I love the mid-Atlantic heat!

It sure has been a while since I’ve last updated! Sorry there are no pictures this time.

I spent almost a week in the happening city of Baltimore. There was a lot to do there! Some highlights were hanging out with my couchsurfing host, other couchsurfers, an old friend, and many, many new friends; bumping into an old friend from Providence on the street; driving (in our friend’s over-heating car) to the beach in Delaware for her birthday, watching the sunrise, and eating unroasted smores; going to Lexington Market and eating, just myself, about a dozen old-fashioned doughnuts; hanging out and swimming at the Pretty Boy reservoir; and the unforgettable experience of eating garlic, spinach, butternut squash, sweet potato, cucumber, sweet corn, and beet flavored ice cream (and other amazing flavors too) at Dominion Ice Cream — I went there almost every day.

My next major stop after Baltimore was a brief one in Washington D.C.. I stayed with my friend Gaurav who I worked with on Silverbrook Farm a couple years ago. It was so nice to see him and catch up with him after not talking for two years! Some of my favorite experiences there were eating a nice, home-cooked meal with Gaurav, eating Ethiopian food for the first time (not my last time!), watching the U.S. vs Algeria World Cup soccer match (really!), and meeting up for lunch with my friend Laurenellen.

The next big stop was an unplanned one at the Prince William National Forest in Prince William county, Virginia! I decided to stop there on Thursday as I was biking in the 100+ degree weather on my way to Fredericksburg. I did some “backcountry” camping there, saw a whole variety of wildlife, and no people during my two-night stay. The majority of the wildlife consisted of ants, non-biting flies, small spiders, and ticks. I also saw some deer, a few squirrels, a box turtle, flying birds, and several tiny toads. The most interesting thing I saw was this group of fifteen or so small, shiny-red beetles, that had presumably just hatched, hanging out on a single tree leaf; I thought it was funny that they’d scurry as a collective to the far side of the leaf if you put your finger near. Since I had so much time to myself I finished reading a book I picked up in Baltimore, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. I definitely recommend it, and I’m going to keep my eyes out for Frederick Douglass’ other books. It’s really interesting to me reading it specifically as I make this trip because the story of slavery is deep all along the Atlantic Coast and the repercussions continue today, and even more specifically I got the book in Douglass’ birthplace, Maryland and am coming from where he finishes the book in New Bedford, MA.

On Saturday I finished the ride to Fredericksburg, VA where I just stayed with a few kind couchsurfers. They grow a variety of fruits and vegetables at their home, and Steve cooked some really delicious and creative meals and desserts for us, incorporating local food in each. I stayed with them for two nights, and then this morning (Monday), Steve drove me quite a ways during his morning errands, giving me only a short distance to bike to get to Richmond.

Today in Richmond I explored Bryan Park where I had an awesome conversation with a woman named Nancy, biked around town a bit, visited one of the city’s many thrift stores, relaxed with a new friend in the warm waters of the James River on Belle Isle (the river being reason enough to visit Richmond in my opinion), and have now been hanging out with my couchsurfing hosts Adam and Steve.

After another day here in Richmond, I’m on my way to North Carolina, and I’m thinking of taking the route along the Outer Banks.

Love and Laughter
-Nathan

P.S. If you’re interested, my two friends I met in Manheim, PA who are biking from Germany through Eastern Europe this summer sent me their blog address: http://danube2010.wordpress.com/

I love a challenge!

Hey! After three nights in Pennsylvania outside of my time Philadelphia, I’ve made it to Baltimore, Maryland. These past few days of biking through Pennsylvania have been the most challenging so far. One of many positive outcomes of this challenge is that what I used to think were hills, I now realize are super easy!

    

The ride out of Philadelphia was mostly along bike paths, the first stretch going along a river. Later, I passed over this river. I had a hard time getting off the bridge because they put a huge sign to say “Dismount Bicycles on Bridge” that didn’t leave quite enough room for my trailer to pass by! I had to detach it from my bike (easy) and then turn it on its side to squeeze it through (difficult). I ended up in Valley Forge, PA for the night where I saw this monument in honor of a famous Rhode Islander!

The following day I biked to a beautiful little town called Manheim, PA to stay with a couchsurfing couple. It was so nice that they shared their home and time with me! Interesting enough, they left yesterday (Tuesday) for Germany where they are beginning a two-month bike tour through Eastern Europe! When I get their blog info, I’ll post it here.

Since the trek from Valley Forge to Manheim the day before was really intense — steep, steep hills and about a 12-hour ride for me, I took it very easy the next day continuing en route, mostly traveling in the Susquehanna River valley (pictured above). There was cyclist-only camping south of Wrightsville, PA listed on my Adventure Cycling maps, so I called the number it listed and talked to Frank Harvey. I stayed on his farm for the night and had some time to reflect in the serenity of the hilltop fields.

     

I thought it was really awe-provoking the way the individual wheat plants formed a sea of wheat!
The next day, yesterday, I headed out from there with no destination for the night in mind, and I ended up going all the way to Baltimore, Maryland! Once I decided to go all the way, I got a burst of extra energy that pushed me there by 10:30pm. I spent the night in a youth hostel ($30! — Way more than I’m used to spending to sleep: $0), and I think I’ll stay here in the city for a few days couchsurfing.

Love and Laughter
-Nathan

Out of NYC and into the Unknown

It took me a while to set a date to leave NYC, but I finally left on Wednesday. Just about everyday I found myself pushing back the day I would leave by an additional day. If it wasn’t for also wanting to continue on my trip, I’d still be there because I wanted to stay!

Wednesday was gray and rainy. I took a ferry from Manhattan, which brought me to Belford, NJ. I’m glad I didn’t bike out of the city because I surely would have spent a good deal of time getting lost and finding my way as I did going into the city through Queens.

The ride through New Jersey was remarkably beautiful. A good part of the trip was spent riding along some dirt paths, covered in goose poop, along picturesque canals with lots of green. I saw a ton of cool creatures. There were a snapping turtle, whole nations of Canadian geese, a few of some other type of geese, mallard ducks, beavers, gophers, a black squirrel, and more!

Last night I made to Philadelphia (and out of NJ!). I haven’t seen too much yet. But I have seen that it is a HUGE city. It took quite a while passing through the city to the west side. Last night I had some awesome gelato at a place called Capogiro — Irish coffee, Thai coconut milk, and sweet Amish milk. Today I went and replaced all of my bike tools because I misplaced them in NYC.

Next I’m off through Pennsylvania to Maryland!

Love and Laughter
-Nathan

I’ve made it to New York City!

Bike Day 1: I biked from Fairhaven, MA to Providence, RI on Thursday, the 27th. That went remarkably well; it was the first time I ventured out with my trailer packed with all of my gear! I used my trailer a few times to move some things within Providence, and luckily I think my gear is a bit lighter! I left pretty late, and the bike ride along the east bay bike path at dusk was a highlight. I saw a few geese with their now adolescent goslings.

Bike Day 2: After a few days in Providence, I headed off for Narragansett Sunday morning. This is when I realized that I bike a lot slower with a trailer full of gear than without. I stopped at the farmers market near Point Judith and got some lettuce! Then I caught the ferry to Block Island and had such an awesome time. It was real nice spending time with my friends, Jessy, Jimmy, Ayla, Ezra, and Fuzz. The natural beauty of Block Island is breathtaking.

Bike Days 3 & 4: I decided that when I arrived on the afternoon ferry to Montauk, Long Island, I would just head from there and get to NYC as soon as possible. It’s a 125 mile ride, and I did it just over 24 hours. I took some time to sleep and eat… and I lot of time to get lost. Traveling through Long Island felt as though I was circling in the same town over and over. If I ever attempt to travel so far in one trip again, so as to keep it from all blurring together, I definitely will stop and enjoy the sights more along the way.

Here are some pictures from Block Island!

Love and Laughter
-Nathan