Parting of the Fellowship?

As I'm sure you've noticed I haven't been particularly up-to-date with this blog, but I hope to be in the future...ooph

I haven't been too concerned because Siemen and John have both done amazing things with their blogs. Siemen has updated continuously since we joined back up with him on Day 42

Unfortunately for us Siemen has ventured off to the Southwest to take a small vacation with his parents, they should have an amazing time but we lose a fantastic riding partner!

John continues to update his own blog here and we'll continue to travel together.

For now its the Fourth of July and we're in Rawlins Wyoming! Have a happy and safe one, for my part I'm going to go locate a corn dog.

End of Missouri beginning of Kansas

First of all, Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park was awesome.

Also, the Ozark Mountains, though really I wouldn't necessarily consider them mountains, were difficult. We struggled through them for about three days, climbing hills for about a half-hour and descending wildy for three minutes to a river valley only to begin a new climb. Yet, after one long climb the river valleys levelled out at a 1000 feet and the plains opened up in front of us. The last day of the Ozarks we completed nearly ninety miles and the weary travellers entered the Golden City and the beginning of Kansas.

The thing about Kansas that most people don't mention is the wind. The elements to be concerned about have changed and now we're praying to the god of the East Wind, Eurus, to allow us passage across the plains. So Joe, John, and I are currently residing in Chanute KS waiting out the heat. We've met a few other west-bound travellers and hope to see them on the road again soon. Also, we've started to encounter more East-Bounders and hope to talk to some soon!

If you're looking for some more perspectives and some great pictures check out John Lucanera's blog here we joined up with John for his "Back on the Road Again" entry.

Farewell Siemen, for now...

Yesterday morning we left Siemen on the banks of the Mississippi in a small town called Chester. He's on his way north to St. Louis and a different trail, but we're hopeful to catch back up with him sometime in Kansas...

Thusly, Joe, John, and myself (Alan has gone to visit a brother in Chicago) department the town of Chester where the original Popeye the Sailor Man was from incidentally. Passing statues of Swee' Pee, Bluto and of course Popeye we crossed the decent sized bridge over the Mississippi and have made our way into Missouri. Currently we're resting comfortably in a biker's hostel in the foothills of the Ozarks and today should be in the midst of those mountains.

Looking forward to some climbing!

Great Dominions

Caught in a thunderstorm in a volunteer fire department at the moment, makes me think of all the fantastic people we've met so far...

Coming out of a supermarket in Berea a few long days ago we stumbled upon a 92 year old man pushing his cart to his car. He stopped and chatted with us for a bit, asked us about the country and how we were finding the trip. After a little bit we made to leave, and he left us with the parting idea of how confident he was in the strength of the US because of the kindness of the American people.

We've been through some desolate areas on this trip thus far but have managed to get through due to the extreme generosity of many. The day before last we slept in a grocery managed by a middle aged couple Arnold and Lucy who had no qualms about taking us in and cooking us a huge delicious spaghetti dinner. The Lees of Radford allowed us to camp in their backyard and let us use their car to drive around town. David of the hills of Hindmen took us in and fed us more than we could stomach, which has become quite a task. Its often that people will approach us and start talking, perhaps because its so easy to start one with our bikes as conversation pieces. I tend to think that we do want to reach out and just talk to one another, the hard part is starting the conversation...

Ted came out again last night which was a great time. Now it is myself, Joe, Alan, Siemen, John, and Jim holed up waiting out the storm. We passed into Central Time, passed the 1,000 mile limit and tomorrow should be passing out of Kentucky. The wagon moves forward.

Define Gumption

Hello all, I apologize for not updating this in awhile. Currently resting well in Berea KY after two sixty-plus days over rough terrain. The landscapes around this country have been breathtaking...literally. We're continuing on the trail now, five of us all told--myself, Joe, Alan, Siemen, and now John. Unfortunately Ryan extended his knee in the wrong sort of way but was lucky not to have sustained a more critical injury, we wish him the best.

A recent highlight has been seeing my good old friend Tedde Harden yesterday evening here in Berea. After taking Joe to the hospital for his hands, some poison oak in the wounds (he's doing really well now) everything became amazing for us one of the doctors there alerted us to a free pasta dinner with a live show and the day that had been rainy became warm and sunny.

All told, a free outdoor concert, dinner, and a ska show afterwards in this small town. Last evening we stayed in an RV campground, its interesting finding a new place to sleep each night, church grounds, campgrounds, local yards, famous residences, battlefields etc etc.

Moving out soon and will be in Illinois before next week trying to catch some people in front of us who we have become aware of due to log books at different campsites--even one fellow completing the trail on a unicycle! Also I'm growing a beard which you'll be able to see on Siemens blog. Check for pictures there!

Check this out!

In Rural Retreat for a little bit longer than we thought today. Turns out that *the* Dr. Pepper had lived and died here, staying at the Historical Society Hostel has been a real treat.

Mostly though I'd like to direct your attention to a fellow blogger who we are currently travelling, Siemen has a bunch of awesome pics!

We joined up with the Crazy Belgian on Day 13.

Trip Update

The trip is now headed towards the town of Damascus, Virginia after a short stop in Radford with the cookie lady on the TransAmerica Trail.

Trip Update

The first days of travel reached towns such as Mechanicsville and Charlottesville Virginia. After four days of traveling the journey has reached the skyline drive in Virginia. Over 150 miles and many more to go!

Departure Day Photos

Departure Day

See you next in Virginia! We're off to see America. Here's one from Christina Rosseetti:

By the Sea

Why does the sea moan evermore?
Shut out from heaven it makes its moan,
It frets against the boundary shore;
All earth's full rivers cannot fill
The sea, that drinking thirsteth still.

Sheer miracles of loveliness
Lie hid in its unlooked-on bed:
Anemones, salt, passionless,
Blow flower-like; just enough alive
To blow and multiply and thrive.

Shells quaint with curve, or spot, or spike,
Encrusted live things argus-eyed,
All fair alike, yet all unlike,
Are born without a pang, and die
Without a pang, and so pass by.

As t approaches Zero

Nearing departure day and I'm looking for some musical inspiration. I do think I'll be able to update this blog more than one would think, most of the US should have wireless by now right? Ha.

Also, I look forward to finding out how to post pictures on here while on the road, most likely I'll find out how to do it on the final day. If you'd like a personalized postcard from the American country I'd love to send you one, just send me your address at wsankey@gmail.com

My brother just returned from a semester abroad in Brussels bearing a fancy cuckoo clock, I can hear its chime from upstairs. I think I'm going to miss that clock and the family dearly. I've had a real blast these past couple of weeks in Orange County, perhaps because of the realization that I'd be leaving soon and for an extended period. There's a saying that goes that the best time to leave a party is after making a really good joke. Sometimes you have to wonder if the jokes on you...

Good and boring

I guess I was warned about it, but I don't think I'll be carting around a box of these. On the other hand they did have one of these gels entitled "Espresso Love" which was o.k.

I don't think I'll ever understand the market for "plain." Makes me think of the Simpsons episode where Home scales the Murderhorn using Power Sauce.

Time to unleash the power of plain. I think I'll be mostly unleashing the power of regular food.

Required Reading

Thanks to Chris Wilson for this gem.

There isn't all that much beyond the necessities that we'll be carrying along the way. However, where we can spice up the load is in our reading choices. For the bookworms among us this is a pretty important decision, there are many books that we'd like to read or that have been recommended to us. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there's not too much space left in the pack for reading material -- but I think I've finalized the list...

L&C - thought this was rather appropriate, perhaps we'll even cross over their route.

Proust - Tedde Roosevelt read Anna Karenina on one of his outback treks, thought I'd pack a foreigner to provide a small refuge against the Americana.

Roosevelt - Naturally.


Math - Something to help me sleep at night.

And then Ryan and Joe may be bringing items themselves, I haven't spoken with Ryan about it yet but I am definitely excited to swap of the above for a bit of what Joe's carting

Daunting as this list is, it was worse until someone mentioned I should drop something. That something ended up being the Econometrics. Ugh, glad that isn't in there anymore.

What books would you bring along?

Maps

One From the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

And one courtesy of Joe Martin:



View Ocho Across America in a larger map

The Complex

I'd like to give a shout out to the Women's Studio Workshop where the following video (below) comes from, a lot of great people there doing some amazing things.

I link to this video because its awesome but also because I think I'd like to have the song stuck in my head for the entire ride across...

The Complex of All of These

The Things They Carried...

From Tim O'Briens book:

They carried USO stationery and pencils and pens. They carried Sterno, safety pins, trip flares, signal flares, spools of wire, razor blades, chewing tobacco, liberated joss sticks and statuettes of the sniffing Buddha, candles, grease pencils, The Stars and Stripes, fingernail clippers, Psy Ops leaflets, bush hats, bolos, and much more. Twice a week, when the resupply choppers came in, they carried hot chow in green Mermite cans and large canvas bags filled with iced beer and soda pop. They carried plastic water containers, each with a two gallon capacity. Mitchell Sanders carried a set of starched tiger fatigues for special occasions. Henry Dobbins carried Black Flag insecticide. Dave Jensen carried empty sandbags that could be filled at night for added protection. Lee Strunk carried tanning lotion. Some things they carried in common. Taking turns, they carried the big PRC-77 scrambler radio, which weighed thirty pounds with its battery. They shared the weight of memory. They took up what others could no longer bear, Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak. They carried infections. They carried chess sets, basketballs, Vietnamese English dictionaries, insignia of rank, Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts, plastic cards imprinted with the Code of Conduct. They carried diseases, among them malaria and dysentery. They carried lice and ringworm and leeches and paddy algae and various rots and molds. They carried the land itself.

For our part we'll be carrying tents, sleeping bags, cooking supplies, clothes, sunblock, chain lube, spare tubes, paperbacks, bags, wallets, twenty-dollar bills, bananas, nutella, rain gear, stoves, cameras, and ourselves.

T-Minus 23 days (approximately)

The route is set, the destination known. In less than four weeks Joseph Martin, Ryan Quinn and myself, the ever adventurous (and modest) Will Sankey will all head off from Yorktown Virginia towards the West Coast via touring bike.

The trip will last about 80 days and will cover a swathe of states encompassing what I assume to be the "Real America." With some luck we'll learn a thing or two about our own limits, about the size of the country, how to complete some predetermined goals, and maybe even make some friends along the way.

We've acquired the gear, we've acquired the maps, and soon we'll acquire some muscle and grit. I'll be here giving updates on our progress, what we're eating, where we're sleeping and what we make of this country.

I'd like to thank my family and friends for support and inspiration, nothing ever happens in a vacuum.