I’m a fellow cyclist currently on the road doing my first tour. I left from New Orleans, LA 212 days ago with my sights set on Seattle, Washington. Since I left with no intended time frame I’ve been afforded the ability to pause for extended periods and reroute on a dime. Today I’m in King City, CA after a necessary detour due to a Rt 1 closing around Big Sur.
I was introduced to this blog by the creator himself about 2 months ago and vowed that I would share something. I met Tom randomly in Flagstaff, AZ when he approached me asking about a particular coffee shop. It wasn’t long before we realized we were both nomads temporarily in the city. We spoke a bit on our experiences, and I was inspired to hear that not only had Tom completed a cross country LOOP, but he had done so 10 times over!!! Again, this is my first tour so to cross paths with such a veteran felt legendary.
Since Flagstaff I have been through southern Arizona (Sedona, Jerome, Prescott, Salome) in peak summer months. Upon entering California I high tailed to Joshua Tree which I recommend to anyone traveling. My stint there was very brief but rewarding nonetheless. From there I’ve shifted north from Long Beach to LA to Ventura to Santa Barbara etc. I will say, a California town that was never on my map but well worth the distance is Ojai. Ojai is in the mountains but not crazy elevated. Not too far out of town there’s a refreshing creek and hot springs and the land itself offers a peaceful aura for any weary traveler.
on my journey I’ve been intentional about seeking out open mics to share my poetry and have found strong arts communities all around- Houston being the largest followed by LA and then Albuquerque. Here’s the poem I shared with Tom when we first met:
Do Trains Dream
Stained glass flashing on my skin
I wanna walk through Broadway Junction completely naked
exposed to the evangelists and sinners both
I wanna roll an L with Jay-Z while blasting the A/C
I have never hotboxed before
but summer
seems like the perfect time for these types of dreams
I call them boxcars
because they are self-contained but always moving
I am always moving
but to what end
Canarsie was three stops ago, but this train keeps going
the view is panoramic
I can see my past
an indistinct fog of Rocky Ways
I can see my future
a city of dreams- skyscrapers and high-rises
and I have no doubt that I will reach my destination
Even before the F train introduced me to Queens
I was chasing bait at Gallery Place
a fish in a smaller pond
I learned my primary colors from the Metro Map
train hopping
from Blue line to Green line to Red line
I learned to plan in Banneker’s City
only then did I trade the Monument for the Empire
Statement: It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end *
Reason: We should not judge people by their peak of excellence, but by the distance they have travelled from where they started **
My journey has spanned millennia and there is no end in sight
Where are you going?
*Ernest Hemingway Quote
**Henry Ward Beecher Quote