Month: March 2022

New Orleans to Atlanta by train

3/14/22

There’s not too much to report from yesterday; I was on the train almost all day, from 9 am to 11 pm. I’ll report more later about today in Atlanta. But the clouds were pretty breathtaking for most of the day on the train yesterday, so I wanted to at least share some imagery from that voyage, as well as a few photos from before and after.

The bike lanes throughout New Orleans often contained reminders of the recent Mardi Gras celebrations, which I found amusing.

The train station in New Orleans had a cool sculpture out front.

In Atlanta, there was a cool bike-and-pedestrian bridge across the freeway immediately adjacent to the train station. And before too long, I passed a beautiful old church as well. (I also saw one on that fateful night I arrived in New Orleans, but didn’t end up posting it.)

Unfortunately, I had written down the wrong address for my first Atlanta Warmshowers host, so he ended up having to come and pick me up from his old apartment to take me to the new one. I appreciated his willingness to offer that, especially given the late hour. (I think it was about 11:30 by the time I got to the wrong place.) Furthermore, he will be taking a vacation to Mexico himself in a few days! The generosity, and flexibility, of Warmshowers hosts never ceases to amaze me.

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One perfect day in New Orleans

3/13/22

What a difference a day makes.

The weather today was lovely and sunny—if still a bit chilly in the shade—and I ventured out!

First I checked out of the Airbnb, and pedaled north a couple miles to the home of tonight’s host, a friend of a friend who once biked across the USA herself, as part of a 25-person Habitat for Humanity ride in 1997. I parked my trailer and took a shower, and then headed out for the day.

First I visited the botanical gardens, at New Orleans City Park, just a short ride away. I met up there with my new friend Arne (hi Arne, if you’re reading this!) whom I met at the Houston train station. We started talking at the station, and ended up chatting the entire 12 hours on the train, in the lounge car. He is visiting the US from Germany, and this was the first time in New Orleans for both of us.

I wanted to see the Japanese garden, of course, and it was a sweet little space, although small as Japanese gardens go. (In a small-world twist, I learned that this Japanese garden was designed and built by Robin Tanner, a friend of a friend of my host here!)

We strolled around the rest of the garden as well, including a cool model train area that contained replicas of actual New Orleans buildings.

Then we made our way to the French Quarter by streetcar! (Immediately the Doobie Brothers’ Black Water began playing in my head: “Just take that streetcar that’s going uptown…”)

We walked along Bourbon Street, and found a place that served po’boys. I got a vegan cauliflower one: delicious!

The photos don’t convey how incredibly long, crowded, and loud the street was. I was glad I got to experience the magic of the Quarter. (Again with the pop songs: this time Steely Dan’s Pearl of the Quarter.) It was a bit overstimulating, though! We spent nearly an hour trying to find just the right place to enjoy a daiquiri, and eventually ran out of time and said our goodbyes. Arne has one more day here, then two in New York City, and then is heading back to Germany.

I cycled back to my hosts’ place, where she made me an “authentic” daiquiri, after all! And then we ordered takeout from a Vietnamese place, which we ate with her son and partner.

This has been a lightning-fast experience of New Orleans, and extremely varied! I’ll not soon forget this part of my journey. Perhaps another time I can return, and spend more time exploring.

But tomorrow: long train to Atlanta! (I may or may not get out a blog post tomorrow night; the train is scheduled to arrive at 11 pm.)

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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Tricky arrival in New Orleans (oof!)

3/12/22

[My computer is in bad shape. Please accept this copy-paste of a Facebook message as a stand-in for a proper post. I’ll see what I can figure out for the computer in the next few days, but I’ll also be traveling to Atlanta on Monday, so I’ve got a lot to juggle. Ah, the ups and downs of living on the road!!]

OMG what a fiasco. Train arrived late into New Orleans after midnight. Wind advisory + 45° temps. I biked the two miles to my Airbnb, repeating a mantra to try to feel safe against the weather. Arrived 1:30 and key wasn’t in lockbox. Tried calling, texting, knocking for hosts. Nothing. Tried not to freak out. Biked around the neighborhood following Google maps to try to find late-night bars or restaurants. All turned out to be takeout-only at that hour. Saw a homeless guy and felt terrible for him, and feared I would share his fate that night, sleeping outside in a cold wind storm. Feared for branches falling on me as I rode. Finally found an Irish pub open until 3. Went in and shivered for half an hour trying to warm up. Messaged host again at 2:43 and thankfully got a response. Went back to the place, got the key. Misunderstood where the room was and unpacked my whole rig, carried it upstairs in four trips, then found bed unmade and trash not emptied. Realized it was the wrong room. Lugged everything back downstairs and into the correct room, with tricky locks.

Made it to bed at 4 am, in a small but cozy bed, listening to the wind howl outside.

Woke up at noon and prepared to write the more fleshed-out blog post about it that would be better than this synopsis. Found computer nearly dead from overloaded memory. (Admittedly I had been ignoring its warnings to that effect for a couple days.) I hope it won’t completely die.

Weather is bad today anyway, so I had planned to stay in.

Welcome to New Orleans…?

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Six months in… and a Brompton tour of Houston

3/10/22

Can you believe I departed Portland exactly six months ago today? Time flies… although at the same time, it now kind of feels to me like “this is my life now”… so being on the road feels pretty normal. I really do think I could keep up some version of this, somewhat indefinitely. My intention is to manifest that over the next year or so.

Today was my last full day in Houston, and the weather was perfect: low 70s, sunshine, and low humidity. I met up with a wonderful self-described “Bromptonaut” local named Rey. He led me on a fabulous tour of close-in Houston.

First we visited The Post, which is the old main post office building. It has now been turned into a food court with an adjacent warehouse-chic space containing art exhibits.

Up on the roof is a newly opened public garden/relaxing space with a nice view of downtown.

After that, we needed some lunch, so Rey led me underground, into Houston’s extensive tunnel system. When he had first told me about this network, I had suspected he was pulling my leg: how had I never heard of such a thing? Other Houston folks I had met hadn’t mentioned it. I had heard about the Minneapolis skyway system, designed to let people avoid walking outside in the cold. As it turns out, Houston has a similar network, but underground, which helps people to stay cool in the summers. (Sadly, in 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded the whole thing, requiring extensive remediation.)

We walked in the tunnels for some blocks, turning this way and that amongst many other pedestrians. Finally we stopped at a food court, where we dined on some delicious Chinese dumplings.

Then it was on to Sam Houston Park, a little gem of a quiet, green historic area right in the midst of the city’s bustle. There were a number of wood-framed buildings still standing there, dating to the early 1800s.

We continued through that park, and along the Buffalo Bayou Park trail, which was a lovely oasis in the urban setting, including a dog park, multiple bike/pedestrian bridges, public art, and—as always—the majestic live oaks.

Then there was more urban sightseeing, including a beautiful brand-new bike path with hexagonal pavers. (There were even workers out adding to the path as we rode it; it has just opened.)

One sobering note: on the way back to my hosts’ home, we passed by the convention center, and on the lawn adjacent to it was a memorial to the more than 1400 Texans who died from gun violence in the year 2020. It was quite a sight to see.

One of our last stops, though, was a really cool tour of a unique space: the cistern. We were led on a tour with about a dozen other folks into the cool and echo-ey chamber that used to contain millions of gallons of Houston’s drinking water, many years ago. They sometimes host music-and-light art installations in there; it was a shame there wasn’t one going at this time.

After Rey dropped me off back at the house and went to catch his bus, my host Sylvia and I headed out to a happy hour at a bar just one block away, where we enjoyed a delicious strawberry-slushy variation of a Pimm’s Cup. Then when Mike returned from work, they took me to a Tex-Mex restaurant that dates to 1953, where I enjoyed a wonderful plate of vegan spinach-artichoke enchiladas.

Tomorrow I will head off to a new adventure in New Orleans. My week in Houston has been richer than I had imagined, and I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped to make it so.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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A cool story from my life

3/8/22

OK, today was a cold and rainy day in Houston, so I spent it mostly indoors, catching up on various administrative tasks. So I don’t have any pics or stories from any adventures today.

So instead, I’d like to share something cool that has been quietly unfolding behind the scenes.

A little background first: I have been a member of several dating apps for many years. I joined Tinder shortly after it debuted, nearly ten years ago. Then Bumble came on the scene in 2014, and I joined that too. Say what you will about swipe-focused dating apps, I love the concept. (I even wrote a how-to article about them!) Many people revile the apps, for a number of very valid, and some (to my mind) not so valid, reasons. But in a world where it is increasingly difficult to connect with people in person—especially during these past two pandemic years—I love that there are technological tools to help people connect, whether they are seeking no-strings sex, activity buddies, a long-term partnership or even marriage, or anything in between. I have heard many success stories of all of these types of connections, and I have a number of success stories of my own from over the years (despite, admittedly, many frustrations as well).

I have especially enjoyed using these apps while traveling. Being on the road can get lonely. It’s nice to find people to join me for meals, drinks, hikes, conversations, snuggles, and whatever else may unfold naturally between us.

A month or so ago, though, I hit an unfortunate snag.

I met a wonderful man in Tempe, Arizona, and had a lovely date with him, including two meals and a conversation spanning many interesting topics.

A couple days later, he messaged me on Tinder to say that he had really enjoyed our time together, and was inspired by my mission. Could he make a financial contribution to support my journey?

I was touched and warmed by his offer, and I thanked him and sent him my PayPal donation link.

The next morning, I woke up to find that I had been banned from Tinder.

Yikes! What?? At first I was perplexed. Then it dawned on me that sharing a donation link violates Tinder’s terms of use. (Presumably this is to avoid opening the company to liability for anyone using the platform for prostitution or trafficking, but of course that had not occurred to either one of us during our entirely above-board exchange.)

I found myself somewhat distraught. Tinder had been an important part of my life, of my journey—even of my identity—for nearly a decade. (Just days earlier, I had shared with my Tempe host my recent idea to begin some sort of regular advice column, or perhaps even a cartoon, relating to the do’s and don’ts of using Tinder and other dating apps. I wondered if I could even turn it into an income stream of some sort…?)

I took to Facebook to share my bad news and sad feelings, looking for empathy and support. I did receive that from my friends, which felt good and helped to soften the blow.

But another unexpected thing happened. In the course of my friends’ comments to me about the situation, two friends who had not met before began having an exchange in the thread.

Fast-forward to a few weeks later. I was still using Bumble, and after a particularly enjoyable date in San Antonio (with someone I had previously met on Tinder in Portland—what are the odds?) I messaged one of these two friends to share my happiness about the connection. She then shared that she and my other friend had just begun a romance of their own! They were taking it very slowly and carefully, being very conscientious about knowing their own and each other’s wants, communicating openly and respectfully, et cetera. (Enthusiastic, informed consent for the win!)

I was tickled and delighted to hear this. What a lovely turn of events, for my apparent misfortune to lead to some new magic for others. They are holding the future lightly, not knowing where their connection will lead. (Which is good advice I would give to anyone exploring a connection… just let things unfold as they will!) But all three of us are enjoying the serendipity of the situation. In fact, I contacted the Tempe Tinder date as well, to share the magic with him, and he was similarly touched and inspired. Joy is contagious!

To my two friends: I wish you all the best in your exploration, wherever it may lead. And to anyone else reading, may magic find you in unexpected places as well!

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Inspiring neighborhood activism in Houston

3/7/22

Wow. One of my biggest goals and dreams for this journey was to meet cool and amazing people on this trip. And that is happening, to a mind-boggling degree. So many of these Warmshowers hosts I have stayed with have been just incredible people, in all different ways.

I interacted with three of them today. First, I said goodbye to Ken and Liz, after two wonderful nights with them. They were some of the friendliest and kindest people I have ever encountered, taking me to local events and restaurants and sharing many great stories about their bicycle touring and hosting adventures. As I departed today, Liz surprised me with a pair of origami earrings she had secretly made just for me! (See photo.) I was blown away by the generosity, as well as her talent. She made a point of realizing that in terms of a gift, I would need something very small and light, because I have so little packing space. But she wanted me to have something beautiful to add to my (very limited) travel wardrobe. Liz, thank you again; I am thoroughly touched.

After I pedaled away from their house, about ten miles north of downtown, I rode on neighborhood streets until I reached one of Houston’s many bayou greenways, which provide a safe and scenic off-road place to ride through several parts of the city.

As I got back onto the street grid after the greenway, I noticed a few things, which seem to be a theme for my visit to Houston in general, and today’s activities in particular: Houston is a huge and car-centric city, and it can be very dangerous for cyclists. At the same time, local activists are working hard to change this, and they are making impressive headway. Right now is an exciting but tricky time to be a cyclist here, because these two realities intersect.

Two examples, from this stretch of my trek:

There is a new physically separated bikeway along a stretch of a busy road. Liz had remarked on it last night as we drove to Rice University to see the art installation. When she was working at Rice, that bikeway had not been there. She said that if it had been in place during her tenure there, she would have been much more comfortable commuting by bike.

It was a marvelous new piece of infrastructure. However, the rough-transition period was evident in two aspects I saw: first, the ghost bike shortly after the beginning of the bikeway. I’m assuming this ghost bike commemorates a cyclist who was killed prior to installation of the separated bikeway. Perhaps her tragic death was actually one of the reasons for installing the bikeway, or for doing it on a particular timeline.

Second, after a few more blocks, I noticed that several homeowners had placed their garbage bins directly in the bicycle right-of-way, impeding flow and creating a safety hazard. I hope that in some way they can be educated and/or persuaded to put the bins outside the bikeway, perhaps on the edge of their lawn instead. I’m assuming this is a “growing pains” issue that will improve in time.

After a couple hours of leisurely riding, I arrived at Ed’s place just south of downtown again. As you may recall, I stayed here three nights ago, when I first arrived in Houston. I had an opportunity to speak with Ed very briefly at that time, but today he treated me to a comprehensive bike tour of the Columbia Tap Trail, a rails-to-trails bikeway that stretches for four miles, including both north and south of his house. Joining us on the tour was his friend and collaborator/assistant Bryant, who just moved to Houston from Miami a couple of months ago, and has already jumped right into assisting with Ed’s neighborhood activism, adding his photography and videography skills to the efforts.

As I think I alluded to before, Ed Pettitt is a veritable force of nature, staggeringly multitalented and active. He is a former Peace Corps volunteer, a PhD student of urban planning at nearby Texas Southern University, a consultant to various agencies and nonprofits based on his Masters in Public Health, an active Rotary Club member, and a neighborhood activist extraordinaire. (And that is on top of managing a busy AirBnb property with nine rooms, as well as hosting Warmshowers guests and other occasional guests.) He moved to Houston eleven ago, after growing up near Niagara Falls in New York, and volunteering in Africa with the Peace Corps for some years.

I will link to several publications he shared with me about some of the work he and many others in the area are doing. The work reflects a multifaceted approach to solve many urban problems: improving pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure; helping historically underserved communities to access transportation infrastructure, natural areas, and opportunities for employment; protecting the local natural environment, including mitigating flood dangers and reducing the effects of extreme summer heat in the area; restoring natural habitats and native vegetation; and helping at-risk youth to have opportunities to express themselves through music and to learn technical musical skills, as well as—for some youth—transitioning out of foster care and into independent adult living.

The goals are ambitious, but there are tangible steps that neighbors and city leaders can take to address all of these issues in interrelated ways. Hearing Ed talk about all of these projects and how they intersect reminded me of the innovative and integrated approaches to urban problems that visionary mayors such as Jaime Lerner of Curitiba, Brazil and Enrique Penalosa, of Bogota, Colombia, piloted and popularized years ago in South America.

I will mention just a few of the projects Ed pointed out along the trail. Please also take a look at these two links for more information:

https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2020/02/29/vacant-lot-third-ward-filled-life-after-chess-park-transformation#:~:text=Thanks%20to%20the%20hard%20work,Park%2C%20which%20opened%20in%20January.

https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2021/04/21/can-city-owned-vacant-lots-fill-need-park-equity-houston

First, we passed a “floating bus stop” (pictured) which allows buses to pull right up to the curb for loading and unloading passengers, without interrupting the flow of cyclists passing by. A very similar design is being built less than one block away from my condo in Portland; that city is implementing its first-ever Bus Rapid Transit project, from downtown Portland to the eastern suburb of Gresham, along SE Division Street. The new stops are slated to begin operation this coming September, right before I will be returning to Portland.

We also passed several do-it-yourself bicycle repair stations along the trail, including the pictured one right at the northern terminus of the path, which is also right across from the entrance to local bike shop EaDo Bike Company. (That’s Ed, working on his bike.)

As we turned around to head south, he pointed out an example of “tactical urbanism”: a bridge across a ditch that floods in the rainy season. Neighbors adjacent to the path installed this bridge themselves, because they needed a way to access the trail, and the city was not providing one. Two of the aims of tactical urbanism are to meet a pressing need, while also providing a “proof of concept” that local government leaders can follow to implement similar infrastructure elsewhere.

When we got near the south end of the trail, Ed pointed out another example of his own personal tactical urbanism effort: a kiosk with a map of the trail for residents to use. When he arrived in this neighborhood several years ago, the kiosks at either end of the trail were empty. He took it upon himself to print out large maps of the trail, then secure them inside the Plexiglas of the kiosks with his own padlocks.

Also near the end of the trail, he pointed out several murals painted by local residents (including one of George Floyd, who had grown up in this neighborhood before moving to Minneapolis). One such mural (pictured) depicted actual current residents of the neighborhood. The artist would stand by the wall and strike up conversations with passing neighbors, and some of them she would paint on the spot to add to the mural.

Right before the end of the tour, we spotted a patch of grass with the famed Texas bluebonnet flowers growing in it. I had heard people raving about the beauty of swaths of ground blanketed in bluebonnets in the spring, and I was disappointed to think I was too early in the season to see them. Clearly the ones we saw were the earliest ones of the season, so they were not creating a full carpet, as they probably will later. But Ed told me that the local tradition is to get a photo of oneself reclining amongst the flowers, and so we created this one of me.

Tomorrow is to be rather chilly, with a high of 53, so I may not get out much. But today was absolutely amazing.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Houston: We have cool space stuff!

3/6/22

I’m in the land of NASA! I hadn’t thought much about that ahead of time, and actually the NASA stuff is quite a distance southeast of town—and mostly geared toward kids, from the tourism perspective—so it’s unlikely I will be visiting it during my stay here.

But! My wonderful Warmshowers hosts Ken and Liz have been great tour guides during my brief stay with them, and they recommended two other nearby attractions that seemed related.

The first was a traveling virtual reality exhibit that is kicking off its tour here in Houston (quite possibly because of the city’s NASA connection, though I don’t know for sure.) It is called The Infinite, and Liz and I visited it today. I can say confidently, if this exhibit comes to your town, go! It is basically a VR tour both inside and outside of the International Space Station. The presentation lasts about an hour. You get to walk around a big room with the VR goggles on, so it appears as if you are either in space, looking variously at the earth, the stars, and the exterior of the space station; or you are inside the station, watching videos of the crew explaining things to you. It feels like you’re right in the room with them, all floating around together! It was a really cool experience.

After The Infinite, we came back home and I took a brief nap, and then we all headed out to Rice University, about nine miles away (which is considered a “short distance” in Houston, with its urban area of 665 square miles). Liz worked at Rice for a number of years, so she was very familiar with the campus. The outdoor art installation we went to see, the James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyscape, was a simple structure on the top of a small hill, with a cool multicolored light show that begins just after sunset. Sadly, the show didn’t seem to be running tonight, but even just the single color of light looked very different from all the different angles, so it felt cool to just walk around, and sit in different upstairs and downstairs locations, to feel the space and the atmosphere.

After we left Rice, we headed over to their neighborhood Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant, Govinda’s, which holds all-vegan nights three days per week, including Sundays. We enjoyed the wonderful buffet, which reminded me a bit of the Hare Krishna vegetarian buffet in Dallas, Kalachandji’s, a couple of weeks ago.

It was a very full and multifaceted day. I haven’t even mentioned that their adorable one-year-old grandson was over at the house most of the day, since his parents sadly came down with food poisoning last night. We took him over to the park next door to play on the swings and slides.

I’ve made the decision to extend my time in Houston, to maximize the best weather in New Orleans, and hopefully also in Atlanta. However, that means I’ll be experiencing the rain here instead for the next few days, so it’s possible I will miss a day or two of blogging, if I end up staying indoors.

Never a dull moment! What a wonderful adventure.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

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Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Houston Arboretum, and beautiful neighborhood trees

3/5/22

What a full day today! It involved some intense (good) conversations with several people; receiving several wonderful donations (to any of you who may be reading, thank you again!); lots of cycling; meeting my wonderful new Warmshowers hosts; eating some delicious food; and, as the centerpiece to it all, beautiful trees both within the city’s arboretum and outside of it.

The bad news? Yeah, these Houston drivers aren’t too keen on cyclists. Heading out of the arboretum, I was honked at for simply being on the road. But I made it through my day in one piece, and I’m grateful for that.

I left Ed’s place in the late morning, and cycled about an hour to an Asian vegan restaurant called Trendy Vegan, where I savored some eggplant with green beans.

Afterward, I continued on about another half hour to the Houston Arboretum. Admission was free, and it was a large space with many trails; I didn’t have time to see all of them. The arboretum is contained within Memorial Park, a huge greenspace west of downtown.

The other bad news? I am now officially in the land of humidity. It’s funny, because yesterday as I enjoyed Hermann Park, the moisture in the air felt surprisingly refreshing. The combination of just the right temperature and just the right humidity reminded me that on rare occasions, humidity can actually feel pleasant, almost like a warm embrace from the air.

But today was more like the humidity I remembered actively having moved away from more than 30 years ago. In fact, as I first headed out, a light rain was beginning to fall. I know that I can expect a lot more of this rain-in-warm-weather phenomenon for the rest of my journey; I have officially exited the arid West.

But today, the drizzle stopped soon, and for the rest of the day there was no rain.

After the arboretum, I pedaled about another hour and a half north to reach my new Warmshowers hosts, Ken and Liz, who welcomed me with wonderful Southern hospitality, including a home-cooked dinner of red lentil stew and basmati rice, and lots of great stories of their own bike travels as well as their previous Warmshowers guests, who sound like fascinating people.

I’m still deciding whether to leave Houston as planned on Tuesday, or to push it back three days to catch the next train, in hopes of securing better weather in both New Orleans and Atlanta. Some of this will depend on where I can find hosts. It’s always a fun puzzle to figure out these logistics of travel!

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)

Arriving in Houston (and yet another Japanese garden!)

3/4/22

I am on a roll with these Japanese gardens. It’s such a treat to travel from place to place exploring them.

Backing up a bit: This morning started early. I had set the alarm for 5:00, knowing my train was scheduled to depart at 6:25. But I was so nervous about having to get up early—and also my hotel room was so noisy, from various sources—that I slept fitfully the whole night, and when my bladder woke me at 4:30, I decided not to go back to sleep.

I checked out of the hotel and biked the short distance to the station, where I waited outside in the dark, comfortable in short sleeves even before 6:00 am. Remarkable. I intend to manifest this sort of weather for all my future “winters.”

I had another trainside scuffle with the conductor, who exasperatedly insisted I check my bag, despite my calm but multiple protests that there is almost always space available on the racks.

He tagged the trailer and put it in the baggage compartment. I boarded the coach car and stowed my folded bike, and noted with smug frustration that there would indeed have been ample room for the trailer. This meant I didn’t have access to my laptop during my ride, which due to delays ended up being about six hours.

Oh, well. First world problems, as they say. I dozed a bit on the train, had some snacks, stared at my phone, and watched some scenery.

When I disembarked in Houston, several people marveled at my rig, and one took a picture. (A woman in the lobby of the hotel this morning had taken one too, as I was checking out.)

I pedaled about three miles to my Warmshowers host’s house, passing through downtown (those buildings are tall!) and stopping on the way at both a vegan bakery and a vegan soul food place. I neglected to photograph my wares, but at both locations people struck up conversations with me about my rig and my journey. They all warned me about how dangerous it is to bicycle in Houston because of terrible drivers. I have heard this many times; I’m doing my best to ride defensively. (Sure enough, I had already seen a loud motorcycle race through a red light in front of me between the station and the bakery.)

My host, Ed, is a very interesting person: a former Peace Corps volunteer with a Masters in Public Health, currently pursuing a PhD in urban planning, with an intention to teach at one of Houston’s five universities. He runs an Airbnb with multiple rooms, so I’ve been hearing people with accents from all over the world around me this afternoon and evening.

After I got settled into my room, I headed back out on the bike to nearby Hermann Park, one of Houston’s best known and best loved public parks. I could see why; it was large, green, and pleasant.

I spent some time lounging on a bench by the water under a live oak tree, but my main draw to the park had been the Japanese garden. Like San Antonio’s, it is free and open to the public. Given that fact, I was impressed by its size. I enjoyed the trademark koi pond and various other traditional style elements, as well as the many trees, including Texas pines and crape myrtles. I also appreciated some early colorful spring blooms.

Tomorrow, on my way to my next hosts’ place, I plan to explore the arboretum.

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Parks, gardens, and great people in San Antonio

(This post is going out a day late, on 3/4, because I was in bed early last night to wake up at 5:00 am[!] this morning to board the train from San Antonio to Houston.)

My last day in San Antonio was wonderful. I love that place, and definitely plan to return.

To start my last day, I headed toward the botanical gardens, but on the way I stopped again in San Pedro Springs Park. I saw another beautiful live oak, and then happened upon a magical… something! I’m not sure how to describe it, but you can see the photos. My sense is that it was built with the intention of recreating what early humans might have seen when they first arrived in the area that is now San Antonio. It is a large rock, like a tiny mountain, covered in moss and plants, and trickling water all around, into a sort of moat of a pool surrounding it. There was a kind of “cave door” with an iron gate inside. It felt mystical to be in the presence of this object, and I walked slowly around it, admiring and drinking it in from all sides.

When I left the park, I had one more stop to make before the botanical gardens: a delightful locally owned vegan bakery called Plantyful Sweets. I rolled my bike into the shop since I didn’t see any parking out front, and the woman at the counter greeted me warmly and asked about the bike. I told her about my journey, and then she called the shop owner up from the back, and I talked to her as well about my journey and about “vegan tourism” and traveling to Portland, since she is planning to visit Portland in May. (Along with restaurant suggestions, I made sure to mention the Portland Japanese Garden, which is an absolute must-visit for anyone traveling to Portland.)

I ordered a chocolate-mint doughnut, and enjoyed its decadence at the sidewalk table outside. I left the establishment with a smile on my face from both the confection and the enthusiastic conversation I had had with both of those women.

Then I continued to the botanical gardens. They were a lovely place to stroll and rest. As usual for botanical gardens, my favorite parts were the Japanese garden and the cactus garden. The former was a smaller but more traditional Japanese garden than the sunken garden from the other day. The latter took me right back to Arizona!

Another part of the gardens that I appreciated was that the conservatory “peeked out” from underground in multiple locations that looked really cool. (In one case even like a volcano!)

After I left the gardens, I had one more natural destination in mind: Olmos Park. I had inadvertently crossed through it on my first day in town, and found it enchanting. I wanted to go back and drink in the magic once more, so I biked over into it and sank into a bench to relax.

Then it was time to go back to the house of my wonderful Warmshowers hosts, and pack up and say goodbye. One of them was kind enough to give me a ride to my hotel, which definitely saved me some much-needed time.

After I checked into the hotel, I hopped back on my bike and headed up the river walk to the Pearl District (it tickles me that San Antonio has a “pearl district” that used to be an industrial area of working breweries, just like Portland does.) I was meeting someone for dinner who is a fan of the obscure progressive rock band Marillion that I love. We had some great conversation about music, as well as San Antonio in general, and the solar power industry, which is his business.

After dinner, I met up for a drink with someone I had met in Portland a few years ago, when he was visiting from eastern Washington. He has since moved to San Antonio!

What an incredibly full day of wonderful human connections and natural beauty and magic.

I will miss this place. And I will return.

Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a one-hour phone or video call with me!

Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!

Want to support my vision financially? I am in the process of manifesting $50,000 in lieu of a “salary” for the year of this journey. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons and supporters!)