When the Only Way is Up

I am entering week 2 of living in Baltimore as a member of the greater unemployed.

It is unfortunately easy to pity yourself when life has handed you an empty box of chocolates after you've graduated from college with a head filled with hopes and dreams. You've traversed the entire country on a bicycle, utilizing your own physical and mental strength to climb mountains and defeat ungodly temperatures. Then, you enter the real world...and it sucks. Sometimes it seems that people don't give a crap if you've saved a life or saved a thousand lives. Rather, the world is only made up of numbers that decide the course of your life, and that is it. As a self-proclaimed idealist, it's a very harsh perspective to throw out there. Despite all the terrible things that happen in the world, and all the terrible people that let them happen, there are a select few who have the ability to change the world (and have done so).

But we are all human, and even the best of us are put down when the odds seem stacked against us. Coming from a school where med school is a very common anticipation, I have seen people crash and burn from the stress and pressure that such a process wreaks on them. On the 4K, I saw the toughest of people rubbed raw by injuries to the point of screams and tears. I have been reduced to sitting in the bathroom with the door locked and crying my eyes out in an absolute stupor as to why I have filled out trillions of applications and talked to dozens of people, only to end up back at square one.

And then, all these people who, aside from their resilience, have just hit rock bottom, come together and realize they are not alone. And what's more, that they aren't quite stuck to the floor. There's a way out of this mess, but it only comes with accepting the help of others.

So, my advice to any of my unemployed peers out there is this: don't lock yourself in the bathroom. Let someone in (not into the bathroom, per say. That's just strange). Chances are, they've got something they've been itching to get out, too. Before you know it, you've got the energy to keep going. We've come this far. Who is to say that it's over yet? Only you have that capability. It's your life, after all.

The City is Calling

Okay. New plan. Doylestown is out and Baltimore, YOU'RE IN!!

After spending long, drawn out hours contemplating my future (48 hours to be exact) I decided that Doylestown isn't the place for me. As enticing as it would be to pay $0 in rent and save a bucket load of money in no time fast, I'm itching for the city. Financial sacrifices will be made, and I can see myself reverting back to the days of purchasing only generic brands and shopping more often at the thrift stores. However, when you can walk just about any place (or take cheap/free public transportation), have friends at every hour of the day to visit and relax with, or just your choice of museums to sporadically pop into during your downtime, why would you NOT choose the City that Reads?

That being said, I am currently looking for apartments in the Baltimore City/Charles Village area. If you are a relatively clean and personable individual looking for an apartment mate, hit me up!

Finding Comfort in the Crazy

Author and superathlete, Chris McDougall, has just published his most recent book, Born to Run. I commonly promote books that I have yet to read, however, as I was driving into Princeton today in my endless search for employment, I was listening to Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane on NPR. She was profiling McDougall's new book and talking with him about his adventures off the map. It immediately gave me goosebumps to hear this professional athlete and published author discuss his love for a sport and, for that matter, a culture, that involved absolutely NO competition. Enter the 4K mentality that our team had lived and breathed throughout these past couple months. After recently talking with my friend Raffi, who is now living in California and cycling with category ONE cyclists, we both realized the intensity that is injected into the sport and the culture that has been nurtured by those who are more concerned about sprinting up a hill faster than they did yesterday than noticing the snow-capped mountain right in front of them.

As both a runner (only temporarily out of commission) and a cyclist, I have constantly struggled with the culture to win. With this culture comes a huge industry of methods and gear that promote easier ways to run and bike. For example, as McDougall points out in his interview with Moss-Coane, there is no need for these fancy-schmancy running shoes that hit the shelves every season. Believe it or not, there is a much more natural way of running: barefoot. Despite the intrepid fear of being stabbed by a nail or two lying in the road, barefoot running has been proven as the most natural form of running and is the most successful method of maintaining proper body mechanics while hitting the pavement.

For me, the same issues may be occuring in the cycling world nowadays. Granted, I own a bike with a carbon fork and a specialized woman's seat, but in the way of "road shoes vs. mountain shoes" and CO2 pumps that weigh lighter than a frame pump I could care less. Not to brag, but along with 26 other AMATEUR cyclists, I biked across the entire continent on a less-than-spectacular bicycle (frame pump and clunky mountain shoes included) and I made it to San Francisco. I dunked my damn bike into the Pacific Ocean, for Christ's sake! It still runs to this day (minus a slightly broken bike computer...but who needs that high-tech shit anyways?) and I am not all-that-far behind my Dad, who has been cycling on a $5,000+ Serotta.

My point? People need to get back to the nature and beauty of where a sport originated from. (No, I will not use Lance Armstrong's over-used phrase.) It's not about the competition or the incessant desire for more advanced, light-weight gear. It's not about perfectly-wound handlebar tape, cushiony running sneakers or computers that calculate your time, distance, mph, rpm, heart rate, outside temperature, etc. It's about the love and the ecsatsy that floods your system as soon as you begin to move. When I bike or run, it's my time to think and clear my head. It's that rare hour or three hours where my mind and my body are so in sync that they fuse together in one continuous motion.

This orgasm of sorts is polluted when it's injected with all that excess and the added desire to win. Sure, it's fun to hit 40 mph going down a steep downhill, and it's exhilerating to hit your max speed on an uphill with your more-advanced friend. You suddenly realize how much more capable you are at the thing you love. It's a two-fer. However, when that becomes a constant state of mind, it can be detrimental. You give up the gift of adventure that our modern human bodies are so hesistant to lay before us. You can bike 30 miles a day, every day for the next 5 months, lose a good amount of weight and gain some pretty sexy looking quad muscles. But will you feel like you've transcended space and time? Have you climbed a mountain in every time zone of the country? Have you come upon a hidden tribe in the middle of the Copper Canyons?

It is just my personal preference, but if I had the choice, I would rather experience the unexperienced.

Shout Out Across the Globe

ANNOUNCEMENT: My dear friend (and an avid cyclist!), Sharlene Su, is making her way to the other side of the globe to study Chinese language and acupuncture for the next few months! Best of luck to you, my love.
*If you'd like to check out her blog, click here and keep up with her on her journey.

Imagine This...

Badwater Ultramarathon

Photo Essay: California Cuisine

Besides the golden hills that scatter the northeastern landscape, another mouth-gaping California characteristic is the rich color and freshness that their foods exude. Riding into Stockton, CA, we came upon a farm stand with fresh, locally grown fruit. Even riding along the road, there were screaming-red tomatoes littered along the gravel. These proved to be more enjoyable than annoying as we tried to squish as many as possible with our bikes, splashing juice all over our legs. Even Rob was giggling like a little girl as he competed with Nicole to smush the fallen fruit along the way.

E-A and I couldn't help but laugh at the "Cyclist Special" in one of Mill Valley's many local cafes...

...This is much more like it. C'mon! You've got to pack in those necessary 5,000 calories somehow.

During my stay in San Francisco, I could not get enough baked goods and local cuisine. California (and the Bay area in particular) is renowned for its focus on locally-grown foods and healthy options. That isn't to say that there wasn't a substantial amount of sweet goodies to fulfill the remnants of my 4K appetite...
A Russian bakery nearby had these delicious almond horns. Similar to an Italian cannoli, they are a cylindrical pastry with a cream filling. However, the outside is an almond-based crust. To top it all off, the shell is dipped in a thick, dark chocolate at both ends, leaving you wanting more at the last bite.

(above) Almond Horn

While exploring Berkeley, we came upon this sign and couldn't help cracking up.

Thanks to my friend Juhee's strong suggestion (and subsequent gift certificate) we had a tres fancy dinner at Chez Panisse, a restaurant that is famous for its ever-changing menu based on the day's available local produce and its upscale following. Reservations are usually made 2 months in advance and customers are "conveniently placed" throughout the restaurant based on their attire. The upstairs cafe is more casual in comparison to the downstairs dining room, which requires men to wear a jacket and tie. However, the service was impeccable and the food was noticeably the freshest I've ever had the opportunity to indulge in. Alice Waters, the restaurant owner, is careful to make sure EVERYTHING is local and 100% organic, to the extent that she picks the vegetables from her own garden! Even the dinnerware is made nearby in Sausalito, CA.

(above) Fig, Walnut and Goat Cheese Salad. This is definitely something to try and doesn't take a whole lot of talent to make.

While we were waiting to be seated, a woman walked in and asked for a seat. The host had to graciously decline her request, explaining that all the tables were taken. At the moment, most tables were actually uninhabited, but would fill up quickly in the next 15 minutes with reserved parties. After several minutes, the woman gave up and proceeded to walk over to the bar to order a glass of champagne. She then tipped the bottom of the glass heavenward and took a huge gulp, emptying the glass and then slamming it onto the bar.

(above) Fruit Tart and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

(above) Mulberry Sherbert and Biscotti

(above) wood fire oven at Chez Panisse

On our final day in San Francisco, we wanted to live it up and gorge on as much as possible...so that's exactly what we did. For brunch we went to Dottie's True Blue Cafe. Another famous spot reviewed on the Food Network, Dottie's is a pretty small space located a few blocks away from Union Square. We waited in a line that snaked out the door and down the block. It was well worth it. Unlike other restaurants whose owners have made a name for themselves on big name TV networks, the owner of Dottie's was working the grill and filling orders while we were there!

iSpy a teacup and teapot chandelier.

(above) The owner working the grill...the one in the red shirt

(above) Our breakfast smorgasbord....note the dish in the far left: eggs, onions, tomatoes and peppers SMOTHERED in fresh avocado. When all the plates arrived we said, "Oh no. We're going to have so many leftovers." After damages, we took home one pancake and a quarter of the eggs.

I spotted this wine in BevMo and since I had no money left at the end of this trip, I just took a picture. Wine and bikes...what more could you ask for?

Photo Essay: Love in a Time of Cycling

Here are a few shots of the final day of the 4K. Words are difficult to find, but I'm sure you'll find plenty of emotion to give you a sense of how the day went...

The NFP (No Fun Police)...plus our intern at headquarters

Tan lines sneaking out from beneath the spandex.

The Pacific!

The Palm Tree

One of my 4K teammates, Kate, rode this summer in honor of Johnny, a close family friend who passed away from cancer and had a wife and daughters. During a vacation, he was the only one to immediately point out a palm tree along the road. "Look! A palm tree! I've never seen a palm tree before." After his death, Johnny was remembered for the beauty that he saw in the slightest of things.

During one of our rides through the Valley, Kate was having a particularly difficult day. Despite the widespread hesitancy to return to "real life," we were all pretty anxious for our arrival into San Francisco, and an eighty-some mile day could seem like over a century at this point.
As her team was riding down the road, Kate spotted a palm tree for the first time on the trip and without thinking about it she pointed the plant out to her team. "Hey look guys, a palm tree!" Diana then responded with, "Oh my gosh, I've never seen a palm tree before!"

Kate- Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.

On the Road, no longer.

Yesterday the 4K team made the big splash (literally) into the Pacific Ocean after crossing the entire country on two wheels. I think we were in such awe and shock that tears were impossible. However, after a nice celebratory dinner at Fishermen's Warf, the feeling is bittersweet. The saltwater and sand that was the last of our 63-day 4,000 miles' worth of filth has been washed down the drain and into the San Francisco Bay, only leaving our blaring tan lines and the loneliness of our feet without pedals supporting them from underneath.
Waking up minus 26 other people at my side was bizarre and an unimaginable scenario until now. Although the trip took us to a different place every day, there was still a strong sense of continuity within the "four" chaos. Each morning we circled up and made our dedications, chanted the cheer and found teams for the day. We then took the day 20 miles at a time (sometimes one pedal stroke at a time) and kept it that way until our next host where we again met up and feasted on whatever food was available. From peanut butter to canned chickpeas, no food supply was left unscathed. To a non-4K-er, a bottle of leftover pickle juice is meant to be thrown down the drain, while to others it is a ceremonial drink that is consumed while tackling a mountain in Escalante...only to be puked back up.

Of the entire journey, the desert (Utah and Nevada) was probably where we made or most memorable of connections between teammates. With little food, water and people in sight, it was really up to us to keep each other going. I don't think we realized at the time, but looking back, there was not one day where we went without a ridiculous amount of laughter...and sometimes tears.

Dedications and stories could make me crumble like a cookie left at the bottom of a 4K food bin....especially at our last pow wow on the California coast when the fog was rolling in and one of our team members, Kate, recalled a story that led us all to tears. She told us about the family friend whom she had been riding for all summer, Johnny, and the story of his ability to observe beauty in the simplest of things. (see post titled, "Palm Tree") At this moment, I think we all came to the realization that the end was near and this alternative lifestyle we had been living with a family of 27 best friends was at its end.

Sitting in a bed* 24 hours later, I cannot see the next few days without the endless laughter and companionship that was such a gift over the past 2 months. The patience and love we all cultivated for each other was probably the most surprising of lessons learned over the course of the trip. I think we all came out on the other end with different reasons for taking this journey, while also maintaining our original purpose and dedications.

(On a more personal note) I began this trip in honor of my Aunt Bev and in memory of my high school friend's father who passed away from pancreatic cancer a couple years ago. His sudden death and the immediate whirlwind of changes that she encountered in her life was enough to knock the air out of me. It was a time of realization that life is beautiful and brief and if we are to ever take advantage of our time on this earth it has to be now, at this very moment. I've once again stood up with a dizzying feeling that there is so much to know and understand. There are risks that cannot be avoided in order to obtain fulfillment, and with those risks come unexpected twists and turns that lead you to the most remarkable of places and people.

The biggest of hugs to twenty-six strangers that became family. I love you tremendously.

This post is in honor of three 4K women: MLR, KC and RAM
...you are truly some of the strongest warriors I've ever encountered in my life.

*note: beds were a rare and wonderful occurrence on the 4K. I have yet to unravel my sleeping bag and air out the desert stink.

Surviving the Third Leg Plague (Escalante, UT)

What happens when 26 people are eating, sleeping and biking together 24/7? That's right, the "plague" has hit the 4K team. Riding into Escalante, UT yesterday there was the suspicion that several riders had received food poisoning at our last stop in Green River. However, as the hours passed and more people were hit with the bug, it became a general mystery as to what exactly was the root cause.
Fastforward 24 hours to yesterday afternoon. The climb into Escalante turned out to be a 30 mile gravel/dirt road that wound up a mountain before descending down into town. After several hours of a rather grueling climb, only a few of us decided to truck on and see how far we could get until the summit. As Raffi, Tom, Anne, Craig and I worked our way up the trail, we came across people off-roading on their ATV's and quickly realized how sadistic we were acting. After reaching the summit, Mary-Lacey sped up in front of us and warned us of the steep descent and basically threatened us if we didn't get into the van to be shuttled down like everyone else. We complied.
By the time we got to the bottom, I couldn't tell if I was car sick...but a sudden wave of nausea hit me as soon as I exited the van. I heard mumblings from others that a couple people couldn't stomach the bumpy ride down from the top and had to stop the car several times before reaching the campsite. Before I knew it, I found myself in the same predicament. Luckily, the campsite we stayed at last night was kind enough to bring us up to the cook's apartment and relax on the couch while we set out on the road to hopeful recovery. Christine took on the role of mother hen and kept us comfortable throughout the evening, bringing us ice chips (the only thing anybody could keep down), covering us with blankets and generally keeping a close eye on us.
As terrible as this 24 hour bug has treated the team, you could probably credit it as one of many experiences we've had along the way that have brought us closer together. With the arrival of a new day, we all had the very exciting and congratulatory moments of eating food! Nicole kept down her cookies (literally) and I ate an entire half a bagel successfully.

Fulfilling my Dream of being on Public Radio (Paonia, CO)

The KVNF "green" Radio Station in Paonia

Paonia, Colorado is where we have our day off today. I will admit that I didn't understand the point of taking the day off of cycling to stay in a small no-name town when we could be continuing our journey throughout the scenic landscape of this beautiful state. However, I can quickly and safely rescind my thoughts now that I've fallen completely in love with this place! Paonia is a small Colorado town bubbling with life beneath the surface. We spent yesterday being introduced to the members of the United Methodist Church where we're staying. It's a little upsetting to see that the church community itself only consists of mostly senior citizens. From the conversations we had during dinner, there are no younger generations within the church community. Throughout this trip, there's been a growing cynicism that some of us have developed for the more conservative Christian regions. (This is not to say that just about every community we've entered hasn't shown us a deep appreciation and generosity, no matter what religious affiliation people may have on the team.) However, Colorado (and Paonia in particular) has proven this prejudice wrong. The library at the church here, for example, is filled with books of authors from all different cultural and religious backgrounds...I even spotted my favorite book, Three Cups of Tea, on their shelves!

Another surprise that quickly surfaced once we came to Paonia is the absolute humility and generosity of one particular community member, Felix Belmont. Mr. Belmont is actually a graduate of the Johns Hopkins class of 1940! This makes him 91 years old...and still kicking! He attended our dinner yesterday evening and was kind enough to share his story of graduating from Hopkins and coming to Paonia about 30 years ago. Despite his wife's passing from cancer six years ago, his involvement in the community is still astounding. After speaking with him yesterday, he invited Caitlin, myself and a couple other members of the team to visit the station the following morning. Of course we jumped at the opportunity and at this moment we've just returned from a tour of KVNF Public Radio, as well as a group interview! As geeky as this may sound, it's been one of my biggest dreams to be on Public Radio. Caitlin and I share a passion/obsession for NPR and it was like Christmas walking through the KVNF's (GREEN!) studio building in town that was dedicated and named after Felix himself. Of course, being the gentleman that he is, he would never own up to his amazing generosity and accomplishments that have helped create the face of this town. We also were lucky enough to bump into some musicians at the local coffee shop this morning who offered to play a small concert for us this evening!

I feel like I've ridden right into the beautiful epitome of small town America...coffee shops where everybody knows your name and where you're from, openness and hospitality to all who enter and real human connections made in a place where you'd least expect it. While the interview was being recorded, it was a perfect moment to re-connect with our diverse reasons for joining the team and taking this 63 day journey across the country. In particular, it was a suddenly touching point in the trip for me. As we went down the line and each described our adventures along the way and what we've enjoyed most about the trip, I suddenly realized that this is going to be an adventure I can have with me always. As we near the end of our second leg and come closer to the last third, I'm hoping to squeeze every ounce out of the surprises that pop up in the coming weeks. It's easy to deem certain things as frustrating or detrimental to having a perfect cycling day. However, isn't the perfect day one that is filled with those moments you least expected?