Final Post

First a big thanks to all the people I stayed with a long the way and all the friends I met or met-up with during the trip.

Here are a few statistics followed by some lessons learned/thoughts should someone else find this site and do a similar trip.

Total days: 46
Days riding: 31
Days resting: 14
Days on a bus: 1

(following are approximate)
Total Miles: 4,200
Miles by Bicycle: 3,400
Miles by Bus: 500
Miles by Car: 200
Miles by Public Transit: 100

(excluding rest days)
Hours Spent Pedaling: 300
Hours Spent in other Travel: 15
Hours Spent Sleeping: 250
Hours Spent in Pizza Hut: 20
Hours doing other stuff: 180

Pizza Huts eaten at: 9

Day 31: No longer homeless

Home, or something like it.

Day 31: Finished

Done.

Day 31: Final Day

I camped out last night just past New London, putting me just over 100 miles out from Boston. This morning I am going to head to Providence, RI, where I am planning to stop for a brief lunch before I push on to HKS; hopefully arriving there by 4pm or so.

I am looking forward to being done with this trip and start preparing for the school year. I have developed a massive "To Do" list of things I have put off while on this bike trip and things I need to do be ready for school. First up: I have my household goods (Army term) being delivered tomorrow and it is finally time for a hair (and beard) cut.

Day 30: Into New England

Visiting New Haven, CT. I have adjusted my route to continue East for now and then cut North through Rhode Island to Providence and on up to Boston. Hoping to get close to Rhode Island tonight.

Day 29: End

In New York City. Taking Saturday off before I continue North....for just 2 more days of riding.

In Philly

First bite of an authentic Philly Cheese Steak.

Arriving in Philly

In Philly.

Day 28: Through Baltimore

I did ford the river yesterday, it was pretty muddy and didn't have a good exit on the far side. I carried my bags over on the first trip, and then my bike on the second.

In the next town, I first stopped to borrow someone's hose to wash off and then found a place for dinner. Following dinner I continued on to Baltimore and found a nice hidden grassy area a long the bike trail to sleep at--probably my second to last night camping out.

I guess the last week+ sleeping indoors has spoiled me, because I slept poorly despite good conditions. Woke up at 5:45 and continued on out of the city. Looking forward to getting to Philly this afternoon where I will meet up with a friend I worked with in Najaf that just started at Wharton (U Penn), and enjoy another night indoors.

Day 27: Going through Maryland

Bridge is missing. Ford or take a 7 mile detour.

In DC

Arrived in DC at noon today. Spent the afternoon riding around the Mall seeing the sites here in DC. Of course a lot of good picture oppertunities, but unfortunately my phone decided to quit on life last night.

My phone had gotten wet Saturday night, and after spending a bunch of time at Verizon stores Sunday it looked like it was fully operational; however after about 6 hours of riding on the bus the phone just stopped on me. Verizon is mailing m a replacement that should arrrive Wednesday, so won't effect my schedule too much, as long as the phone arrives on time.

I am staying with my friend Evan--a FSO I worked with on the Najaf PRT in Iraq. Tomorrow we are meeting up with LTC Miska for lunch, and I will spend some more time sight seeing in DC.

On to DC.

Just left Cincinnati for DC...ended up taking the bus, it is actually a little faster. I should get into DC by noon, and will spend a few days visiting some friends I worked with there before continuing North to Philly.

I had a great time in Cincinnati and met a bunch of great new friends that I hope to stay in touch with. The party last night was wild...I imagine pictures will emerge on Facebook over the next few days.

O and surprisingly, Greyhound follows my route: headed through Columbus to Pittsburgh and then down to DC. Of course the big difference is I can sleep while moving and it will take about 10% as much time.

Hanging in Cincinnati

Still relaxing and enjoying Cincinnati. I had developed a bunch of sores on my ankles from bug bites rubbing the inside of my bike shoes--they had gotten quite painful; this time off has given them a good chance to heal.

I am hanging out with some great friends here and having a good time. Saturday they are celebrating every holiday in one party at once--sounds amazing. So, I am going to stay to experience that.

When I finally continue on, I will take a train to DC to catch up on the lost time. I know: it let's me skip the Appalachians, but I really want to make Boston on time and am planning to visit people in DC, Philadelphia, and New York and don't want to be late to see them.

I am somewhat dreading traveling North a long the East Coast through the big cities, because getting in and out of big cities on a bike tends to be rather challenging. But, it will be an interesting urban adventure contrasting the open country I have spent most or my time in so far.

Cincinnati, OH

Sorry, for the lack of updates. As I said before, when I am visiting friends on the weekend it is hard to find time to post.

I had a great time in Louisville. I was "staying" with Mike, a friend of mine from Germany who is at Ft. Knox for the Captains Career Course, in Radcliff--right outside the Ft. Knox gates; however, every night we ended up sleeping at Brandon's place (another Army friend from Germany) who has a great apartment in downtown Louisville. Also got to see Josh and Tom (also there for CCC), Tom and Britt cooked us a great dinner and had us all over Saturday evening; which was a nice way to follow our fiercely competitive Mini Golf Game, which I lost savagely after hitting my ball into the water and diving in after it--it was a good excuse to escape the brutal Louisville heat.

Saturday night I met up with a group from Cincinnati who had come down for Hullabalou--a big concert at Churchill Downs (site of the Kentucky Derby). They invited me to join them for the concert on Sunday and to give me a ride to Cincinnati. I almost declined, so that I could stay on schedule and continue bicycling in this savage heat. But, then I came to my senses and realized I was horribly confused if I was prioritizing riding my bike over a fun event like this. This trip was never about riding a bike; it is about seeing the country, visiting old friends, and meeting new ones all over the place. I guess at some point in the 200+ hours of pedaling I got confused.

So, I met up with them at the concert. They had great reserved seats at the main stage that they snuck me into (where the below video was taken). It was a great show and a lot off fun, definitely much much better than riding my bike on a hot Kentucky Day. They all had to work on Monday (ahhh, the advantages of being unemployed, uninsured, and homeless! Makes people jealous!), so we drove to Cincinnati that night, and then I drove back Monday afternoon to collect my bike and stuff from Mike's place.

Now I am in Cincinnati preparing to continue on to the East Coast.

Hullabalou: Dave Matthews

Enjoyed this concert Sunday at Churchill Downs instead of riding. Listened to Steve Miller Band, Black Crows, and Kansas earlier in the day. Dave Matthews performed with Tim Robins and also had Zack Brown for a few songs. Was a great time. (did the video come out? Hard to tell on my Droid).

Hullabalou: Dave Matthews

Enjoyed a concert at Churchill Downs instead of riding today.

Day 26: At Louisville/Knox

Made it. Hanging out with a bunch of Army Captains. Reminds me off the best part of the Army: Good times with great people.

Day 26: Kentucky

Crossing the Ohio river from Indiana into Kentucky.

Day 25: In Indiana

I dunno if you can make it out in this picture, but this graveyard is like a chess board at the start of a game, I wonder if their are two old families that don't get along here or something.

The receipt from the 25 cent toll I had to pay to cross into Indiana...outrageous!