A whole bunch of firsts

10/4/17 - 10/9/17

My trip has changed a lot. The first 11 days I rode everyday, now I haven’t even slept in my tent for the past 11 nights. I'm seeing so much family though, and that has been great. I'm not sure which I prefer, hanging with lots of people or pushing myself to cover lots of distance, but I’ve learned a lot from both. Now there’s a small part of me anxious to get back out just doing my own thing, but I'm also finding that I've been able to connect with family like never before and it's hard to leave that. Anyway, I leave behind the visiting part of my trip tomorrow and start heading north, the final stretch to Boston.

I arrived in the D.C. area a few days ago and spent the first night at my aunt and uncle's home. My friend Aidan, whose show I came here to see, was free so we grabbed dinner. It was strange to see a face from home so far away from where I knew him. It felt so good though to catch up over Mediterranean and then wander, sort of lost, through the streets of Bethesda. We Skyped a friend who's on a gap year in Ecuador and I just couldn’t get over the contrast and diversity of the three different ways we chose to fill our years. The best part is everyone seemed so happy and loving what they were doing. It was a really good night and it got me super pumped to see Aidan's show.

The next day I rode to my grandparents retirement home. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned how good, but odd, it feels to ride from the totally unknown to a place you remember. The feeling of connecting home to a far away yet familiar area via a bicycle really made me aware of the distance I’ve traveled. It’s hard to see that big picture when you are planning out life day by day. I felt shocked that I had actually ridden my bike to my family on the East Coast, because that’s way crazier to me than just riding a thousand miles. It grants a sense of perspective.

The actual ride from my aunt and uncle's to my grandparents was a disaster. I missed multiple turns, ended up going too far, turning back, getting more lost and trying to reroute myself. When I finally rejoined the blue google maps route I was happy to see I would be on a bike trail instead of busy city roads. Too bad the trail was closed and the only way across the golf course separating me and my grandparents was that path. I decided I would just suck it up and take a couple extra miles to go all the way around the annoying obstruction. After three minutes of riding I realized how much of a hassle the detour would actually be and figured it was better to take my chances on the closed path.

I unloaded my bike, lugged everything through a narrow gap in the fence, dragged it all over a couple felled trees and reassembled the whole thing. Then I rode off down the deconstructed trail. I past some workers who yelled at me, warned me of a security guard or something and then told me I could walk my bike onward “at your own risk.” I quickly met the security guy who was in his truck facing me and immediately turned a camera on me when I walked up. He ordered me to turn around and started driving slowly right behind me. We passed a gate opening onto the golf course that normally would be locked but was open due to the construction work. He shooed me out onto the golf course as he threatened me with jail and other crazy stuff. He was not nice. As I was leaving I mentioned I rode from MN and he instantly smiled and curiously asked about it. By then I was already rolling off dodging golf balls so I didn’t stay around to chat. Some friendly golf people helped me find my way off the course and soon I was safe and sound eating lunch with my grandparents.

Next I headed to the McCurdy household. The parents of a friend had generously agreed to host me for the night. Turns out they lived two blocks from the location of Aidan's show. They graciously welcomed me in, fed me numerous delicious tacos and provided me with a room to sleep and hang out in. Thank you so much, it was a real treat staying with you!

I don't even know how to begin writing about Aidan's show. Anything I say will be inadequate in relaying the sheer impressiveness and excellence of the performance. Aidan’s family had flown out to see him and they so generously bought my ticket. Thank you! I got to show up early and visit Aidan and the rest of the cast in their green room before the show. There Aidan introduced me and his family to the entire cast then all the guests were placed in the middle of the circle of performers and they sang us a welcome song. It was really cool to experience and I got to learn a little more about the program and see hint of what the non-performing side is like. Next all the visitors and guests left the green room and found seats in the auditorium; I hung out with Aidan’s family.

The show itself was incredible. There was singing and acting and dancing and video and lighting effects and live music. Everything was impeccably timed and choreographed. The incredible costumes combined with the expert dancing seemed like something you’d see at a professional dance company. I mean they were professional, they were just so good. And Aidan was fantastic! He sang so much and even sang a really cool solo song about climate change. His dancing was spot on and frankly blew my mind because I’ve never known him to dance like that. He was all over the stage, lifting people and spinning and jumping and everything he did was so perfectly synchronized with everyone else. I left the auditorium in a state of awe. Thank you Aidan, that was way worth the ride!

The next day I had a busy morning. First I headed to breakfast with my dad. He happened to be in town for a conference and we were staying near each other. It was nice to catch up after nearly four months. Next I went back to my grandparent’s although it was less eventful getting there this time. We hung out, got some stuff done and chatted. It was good to see them again but I was on a tight schedule so I had to say good bye. I went back into the city and all the way downtown to meet my aunt for lunch. We had a really nice meal at a mediterranean place and got a chance to talk which is unusual. It was a really good experience. Next I planned to meet up with

Aidan and his family who were touring the museums. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up working but I decided while I was down there I may as well take a visit to my favorite monument. Then I headed back to the McCurdy’s to chill a little and then pack up my bike for the ride to my cousin’s. In D.C. I learned that cyclists don’t stop for actual stop signs and they treat red lights like stop signs, so it was a fast ride and I felt very privileged ignoring the traffic laws.

(My favorite monument: Albert Einstein)

I got to my cousin's apartment and met up with him and his fiancé. We talked for a while about their lives and how much they enjoy their work. Then we walked to an Ethiopian place. I had never been and it was delicious and super fun to eat. Afterwards we met some of their friends. One of them had pretty wacky parents and, at my cousin's insistence, tried to keep one upping me with how oddly he was raised. Mom, dad, turn out you aren’t the most crunchy granola parents out there, thanks. We eventually headed home and the night concluded with a long chat with my cousin. It was good to sit down and just talk, it’s not something we’ve ever done before.

In the morning I slept in, then headed to my other cousin’s house in Baltimore. She was at a wedding, so when I got there I headed to a library and started doing research for a project I’m working on. Then I went to her home, ate pizza and hung out with her friends. We talked late into the night, which once again was new for me and super cool. The next day I chose to stay another night for scheduling reasons and because I just wanted to hang. I spent most of the day with one of her roommates because she had to work. Then we all hung out again at night. It was a really fun time and I didn’t want to leave so the next day I procrastinated until one o'clock. Finally I pushed myself to get out and rode off super late. I really had a blast staying there and hope to see my cousins again soon. Thanks guys!

The past couple days have been full of firsts on this trip. I got my first flat tire on the way to Baltimore. I was starting to ride after a break and quickly pulled off into the shade of a hair salon. There I discovered that although I’d found glass and metal chunks embedded in my wheel, the only thing that was capable of actually going all the way through and puncturing my inner tube was a tiny little piece of wire. I struggled to remove it, patch the tube and was soon back in the saddle. The tires still impress me with their thickness as during my repair I found and removed embedded glass that still hadn’t been able to work itself all the way through. I also got yelled at from a car for the first time leaving Baltimore. It wasn’t because I was slowing down traffic or in the way, I was maybe 8 feet from the road on a massive shoulder. It was because a 12 year

old decided to lean out of the window of his dad’s big red pickup adorned with confederate flag window decals to scream “GAY!” as they sped by. Gotta love America. It was also my first time on the trip hitchhiking with my bicycle. I had to cross a very long four lane bridge with no shoulder whatsoever. Cyclists are allowed on it but they really slow down traffic as they have to ride in the middle of the lane, so drivers get angry and it is just generally unsafe. The alternative is a 20 plus mile detour to a bridge upstream. I wasn’t trying to do either so I just stuck out my thumb before the bridge and waited. A nice machinist picked me up, threw my bike in the pickup bed and ended up taking me not just across the bridge but all the way into the town I planned to sleep in that night. People are so kind.

A staircase google routed me up

Familiar ice cream name

A cool boat in the Baltimore harbor

Abandoned cemetery

The woods I slept in

Where I stealth camped

The town he took me to, Charlestown, is a small quaint port that becomes a more active touristy place in the summer. Because of this the two campgrounds I’d planned to stay at were closed for the season. After scrambling for a while to find a place to stay I gave up and decided to stealth camp, another first. This is a term used by travelers who don’t want to admit they are really just sleeping by the side of the road. I scouted out a patch of trees wedged between the road and the train tracks then rode into town to wait for dark. I went to the park where I could bath in the sink. There I met a really nice mom and son (right) who tried making some unfortunately unsuccessful calls for me about camping locations and then checked in on me via Facebook for the rest of the night. They were really sweet. The local bar provided me with delicious fried chicken and some company. I filled my water bottles then rode off into the night.

I walked my bike into the woods which I’m pretty sure was in a construction site and set up my hammock with my tent’s ground tarp stretched over it for waterproofing. I wanted to be able to leave quickly in the morning and a tent would take too long. I set an alarm for a little before sunrise and locked my bike to the hammock. It was super hot and muggy so I didn’t bother pulling out my sleeping bag and just squeezed into my little shelter. It was kind of

nice although a bit confined. I was able to look up at the tree tops and stars beyond which I never could do in my tent. It was beautiful and peaceful though I slept with my can of mace just in case. Someone coughing and wheezing passed right by me but other than that it was uneventful. I woke up before my alarm in the morning a little cold but feeling good. I’m not entirely sure how much I slept or how well but honestly it felt like a victory, I’d survived and it was free!

I think I’m really learning a lot on this trip. I don’t know if I can put it all in words, but I’m learning so much about myself and the world.