Tar-iffic!

Day 25 - June 28, 8:43pm
85 miles. Linton, IN to Effingham, IL

Decided to try waking up and plugging into my ipod for the first few minutes of the day. I played my usual wakeup songs as i packed my sleeping bag, brushed teeth, etc and it really helped me center and focus myself. I really think the morning sets the tone for the day and I think I'll keep doing this.

I was really feeling it today and rode in the fast group with 4 others. We totally tore it up and were flying. After one of us got a flat we were in the back again but soon changed that. While the riding is by no means a race, it does feel kind of awesome to totally zoom by and pass every single person once in a while.

We passed into Illinois, "land of lincoln" i think. It was a pretty cool sign and funny since the Indiana sign had claimed "boyhood home of Lincoln". Guess everyone just can't get enough of good ol Abraham. I also introduced the group to the group guessing game "Contact" which is kind of like Boticelli. By the end of the day everyone was playing and enjoying it which was cool.

Soon we got into the country roads and basically crossed over into a new universe. When 80% of the road traffic consists of tractors and the only intersections are at least 1 mile apart, you know you're in the heartland. Making a wrong turn would not have gone well. But seriously it was crazy farmland as far as you could see. I just couldn't get over the expansiveness of it. Also the weather was perfectly nice, super clear blue sky.

Just in case we were close to getting a break, a wonderful headwind decided to say hello. The lowest i clocked was 8.6mph cranking my hardest on totally flat land. Yes, It was windy and kind of ridiculous

Also, my fuzzy leopard dice are officially back in business. The string had snapped but i finally fixed them yesterday. I realized that they're not actually dice though since they only have a leopard print on them. Maybe i should call them cubes? Oh decisions...

Changed time zones today! how crazy is that. Pretty cool to have gone 40 miles and have it still technically be 9:30am. Saw a confederate flag flying on a flagpole under an american one and got really excited. Sonya and are still trying to figure out if the motorcycle on it added or detracted from its hardcoreness.

Right before the second lunch at mile 65 I was totally ready for naptime and running on fumes. Within 2 minutes of pulling in started a vigorous 30 min nap that was great. It's after that when the day got interesting.

I decided that i really wanted to ride alone and enjoy the scenery. It was really great to just take it all in in silence and to focus on my thoughts, muscles, and feelings. Large spaces really help me reflect on myself, I guess sort of how people like looking at stars. Plus, racing tractors was a highlight.

So the only issue with this is that all the tractors had somehow spread tar all over the gravel roads. Now tar, gravel, and tires are not the best cocktail, and my bike didn't have the best reaction if you get me. Basically at lunch i was talking about how hilarious it would be if the sticky tar slowly pulled our bikes to a halt. Well, it was not so funny when it actually happened. Basically i realized that even if its not rain, hills, heat, dogs, dehydration, or headwind, something will still find a way to go wrong. My only options were to ride on the tar part of the road and gunk up my tires with more tar, or ride on the gravel, and have it get stuck to the tires. I still never found out what option C was.

I eventually powered on through at a pretty lame pace but it was so awesome to have persevered through such horrible roads. I think everyone felt this way. (Maybe not Larry and Carlos, whose derraileurs actually completely snapped off their bikes) We might as well have been riding on a beach at some points.

Along the way, Debbie was kind enough to fill up my Camelbak with ice from her home which was great. The only thing worse than tar and gravel is tar, gravel, and dehydration. A group of us also took a shade break only to find a beautiful black dog come play with us. I wanted to call him chocolate because of his brown eyes, but the group decided on aptly calling him Tar.

A couple days ago i had started riding and accidentally forgot my helmet. The deal with that is that if you even straddle your bike without a helmet, you have to wear it until you sleep. So yes, i am now walking around in my normal clothes eating dinner wearing a helmet. Guess what i'll never do again...

We're staying at St. Anthony's High School today and are staying in the gym. We played some pickup soccer and basketball which was great destressing, especially the soccer.

Fun happening: I finally wrapped my elbow wound by myself today. I value autonomy and independence very highly and it felt oddly great to be able to accomplish something so small. Being able to be totally in charge and in control of yourself and everything that happens to you is just very appealing to me.

Most guys are growing out the facial hair and its not too scary so far. I may or may not be in that group but I'm definitely growing it out all the way through. Will be fun to see people's reactions in September.

Off to pizza and 91 miles tomorrow!

Hot, Wet Plumbers

Day 24 - June 27, 8:31pm
45 miles. Bedford, IN to Linton, IN

Earliest Journal ever! I am on a roll with my morning packing and its the greatest. You can probably tell since this is like the 5th time I've mentioned it. Yesterday Libby and I promised each other we would ride together and that's exactly what we did today. I haven't ridden an entire route with only one other person since i usually like to mix it up. But it can actually be pretty fun to bond with one other person like that.

The terrain was flat and expansive as usual but there were some hills here and there creeping up on us. We were on the same road all day with not the best shoulder to ride on but with slightly more emotionally stable drivers.

Honestly the flat land is great but im pretty convinced we're already getting spoiled and will get a rude wake up at the Rockies. But thats cool, cause i love it so much right now. And besides I'm sure our badassness will totally kick back in once we face a challenge like that. We had a solid frolic session today to induct Libby into the club. I also managed to score a solid wheelbarrowing victory. Needless to say Libby is fully converted.

We had some pretty great conversation despite the small road shoulder and the heavy traffic on the torso. I've realized that if you ever want to connect with anyone just talk about the opposite sex, or heartbreak, or any of that commiserating stuff. You prob can't start off with it right off the bat, but it'll be a goldmine of insight once you can bring your relationship to that point and i like that.


It was crazy how short the day was and how little there was to actually do out here. We were pulling into Linton 3 hours before our 4pm deadline and were honestly racking our brains to find cool things to stop and waste time on. Can't write without mentioning the super awesome plumber sign though. This one was a keeper. Full disclosure: The magnificent mouth squirt might have taken more than 1 timer shot to get right.

Subway is my new favorite store. Today they were kind enough to feed me for the second day in a row along with Libby. Much thanks to Emily, Mariah, Rebecca, Diana, Carol who were working there and treated us. I was on the verge of super crankiness and they totally pulled through. Note: I take donations very seriously and only ask if I am truly starving and sincere in my request. I always try and be very conscious of not abusing their hospitality.

We were so early that I got to totally degrease and fully clean my chain today in peace without being rushed or tired. None of us have really had that chance all trip. Bike maintainence is so relaxing and i almost want to say even spiritual. You have a really deep connection to this machine that you are riding for 6+ hours a day and that you are dependent on. Thus there's a lot of care, focus and love that goes into cleaning every nook and cranny. Actually taking your time with it can be so therapeutic and relaxing. I can totally see why people love working so much on their cars and other machines after this experience. Plus having it squeaky clean will make my next few days of riding totally smooth.

Some people went to the pool while the cleaning was happening and then we all met for dinner at this great pizzeria at 5:30. They were super kind to donate AND SERVE us an entire meal of salad, breadsticks, and a pizza buffet. Having actual waiters serve us great food when we'd be content scrounging leftovers was out of this world. This reminds of some convos i was having earlier of how one of the major things I'm taking from this trip is a profound sense of perspective for life in the real world. I'd just really like to appreciate simple pleasures in life like eating, sleeping, etc way more the way i do all the time now. It's so ridiculous how much we get caught up in modernity and fail to realize our privilege sometimes. I sometimes want to use the word disgusting. Disappointing is probably how I'd best describe it come to think of it.

On the walk back there was a giant giraffe model kind of randomly on the side of the road. Kinda totally weird and creepy. Also, some people early in the day took a super detour and got to go cliff diving like 40 feet. It was obviously great fun, would've loved to be there. Also, I say also a lot. Also, we did a lap circle sit today where everyone gets in a really tight circle and sits down so that all the weight is supported by everyone. Try it if you're ever in a big group and want to feel cool and special and accomplished. ( I mean its not like humans ever have a need for those things)

The church tonight is super cool, has air conditioning, but most importantly will allow us to watch Star Wars(Episode 5 of course) on its home theater projection system! So pumped for that right now!

Going to Illinois tomorrow! time zone change is imminent. Zones in general are funny to think about. What if we had internal boundaries for like hairstyles or colored armbands or something. Hmm..Please do leave any and all suggestions in the comments.

80 or so miles will be kind of a shock from today but whatever. Off to The Empire Strikes Back!

Easy Street

Day 23 - June 26, 9:12pm
73 miles. Louisville, KY to Bedford, IN

So the whole 5 hours of sleep before intense physical exertion thing wasn't quite the funnest this morning. Though I got it together and am becoming really proud of how on top of my packing and morning routine i now am. The real key has been using bags to put everything in rather than having loose shirts here and there.

There was a wild thunderstorm still raging as we woke up and there was the possibility we might have to be shuttled and not ride, but fortunately it cleared out for our friend the sun! It's also great how 73 miles is so not a big deal anymore.

Crossed into Indiana right across the Ohio River and we all spelled out the name there in our bodies which was fun. (The D is actually lowercase, thanks Jenny) A highlight today was Miranda and I stopping at a Subway 23 miles in and being treated to free sandwiches by the two awesome girls, Kristen and Britney there. They actually asked if i would be able to handle a footlong sandwich. You can guess how i responded.

The day ran very smoothly and we made awesome time on the flat stretches while in pacelines. We even passed by an actual road called "Easy Street" which was amusing. Even moreso than Ohio, we rode on the flattest land I've ever seen. You legit couldn't even see a curve on the horizon for miles. The road just seemed to disappear into nothing which was both weird and cool. I also saw the largest green fields yet which was mindboggling. I expected to see things like that out here but i still can't really believe it.

The other major theme of the day was heat. lots and lots of heat. Even I had a bit too much today as it was easily over 95 with the humidity. The five hours of sleep didn't really help and yes, it is possible to nod off while riding a bike which is kind of scary though it would never really happen. A real treat was putting ice in our waterpacks. Just imagine pure icy pleasure rushing through your veins and that's exactly what we felt.


The church here and the hospitality is amazing. They have a whole gym and we had a lot of fun playing some pickup basketball while waiting for showers. There was also some healthy amounts of ping pong going around. Bedford is actually the limestone capital of the world which is neat and there are all sorts of caves and quarries that i would've loved to explore if we had more time.

For dinner they literally had, I kid you not, 7 types of pasta dishes and only pasta. I was in carbohydrate heaven and the homemade chocolate sauce for the ice cream just added to the euphoria. Sometimes seeing myself and others eat on this trip is scary. I don't think i need to elaborate on that.

Mail came today and my parents sent lots of fun Greek imported products which was great, albeit extremely excessive in the sense that 1 package as opposed to 4 would've also been fine. Either way, thank you mom and dad!

Tomorrow is only 46 miles to LInton which literally feels like a joke at this point. Hope it will be as easy as it sounds...

Wait, as i was just walking to the other room i saw the most intense red pink sunset sky outside. Everyone is just outside chilling and taking it in. Sunsets are glorious and a really undervalued pleasure in life i feel. What if everyone took 10 minutes to just sit, do nothing, stare at the beautiful sky and see what happens. Hopefully we can start right here and you can let me know.

Careful, please don't drop Mickey Mantle's bat

Day 22 - June 25, 11:59pm
Day off. Louisville, KY

Today was an almost perfect rest day. It probably helped that i got to wake up at 10am naturally and comfortably rather than 5am as i will be doing in 5 hours. The joy of such a simple luxury was inexplicable. I got to take my time with my morning routine, catch up on some journaling, and just generally not be too out of it.

I was really excited to get the day going and every minute was made that much better knowing that i had an awesome concert to look forward to that night. A group of us headed out to the Lousiville Slugger museum first. The whole Louisville downtown area is pretty nice and modern. It has all of these crazy painted horses everywhere which are awesome and really fit well as a theme for the city. I also stopped at a fun bagel shop along the way and tried honey walnut cream cheese. Varied selections of flavored cream cheeses drive me wild so this was great.

The actual slugger museum was fantastic. About five of us took the tour but i personally loved it since i have such a connection to baseball. The history and significance of the place was just overwhelming. They actually took us through the factory floor to explain what was being done as guys were doing real work on bats. I learned a ton about differences between white ash, maple, the different tempering processes, the harvesting of wood, etc. At the very least i suppose i'll be a hit at my next cocktail party.

While it was pretty gimmicky, they let you put on gloves and hold an actual bat that mickey mantle once used, which i must say was super cool. Afterwards Doug and I took some swings at the batting cage using Babe Ruth's bat model which def got some stress out.

Afterwards Doug, Miranda and I headed over to a neighborhood called the Highland's which is kind of like the Williamsburg of Louisville in terms of it being all caught up in its hipness. There we saw transformers 2 with the rest of the group. It's storyline and corny comic relief were almost painful but come on. Cars, robots, and more explosions than there are words in this blog all equaled awesomeness. Hearing about the whole Michael Jackson thing just as we exited the theater was just plain weird and kind of sad. Its odd that we're so disconnected from any media of any sort to follow current events like that.

At night a group headed over to the MSTRKRFT concert at 8. I can't say how much i was looking forward to this all day and how lucky i was to get the timing right. Also i was getting really stressed out about getting there late and was really glad to realize that i could consciously notice myself getting antsy. I was able to take a step back, take a breath and realize that there's no need to stress over being late. I usually do get very antsy for things like this and i was very proud in this instance of my ability to take full focus and control of myself and my emotions. It's something Im working on as a goal of leading a life free of these little silly stressors.

The duo finally came on at ten and totally rocked. I got some serious dancing on and it was just such a great and necessary release that i hadn't done in a long while. It felt so amazing and fulfilling to have been able to be in my element like that in such a random place.

All in all the day off was literally a 10 of 10. I enjoyed every second of it and there wasn't any stress of planning or anything. I did three solid things all of which were great and took up the whole day. We all definitely needed something like this to remind us what real life is like. Though I must say that there was some serious cognitive dissonance going on when i had sudden urges to pee in bushes all day long...

Tomorrow is a 5am wakeup so the concert kind of messed up that whole sleep thing but at least it was fun. Live in the moment right? Right?

"You guys are nuts!"

Day 21 - June 24, 1 day late

My morning routine is getting better. Sean gave me a pointer about packing up all my stuff the night before and I'm glad that that whole process is becoming less of an issue in this trip. Also if you think about it, in our worlds of cradled stability, its just really cool to be able to pack and unpack your entire belongings every single day.

The morning started out with a 17 mile coffee break at this cute little town at a place called Lock and Key. It was an old bank with the vault still intact(so cool!) that was this super fair trade, sustainable, homey shop. At 8:30am i proceeded to have a Strawberry milkshake. Still can't figure out whether i should be concerned about that.

We were on a main road pretty much all day so while there were way more towns and things to see along the way, the traffic was pretty heavy for the first part of the day. During the last few miles as we approached Downtown Louisville during rush hour it was pretty uncomfortable riding. For all those NYCers, it was basically the equivalent of riding on Northern Blvd due west.

While we are all very conscious of being to the side of the road, almost everyone had cars honking at them angrily all morning. Highlight: At one point this car in the opposite lane was driving by and this typical middle aged lady sticks her head out of the window and yells "YOU GUYS ARE NUTS" at the top of her lungs with a healthy dose of condescension. We all couldn't help but laugh and get pumped up by it. We're glad to know that its not just us who think we're crazy.

Early in the day we saw a llama! Despite my best efforts i couldnt get it to run with me but still, it was a llama! in the middle of kentucky! so cool. There was also yet another tin man that Jenny and I came across along with the rusted frame of an old ATV. Andy by these two things i mean the perfect photo op.

The riding was a bit more hilly than yesterday but you could tell that people were starting to get used to 86 mile rides as just another day in the life which is good news. What people are not quite used to is the heat of which there was much of. I heard rumors that it had reached above 90+ at some points. You actually feel it less when cycling than when walking due to the breeze but when we were stopped at traffic lights around 4pm we may as well have been in a sauna wrapped in sweaters.

Passing through Frankfort was sorta cool. We got to promontory with a good view of the capital. Just that one hill sent tingling memories of West Virginia. It's always funny i thought how state capitals aren't necessarily that state's most prestigious and funnest cities. It's almost like governance is boring or something.

Since today was our night off we had also decided for it to be Bike and Buiild Prom, aka find the craziest clothes you can at thrift stores and wear them out. Colin, Carlos and I legit crossed six lanes of traffic to get to a goodwill. I was able to snag basically a pair of red polyester genie pants. Note i actually realized that there were some really decent clothes in the store that were simple and modest. There was even this awesome abercrombie and fitch jean jacket that i totally would've nabbed had the size been right.

Near us i realized there was a normal looking couple who had been invited to a wedding and were looking for appropriate clothes. I could've very well imagined seeing them in a Macy's yet they were looking amongst the $3 rack. There was also one of those sweet acrylic back massage things that i think will be put to very good use on this trip. To be totally honest, i felt really slapped in the face when i realized that this very respectable couple along with others in the store were looking for actual clothes while i was just looking for silly garments for a party. It was just kind of humbling in a big sense to realize concretely the way different people treat resources differently according to their situations. I don't think this necessarily registers with us as we so often get caught up in our own universe of possibilities, without the ability to get a fresh perspective.

Some highlights from the night's costumes included reversible leather-leapord skin jackets, a victorian dress, a 70's jumpsuit and all other types of silliness. We all went out to the main commercial nightlife strip of Louisville which was very Times Square-esque. They even somehow had an air conditioned street for one block! These commercial stores were so gimmicky and we soon left to a more local joint. But not before finding out that there is a free MSTRKRFT concert there tomorrow night. My whole face and personality blew up the moment this guy told me about it. I haven't been to a concert in so long, let alone an awesome electronica one that i know will be great. I was and am so so pumped. I've been especially bummed since this trip won't let me see Depeche Mode's tour this summer.

Tomorrow's our first day off which means we do whatever we want. We wake up and go whenever and wherever. I'd like to hit up the Louisville slugger museum and check out some really cool streets that i was recommended. I love exploring new cities, hope it delivers.

Pronounced "A late one"

Day 20 - June 23. 10:10pm

93 miles. Portsmouth, OH to Paris, KY

Probably one of the best mornings yet. We were on the road by seven and the mist added a cool effect. Right before crossing the Ohio River to enter Kentucky we went to check out the Portsmouth Flood Gate murals. Its this .5 mile stretch of floodwalls that trace the history of portsmouth in huge murals. Each one in itself was overwhelming and having about 50 of them was out of this world. My favorite was the very first one showing some kind of weird crop circles which is supposedly Portsmouth at the beggining of time or something. Talk about modest beginnings...They were also totally pristine and graffiti free. Major props to Ohio for that awesome public artwork.

The bridge crossing the ohio river has been our coolest yet, it was one of those A designs and just really pleasant to cross with no car traffic. Right on the other side was our welcome sign into Kentucky, which had a way too long web address. You would think it would simply be kentucky.gov but it was really beautifulpristinewildruggedunbridledkentucky.org or something like that. The whole concept of crossing into states has been kinda wierd in general since it all blends together after a while.

The roads were great though and the Kentucky scenery was really beautiful with its gentle green hills and pastures. At one point there was this awesome red exposed wall of rock on the side of the highway. We made super great time and flew 40 miles all the way into lunch. The day off had really re-energized all of us and we were totally feeling it. Larry and I stuck together the whole day. He was great as always, such a cool dude, Had some good conversation about music, and learned he played the euphonium. I also learned that there is such a thing as a euphonium.

By the second lunch the sun had def started having its way. It's cool though since this soda delivery guy apparently decided to donate several cases of cola to our group. First of all i love regional specialties. This was a cola called Ale - 8 - 1 pronounced "A late one" that's native to Kentucky. The story behind the name still doesn't make sense but it is a ginger drink and I love it.

The riding is great though I wouldn't mind more fun things to do along the way. Most of the time we're literally in the middle of nothingness, as beautiful as it is. Paris is a nice little time which is apparently the land of "Horses, homes, and hospitality" in that order. Could we even think of 3 more awesome words to describe a place?

We're staying at a YMCA tonight and upon arriving we all celebrated our longest day yet(92 miles) with a pool party and some fun diving. Afterwards 14 guys piled into the less than 14 person sauna. Things def got steamy in there.

For dinner we all went out to this decent Chinese restaurant for some MSG goodness in what was yes, the tallest three story building in the world. Again, we ate dinner in the tallest three story building in the world in Paris, Kentucky. Life is great. Also, Colin Hood explained to use that in Asian cultures it is considered crass to hold your chopsticks close to the bottom and the higher up you hold them the more you are respected. My fortune cookie for the night stated: "You are about to pass a difficult test" Deep and personally relevant as always...

Tomorrow is another 5am day and 80ish miles but i'm pumped for Louisville. Hopefully i can pick up a baseball bat (really useful when biking i know), We have our first day off there which will be much welcomed.

"This is how you hold the Nailgun"

Day 19 - June 22, 10:10pm
Portsmouth, OH. Build day

Had our fourth build day today. Didn't go out with the group last night in an attempt to sleep though heard they had an okay time given that it was a Sunday. It's such an incredible feeling waking up and not needing to bike 90 miles after doing it a week straight.

We were working with Habitat for Humanity today. Only the foundation was in and it was our job to fill in dirt both inside and outside of the concrete as well as various other oddjobs. We had some pretty intense assembly lines going at some points and were like a fine tuned bicycle. The big project for the second half of the day was installing all of the first floor support joints. It was our best build day yet. It was sunny(though hot), we were all together, and we were all mostly busy the entire day. Getting to wield the power saw and nail gun was a personal plus for me, or power rush to be more exact. Both the foreman's were named Paul which made for fun. They were super nice and you could just tell that they were great people. They told us that filling in the dirt alone would've taken at least three weeks had we not arrived so it was totally awesome to know what a difference we had made.



Dinner at the church was great. Our trip leader Jenny finally broke her vegetarian streak for want of protein. Oh how fried chicken seduces... I stocked up on baked beans but left lots of room for the tiramisu ice cream!

After dinner we did more affordable housing presentations where Colin King and I presented our Fight Club themed presentation on a case study of a family's healthcare and housing issues. We had been working a lot on it, mostly on how to make it funny. It definitely succeeded in being informative and entertaining and won much applause. Our surprise in the case study was that the wife contracted Lupus, and our comment on how the family was "thrown for a Lup-us" was easily the highlight.

Those just finished and It's incredible how even on our non-cycling days almost every hour of our lives is dominated by some bike and build activity. We're all getting more used to it, aka ruthlessly conditioned, but its a crazy concept how basic our needs and activities have become, namely eat, sleep, bike, build. I've often wondered with others what our lives will be like in August after we've been used to 6am wake up for 72 days, not to mention such huge adrenaline rushes and routinization and group living. We'll need to get our fix from somewhere, I just hope it's relatively harmless and legal.

After being frustrated at losing more of my personal items and searching everywhere tonight, I found they were in the lost and found bin in the middle of the room. That was a happy moment to say the least.

Tomorrow we're going into Paris! Kentucky that is. Its a 92 mile day in 80+ degrees so we'll be waking up at five. Father Dwayne remarked that God doesn't even wake up that early. Either way, I think you get the point.