Just a quick update for whoever wants to know:
I made it to Portland, OR. It’s at least 1000 times better than Georgia. No, I’m not kidding in the least. I already love it here and am definitely not looking forward to the day that I have to move back east. One good thing is that at least I no longer have to worry about where I want to live when I finish grad school. I’m already here.
The family that I’m living with is amazing. I live on the second floor of their house and share a kitchen with the step dad who lives on the third floor. I couldn’t have picked a better living arrangement if I had tried. But the best part about living here is the people. Matthew and his wife Tina are two of the greatest individuals that I have ever met. And their five kids are adorable and incredibly smart… I love them already. I’m definitely lucky to be living here for the next 4 1/2 months.
My job seems like it will be awesome as well. I got the grand tour today and start actual work tomorrow. It’s a 15 mile ride, but they are loaning me a truck to use when the weather is bad. No complaints here.
I’ll finish typing up my trip journals soon and also sort through and upload some of my pics.
From the bike trip…
Georgia: Deer
Alabama: Possum
Florida: Armadillo
Mississippi: No Data (swept away by Katrina)
Louisiana: Beaver and Rabbit (tie)
Texas: Everything (everyone drives a big truck)
January 23, 2007
I woke up this morning to the sound of a park ranger’s truck. They left a note on the picnic table telling me that I needed to pay for camping on my way out. Since I saw signs that indicated the fee was $4 per person, I thought I’d be honest. So I stopped at the office and paid, only to find out it’s $12 per campsite and $4 per person. What highway robbery.
The 32 mile ride to Austin was painful. I thought I would never make it. But I did.
I found my way to the downtown area, picked out a place for lunch, and took a rest. A girl came in not long after me, and I asked her for some advice on what to do in Austin. She sat down, introduced herself as Courtney, and we had an hour-long talk about Austin, biking, art, music, and other things. She said that later in the afternoon her roommate would be working at an art gallery down the street and that he might have some more advice. So I went there later too, where I met him and his friend Robin. Robin suggested that I eat at a local vegan restaurant that has an all-you-can-eat for $12 every night. I think that’s a good plan for tomorrow.
The library here has free internet. I reserved one of the 15-minute terminals and used it to buy a ticket on Southwest airlines. Austin to Portland, $100 total. Tomorrow I can disassemble my bike, box it up, and send it to Portland through UPS. This is the end of the road for the bike trip. I never thought I’d make it this far and I figure I should quit now while I still have good memories of the trip. Plus I can start my job in Portland earlier and make more money. Maybe I’ll upgrade to a motorcycle.
January 22, 2007
Riding from the middle of nothing to the middle of nowhere near Austin can be described in one word: hills.
Combined with a constant 20 mph headwind, today was my least enjoyable day so far. I averaged maybe 8 mph, almost half my normal pace. As the storm front moved in, so too did the cold damp wetness. I felt like giving up 1,000 times today. But I pushed on.
Knowing that I couldn’t make it all the way to Austin, I decided to stop at Bastrop State Park, about 30 miles out. Darkness was moving in so I quickly set up my tent, gathered what clean clothes I could find, and took a long hot shower.
Though I wasn’t hungry, I crammed down a peanut butter sandwich and two cans of tuna. I know I needed it. Being on the road is a strange thing… you don’t really get hungry… at least, not like the normal growling stomach type. But you know you need to eat. Yet you don’t really get full. It’s more of a love/hate relationship with food right now. Hard to explain.
January 21, 2007
Just like Madonna’s body has probably been telling her to lay off the damn yoga, my body is telling me that Austin may be the end of the road. I’ve pushed myself so far for so long that, this time, I think I’ll listen.
Tonight I camped under an oak tree in the middle of a field. The sky was clear, the moon only a sliver. One by one I watched the stars come out until, looking up through the screen in my tent, I saw Orion staring down at me. At that, I went to sleep.
