Next Up: Ohio (July 6, 2012)

From Pennsylvania into Ohio.  The roads got even worse!

Bye-Bye New York (July 5, 2012)

So, today we left New York and came into Pennsylvania.  It was marked with distinctly worse roads.  The road in New York was nicely paved with a reasonable shoulder, the one in Pennsylvania was not.  However, it was good to leave on state and move into another.  It showed progress.  

The state parks in Upstate New York were quite good and we got spoiled.  We tried one “private” campground for the night and left.  It was a packed city of RV’s with no space for a tent.  It was also right next to an amusement park with screams coming from the roller coaster above.  It really didn’t feel that safe.

One thing about being on a bike and camping with a backpacking tent is that you are quite exposed and vulnerable.  Actually yesterday we got yelled at twice – kids from cars.  Nothing came of it, but they scared me.  (We also got a fellow give us a thumbs-up from a car.)  Some days feel safer than others.

We have traveled through a number of depressed and poverty stricken areas in Worchester, Pittsfield, Albany, and today in Erie, PA.  Actually, today’s neighborhood reminded me of West Philadelphia beyond 49^th street.  I lived on 46^th street for a year, and the first time Peter (my ex) and I went to the closest grocery store we were the only folks who were not African-American other than the manager who was White and looked at us like “what are you doing here?”  Riding through these neighborhoods make me acutely aware of race and class relations in the United States.  We are quite conspicuous and it is probably not safe for us.  I understand some of the reasons why in terms of what we represent, but it still makes me sad.

It is strange to be just passing through – all the time.  I have never felt like I fit in for many reasons.  For one, I grew up mixed race Japanese-American in a White Jewish neighborhood. I am also “alternative” in many ways.  People often stare at me and ask me “where do you come from?”  In some ways I am used to it, but not really.  In this context, it is even more pronounced.  But this time, it makes sense in certain way. We are travelers and travelers are not the same as those who have settled in a place.  We come and then go.  It is a perspective that I haven’t had too often in my life and it is a learning edge for me.  

Pictures from July 4th

"Birdie" and Rosie the touring bear with Lake Erie in the background.

Sign about the trail we are following (more or less).

Typical Lake Erie beach

Small town USA in PA on the fourth of July.

Lake Erie, almost looks like the ocean (almost that is).

Park along Lake Erie

Pictures from July 3rd

They have quite the stable!

This is the end of the first Adventure Cycling Map

Pata in front of a church.

A cool bike shop with a very nice owner.

We need chain rings in our sidewalks too!

Final Erie Canal Trail Thoughts (July 3, 2012)

Pata Crossing a Canal Bridge

We got off the Erie Canal Trail yesterday, after doing it from Albany to Lockport.  It was over 300 miles or so on a hard pack dirt trail (for the most part) that followed the canal.  When we first got on the trail we were so relieved that it was flat it was delightful.  The boats and water were interesting.  The small towns were often quaint and we had some really good experiences with folks (like Tony and Kelly).  It also had some shade which was welcome after riding over the Berkshires in Massachusetts in the blazing sun. 

However, as we went further, the trail got monotonous and the dust got into everything!  It got into our panniers and our bikes.  It got into our hair and made it feel like dried straw.  It got into the water bottles making the water taste nasty.  It made me think about the dust that my dad experienced when he was in concentration camp in Topaz Utah during World War II.  He said the dust storms were vicious and the dust seeped through the slats of the housing and into everything.  I have a new appreciation of what that meant.

On the Canal Trail

Riding the trail was also slow.  I mean slower than we usually are fully-loaded.  We were going an average of 8 MPH or so.  This was due to the fact that it was “off-road” and uneven with sand that could take one’s wheel out.  So we went slowly. 

An Old Soap Building along the Canal

Another Abandoned Canal Building

Our Tent and Gear at A City Camp Site in Holley NY on July  1, 2012

View of Canal

When we finally left the trail we were glad to bid it adieu.  Now we are riding the roads and are on the official Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route.  It is good to have a real map to follow, but sometimes I still get lost.  The maps don’t have a whole lot of the surrounding roads and such, so if I get off track it is hard to figure out where I am from the map.  In comes my I-phone. (My family got me an I-phone for winter holiday and I was not clear until now, how very helpful it could be!)  I think with the combination of maps and phone we will find our way across the country. 

Tonight we are in Hamburg, NY and then we will ride along the edge of Lake Erie.  I expect that this will be quite beautiful, but we will all see. 

DW: So far, since leaving Boston, we have traveled over 600 miles

Love, Dreams, and Other Musings (July 1, 2012)On

A Block Away from Nomi's House

We stayed with my good friend Nomi and her family (Tracy and Jesse).  I have known her since I was fifteen and she has seen me through a lot.  She is a medical doctor, but definitely alternative in her approach to life.  I love this about her.  It makes me feel at home.

A Warm Welcome

A View of the Sunset from their Front Door

Jesse with His Bike

Tracy has a cabin in the woods that they go to and an old tractor that they ride.  They were telling us about the cabin last night at supper.  So the cabin was on David’s mind as he went to sleep and he had a dream that he was in an unfinished cabin, part of which was closed off and partly open on another side. The open side felt vulnerable to anyone who might want to come in; maybe to take something. He felt a tremendous sadness  until Nomi told him during the dream that “love is the antidote to sadness.” He then woke with damp eyes. When he told her about the dream the next morning at the breakfast table he said that he thought love was the message of her house and the people in it. 

Tracy, Nomi, Jesse, and Pata

Love is the antidote to sadness is a wonderful saying and one that I believe with all my heart.  In fact, I think love is the reason why we choose to live and is what make one’s life worthwhile.  I do not only mean “romantic” love, but also love of a plutonic nature.  Love is really about connection and relationship – the ways that we treat ourselves and each other in the world.  Real love is about getting outside ourselves and having empathy for another person.  Love is not trivial and should not be taken lightly. 

True friendship is about love.  Being a friend is important to me and I take the job very seriously.  I value my friendships and work to maintain them.  Sharing time with Nomi, Tracy, and Jesse reminded me that friendships – especially long-standing ones, are not so common.  It is wonderful to have a friend who has known me for so long and seen me grow.  There are things I don’t have to say or express that are implicitly understood.  There is an acceptance of who I am which is invaluable.

I am grateful to all my friends and appreciate the various roles each one plays in my life.  I am thankful to have had the chance to spend some time in Rochester with Nomi and am very grateful for all the ways she and her family hosted us and helped us regroup to get back on the road as we head toward California.

I know that I really could not do this trip without my friends. (There is Susan who sends me stuff, and Catherine who holds my mail, and Naomi who made my first aid kit, and Carla who helped me sell my car, Deb who checked my bike’s brakes over and gave me needed tools. and all those friends who provide emotional support and prayers (Barbara, Melissa, Christina, Robyn, Ellen, Julia, Vanessa, Peter, Andi, Galina, and more). 

I am blessed with many friends, and loving family and a loving partner.  This is more than many people have, and I know it. 

A Cute Duck Sequence (July 1, 2012)