Trailblazing Across the Country

Once, when asked what my dream job would be, I replied "trailblazer." You know, one of the people who actually carries logs into the mountains to build those erosion-resistant trails that you might hike in a national park.
My friend Anuj from work likes to remind me of this, and call me a hippie, so the title of this post is a tip of the hat to him, and to real trailblazers. I myself have never really blazed any trails (yet), but I did forge this route across the country. My thanks to google maps for this beauty:


(click on the picture to enlarge. or check out this more interactive version of the map.)

Here's what's what:

A) my starting location. Baltimore, MD.

B) Mike and Alison's house in Belmar, NJ. I spent 2 nights here to kick off my trip. Steve and Jana also came up and we took in one day of an AVP (pro volleyball) tournament, played plenty of v-ball ourselves, and enjoyed and/or mocked the local beach culture. Mike and Alison were fantastic hosts and showed us all a good time.

C) My Aunt/Uncle/Cousins' house in Horsham, PA. I called Greg Sunday at about 4 p.m. and asked to "stop by." When I arrived 2 hours later I was warmly greeted by everyone but Chris, who was working (yes, that includes Oggie). We talked for a while and then I imposed myself on them and ended up staying 2 nights, leaving on Tuesday morning. Everyone worked Monday except Alex, so he and I talked philosophy and went climbing. Then we ate at Chris's restaurant for Greg's birthday. I can't thank you Pennsylvanias enough for the great time I had.

D) The Brighton Recreation Area in Brighton, MI. Here I learned what a mountain bike is really for. And let me say, mountain biking is HARD. After the first 2 winding, hilly, rocky, rooty miles, I considered turning back, but plodded on, and I was so glad I did. I ended up riding 15 miles that day, and it was the most fun and satisfying bike ride I've ever done. I fell once, because I took my eyes off the trail for 1 second to read the mile marker. And I smashed my knuckles on a tree. Totally worth it.

E) Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. As you can see, my route took me through very little of Indiana. But I did stop and camp there. And it's a good thing too, because I got a some free ice cream. The short story is, the lady in line behind me was being a bitch, and the clerk and I exchanged a knowing look about this, and I walked away with free ice cream.
Also, if you want to visit Chicago, and you like camping, go here. There is a train stop across the road and it takes you right into the city.

F) Chicago is awesome. I wasn't able to take advantage of the abovementioned train, because I couldn't take my bike with me. Instead, I parked in chi-town, and biked around, through Millenium Park, and then to a bakery that Rosemary told me to go to. I forgot the address in the car, and then it turned out the bakery had changed locations. This meant I had to bike all over the city asking people where to go, and wound up in a latino neighborhood, where I got great food, great thrift store t-shirts, and finally found a cassette tape player at Jalisco Discoteca Electronica. If I do become a bike courier, Chicago is now high on my list of places to do it.

G) Alexandria, MN. I slept here. Nothing more. But I should mention that Wisconsin (one of the few states in which I did not stop) is beautiful, and I'd like to do a very long bike trip there sometime.

H) I stopped for the day in Fargo, ND, mostly because of the Coen brothers' movie. It turned out to have a sweet downtown area where I ate and bought some panniers at a bikeshop employing all young hipster-ish females. James, it seemed just right for you.

That's enough for now. Look for (I) thru (O) tomorrow, hopefully accompanied by some pictures, which I started to take at (I) with my disposable camera.

Good night