So I had some minor hesitation starting out this morning, that it wasn't going to be easy to cross the north Carolina border. My first road fails me because it cuts through a military base where hay are launching fighter jets into the air that almost explode your ear drums. So my iPhone renavigates the roads for me because I couldn't get into the military base. But the iPhone comes through.
I ride through a small town with windswept sand all over the road. It's one road with houses on both sides. Sandpiper road and everybody names their house like people name boats. I though it was cute, it inspired to name my bike, Zelda, because the kid who rides it is a legend...haha.
I ride into back bay wildlife refuge, it costs me 2$ and there are tons of neat looking exotic birds but I don't know crap about birds so I just say oh that's nice and ride right on through.
Then it's onto false cape state park, this is where I knew it would get tricky. The ranger assures me I could cross into the NC cape. He says it's about 6 miles and I may encounter 2 sand dunes I might not be able to ride through. Well 2 didn't seem so bad I think. But the problem is once I cross the state line it will be about 1pm and high tide is at 1pm. He says my best bet will be getting to the beach and riding it during low tide. I think well one obstacle at a time and start on my way through the false cape trail. 5 miles in I have to admit it was a remarkable ride not a person in site and just beautiful. I encounter my first sand dune with about 1.5 miles to go. It's bad real deep and walking the bike that has about 80 lbs of gear on it is a monster task. The bugs start buzzing and sticking to my sweat covered head. I rip my helmet off and start cursing....hahaha. This is funny now! I knew I only had to put up with it a mile or two and I asked god why he was making me suffer, he said if it was easy everybody would do it. I said oh ya right good point.
I fight on through and make it out into NC after hoisting my bike over a 6' horse fence. I drop into NC and think now WTF? I see horses and deer and sand roads??? Which way? I pull out my little paper map from the ranger and see the way to the beach.
Pushing my bike on the beach for a bit in midday is tough work! I remove my shoes and jump into the ocean much better now. Back to pushing on the compact sand close to the water waiting for my redneck saint to carry me to highway 12. It's about 10 miles from where I am. I'm wAlking barefoot with my shoes wedged somewhere on my bike. Probably about 20 mins later I see there is a shoe missing. F$&@! I look back and see it !, leaving the bike behind and run up to it. When a guy in a white pickup pulls up heading my direction. I tell him my situation and he says ya no problem! He was just on his way to the local hardware store and driving on corova beach is the only way to get there from his house! Awesome!
I get my lift to the pavement and I'm glad to be back on the bike doing my thing. I ride through kitty hawk, naggs head, and I'm not that impressed. It's nice and all but I think I was expecting more. So 50 more miles till my destination, Oregon inlet camping ground. I make it! Get there late there was nobody at the desk to register so I get another free night sleep.
While setting up the bike tent an older man approached me in amazement of the tent, we start talking. He just completed an 800 mile ride across NC. Nice guy he is he hands me about 20 power bars! He said he never wants to eat another one again, having just lived off them for 3 weeks. I gladly accept. I take a cold shower because there is no warm water and settle in to an evening inside my tent because the mosquitoes are pretty bad outside.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Along walk in the rain....
Well it was more like a drizzle. But something happened to me while walking on the deserted boardwalk. I had a moment where I came to realize where exactly I am and just how I got there. I'm 350 miles from home by myself, with only my next destination ahead on my mind. I arrived here by my bicycle the same bike i ride around my neighborhood for the last 6 years and here it sits in virginia beach. Plus it cost me nothing to arrive here, no gas, no plane no train just pedal power. This isn't your ordinary way of travel but I swear to you I have not a worry in the world! Today on that boardwalk I've reached a place filled with maximum grattitude, peacefulness, contentedness, joy, excitement, amazement!
It started this morning when a friend from new York city texted me an AA meeting schedule in va beach. I went to a 10am meeting. There was this guy Jim celebrating a year of the good life! He was with his wife kierston and I asked them for a list back to my hotel 12 blocks away. Before I left the car we had a good talk about life he asked me for my info and I gave him the blog link and he also demanded I give him an autograph...haha. Stepping out of that car it hit me how mofo blessed I am. To be me with everything I've got. And I'm not just talking about this trip just in general. I challenge you right now to find 10 things your greateful for and if you do how easy it will be to find 10 more.
I then walked into a sports bar for lunch and some NFL action. I met David who was sitting right next to me and use to play ball for the redskins. We chatted a bit and he was playing text game with a "hot chic" from last night who he met wasted at the club. Listening to it brings me back to my old life of insanity and reminds me how better off I am without it all.
So today I spend chilling around the hostel resting up. I meet my roomate Robbie a cool kid from England. Tonights his last night here on the U.S. And he is spending it with a girl he met here in Virginia beach. Isn't it way more interesting meeting people and seeing what they are up to then worrying about my own life.
Tomorrow my ride starts with a call to cape hatteras national seashore to see how often the ferries are running. I was thinking about asking them how to go about my ride. But most conservists say you can't do it it's too hard and the roads don't connect. But the info I got from ray at the bike shop is what I'm relying on. Ride straight down into the cape, past a small town, follow the pine needle path into the wilderness for 10 miles. When it ends you will come out into a redneck town that doesn't have roads only sand roads with 4x4 vehicles. There you will look for somebody and tell them your story. Here is the risky part. I need to ask them for a lift 10 miles down the sand to connect me to route 12. If this part happens I'm home free! I'm not even gonna mention plan B because I'm thinking positive that plan A will happen.
Once I connect back to 12 I'm in for the ride of a lifetime 100 miles of outerbank beaches relying on two ferries to connect me back to the mainland. I'm thinking about making this a 2 day trip with camping out one night in the state park. I'm freaking thrilled right now for tomorrow morning! What's beautiful about this is there is now way you could have planned this from Philly. No map would have showed you the pine needle trail. And no where on the Internet did it say go to the town of sand roads and ask a redneck in a pickup for a lift through town. People are incredible, more importantly or even bigger is God who will strategically place the elements of information and the right people to deliver them to you when you step out and live by that reliance on faith!
After that it's on to Wilmington NC to see a friend I met at icypaa in NYC. Then Myrtle beach. Right now Florida isn't even in the planning stages I'm just gonna take it like 1 or 2 rides at a time.
It started this morning when a friend from new York city texted me an AA meeting schedule in va beach. I went to a 10am meeting. There was this guy Jim celebrating a year of the good life! He was with his wife kierston and I asked them for a list back to my hotel 12 blocks away. Before I left the car we had a good talk about life he asked me for my info and I gave him the blog link and he also demanded I give him an autograph...haha. Stepping out of that car it hit me how mofo blessed I am. To be me with everything I've got. And I'm not just talking about this trip just in general. I challenge you right now to find 10 things your greateful for and if you do how easy it will be to find 10 more.
I then walked into a sports bar for lunch and some NFL action. I met David who was sitting right next to me and use to play ball for the redskins. We chatted a bit and he was playing text game with a "hot chic" from last night who he met wasted at the club. Listening to it brings me back to my old life of insanity and reminds me how better off I am without it all.
So today I spend chilling around the hostel resting up. I meet my roomate Robbie a cool kid from England. Tonights his last night here on the U.S. And he is spending it with a girl he met here in Virginia beach. Isn't it way more interesting meeting people and seeing what they are up to then worrying about my own life.
Tomorrow my ride starts with a call to cape hatteras national seashore to see how often the ferries are running. I was thinking about asking them how to go about my ride. But most conservists say you can't do it it's too hard and the roads don't connect. But the info I got from ray at the bike shop is what I'm relying on. Ride straight down into the cape, past a small town, follow the pine needle path into the wilderness for 10 miles. When it ends you will come out into a redneck town that doesn't have roads only sand roads with 4x4 vehicles. There you will look for somebody and tell them your story. Here is the risky part. I need to ask them for a lift 10 miles down the sand to connect me to route 12. If this part happens I'm home free! I'm not even gonna mention plan B because I'm thinking positive that plan A will happen.
Once I connect back to 12 I'm in for the ride of a lifetime 100 miles of outerbank beaches relying on two ferries to connect me back to the mainland. I'm thinking about making this a 2 day trip with camping out one night in the state park. I'm freaking thrilled right now for tomorrow morning! What's beautiful about this is there is now way you could have planned this from Philly. No map would have showed you the pine needle trail. And no where on the Internet did it say go to the town of sand roads and ask a redneck in a pickup for a lift through town. People are incredible, more importantly or even bigger is God who will strategically place the elements of information and the right people to deliver them to you when you step out and live by that reliance on faith!
After that it's on to Wilmington NC to see a friend I met at icypaa in NYC. Then Myrtle beach. Right now Florida isn't even in the planning stages I'm just gonna take it like 1 or 2 rides at a time.
It all worked out beautifully
Wow, is really the one word to sum up my day yesterday. Well I still don't really believe it but I rode the entire del-mar-va peninsula yesterday. 130 miles into 10mph winds, this is incredible for me. Ya know I really believed in myself about 10 miles into the ride and it happened.
Riding route 13 the entire way I saw way backwoods things. And it's amazing how much stuff you find on the shoulder of a road, mostly various tools that I would pick up but I don't want to be hauling the weight. So my ride is pretty decent, mostly countryside, then temperature is good, gas stations to fill up drinks are no too rare, body is feeling good, then about 80 miles in.....
Flat tire in the back, which is more difficult then a flat in the front but anyway. I take off all my gear attached to the bike, remove the wheel and then notice I have a broken spoke! Not cool because I forgot spokes. Having a broken spoke makes the wheel wobble like it's bent. So I replace the flat, put the wheel back on and then see it wobbles so much it doesn't clear my brake pad! Now I'm not real happy I'm in the middle of nowhere and know it's not even asking if there is a bike shop around because I can guarantee there isn't! I end up just completely disconnecting the back brake because trying to true the wheel with the neighboring spokes was taking too long. So I over inflate the wheel and get back on the road moving pretty good again but feeling a little uneasy about my ghetto fix.
I finally see a sign I like 30 miles to the bay bridge and tunnel. I call ahead and tell the toll authority I'm about 2 hours out and need a lift across. I did some research on this before I left and knew what I had to do. They say not a problem see you soon and were very nice. I get there and wait out back for my ride. Charles shows up in a pickup truck we load the bike in and pull around so I can pay the toll, ok I'm not complaining about 12$. At this point I melt into the pickup seat because for the last 3 hours this moment was front and center on my mind! It's a nice ride across and I just kinda zone out for a minute before the stressing starts.
I get across and the plan was to stay with a friend but that connection failed me so now I need to find a place. I call a hostel on the side of the road and book a hotel room with them for 60$ a night right in the middle of the action! Great! But priority #1 is fixing this freaking bike!
I iPhone bike shops and find one on my way to the hotel but now it's 5:30 Saturday and my fear is there closing soon and probably not open tomorrow. And in the meantime I get a slow leak in the back tire that requires pimping up every 20 minutes. Ok people right now I've had enough riding for today, enough of it all, but I know how vital it is to get to a bike shop and get this fixed asap. Oh and by the way I don't know how I'm still riding because my legs are at about 10%. so first bike shop closed, but they recommend another open till 8 but 5 miles away. I ride there in about 10 minutes somehow. I meet a guy named ray, tell him my situation and we get started on my bike right away. He even goes over the whole bike and finds another minor problem with my handlebars. He and the other tech Rhett are real cool dudes and they give me info on my next portion of the ride. So it's now dark I'm all fixed up for 20$ and I leave to find my hotel.
Another 5 freaking miles to it, and I have a pretty dangerous encounter with a speeding Ferrari. But anyway I get there safely and check in. Wow I have arrived my very own hard earned hotel room, amazing. I shower up and walk out to the beach and boardwalk 1 block away kinda feeling like a zombie. Eat some pizza take a look around and head back to the room for the highly anticipated bed time. I decide to stay in Virginia beach for another day because there us rain on the way and my legs are screaming at me. Tomorrow I move to the hostel bed for 20$
Riding route 13 the entire way I saw way backwoods things. And it's amazing how much stuff you find on the shoulder of a road, mostly various tools that I would pick up but I don't want to be hauling the weight. So my ride is pretty decent, mostly countryside, then temperature is good, gas stations to fill up drinks are no too rare, body is feeling good, then about 80 miles in.....
Flat tire in the back, which is more difficult then a flat in the front but anyway. I take off all my gear attached to the bike, remove the wheel and then notice I have a broken spoke! Not cool because I forgot spokes. Having a broken spoke makes the wheel wobble like it's bent. So I replace the flat, put the wheel back on and then see it wobbles so much it doesn't clear my brake pad! Now I'm not real happy I'm in the middle of nowhere and know it's not even asking if there is a bike shop around because I can guarantee there isn't! I end up just completely disconnecting the back brake because trying to true the wheel with the neighboring spokes was taking too long. So I over inflate the wheel and get back on the road moving pretty good again but feeling a little uneasy about my ghetto fix.
I finally see a sign I like 30 miles to the bay bridge and tunnel. I call ahead and tell the toll authority I'm about 2 hours out and need a lift across. I did some research on this before I left and knew what I had to do. They say not a problem see you soon and were very nice. I get there and wait out back for my ride. Charles shows up in a pickup truck we load the bike in and pull around so I can pay the toll, ok I'm not complaining about 12$. At this point I melt into the pickup seat because for the last 3 hours this moment was front and center on my mind! It's a nice ride across and I just kinda zone out for a minute before the stressing starts.
I get across and the plan was to stay with a friend but that connection failed me so now I need to find a place. I call a hostel on the side of the road and book a hotel room with them for 60$ a night right in the middle of the action! Great! But priority #1 is fixing this freaking bike!
I iPhone bike shops and find one on my way to the hotel but now it's 5:30 Saturday and my fear is there closing soon and probably not open tomorrow. And in the meantime I get a slow leak in the back tire that requires pimping up every 20 minutes. Ok people right now I've had enough riding for today, enough of it all, but I know how vital it is to get to a bike shop and get this fixed asap. Oh and by the way I don't know how I'm still riding because my legs are at about 10%. so first bike shop closed, but they recommend another open till 8 but 5 miles away. I ride there in about 10 minutes somehow. I meet a guy named ray, tell him my situation and we get started on my bike right away. He even goes over the whole bike and finds another minor problem with my handlebars. He and the other tech Rhett are real cool dudes and they give me info on my next portion of the ride. So it's now dark I'm all fixed up for 20$ and I leave to find my hotel.
Another 5 freaking miles to it, and I have a pretty dangerous encounter with a speeding Ferrari. But anyway I get there safely and check in. Wow I have arrived my very own hard earned hotel room, amazing. I shower up and walk out to the beach and boardwalk 1 block away kinda feeling like a zombie. Eat some pizza take a look around and head back to the room for the highly anticipated bed time. I decide to stay in Virginia beach for another day because there us rain on the way and my legs are screaming at me. Tomorrow I move to the hostel bed for 20$
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Spaghetti and meatballs
So glad about the decision to stay in assateague last night. While chilling in the stuffy smelly mens restrooms waiting for my iPod to charge my neighbor camper introduced himself. He said hey are you the kid that snuck in with that bike tent thing?, you alone? Yes and yes was my answers. He invited me over to join his camp. Well they are all from Chester county, and his Italian wife Monica insisted I eat some hot food. Spaghetti and meatballs it was, ya know I dint turn down food. So we all enjoyed a great night around the campfire, beautiful. Thanks Monica, bob and they're wise cracking friend Alexis.
I grab a morning coffee and a muffin from my great new camping family. Then some high-power electronic music powered me through 30 miles quickly. I ride through a small town called sno hill with about 3 houses a city hall and a supermarket. And somebody was cooking bacon cause I'm on a bike and hungry the scent stayed with me for about a mile sown the road. So today I'm borrowing the shoulder on Maryland route 611, 376, 113 and Virginia 13.
It seems everybody I meet and talk with is truly inspired. From ages 60 to 10 they all say pretty much the same thing...they are envious and wish they could do this. That tells me I'm where I'm supposed to be. Now if my mom could just see it this way...haha. Thanks again to my friends who have inspired me to write more! I'm liking it
So my rest stop at Arbys is about through, just had a good pecan salad sandwich I would def recommend it! Fill up my bottles and hit the road. I don't know how much farther to Virginia beach but right now I don't want to know!
Oh ya one more thing, so I already know impatience and carelessness will take me out of this trip. So this morning as I'm being impatient going through my disasemble of my tent that takes only 20 mins. I gingerly jam (force) my tent back through the break cables onto the handlebars and sever the computer wire. Idiot!... So I attempt to ghetto rig it back, because that's how I fix stuff, doing it the right way just takes too long..haha. So I connect it back and can't get it to work, which sucks cause it gives me something to look at and play with on the bike. Without it I don't know my milage or speed. So I gotta go I can't mess with it all day. I accept it ain't gonna work all day, ten miles into the ride I look down and it's working. Magical, but so is the universe and the planet when your nice to it. Love this place!
It seems everybody
I grab a morning coffee and a muffin from my great new camping family. Then some high-power electronic music powered me through 30 miles quickly. I ride through a small town called sno hill with about 3 houses a city hall and a supermarket. And somebody was cooking bacon cause I'm on a bike and hungry the scent stayed with me for about a mile sown the road. So today I'm borrowing the shoulder on Maryland route 611, 376, 113 and Virginia 13.
It seems everybody I meet and talk with is truly inspired. From ages 60 to 10 they all say pretty much the same thing...they are envious and wish they could do this. That tells me I'm where I'm supposed to be. Now if my mom could just see it this way...haha. Thanks again to my friends who have inspired me to write more! I'm liking it
So my rest stop at Arbys is about through, just had a good pecan salad sandwich I would def recommend it! Fill up my bottles and hit the road. I don't know how much farther to Virginia beach but right now I don't want to know!
Oh ya one more thing, so I already know impatience and carelessness will take me out of this trip. So this morning as I'm being impatient going through my disasemble of my tent that takes only 20 mins. I gingerly jam (force) my tent back through the break cables onto the handlebars and sever the computer wire. Idiot!... So I attempt to ghetto rig it back, because that's how I fix stuff, doing it the right way just takes too long..haha. So I connect it back and can't get it to work, which sucks cause it gives me something to look at and play with on the bike. Without it I don't know my milage or speed. So I gotta go I can't mess with it all day. I accept it ain't gonna work all day, ten miles into the ride I look down and it's working. Magical, but so is the universe and the planet when your nice to it. Love this place!
It seems everybody
Friday, September 10, 2010
Day 2
This just keeps getting better really! And it was already awesome. I woke up kinda wet from condensation in my tent and then kinda had to sneak out of the shed factory behind which I was staying because there was a pickup moving equipment close by but this is an adventure and it's mine so why not. I woke up super startled because I thought a plane was crashing into me. Well it wasn't crashing but it was a farmer dusting his crops, and was actually really cool. I rode 20 miles and pulled over at a produce stand to buy me some oeaches for breakfast. Good call. Then onto lewes Delaware for a little coffee shop action. Found
The place I was looking for accidentally and what a find it was. I got a puffin muffin which is a croissant crust with a blueberry muffin inside it. The owner was such a nice lady she was busy roasting beans and hustling around but stopped to help me. Some lady came in and gave the owner flowers. She explained "you probably don't remember me but one day I came in for coffee and didn't have enough money, you said just take it but I say these flowers are now for you." that blew me away.
I then talked to a couple people and they convinced me to go to cape hatteras!! So I'm going.
Back on the road 30 more miles to ocean city, I pass through rehobeth, Dewey, Bethany, then ocean city. I really took my time today for some reason probably cause I started out early. Then I hit a Starbucks charge the iPods, relax on a sofa (what a luxury) wash my face, talk to two old guys. They tell me it's 55 miles to chincoteague and it doesn't connect to assateague. That's bad news because I was hoping to be to chincoteague tonight. I have 3 hours to ride 55 miles, it's kinda windy already...forget it!, I would have been pissed off the whole way!
So because I'm easy breezy I decide to go to assateague which is only 10 away. It turns out to be the right call! Amazing views as I'm crossing a bike only bridge. I see the ponies already. Check in to a camp site and hit the beach! Oh and get to shower with hot water (another luxury)
So tonight I take it easy, fortunately my campsite is right on the beach, waves crashing with a breeze blowing through my tent, again this life is not bad.
But tomorrow my goal is to ride 130 miles into Virginia beach! That's big for me but I hear the winds are out of the east and it is doable as long as I get out there at the crack, but we'll see.
The place I was looking for accidentally and what a find it was. I got a puffin muffin which is a croissant crust with a blueberry muffin inside it. The owner was such a nice lady she was busy roasting beans and hustling around but stopped to help me. Some lady came in and gave the owner flowers. She explained "you probably don't remember me but one day I came in for coffee and didn't have enough money, you said just take it but I say these flowers are now for you." that blew me away.
I then talked to a couple people and they convinced me to go to cape hatteras!! So I'm going.
Back on the road 30 more miles to ocean city, I pass through rehobeth, Dewey, Bethany, then ocean city. I really took my time today for some reason probably cause I started out early. Then I hit a Starbucks charge the iPods, relax on a sofa (what a luxury) wash my face, talk to two old guys. They tell me it's 55 miles to chincoteague and it doesn't connect to assateague. That's bad news because I was hoping to be to chincoteague tonight. I have 3 hours to ride 55 miles, it's kinda windy already...forget it!, I would have been pissed off the whole way!
So because I'm easy breezy I decide to go to assateague which is only 10 away. It turns out to be the right call! Amazing views as I'm crossing a bike only bridge. I see the ponies already. Check in to a camp site and hit the beach! Oh and get to shower with hot water (another luxury)
So tonight I take it easy, fortunately my campsite is right on the beach, waves crashing with a breeze blowing through my tent, again this life is not bad.
But tomorrow my goal is to ride 130 miles into Virginia beach! That's big for me but I hear the winds are out of the east and it is doable as long as I get out there at the crack, but we'll see.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Alone in the woods
Well not really I'm camped out behind a shed factory outside of Milford deleware. I rode 100 miles today 40 with some serious wind and I feel great. Once I got out of Philly I was seriously inspired. Plus it was trash day in west Philly and that stank. I rode route 9 from outside Wilmington. That rode was awesome huge bridge with a bike lane, nice views of the fields and glimpses at the ocean. I basically didn't eat much today but spent about 10$ on powerade. I'm camped out facing my fear of the dark but I got a sweet spot. Tomorrow I hit the beaches and prob set up on assateague somewhere. Today really could have not gone better, except the 1 hour intense stomachache...don't know where that came from. I have total confidence in that bike that me and it will arrive safely in Miami. I def packed too much food the bike is tons heavy, but it and the hills were no match for me cause I'm a beast!...haha
here we go
Well its game time, i think i might have packed a bit too much food, but this kid likes to eat. Once i get started i should be good to go. Day one Im leaving my house at about 11am and hope to ride 80 miles and setup outside dover delaware somewhere dark and safe. No turning back now. I do have some healthy fear going on right now, maybe a little stronger than I'd like but I'm about to face that right now. Cant wait to see what kind of breakthroughs are just ahead.
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