"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life and in change there is power." - Alan Cohen
Friday, March 28, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Pit stop
As far as the recovery, I couldn't have hit a better spot. 4 Days of jet-lagged-enthusiasm killed my cycling spirits. I'm very grateful for the warm and loving place and company I found myself in these past 2 weeks. I was able to put myself and my plan back together and am ready to hit the road again.
Teeth were pulled these past 2 weeks (not mine!), (ali)gators were spotted while kayaking (by me for sure!), the veggie had venison (wild stuff, short chain), a dog has been walked (daily), amazing people were introduced, laughs en words of comfort were shared and most of all, I had a chance to recharge, to get back on my feet, and I have the feeling I'm gonna need all the extra batteries I can lay my hands on! Thank God I'm green and solar-rechargeable.
Staying with Diana and Max (the lab), there are no words for here kindness and inspiration. I came to meet so many of her great, loving and interesting friends. In just 2 weeks I feel like I grew up here and never have known any better. I take with me warm memories and the belief in the unconditionally kindness of people in particular as well as in general. There is love and happiness all around us, you just have to open up your eyes and heart.
So far for hitting the soft spot, moving over to the tough part. I'm heading out again on Saturday (with a little push in the back from Diana, sweetie pie, who will drive me up to Jacksonville, Florida). Roughly two weeks, 1280 km, of pedaling will take me up to Richmond, Virginia where my East Coastal adventure will take a 90 degrees twist into the USA heartland. "Not really the scenic route you're taking there" & "Oh honey that's plains with nothing really in it" - are some of the very encouraging remarks I got so far. Maybe. I don't know. Let's find out!
Teeth were pulled these past 2 weeks (not mine!), (ali)gators were spotted while kayaking (by me for sure!), the veggie had venison (wild stuff, short chain), a dog has been walked (daily), amazing people were introduced, laughs en words of comfort were shared and most of all, I had a chance to recharge, to get back on my feet, and I have the feeling I'm gonna need all the extra batteries I can lay my hands on! Thank God I'm green and solar-rechargeable.
Staying with Diana and Max (the lab), there are no words for here kindness and inspiration. I came to meet so many of her great, loving and interesting friends. In just 2 weeks I feel like I grew up here and never have known any better. I take with me warm memories and the belief in the unconditionally kindness of people in particular as well as in general. There is love and happiness all around us, you just have to open up your eyes and heart.
So far for hitting the soft spot, moving over to the tough part. I'm heading out again on Saturday (with a little push in the back from Diana, sweetie pie, who will drive me up to Jacksonville, Florida). Roughly two weeks, 1280 km, of pedaling will take me up to Richmond, Virginia where my East Coastal adventure will take a 90 degrees twist into the USA heartland. "Not really the scenic route you're taking there" & "Oh honey that's plains with nothing really in it" - are some of the very encouraging remarks I got so far. Maybe. I don't know. Let's find out!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Part One
Hi All!
My apologies for the wait but here we go, the first update of what seems to be an epic adventure in a lot of ways, especially on the unforeseen side.
So I landed all right although they forgot to transfer my bike and I had to wait some time for it to reach me on a next flight. "No problem ma'am, we'll get it delivered to your hotel, no problem". Okay, problem it is as there is no hotel and no way of leaving the airport for me as the bike is my means of travel. It got there at the end and happily cycled to my first warm shower address, in the dark, in a nothing-but-car-accustomed-airport-scenery. Reminded me a bit of that one time hitting the highway in Budapest to reach our get-out-of-here goal. Not for pleasure that's for sure. Anyway, made it out alright and made it to a bunch of great inspiring people to kick off my cycling trip.
Don't want to waste any words on Miami which was not so great for a travel-cycler. In a nutshell, big, busy and beaches. Day 1: 143 km. Passed out at the end of the day in a public state park and hit the road again early morning.
So far I cycled 4 days of long, big roads in the heat. Nothing romantic about that. I got sunburned, chatted to by friendly strangers, camped out in beautiful parks, seen a lot of strange cool big and small birds, trees and flowers. Although the cycling part goes really well, I'm not doing very ok with the solitary part, got to me a bit harder than I expected it to. Had a mentally break down (already) on a day of terribly headwinds.
I'm with my beautiful friend Diana now in Orlando. Set up my camp around her couch and deciding on my next move. Am I really going through with this? How will I not end up blunted by these long kilometers by myself? Should I change the plan? I let you know soon!
Lots of love.
And as I'm staying with the trivia-queen of Florida, here's what I learned so far:
- A harvest moon is a full moon that only occurs one time a year in September.
- Mike O. Bryan is waiting for me in his cycle shop in Savannah, Georgia, with free pizza.
- Bears live out of the trash-cans in your backyard in Florida.
- However fat a kid, you can get it in a tree if you really wanted to.
- If you catch yourself off guard cycling a highway, keep cool, poker face your way to the other side (yes I am a girl on a bicycle crossing highway lanes) and make a safe exit.
My apologies for the wait but here we go, the first update of what seems to be an epic adventure in a lot of ways, especially on the unforeseen side.
So I landed all right although they forgot to transfer my bike and I had to wait some time for it to reach me on a next flight. "No problem ma'am, we'll get it delivered to your hotel, no problem". Okay, problem it is as there is no hotel and no way of leaving the airport for me as the bike is my means of travel. It got there at the end and happily cycled to my first warm shower address, in the dark, in a nothing-but-car-accustomed-airport-scenery. Reminded me a bit of that one time hitting the highway in Budapest to reach our get-out-of-here goal. Not for pleasure that's for sure. Anyway, made it out alright and made it to a bunch of great inspiring people to kick off my cycling trip.
Don't want to waste any words on Miami which was not so great for a travel-cycler. In a nutshell, big, busy and beaches. Day 1: 143 km. Passed out at the end of the day in a public state park and hit the road again early morning.
So far I cycled 4 days of long, big roads in the heat. Nothing romantic about that. I got sunburned, chatted to by friendly strangers, camped out in beautiful parks, seen a lot of strange cool big and small birds, trees and flowers. Although the cycling part goes really well, I'm not doing very ok with the solitary part, got to me a bit harder than I expected it to. Had a mentally break down (already) on a day of terribly headwinds.
I'm with my beautiful friend Diana now in Orlando. Set up my camp around her couch and deciding on my next move. Am I really going through with this? How will I not end up blunted by these long kilometers by myself? Should I change the plan? I let you know soon!
Lots of love.
And as I'm staying with the trivia-queen of Florida, here's what I learned so far:
- A harvest moon is a full moon that only occurs one time a year in September.
- Mike O. Bryan is waiting for me in his cycle shop in Savannah, Georgia, with free pizza.
- Bears live out of the trash-cans in your backyard in Florida.
- However fat a kid, you can get it in a tree if you really wanted to.
- If you catch yourself off guard cycling a highway, keep cool, poker face your way to the other side (yes I am a girl on a bicycle crossing highway lanes) and make a safe exit.
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