Direction/Tour de Bear Lake

This last weekend left me with mixed feelings.  Yes, part of that was because of a Utah State loss and a University of Utah win, but most of it was about how the rest of the weekend went.  The stark contrast between the me of Friday/Saturday, and the me of Sunday really helped put things into perspective.  Friday and Saturday I was admittedly at my worst.  It was the me I hate and the me I want to and had hoped to get rid of.  Unfortunately it is still there and I don't want to be that person.  Fortunately there was Sunday and a group of friends who were willing to put up with me for another day.

A hangover and embarrassment was not enough for me to back out of the plans to ride a bike around Bear Lake.  If anything it made it more important to do so.  To prove to myself I was more than my mistakes and maybe a chance to prove to my friends that I am not just a shit show.  So at 11:30, I made the long lonely drive to Bear Lake.  Dave ended up bringing more people than we thought so at least we had a support crew if something went wrong on the ride.  We headed out late (4:00) with a scary lack of preparation. To add to our troubles it was a windy day.  Mike and Dave looked like the real deal.  They had real bikes with real outfits and a combined 2 percent body fat.  Clint was on his single-speed, but had skinny slick tires, a light bike, bike shorts, and apparently the eye of the tiger.  Me.....  Well, I had the wrong bike for the job and just had a tank top a back-pack and some basketball shorts.  My bike has a suspension fork, nobby tires, and weighs over 30 pounds.  I didn't really fit in...

I was a little nervous when we headed out but for the first little bit I was feeling pretty comfortable.  My legs felt great, my wind was fine, and the road resistance wasn't too bad.  Then we hit the chipped road and it began to hit me that I was going to have to work my ass off to keep a pace of 20 mph.  We were also going into a 20ish mph wind.  It was brutal.  The conversations we had at the start were awesome and I was desperately trying to keep up if for nothing more than the entertainment, but no matter how i pushed my bike (or me) wasn't fast enough.  At one point Mike even passed me.... COASTING! and I was pedaling at a steady rate!  We stayed together for about one fifth the distance around the lake, but when I cleared the next hill they were already zooming around the corner probably a quarter mile away.  At this point I knew I was on my own for the rest of the trip.  I knew they wouldn't stop and wait and I didn't want them too.  There was no way I could keep up anyway.  So I hit the south side of the lake solo and that's when the wind decided to be a complete dick.  I seriously was ready to confiscate the first road bike I saw, without regard to the consequences.  At this point the fastest I could push myself was probably 8 mph.  I was getting frustrated.  I felt like I was pedaling so hard for so long but I just wasn't getting any speed out of it.  I finally hit the west side of the lake and things got instantly better.  The road got smoother and the wind died down just a little.  It was here I finally saw the crew again.  They were about two miles out in front of me!  Once I saw them it gave me some hope that if I really push it and never stop pedaling even for a second I can catch them.  It was a pipe dream but it gave me a goal.  I was in auto-mode and felt pretty good until I was about into town.  Then I hit another wall.  At this point I couldn't help but start thinking about the fact that I was just riding alone around a lake and my car was parked just a mile or so away.  I had plenty of reasonable excuses; I had the wrong bike, wrong clothes, was hungover, hungry, and I had been left behind.  I couldn't quit.  At the start I already decided that no matter what happened I was going around this lake under my own power, even if I had to do it after everyone else had left for bed.

So I just kept going and around each long corner the bikes in front got closer and closer.  At about the 80% point I was finally closing in on one of them and thought for sure I was about to catch Clint, but as I got closer and closer I realized it was Mike.  All I could think is that Clint either quit or is a total badass on his single speed.  I knew Clint wasn't a quitter so it had to be the latter.  Clint is a badass.  After about 10 miles, some cramping and severe glycogen ups/downs  (I had foolishly only eaten about 900 calories before the ride and I am sure Mike had about a half a peanut all week. Also it turns out drinking a bunch of beer the day before is not an affective form of "carb loading") Mike and I crossed the "finish line" together.  It was an amazing feeling.  I know it wasn't a marathon or a real race, but it still was 52 miles in 3.5 hours under far from ideal circumstances.  I had an easy out and still finished!  It was the farthest I had ever gone under my own power and I was proud of myself.  Something I couldn't have imagined feeling just 10 hours earlier.  It is becoming more and more clear the direction I need to go.

The American Dream

The events of 9-11-01 will never be forgotten.  In many ways it has defined our generation.  After all it is our generation searching for jobs in the crippled economy and our best and bravest fighting overseas.  We won't forget, because everyday of the rest of our lives has been changed.  Serving as a constant reminder.  Those attacks took thousands of lives and the subsequent retaliation has taken thousands more.  The loss of life and financial expense of maintaining two wars has been devastating, but as the years have ticked by the true cost of that day has become more and more apparent.  We are losing faith, we are losing hope.

"The American Dream is dead,"  You can hardly watch the news or explore the web without hearing this statement.  Many people feel disenfranchised by our government, the economy, and are upset that they didn't get that little white picket fence.  I understand that.  As a child I wanted to be a dinosaur.  Yet, still to this day I am merely a weak human.  I KNOW disappointment.  Luckily my dreams have changed since then, and maybe ours should to. Afterall, it is the American DREAM, not the American Guarantee.  A dream is something you have to chase.  Something you have to work for and something you may never obtain.  It is something you have to define for yourself.  That white picket fence, with a dishwasher, a steady factory job, and a tiny house was the gold standard for the 40's-70's.  That life honestly, makes me want to vomit a little bit.  For some though that is their dream, and I say go get it. 

My American dream?  My dream is always a moving target, my dream is found in the journey.  This means that I will never own it, but if I work hard enough, I will live it...  In reality the most all encompassing definition of the American Dream can be summarized by the age old phrase, "Hard work, pays off..."  That phrase is always true and the USA doesn't own the trademark.  It just has never been so evident as when the American people bought into that ideal.  We took it too a entirely new level.  Our dreams brought the world flight, electricity, light bulbs, television, the internet, and virtually every form of communication technology we all enjoy today.  We BROUGHT it!  Our government didn't give it to us.  It wasn't guaranteed, no one handed people these dreams, and certainly no one else made them realities... No one but themselves and those who also believed.  It was individuals who followed their dreams and changed the world and those individuals were American's.  They are the ones who made those dreams our own.   Everyone can dream, but American's did it so well that we had our own brand of dreaming, the "American Dream." 

Is accomplishing our dreams as easy as before 9/11?  Absolutely not...  But since when have we cared about what is hard?  We aren't entitled to an "American Dream" it is our debt.   Our debt to all those who died on this day 11 years ago.  Our debt to all those who have died ending the dreams of those who thought they could crush ours that day...  To all those who say the dream is dead.  Show some respect.  Stop expecting your dreams to come true and realize that as an American it is expected of you to earn it.  To all those who thought they could crush our dreams on 9-11-01, today is 9-11-12 and this American's dreams are very much alive.  I love this country, and as long as I and millions of others like me have a pulse,  you will never kill the American Dream.

Phoenix

I haven't been blogging.  Obviously.  But today I was like wait just a damn a minute, "You still live a pretty damn interesting life and people need you... Stop being selfish."  I know that I sometimes live through my facebook friends and their cute little babies and families.  And I know those people need me, too.  When that baby pukes on you...  When they just won't listen.  When your wife keeps saying, "listen.... listen..... listen..... listen.....listen....listen...." or "look at the baby... look at the baby.... Why aren't you looking at your baby? Is it because you think i look fat in these pants?  I HATE you..."  Or you may look at your husband from time to time and think, "Gosh, I'm bored."  When you wake up at 6 am and go to that job that you f*cking hate.  When you ask yourself when did it come to this?  I'll be there.  Carrying the torch of freedom.  Unshackled, unburdened, and keepin on.  Keepin on for all those who can't.

I admittedly have been down and out, lately...  Playing video games, working, stuffing my face with this new found abundance of food, and being basically the worst.  But upon reflection my last two weeks still have been pretty interesting even if I haven't been a complete nomad...

I was in a movie...  Ya, random I know.  Am I an actor?  Absolutely not.  Do I live a random life and know a lot of interesting people? Yes.  My friend Marcus from USU through an odd chain of events ended up helping produce a short film.  It was a western and they had two horses bail out last minute.  Insert me.  I happened to have a good horse available and I always say yes to an adventure, so last minute I loaded up Oppie and headed out to White Rocks, Skull Valley, UT.  I made it out there just before dark the night before the shoot.  It was a long damn ways.  First thing I see is a middle aged man just standing there in a breechclout.  Yes, I thought at first that it was a loincloth but this wasn't the last time we would all be treated with this sight and he explained the difference in detail the second time.  Thank you for that crazy old man.  He was under the canopy, with a bunch of other ordinarily clothed people and he was as comfortable as can be.  Gotta respect him for that.  He also had an awesome beard mustache combo and was overall best summed up as a half crazy badass.   There were 4 girls at the "encampment" and they might have been thee most annoying collection of people I have ever met.  Well, up to that point.  This would be outdone by just one person the next day.   This one guy was probably 30 and acted like a 14 year old and reminded everyone that he was mormon every five seconds...  We didn't get along so well, but our quarrels definitely made the more boring part of the day more interesting.  Plus I got to kick him to the ground.  It was incredibly rewarding.

I said a quick hello to my good buddy Marcus, ate a quick meal, went through introductions, and crawled into the back of the truck to sleep for the night.  Mind you this was the peak of me feeling sick.  I was not doing well.  My horse made sure that I did not sleep more than an hour that night.  He was whinnying all night, and just completely restless.  He is a dominant horse, and he wanted at the other horses brought by the crazy cowboy/indian guy.  So at 4:30 AM my day started.  My horse wouldn't be needed until 7 but I couldn't sleep and neither could he.  I was worried that he wouldn't act well around new horses and the way he was up to this point had me thinking that my horse was about to embarrass me.  Time to wear him down.  I saddled him up and as soon as it got light enough to see I started riding.  I ran him up and down the road and up to the other horses and away. Close and away. Close and away.  I repeated this time and time again until he quit throwing a big fit about leaving the other horses.  After about an hour he was automatic.  Maybe he won't embarrass me afterall.

The sun took longer too arrive then the director thought and the shoot was now over an hour behind schedule.  This is when I was asked if someone who has never been on a horse could ride my horse backwards.  Any of you with horses have to know how funny this proposition is.  For those who don't its basically the equivalent of someone asking if there 14 year old can take your car on the free way.  I don't know how much plot I can give away so I'll just say I stunt doubled for a 5'5 mexican guy.

I also had a role as a bandit.  Ya.  My face is on the big screen (provided any festivals pick this thing up)...  I always thought that if I ever had to act I would always just look at the camera.  But, it turns out that I am pretty decent.  Especially if I am playing a role I have played since infancy... A cowboy.  It came natural.  Almost too natural.  Ha the main character was a slow draw and as a bad guy I was destined to lose.  It was hard to draw slow...  As a gun enthusiast I have a pretty quick draw.  Everything in me wanted to win.  But I was scripted to lose.  So I did so.  And died valiantly.   I also had a part later in the movie.  Or earlier its tough to say they don't shoot these things chronologically.  But again I don't know how much I can say.  Anyway my horse outdoes me in appearances and he does awesome!!!  I mean he really steals the show in my unbiased opinion ;)

FYI when I make it big I won't forget all you little people out there ;)
Ryan Hibler
Bandit
Animal Handler
Stunt rider   

The End?

I was just getting amped up for the most exciting and intense portion of my journey.  The west.  I knew what I wanted to do and my plans included some pretty amazing things.  I was back in my territory and had dreamed of doing some of these things all of my adult life.  Well just read my AMPED!!! post to see how I felt about it.  I was so excited for what awaited that I was ignoring the fact that I hadn't felt well since Chicago.  I told myself that it was just a lingering hang over from a rough night in Chicago.  If you have been following the blog you also know that during my time in New England I went through about a week of not feeling well and not posting...  What I didn't mention was that during that time I noticed a small rash on my inner thigh.  By the time I noticed the rash though my symptoms and it quickly disappeared.  Out of sight out of mind.  When I reached South Dakota the joint and muscle stiffness combined with the feeling a little bit out of it became a little harder to ignore, but I overcame this and ignored them anyway.  I did so much in those two days, I'm sure part of the reason why I hit it so hard was to show myself that I was fine.  Better than ever in fact.  In a way I was.  The sick me is still better than the me I left as, both physically and mentally.  But I learned there is a limit.

I was making my way towards Banff National Park, AB, CN when I became more tired and my knees and ankles were popping just in the motion of braking and hitting the gas...  I pulled over to a rest stop and decided to check for the rash.  It was back.  I sent some text to my doctor friend and she said that it is very possible that I have Lyme.  She made it seem like no big deal however and some antibiotics would make me right as rain.  Such a small deal that it shouldn't even slow my adventure down.  I was at a crossroads.  I was as close to home as I was going to be for a long time.  I decided to get a hotel room and spend the night in Sheridan, WY to think about it and hit up an instacare in the morning.  I did a 3-4 mile run that night once again just to prove to myself that I was okay.  The run went fine and I thought if I can do that I can continue on.  I woke up at 2 a.m. that morning and the question period was over it was time to go home and see a doctor.  So i made the long drive home.  I stopped at Maple Grove hot springs to surprise some friends and maybe do a little bear river float.  It was kind of weird to see things were just the same when so much had changed for me.  I was starting to feel the illness and the very early wake up so I knew there would be no float for me.  It was really hard to come back before I was ready.  Though I had no reason to be I kind of felt ashamed.  Like I had let myself down.  I didn't finish.  In the end this just wasn't how I wanted it to happen...

I headed straight back to Logan to the instacare clinic.  I had to ask for antibiotics because the doctor said it was probably too late.  I said well we probably should be safe and do them anyway.  She agreed and we did some blood work to confirm whether its Lyme or not.  Still waiting on that.  She did say however that I would need to follow up for several weeks to make sure it doesn't get more serious...  Good thing I didn't continue on I guess?

I headed straight home.  I felt defeated, weak, and just plain down.  This was supposed to be a happy experience coming home.  Returning triumphant and complete.  But timing is everything and this time was no where near right.  I was broken and unfinished.  It is hard to describe traveling alone in the fashion I did.  Everything is different.  Just over two months of life passed for everyone else.  For me it felt like a lifetime.  When you are doing something new and different every day.  When everyday is an adventure, a trial, and unique you catalog it different.  You are living everyday.  No repetition no lost days.  It feels like I have gained at least an extra year or two of LIFE.  It was a world and understanding in gestation and it had to be cut short.  It felt like I was on the verge of something great, something greater than myself, but now it has been stolen from me.  I am not done, I am not giving up, but what has been undone by returning to the familiar too soon cannot be recovered.  I love my family and look forward to spending time with friends, but my mind and my heart is elsewhere, camped underneath the stars wondering if that sound I hear is a bear.  Doesn't sound like the end to me?     

      

Last couple days (written rant style)

Yesterday afternoon I arrived at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It's a lot like some areas in southern Utah but with more grass. The fossil dig going on and the visitor center were great. I nerded out pretty hard if I say so myself. But I was there to see some Bison in their ancestral home and after seeing some posters to please report any sightings of the swift fox I set out to find them too. Prairie dogs, bighorns, and finally Bison! Hundreds of them and they were just like cows except more tame...

They were so thick in the primitive and free camping area that I decided to take advantage of the fact that this national park lets you explore and camp anywhere in the wilderness portion as long as you are atleast a half mile from the road and out of sight. So very late in the day after giving some impromptu educational tours about the wildlife too some city dwellers (people under appreciate how awesome pronghorn are and I couldn't let them refer to them as deer, also I needed to explain why some bison were by there lonesome).  I Loaded up the pack and headed out. Not long after i headed out i spotted a very fast and very small canid running away as I made my way towards a grove of trees. It was a Swift fox score! I found the perfect campsite and quickly set up my tent so I could do a little bit of exploring before dark. In my short exploration I found two deer, a coyote, lots of nightjars, bats, as well as where I wanted to go in the morning.

I ended up sleeping outside of my tent and looking at the most amazing display of stars and the milky way that I have seen in a long long time all the while listening to the yips and howls of the coyotes.  A little buck also came within feet of my tent. Sleeping outside the tent had consequences though and  for the first time in the trip I got cold! I almost never get cold sleeping but the dew was very thick making my bag wet and the temperature dipped to about 45 degrees overnight. I wasn't too cold but I had to curl up in that bag just to get comfortable.

I officially woke up at about 6 and set out to do some exploring. I saw some monster white tail bucks and dreaded the fact that I didn't have a nice camera. I got within about 80 yards but that is still to far for the go pro. I saw 4 coyotes and another swift fox this time just trotting about 60 yards in front of me. The white tail, coyotes, and pronghorn on the park were just as wild as anywhere else.... The bison and sheep were like pets. After it started to warm up I headed back to the tent to load up and get on my way. After making my way back to the car i knew I had to head to rapid city. (I had an air filter ordered to meet me there) and had to see mount Rushmore.  Leaving the park I notified the rangers and they seemed genuinely interested in my sightings and had multiple questions for me.  It felt good :)

Mount Rushmore was awesome. But I didn't stay long I needed to get more exercise today and the presidential trail wasn't going to do it... Oh and by the way I have had the damnedest time finding stickers for my cargo carrier! Can you believe not one bumper sticker at mount Rushmore and the same with niagara! Wtf? I ended up jogging the presidential trail just because I was sick of listening to all the people bitch about the stairs... I just wanted to show them, see this isn't so bad I'm JOGGING it! Oh I did stop to look at a random mountain goat just hanging out getting high on all the patriotism. Then I set out not knowing exactly where i wanted to go, when google maps showed a peak and I was like hmmmm... So I googled it and it was the highest peak east of the Rockies.... I thought well I gotta hike that bastard then. So I did. 8 miles and two-three hours later I was done. I'm so glad I did it.   I have certainly done tougher longer hikes but The watch tower was awesome. Coolest watch tower in the world end of story. It was cooler than most castles in pretty sure. I Just had my typical pasta sides and tuna dinner and off to bed in free national forest camping. Love it!

Sent from my iPhone

AMPED!!!!

I gotta admit I was getting sick of all these trees up in my grill... I mean trees are wonderful and all but holy shit sometimes I like to be able to see more then 20 ft... Since about Georgia all I have seen is trees and rolling glacial carved hills... It's beautiful but it's been pretty much the same from there to New Brunswick. That is of course an over generalization but you get the point. I need my space and I need some more diversity...

I'm in South Dakota now and have a very good idea of where I want to go for the rest of the trip. How to get there and what to do. This is a first since Colorado! It feels amazing. Also camping will be much cheaper mostly free and easy to find.

Mountain biking will become more mountain. Hikes will become epic. Wilderness will be more wild an I'll be more rad... I can't tell you how great it feels to be back west. Deserts, forest, alpine, lakes, rivers. You name it it's here.

The east you have been great. Really you are wonderful and it's not you it's me. .. But you are kind of plain when it comes to your natural areas... Yes you have Katahdin and mount Washington but the west has Rainier and the Tetons... Your cities and history are great and I have definitely appreciated the much needed culture injection. But I need some new and that pioneering spirit. Plus it's so much cheaper out here. Your just too expensive and kinda used up. No offense...

Ah screw it I'll just say how I really feel. West coast best coast suckah's!!!!


Sent from my iPhone

Another try at the video. WARNING: Explicit content

A lot of people wonder what it's like to travel alone...  This is why it is amazing, you end up making friends who can do this...  Forgive my dumb comment.  I was in shock at how well she got down like Dre!  She also was a trivia genius.

My new friend on the left. She was awesome! Obviously

Yup

No Hope!

So I have finally decided there is no hope in catching up while I'm on the road! So I'll just have to try and start anew. I just spent two nights in Chicago and it a pretty epic cultural adventure! I was able to stay at my friend Jessica's place and get the local tour. It's such a crazy world! I met Jessica 4 years ago while working on a ranch in Montana and through fb I was able to get in touch with her. With just hours of notice her and her boyfriend were happy to let me stay.

Jessica gave me the quick tour including wrigley field. Wrigley field is amazing by the way. Just looks so ole timey and everyone within a quarter mile is completely hammered so it's pretty fun to watch. Then after some awesome wings and beer we met up with her friends at Redmans. My new favorite bar. Everyone who worked there were friends with the group I was in and the people I was with practically lived there. I felt like I was in an episode of how I met your mother. It was karaoke night and it was awesome to watch. I would have sang... Honest I would have ;) but it didn't seem to be a pro country crowd and I don't know anything else well enough... And I was being a baby. But with the talent in the group I was in I couldn't follow acts like the one I'm about to post! After karaoke it got a little fuzzy for me... But I became best friends with this one guy and his girlfriend and I had an email from him with our thug picture waiting for me in the morning. Why he went with email and not text I cannot know. I don't even remember what we talked about but I have a feeling we were going to start a gubernational entertainment company not so different from step brothers prestige worldwide. Then I woke up on a couch... Day one in Chicago complete....

Day two was a little rough but I pushed through it and it was time to play some trivia with my new friends at my new favorite bar where everyone knows your name. Trivia was going great and we had a little culture trivia Einstein in our group so with her and the combined knowledge of the diverse group we won it all!!!

Not everyone loses with grace and the second or third place team was disqualified at the end for using phones and then they just started screaming at our group... At this point we didn't know we had won and we didn't know that they had been disqualified so there was a great deal of confusion at why this group of people was flipping chairs and yelling at us... Some people take trivia way to seriously... Especially considering that the winnings, split between all of us, were 5 dollars each and a free shot. It was crazy! Thought I was going to have a fist fight on my hands and at the time I had no idea why! That's Chicago for ya I guess? I had such a fun time though and I want to live in that bar.

Chicago complete now I'm going to go see lambeau field!

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Canada in pictures

Photos from CANADA!!!

Improvised concert around a Campfire in St. Johns.

Ya there was a dude with an awesome joe dirt mullet fire dancing there too...  You can't make this shit up.

Quebec is beautiful...  But weird.

Panning for gold in Northern New Brunswick :)

Saying goodbye to the New Brunswick Lads.

Bay of Fundy, most extreme tides in the world!

Marina concert in St. Johns.

Boat concert in the Bay, St Johns.

CANADA BORDER BOOGIE

The Canada Border Boogie

I sat at the side of the road next to the on ramps of I-95, east of Millonocket, Maine.  My options were northeast to New Brunswick, or southwest straight to Quebec City.  My earlier attempt to split the distance was thwarted by my crass try at smuggling a bicycle into the North Maine woods.  I was at a crossroads. Do I go the short cheaper route to Quebec, save myself some time and money, or do I go northeast and venture bravely onward?  I decided to call Clint Cook. After all, there is no better way to make this kind of decision than to call someone who couldn’t care less.  I would have called my friend Dave but his apathy is so severe that he wouldn’t have even picked up the phone…  No, Clint was just the man for the job, completely unbiased, but with just the right level of give a damn to muster up an answer.

We chatted for awhile and Clint really wasn’t much help, but he did say that New Brunswick had a cool name.  That wasn’t much but the man was right.  New Brunswick has a nice ring to it. This was enough for me and the decision was made to head northeast.  I got to the border in better time than I expected and was optimistic about finding a good campsite before dark.  Canada and the U.S. are friends after all and this crossing should be a breeze, right? I pulled up a little nervous because I just realized I had never signed my passport.  The sawed-off little border patrol agent at the gate was all business and started rattling off questions…  This was already more than I had planned on and I looked like a deer in the headlights.  After he had sufficiently demeaned me enough to make him feel like a man of normal height he had me pull into gate 5.  A female border agent asked me politely to get out of my car and step to the front.  Then the typical questions I was expecting started: guns, bombs, nukes, piranhas, drugs, and alcohol.  I answered all of those with confidence and was starting to feel pretty good.  They had the dog come up to the car and the handler asked me if I owned any firearms and to list them…  Now, if you are ever crossing a border you want to try to keep this section down to under 5 minutes.  I did not.  After the first several minutes he asked me to just narrow it down to pistols.  After naming those he looked at me like, who in the HELL are you??  I know I don’t have to justify my armory to my readers as I am sure all of you are aware of the inevitability of the zombie apocalypse and the need for preparedness.  This Canadian agent however, was less than impressed.  Enjoy being zombie food buck-o.  

The slightly chubby yellow lab that the border lady kept calling a golden retriever was quick and satisfied with my car in less than a minute.  It was everything I could do not to yell, “It’s a BLEEPING yellow lab LADY!”  However, I restrained myself and probably deserve a gold star.  The dog was happy so I was given my passport, a piece of paper, and told to go inside and talk to the person at the desk.  Well... That wasn’t so bad I thought.  I went in, handed over my paper with a smile and the lovely lady behind the desk pointed to some chairs and asked me to have a seat until an agent comes to see me.  Damn…  There was already a couple people sitting down and they looked like they had been there for a minute or sixty.  One was a large friendly bear of a man and the other was his non-threatening slight built spectacled side kick.  I am not sure who started into conversation but our similar plight gave ample subject matter and the conversation came easy.    Zach was the large man’s name and he was a musician on tour and the little guy was Sam his friend/manager.  It was starting to get late and I was getting nervous about finding a place to spend the night.  I shared my plight and Zach said I should come to the show and just crash with them for the night.  At this point Zach told me his music was just a lot of “ishes” of different types of music…  Ya, he really didn’t sell it all that well but I did need a place to sleep and I couldn't turn down all the potential life points.  I finally made it through the border after a long interview with the agent about my financial situation and the fact that I did not have a travel plan.  Probably should have seen the how long and where are you going questions coming.  BUT…  Anyway, I finally headed off to Fredericton to meet the boys at Nicky Zee’s.  I was going to meet a band.  I couldn't help but feel like the coolest kid in school the entire drive.

I couldn’t help but fell a little awkward when I pulled up to Nicky Zee’s.  This entire trip I have been hearing the “One of these things is not like the other” song in my head and even though it was getting dimmer, I was certainly hearing it now.   The first member of the group I saw when I walked up the stairs was Kyle.  Kyle was a bearded redhead who I later found out was the merchandise salesman of the group.  I had only met Kyle very briefly at the border but I was most comfortable with him and Sam, so I was glad that I saw him first.  “Ohh, whats up man, you made it…”  In that slow relaxed tone that only hippies and surfers possess.   I answered with an awkward , what kinda handshake we going to do here? type handshake.  You know the ones where you don’t know if you’re going to bring it in or do a transfer to a knuckle and so each person just kinda wiggles their arm and body awkwardly?  Ya, that’s what we did.  It was awesome.  After that start I did the surest thing I could think of to win their good graces.  I asked if they needed any help.   They were pretty much all done with what looked like a very complicated set up and I was only able to help set up the merchandise desk and pick a few things up.  After that I just kind of hung out with Sam and Kyle and we pretty much beat the border crossing conversation too death.  At this point luckily the beers I was getting for cheap because the bar tender thought I was with the band were doing what they are supposed to do and I began to loosen up.  People were just starting to pile in and immediately “One of these things is not like the other” began playing louder.  The crowd was all hippies.  I am not talking about those wanna be hippy hipsters we have in Utah, I am talking about the real deal.  Dreads, beads, marijuana, possible LSD, and body odor filled the dance floor.  After having camped for the last week and hiking around 20 miles, biking about 15, and only having bathed in Creeks, I at least probably fit one of the criteria.  So I had that going for me, which is nice.  I also had a nasty beard which has its own story and is magic to help me out. I will tell that story later.  Anyway, about this time Zach started doing his thing…  I was instantly blown away.  His description of a lot of “ishes” really undersold his talent.  It was music I would have never listened to on my own but his gift was undeniable.  He mixed everything live and did all his own percussion and beats with beat boxing and a keyboard type drum set up, all the while singing and playing the guitar.  It was amazing to watch.  Best of all it was funky music even a white person can dance too.  I wish I was more musically inclined so my description could better do it justice, but sadly I am not and I will just sum it up as being an incredible live experience. 

By this time I had noticed a few surprisingly attractive hippy to hippyish girls in the place.  I debated whether to approach but decided against it. After all I was completely unfamiliar with hippy mating and courtship rituals.  The queen of the girls on the floor went up to Kyle and whispered something in his ear.  He simply nodded yes.  I had to investigate.  I went over to Kyle and without asking he told me she invited us to party with her and her friends after the show.  The way he said it made it clear that I was part of “us” meaning the band crew, and Zach Deputy, and I.   I felt pretty badass at this moment.  After the amazing show it was my time to do my part to earn whatever was in store for the night.  I didn’t know anything about the set up, what was what, what went where, but if there is one thing I can do its pick things up and put them down.  So I picked things up and put them down like a pro.  The crew was grateful and I scored a cd and a sticker.  When it was time to go to the after party I was waved over with them.  Score.  We were escorted by a lovely yet over-pierced woman of about my age to a hip little closed juice shop called Nirvana in downtown Fredericton, NB and ushered inside.

I would love to say that I got crazy, hurricaned, stole the show, or even just got drunk enough to be my mildly extroverted alter ego.   But, that would be a lie.  I was tired and by this point sober.  I had just hiked Maine’s highest peak the day prior and had been waking up at 5 or earlier and going to bed at dark.  It was about 3 AM at this point and it was way past my bedtime. I didn’t pull a Bryan and fall asleep on a stool or anything but I was definitely in chill mode and just kinda sat back and enjoyed reflecting on the moments as they came.  Here, I was first night in Canada and I am in a closed juice shop partying with people I had never met.  It was the definition of surreal. 

I tried the organic gluten free treats and made casual conversation with people who our only thing in common was our disinterest in the other.  I couldn’t make myself care about gluten, pottery, and opening up organic juice shops, any more then they could overlook that I was ex-corporate, and travelling in my bought and paid for car.  So lamestream, I guess I should have hitched?  Somehow though it was still pleasant and I just relished in being in a closed shop downtown nursing a beer, surrounded with people I would never meet otherwise.  I did manage getting one collective laugh out of the bunch when I asked for the Wi-Fi password and she said, “wellness” and I looked around at the environment and sarcastically said “Oh, of course it is.”  It was a timing joke and I don’t expect it to translate.  The exception to all of this was Sam.  Sam genuinely was interested in my stories and had interesting road stories of his own to share.  Sam wasn’t too cool for school so to speak. 

The time to go finally arrived and our little juice shop friend invited us over to her place to crash for the night.  I followed them to her nice little apartment grabbed my bed roll and bag and occupied the last available piece of empty floor.  My plot was on the kitchen floor and this place was pretty gross.  She had a couple cats and they pretty much had the run of the place.  Regardless, I was thankful for a roof over my head; at this point it had begun to rain heavily and I was glad I wasn’t camping.  A few winks and sneezes caused by the damn cats and I was fast asleep.

I slept all the way until 9 AM.  I got three and half hours.  Yay!!! I hopped up on the couch in the pseudo green room and just sat and watched the rain come pouring down.  The pitter-patter put me back to sleep and I stole another hour until Jen (the pierced girl) came in and said something about going to grab some coffee.  I said, “sure, coffee sounds great thanks!”  When she kind of just sat there expectantly, I realized I was the one who was really going to grab coffee.  She didn’t have a car.  I should have seen that coming.  We gathered up some cash and by that I mean 2 dollar coins called loonies or are those ones the toonies?  Anyway it is of no matter, we went out to the car in the pouring rain to go pick up the coffee.  Taylor Swift came on just before she got in the car and I hurried and turned it off hoping she hadn’t heard a note of it…  I didn’t know too much about hippies but one thing I did suspect is that they are, how should I put it? Snobs?  They seem very particular about food, beer, style, lifestyle, and especially the arts.  Not too mention my fondness for Taylor Swift is slightly embarrassing in every crowd.  So not wanting to risk playing bad music I played nothing at all and allowed the awkward silence to fill the car.  Jen didn’t seem too keen on me so the awkwardness counted double.

In the coffee shop I half successfully pretended to know something about coffee, and we made it back to a hero’s welcome. The ordeal was entirely worth it when I got to sit back, sip on some joe, and watch Zach pick up a banjo, an instrument he didn’t really know if he could play, and whip out song after song.  The one about a lesbian Russian who certainly didn’t sound too lesbian, was probably the funniest song I had ever heard and the the heavy rain accented the banjo perfectly.  I may never be that relaxed in an uncomfortable setting again and I made sure to savor it. 

The impromptu show ended and I was beginning to feel more at ease but I knew it was time for me to be moving on.  Jen made us a great breakfast after asking if we all ate eggs....  You kidding me?  I was about five minutes away from grilling up the squirrel outside the window.  Of course I eat eggs!?  In the immortal words of  Tracy Morgan, "Who da hell don't!?"  Sam and Kyle said that I should just follow them and finish the tour but I, paranoid about overstaying my welcome and wanting to fish, said I would just catch them later.  I didn’t really mean it at the time but it turned out to be prophetic and what happened in between my second adventure with Zach Deputy and Co. is its own equally unique story.  To be continued.... :)  Wow...  This is a long post I am probably the only one to see the bottom of it.  But I had to get it down before it was forgot.     

Travels... Continued from Albany Part II

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Nova Scotia

Well, I paid for a hotel room tonight so I could finally get a good nights rest, a shower, and WiFi to load up a bunch of content from the last few days.  Sadly, though for 100 dollars a night I still couldn't land WiFi that was working :(.  I am using the community computer to write this on so it is going to be short.  I really, really wanted to give you all some short stories but because of technical difficulties that will have to wait.  I was going to stay in Canada until I reached Alaska, but Canada is turning out to be far too expensive.  It is unreal how much beer, food, and gas cost here.  24 beers cost 40 dollars!  A 12 pack of Keystone light cost over 20 dollars!  Dollar menu items cost 1.50 and everything else seems to be about 30-40 percent more expensive.  That said Canada has been amazing.  The people I have met and the kindness I have been shown is unsurpassed.

Tomorrow I reach the farthest eastern point one can drive too in North America without getting on a ferry.  So, I guess that means it is time to turn around and start heading home.  Halfway through my trip and I already have enough stories to last a lifetime.  I can't wait to see what the second half will bring :)

A quick update!!!

I am sorry that I have not posted for awhile.  This time it is not because I am sick but because things have been out of control crazy and awesome.  First off I am in CANADA!!!  Meaning I have no cellphone data, so I have to go to McDonalds or the like to make a post or find directions, its almost like going back to the time where we needed to plan and be competent at following directions.  Almost... 

Canada is quite the trip.  Between the accents, gas by the litre, speed limits of 110! (kilometers/hour) that absolutely no one follows, and the road signs in French,  milk for 3.00 for a liter, it really is another country.  I obviously knew it was another country but how different it would be was unknown, and its been a great experience so far.  Another reason why Canada has been such a trip is because of the people I have met in my short time here.  Coming across the border I met up with a musician and his road crew, we quickly became friends and I was invited to the show and wherever they ended up staying for the night.  The experience that follows will definitely have to be a blog piece soon.  In summary I went to an amazing show for free, partied at a closed juice shop, and eventually crashed at a fans house.  I woke up in the morning hung out with the band, listened to the funniest song I have ever heard, and was invited to finish out the tour with them.  Ha, I respectfully declined.  Part of me was definitely down to go, but most of me wanted to get out there fishing.  The band is definitely its own story, so I will save the rest for later.

My search for fishing carried me up to Miramichi, NB.    While buying a license at the Miramichi DNR office, I encountered two "lads" renewing their licenses.  They asked me where I was fishing and I answered honestly, "I have no idea?  The water?"  "The waters in the area all require a guide," the ranger aide at the desk interjected...   "Well, lad your in luck I am guide,"  Mike pipes up.  So with little introduction we all three headed out to his camp on the Northwest Miramichi River.  The rest is it's own story that I will include with the video of us swimming with giant salmon.  I still can't believe how it all worked out.  Fished for two days, stayed in a camp right on the river, ate their food, and they asked nothing from me.  Even when I offered Mike wouldn't accept even a tank of gas.  Nice lads them New Brunswick boys, real course, real course, I tell yee!

The stories keep on piling up and one of these days I will tell them, I promise.  I still have Boston, Acadia, Mount Katahdin, The Border, Band, and my Canadian red necks.  I'm sure tonight will be a story too.  Wish me luck! ;) 

Maine sunset

I'm back!

I know it's a been awhile since my last real post.  To be honest I have been a little down lately.  Traveling solo is a great and rewarding experience but it's also not easy.  Add to the inherent difficulties being siCk makes it even tougher, especially mentally. The last 5 days or so I have been really weak and achy in my joints.  Yesterday being my lowest point both psychologically and physically.  The unknown is great but also not knowing where you will be sleeping every night is hard.  The hunt for a place to stay and for optimal activities can be mentally exhausting.  Being homeless is not easy.  There are no breaks.  

The exciting newness of what I am doing has worn off.  It's more real now.  This is my life.  Homeless and alone.  Reality has finally set in.  Luckily I expected this.  I knew it wasn't going to be easy.  I will of course continue on but that unshakeable childish giddiness I had for the first leg is gone.  What I feel now is more real, more raw, more solemn.  I realize now that this is not just something to be enjoyed but something to endure.  It is Something to overcome.

I have a wonderful family back home and I miss them.  It's hard at times knowing I could be with them.  I could be making their day.  I could be giving them happiness with just with my presence but instead I just abandoned them.  I left those who I love and those who love me the most.  What I am doing is not just awesome sight seeing and adventures it is also extremely selfish.  It's hardest when I think about my grandpa and I often do.  The lakes, the fishing, the trees of New England all remind me of when I was a kid and would go up to Idaho to see him during the summer.  I wish I could be with him now.  I sometimes wish I had stayed home and spent all my time with him.  Me and my grandpa just living the retired life together :).  I want him here.  I want to be in that canoe again just him and me, floating down a mountain river like we have so many times.  Never having to assure each other that we are enjoying the trip, or say something is beautiful, because we both know that we see the world through the same eyes.  I miss him, I miss that better part of me.  The me that doesn't have to explain or justify myself.  When I am with him I can finally let go.  I know that I am with someone who knows what I know and sees what I see.

I have seen 4 new states since my last post and have been to Boston.  I'll tell those tales someday but for now I needed to vent.  I needed to let someone know that it's not all sunshine and rainbows out here.  That it's hard.  That it's a challenge.  I am not whining, however.  I embrace the adventures maturation and am excited for what this next stage will bring.  Its going to be more real, more rewarding and yes it will be hard.  But We do things because they are hard.  Because doing hard things brings growth and defines life from the ease that is death and staleness.  

I now know that i have to go harder.  I need to accomplish more and bigger things.  I am hungrier now, I simply am no longer satisfied with what i have been doing.  I need to make sure that I make this worth the sacrifice each day.  Make sure that this is worth my families void I left behind. Leave no doubt that each day is worth it.  It will be hard but as always I will not go quietly into the night.








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Test

I have sent two heavy post from my phone and they disappeared. Extremely frustrating. So this is a Ted

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Google Maps only lets you go to O so I will be starting a new map after this one

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Storm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byeGlizifvA&feature=plcp

Mistakes were made

I messed up. I am sometimes an idiot and think I can get myself out of ANY situation. Because of this I don't plan very much, hell today I didn't hardly plan at all. I guess some sick underlying part of me likes the challenge of having to adapt to an unideal situation and inhibits my ability to even plan if I want too. Did I mention sometimes I'm a complete idiot?

Today I just went where the road took me. The road gods took me to Nucomb, NY where I had some nice conversations with some locals about where I could bike in to camp. They were extremely helpful and told me Santanoni was the only place around but it was a good 5 mile bike ride in and they said the lake was beautiful... No one mentioned the weather.

It was looking a little stormy and afternoon showers had been the norm. Besides this I loaded up and headed out on the trail. Right when I headed out a girl comes out of no where behind me and says it looks like its going to storm. "Yip" I said, "but if it's anything like the last few days it'll blow over and I should beat it in too set up camp."  Apparently at some point I decided I was a damn meteorologist!

I made it to the lake in no time.  It was a smooth closed logging road and I ate it up even with about 35 pounds of gear on. I looked over the lake and immediately thought, "Holy shit!" It looked like a massive grey wall was covering half of the lake. This was no afternoon shower. Temperature dropped 20 degrees in about 20 seconds... I immediately knew shelter was priority one. I ran to the nearest camp site and hurriedly started setting up the tent. I got the tent up and got one clip of the rainfly on when me and the tent went flying. Somehow the tent caught one of the cogs on my bike and took my bike about 5 feet before settling.... I ran over to the tent and unhooked the poles so it would lay flat and flipped it over. That's when tree one went down about 20 feet away. I quickly realized I had to get down and get down now. I raced over to my pack an shoved it under a wooden bridge I had crossed to try and keep it and me dry. The wind was so hard and fast that the waves of the lake and the spray of the water began to threaten to drown me under the bridge. I couldn't stay here. I had to make a run for it. So I ran along the lake until I found some large rocks. Staying dry was impossible but I needed something to protect me from falling trees. And they were coming down... I'm not talking about hearing trees groan or go down in the distance. I am talking about seeing them go down next to me. The scariest were the ones that broke midway up and shattered like some asshole kid had stuck dynamite in a woodpecker hole. Shrapnel became a real concern. Tree burst like in band of brothers I thought and kinda smiled that little smile you do when you know your fucked but you can't help but love the rush. This lasted anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 but it didn't matter this was the longest storm of my life.

It let up enough for me to vacate my foxhole and take inventory. Somehow I had lost nothing. Only thing that saved my tent was that the ring caught the cog otherwise it would be midway up a tree. My pack was wet but could have been wetter. Trees were down all over around my bike but none landed on it. I immediately got naked and and set up my tent taking advantage of the break in wind... I was in all cotton and cotton kills. Surprisingly flipping my tent worked and most of the inside was dry. It started to rain harder so I gathered everything into the freshly set up tent. Everything was moist but my sleeping bag, pad, and change of clothes were just slightly damp. Luckily my change of clothes were wool and nylon. Wool keeps most of its insulating properties even when wet. Thanks land maggots I owe you. When I got in the tent I shook myself off the best I could in the vestibule and changed into my other set of clothes. The rain let up for a little while and I went outside.

It was decision time. Wait it out and see if it clears like a good boy scout or leave your gear take only what you need and make the quick 5 mile bike ride out without gear? Then came back the rain, this time with much more lightening in the distance... Wind had swirled. It was coming back... I didn't know how much time I had but I couldn't move my camp and there were excellent candidates for more tree fall all around. I picked up the bike and decided to take my chances... Without the gear I figured I could make it out in twice the time or even better. The lightning came in hard after about 500 yards of riding but the wind wasn't crazy. That's not to say it wasn't windy.

My smooth logger trail I had come in on had become a nightmare. Downed trees every hundred or so yards had me getting off at a running pace hucking the bike, jumping the tree and hopping back on. The lightning was everywhere and I was racing lightning for what I felt was my life. I went the fastest I ever have on a bike. It was wet and unstable but I couldn't be caught in another wind storm...

I made it to a little cabin/historical relic and am held up here. Have been for a couple hours. The storm came back but this time with an impossible amount of rain and lightning. Never seen anything like it. Less wind though. Giving me some hope I'll have a tent tomorrow when I go back in for my stuff...

I have nothing to sleep in or change into so tonight could be a tough one if this storm doesn't let me out. But I finally know I will be ok.

Looking back now I remember how the girl was out of breath when she talked to me... I remember she said its GOING TO STORM. I NOW realize this wasn't a conversation about the weather but that she had ran up the hill to warn me. I now know, why she looked so confused. I now know that I am a dumbass.

But what a ride it is ;)

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Just a little update on this story the weather let up and I was able to make it to my car.  I went to a little diner in town and asked if there were any cabins in town.  They said they didn't think there were but they offered me a place in their camping trailer nearby.  I gladly took there offer...  This trailer was disgusting she said she hadn't had a chance to clean it since they bought it and it showed.  It was pretty gross and I will spare the details.  I didn't sleep worth a damn but I was dry.  Next morning I went into the diner and basically walked into an impromptu town meeting about the storm.  I guess a couple buildings were destroyed in the area.  Everyone knew who I was and had a good time joking around about me biking off in the middle of a storm like a jackass.  

Map! It worked this time!!!

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Brown Brewing Company Albany New York

Piseco Lake

Tupper

This weekend was a tough one.  I gotta a lil drunk a couple nights and one day a lil meant a lot.  Night one was at a little bar in Piseco called the Oxbow.  It is pretty much like any other bar in a tiny semi-tourist town.  I kept myself together pretty well that night.  The next night I was at a logger festival in Tupper, New York.  I felt obligated to drink heavily in such an environment.  Part of my blend in with the locals survival strategy, but I feel I passed the locals up around 9 pm eastern time.  I cannot tell you how much I have not missed hangovers or making a fool of myself.  Bryan and I had rolled into the logger festival after having played 18 excellent holes of golf and where feeling pretty impressive already.  Then it was obviously time for some peppermint schnaps at the festival.  When you can't brush drink schnaps, its what 4/5 dentist recommend.  Fast forward past the fuzzier parts of the night and I was going for a late night jog by myself to the Trails End bar.  I never go quietly into the night.  All is well that ends well and I woke up feeling like a zombie, but I woke up where I was supposed to.  To prevent a few comments from my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt.  No driving was done during any of this.  We put some miles on our feet like responsible somewhat adults.  I apparently have learned from Mike and become a drunk jogger.  Though, my jogs are maybe a mile.  His are cross-county marathons.  Sunday, morning was rough.  But, I powered through and some water, swimming, coffee, and breakfast had me feeling human again.

Bryan's friend Austin whose cabin we were staying at in Tupper Lake, girlfriend's parents had invited us out to go boating with them.  <--Just try and figure out who was the subject in that botched sentence?  They may have been one of the coolest parents I have ever met.  They weren't all over you but they were still nice and cordial.  Everyone was adults and was treated accordingly.  They drove us around the lake and we did some wake boarding.  I haven't wake boarded in 5 years and had only been one time.  I did pretty good if I must say so myself.  Which I will.  Didn't jump the wake or throw any tantrums or anything but I was turning and crossing the wake like it was my job.  I am pretty easily satisfied when it comes to water sports.  Water is not my home.  After that we did some cliff jumping and everyone pretty much destroyed their sinuses in one jump and I cut my foot right where the strap of my sandal rubs.  Could have went without the cliffs. 

 Austin, Megan, and her parents really made the trip up to Tupper worthwhile.  Could have done without the heavy drinking ha but I am slowly learning that it doesn't do it for me.  Austin is a pretty cool guy and witty banter was the norm of the weekend.  I will never live down a couple happenings of this weekend, but they are good for a laugh and that is what counts right?  I could stay here forever, but I think I have gotten the most out of my time at Bryan's parents and the surrounding area and it is time to move on.  One small problem is that so far I have been just looking at the map and picking out green spots 5-6 hours away and going to those.  Well the northeast is all one big green spot so picking out the next destination is a little harder.  Cool part is that I should be able to do some good backpacking to lakes in this region.  I do need to buy bear-spray though.  The country has been extremely dry and the berries will likely not ripen this year so there will literally be thousands of starving bears and they are already starting to cause problems.  I didn't take a single picture in Tupper and for that I apologize.  Any comments on places to go are welcome :)

Good Luck Lake

Murphy's Law States anything that can go wrong will go wrong.  Inevitably when you come to a fork in a trail or in this case a river you take the wrong fork.  It's science.  We were heading up to good luck lake when we came to an unexpected fork in the river.  We went with the biggest option.  It was the wrong option.  When we ran across the highway again after about two miles (the mere fact that the river was supposed to be a short 1/2 mile kayak ride was not enough for us to turn around) we luckily ran into a long stretch of impassably low river, and turned around.  Worst part about turning around was we were going to have to do this terrible portage.  A tree had fallen over the river and the only way around was to go through the hole the upended tree left in the river.  Getting in and out of the kayaks in that section of river was pretty damn difficult to say the least.  We had to plop out in deep water onto the slickest mud ever.  Then drag the kayaks through about a narrow passage with said mud about two feet deep.  Between the teamwork, getting covered in mud, slipping all over the place, and our unique kayak re-entry strategies, we had some good material.  I wish I had the video rolling.

Eventually we made it to the lake and it was definitely worth the trouble.   After a trip around the lake we found the perfect camp site complete with pre-gathered firewood.  We quickly set up camp and headed back out to do some fishing.  We caught quite a few fish after figuring out where the fish were and what they wanted.  We caught sunfish, yellow perch, and pickerel.  Mostly pickerel.  So far on this trip I have caught: long-eared sunfish, redear sunfish, ozark bass, smallmouth bass,  largemouth bass, black crappie, mooneye, white drum, channel catfish, yellow perch, brown trout, rainbow trout, cut-throat trout, white bass, bluegill, and pickerel.  I think that is all the species, but I could have missed a few.  Pickerel are a pike and they have some wicked teeth.  My hands are like swiss cheese and the bigger ones cut the line with their teeth nearly every time you hook one.  That night we were able to catch three legal sized fish (over 15inches) and cook them in foil over the fire.  Pickerel are pretty tasty.  A little bit bony for inexperienced fish eaters but the meat is firm and light.  Because of the very light flavor, I definitely prefer trout but these are certainly edible.

The next morning I woke up around 5 o'clock and threw out a line.  First cast I caught a nice pickerel but he was hooked nicely in the lip so I let him go.  We caught a lot more fish that morning and it was surreal kayaking around the lake in heavy morning mist.  I caught about a 23 inch pickerel and he cut me pretty good, so I killed him for lunch.  We didn't have any foil but we started a fire and I gathered up some rocks to cook him on.  He was delicious, such a primitive and effective way to prepare fish.  After lunch we loaded up and headed back to the boat launch.

Right now we are thinking about doing some golf...  Not sure if life gets any better, but I will make it my job to try and improve :)

Good Luck Lake Cooking fish right in the fire…

 

Piseco Lake

This place still amazes me.  In the morning we went golfing because the "local" course (45 minutes away) had a deal that was too good to pass up.  It was great to get back out golfing, and hats of to be people who play well with borrowed clubs, I am not one of them.  Regardless of how bad I played it was a great course and definitely different then out west. When we got back I kind of passed out for the next two hours after doing some much needed laundry.  When I woke up we headed out on the Kayak's to go up falls stream.  This place is still hard to get used to, big natural lake, surrounded by thick green forest, and hardly anyone around.  The kayaks were a great way to explore the small shallow stream and I can now add another fish species to the list, Northern Pike.  Nothing huge, the biggest was probably sixteen inches but I caught about ten of them so that was nice.  It is always cool to see or catch a new species.  After that it was hot tub time.  Nothing like coming out of a cool lake onto a sandy beach and stepping right into a hot tub surrounded by trees.  Tough life.

Tomorrow we will be kayaking up to and the camping at Good Luck Lake, I am excited to see what else New York has in store.  I will take some pictures tomorrow to try and show you how beautiful this place is.  Wore my first long sleeved shirt on the entire trip today.  I cannot tell you how good it felt to be a little chilly after traveling through the hot, humid south.  Gotta get to sleep but if you ever get the chance to see New York just cruise past the city,  Adirondacks is where its at.
 

Travels So far

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Albany

So it's time for me to move on from Albany, New York.  My time in Albany has been a little weird.  Albany is kinda sleepy and sad.  No offense Albanians (Also, no offense to my friend Bryan who thinks its annoying when I call Albany, Albania).  While in Albany I have had some good brews, seen sesame street streets, crack babies, and Gotham City type buildings.  All in all its been pretty good, but it is not where I long to be.  Discussions with my friend MacKay could probably never get old, for me at least, we couldn't be more different, and still agree and debate any better.  MacKay is a good debater , sound thinker and completely different.  It's nice. Regardless, tomorrow I will be leaving for something wilder and a little more adventurous.  I miss fishing for my food and not knowing where I was going to be sleeping for the night.  I rode a MTB trail in Albany and although it was a nice break from the city it was not on par or even close to what I have been spoiled with on this journey.  To find the good stuff I had to go on the "Closed trails"  I hate doing that but when it is such a fast growing biologically diverse forest like the ones out in the east I couldn't really see the harm.  I am excited to get back out in what is becoming more and more obvious "my element."  I have so many stories to tell, but I have gotten behind.  Hopefully I will catch up sometime and be able to give you all the accounts instead of just summaries.  The devil and hilarity of what I have seen and done is in the details. My last goodnight from Albany! 

Check out this "dude" ha gotta get out of Albany

Smithsonian

Baltimore

Homo erectus

DC and New York

Every time I visit a monument or a landmark I end up disappointed...  I guess I am just not that into seeing something just for the sake of seeing it.  Even though DC is monument central I left very impressed.  I had kind of low expectations and they were greatly exceeded.  The buildings and monuments are so beautifully built and MASSIVE.  It's majestic and the history resonates.  The Museum of Natural History was my must see while I was in town.  It was amazing!  I am a bit of a science nerd, and I am sure I was annoying my friend while I was explaining random facts about all the exhibits to him.  It was a dream, Dinosaurs Anthropology, etc...  So awesome!  Always something new to learn no matter how much you know.  Could have spent a year there!  Air and Space was cool as well.  Never enough time.  I will definitely return.  Fun facts about DC there are tons of young people, very few hipsters, and most people were pretty fit (minus the tourist).  The lack of hipsters was refreshing after spending so much time in Salt Lake, and there were tons of cyclist just wearing whatever clothes and any bikes they wanted.  Turns out you don't have to ride a fixie to kick it in DC.  Lots of pretty rich people too.

While in the Natural History Museum my friend Bryan called me and said, "Hey! You should make it to Albany tonight to hang out!"  So I  leave wonderful DC and make the terrible 7 hr drive.  Only to find my wonderful friend MacKay there all alone.  Haha by the way tolls suck.  30 dollars later I am in Albany.  All the cash i had.  I feel like its such a Monopoly.  Also, Siri tried to get me shot in Baltimore by sending me on a wild goose chase for gas in the ghetto.  So creepy filling up a fiesta with 5 homeless people intently watching.  New Jersey is also terrible, the most expensive and massive parking lot to drive through.  It is actually funny how quickly the world gets better once you cross the Jersey border.

My first day in Albany has been a little weird.  But, I am excited to be done with any sort of deadline.  Its funny how stressful such a small obligation has been.  We always find something to be stressed about no matter how minor.  But now that I am here in New York, I am truly free.  No obligations whatsoever.  It is a new beginning on an already great adventure!