told me that he had been a bartender at Outback for years before he got into law enforcement. I told him about my years of table waiting and about the career in firefighting around the corner. We then realized we had a lot in common.

I woke up, made oatmeal, and started riding. I ended up around noon in a small town in PA where I met an old couple outside of a restaurant. I had originally intended on getting a cup of coffee and some fries while my phone and GPS charged, however they invited me to their table. Life on the road alone is lonely, so I was VERY happy to join them. They were an 85-year-old couple who had been married nine years. NICE AS CAN BE. They completed each others’ sentences as if they had been married for 50. I thanked them and bid them adieu.

That day I crossed the Mason-Dixon line and trucked on to make it to my friends’ place in Colora, MD; Chad and Sarah’s house. There it was that I took the greatest shower. I ate cooked food and appreciated it in a way that I never have before. Eating canned tuna fish, oatmeal, and fruit for days on end can start to make you go a bit crazycrazy. Cooked food becomes a blessing in a way that I cannot explain.

I write from my friends’ Jamie and Suzanne’s house in Baltimore. They are both wonderful people. It is the kindness and openness of people that makes this type of travel enjoyable. There are times when I question my decision to leave New York; I had a great life there. One that I would be happy to go back to. But my heart is a compass whose needle points South, and it is there that I shall go. New York… I am proud to have been a part of if. But I know what it means to miss New Orleans.

Onward ho!