The American Tobacco Trail

3/25/22

Today I got to explore a nice segment of the 22.6-mile American Tobacco Trail, a rails-to-trails project between Durham and Apex. The northern section is paved, so it was a nice smooth ride where I went. I enjoyed the winter-looking woods, as well as a few signs of spring that were peeking through, such as redbud and cherry trees in full bloom near the trail.

The weather varied from cool and overcast to cheery sun breaks illuminating puffy white clouds.

Shortly after the northern start of the trail, I stopped for lunch at a restaurant, Banu Vegan, just a few blocks off the path. The man who took my order told me they had just opened about five months ago, so I was glad to be able to enjoy it. I ordered a curried-chickpea dish to go, so that I could eat it in a nearby park. Sadly, the plating of to-go meals rarely emerges unscathed after traveling around in a bag suspended from my handlebars, so the photo doesn’t do justice to the original artful presentation. But the flavors were good.

It felt good to get out onto a long wooded bike trail again; it had been a while.

I have one more day here in Apex with my aunt and uncle, but by tomorrow night I’ll be on the sleeper train to Miami! I’m not sure if I’ll be making a post tomorrow night, since the weather looks dreary and might lend itself to staying indoors, as well as the fact that I’m not sure if I’ll have WiFi, or access to my laptop, on the train. But I’ll be in touch before too long, from sunny Florida!

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Rain, tornadoes, and family connections

3/24/22

Another relatively brief post today, since I don’t have many photos or much to report, but I’m doing well (and have managed to evade recent tornadoes here in North Carolina, as well as Texas and New Orleans—oof).

Yesterday I said goodbye to my wonderful Charlotte Warmshowers host Pam, and headed out into a light rain to reach the train station. Once again, I went through some back-and-forth rigmarole with Amtrak staff to get my rig on board. (This time, I even had to disassemble the trailer and remove some weight from it.) But I made it OK to Cary, NC, and my uncle met me trainside.

The train did arrive late, partly because of tornado warnings in the area. Fortunately, we didn’t experience any high winds on the train, but there was definitely heavy rain as we went through, and stopped longer than scheduled in, Greensboro. (See pics.)

I had a great reunion with my aunt and uncle (and their two spirited dogs!) and stayed up into the wee hours talking. This morning I awakened at 11:30, and then we mostly lounged about and talked more today, including an outdoor patio get-together with their bicycle-enthusiast neighbors.

Tomorrow I plan to explore a local rail-trail, so stay tuned for some photos of that!

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A lovely time in Charlotte

3/22/22

OK, I’m back! I took a few days off from blogging to connect with a close friend here in Charlotte over the weekend. We stayed in a vegan eco-hotel(!) and enjoyed a few local vegan restaurants, as well as a cool tiny vegan grocery store, tucked away inside the nifty used bookstore Book Buyers in a local strip mall.

Then last night and today, I stayed with another Warmshowers host, Pam Murray, who is a bicycle activist extraordinaire! In fact, today she was being filmed by a PBS crew from the nearby Raleigh, NC television station. They filmed her first around the house, then out on her bike riding to the grocery store, and finally this evening after dark, leading a local nighttime bike ride with about 25 participants. I hope I’ll be able to see the segment when it airs. Pam is the founder of CLT Spokes People, and the director of NC Bicycle Benefits, which grants cyclists special discounts and freebies when they arrive at a business by bike and show their helmet sticker. She also leads local classes called Cycling Savvy, to help people to become more comfortable and safe as they explore getting around town by bike.

Pam took me around town by bike this morning, on a handful of errands, including a great bike shop, the post office, and the drugstore. Then we went to lunch at a nearby vegan restaurant and market, Oh My Soul, that was incredible! It is owned by a group of young South Africans, who actually founded the restaurant in South Africa, then moved it here to Charlotte. It is an ambitious place, not only serving traditional restaurant meals, but also offering vegan “meats” and cheeses in deli cases, as well as many decadent desserts, including a yellow-and-blue-frosted cupcake benefiting an animal rescue in Ukraine.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch together on their patio, and then later in the day I returned solo, to pick up a small cheese sampler. (As it turns out, their cheeses come from Rebel Cheese, in Austin, which as you may recall I recently visited.) Today I picked up more of the dill havarti, as well as a za’atar cheese and a fennel-flavored one, both of which intrigue me. Pam and I will sample them for brunch tomorrow, alongside the hummus she made from scratch today. (She cooked the dried beans in the Instant Pot, and then blended all ingredients by hand, without even using a food processor! Pam is very committed to living in eco-friendly ways, such as bicycling for transportation; reusing materials—including packaging materials—whenever possible; picking up discarded items and furniture on roadsides and repairing them; and more!)

She told me about Bicycle Benefits, which she helps to administer locally and nationwide. (If you’d like to get it going in your town, send her a message.)

I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with Pam, and I also enjoyed my solo rides around the area. Charlotte is a very beautiful city, with a lush urban canopy, and lovely neighborhoods filled with houses that are beautiful in simple ways, without being ostentatious. I find this to be a charming city.

Today’s weather was perfect, as well, in the mid-70s. Tomorrow, when I take the train to visit my aunt and uncle near Raleigh, thunderstorms are forecast for most of the day. We’ll see if I can dodge the raindrops on the way back to the station!

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Cool serendipities in Atlanta

3/18/22

Apologies for my infrequent posts in the past few days, and in the coming week. My second Warmshowers host here in Atlanta does not have WiFi in his apartment, and I’m about to go “off grid” for a few days with a friend in Charlotte, NC, starting tomorrow. But in this moment, I’m here in a coffee shop in Inman Park, Atlanta (during a break in the epic thunderstorms of the day!) so I want to share my time here from yesterday, when the sun shone and most things went right.

I first headed out on foot, in the late morning, to a drugstore to buy a new reline kit for my denture. I’ve found that in general, travel has gone pretty smoothly with my dental situation. But for the past few weeks, my existing reline was getting more and more ill-fitting, so I thought I’d take care of it here in Atlanta. Sadly, my first two attempts (which take me more than an hour each, despite the apparent ease shown in that video) did not go well. I was getting discouraged, and eating was becoming difficult and painful. So, I made it my mission to get another kit yesterday. Unfortunately, my initial foray took me farther on foot than I had anticipated, and the several drugstores I visited did not have the kits in stock. I did eventually find one, late in the afternoon, and successfully put it to use last night, so all is well with my dentition for the time being.

But along the way to that first drugstore, I passed some cool buildings, including a bar called “Church” with a large mural of Stacey Abrams on it, as well as the name of Raphael Warnock. Those two names seemed like legends to me after the last election; I had contributed to their respective campaigns at the time, but had momentarily forgotten that they were based in Atlanta. (I was especially surprised when, about an hour later, I walked past the actual church where Rev. Warnock is the minister! See photo.)

That Church bar was only about a block past the famous, Black-owned vegan burger restaurant Slutty Vegan. I had initially planned to visit there, but sadly my teeth were not in good shape for biting into a burger, so I met a friend for a smoothie later instead. But this local vegan burger chain is legendary, with lines snaking around the block late at night.

On my way back from the drugstore, I passed a small group of men who were part of the Baha’i Faith Center of Atlanta. They were hosting a charity event in which they were distributing clothing and shoes to homeless people in the neighborhood. Not realizing I was a visitor, they encouraged me to come back and volunteer at a future event. When I said I was only in town for a few days, they invited me to see the inside of their next-door shop, Created Noble (not open at the time—they unlocked it to let me in) where they sell clothing and art to support civil rights causes and mostly Black artists in the area. The proprietor told me that the shop had come together organically: during the time of the George Floyd demonstrations and activism, he and some friends found themselves holding protest signs, sometimes even one in each hand. Then he realized he could be using his clothing to make such statements, so he began printing T-shirts. Then he started selling them to family and friends, and they were popular enough that he decided to open a shop for them. Meanwhile, his mother is a Spanish teacher at a nearby high school, and she had recently led a fundraising effort with the students in the school, selling ice cream from a Latino-owned ice cream shop in south Atlanta, so that low-income students in her class could afford to attend their class field trip to Costa Rica.

Now the shop sells those ice creams as well (including some vegan options—I sampled the chocolate) to support community efforts.

I was inspired by the story of a successful local business, founded on a mission of service to the local community, which came together almost magically, fueled by genuine passion and, as the proprietor described it me, “many serendipities.”

After this serendipitous tour, I continued on my way, now meeting up with my friend Brett at a locally owned smoothie shop. I first met Brett in Melbourne, Australia, when I visited there in December of 2013. Since then, he has moved to Los Angeles, and then relocated to Atlanta, to work in the film industry. (He is a professional stunt man!) I was lucky to catch him in town, because he is heading back overseas for a month in just a few days.

We had a great conversation, catching up on several years’ worth of our lives since we last shared a meal in LA, while we walked through a local park. Part of the park included the Jimmy Carter presidential library. We didn’t go inside, but the grounds looked cool.

After Brett and I said goodbye, I continued to explore the Little Five Points commercial district, where I visited a natural foods co-op which has been operating since 1974. I got some tasty eats for future meals.

Now, today, has been mostly stormy, so I’ve mostly stayed inside. I did just learn that my vegan friend from Portland, Stephanie—with whom I met up just outside of Phoenix a couple months ago, and she gave me a ride to Tucson—just landed in Atlanta last night! The small world continues. We are going to see if she and her friend might be able to meet me for dinner in a few hours at Envegan, near the train station. My train is scheduled to depart at 11:29 pm, and arrive in Charlotte at 5:06 am: oof! At least I could use my Amtrak points to book a sleeper car.

So, you may not hear from me for a few days, but when you do, I’ll tell you about Charlotte, and also about my new plan for April, including a geographic detour I hadn’t initially envisioned.

I hope you’re all doing 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!

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Atlanta Botanical Garden

3/16/22

It’s raining here in Atlanta. Started yesterday afternoon, and is supposed to continue all day today, including some possible thunderstorms this afternoon. So, I’m taking it easy indoors. But yesterday morning and early afternoon, before the rain began, I ventured out to the nearby Atlanta Botanical Garden. It was a lovely space, and included a small Japanese garden, actually somewhat similar to the one I just saw in New Orleans. My favorite part of the botanical garden was the large wooded area, with tall trees and an elevated pedestrian walkway. There was a beautiful sculpture of a woman nestled into the trees, and I spent some quiet reflective time on a bench in her presence.

One jarring thing struck me, similar to all the signs about not bringing your guns into businesses in Texas: the sign at the entrance to the garden indemnifying local entities from “injury or death” resulting from catching COVID-19 on the premises. (I saw another such sign in the local Whole Foods, along with another don’t-bring-your-guns-in-here sign. It’s a different world in the South, I guess.)

Shortly after passing that sign, though, I entered the garden and was greeted by a friendly frog relaxing on a bench. That set the tone for the rest of my time at the garden.

Afterward, I biked over to an outpost of a local restaurant chain called Envegan, where I enjoyed a kale-quinoa wrap and a slice of Black Forest cake before venturing out into the drizzle that had just begun.

For dinner, my Warmshowers host Esteban and I met up with his friend Neel to carpool to dinner at their friends’ house, Ricardo and Teresa. Teresa works at a bike shop, and we all enjoyed talking about travels, including Esteban’s trip to Mexico, which begins today! It was a very multicultural gathering: Esteban from Ecuador, on the eve of his first trip to Mexico; Ricardo and Teresa from Mexico, lamenting that they could not join him on the trip; and Neel from India (although he seems to have lived in dozens of US cities as well). Plus me, the traveling “local”! It was a wonderful gathering filled with good food and laughter.

Today I am catching up on indoor tasks, and then when the rain lets up tomorrow, I look forward to exploring Atlanta’s very impressive-looking car-free beltline. I also hope to meet up with my Australian friend Brett, whom I met in Melbourne when I visited there in 2013; he lives in Atlanta now! I’m also looking forward to meeting tonight’s Warmshowers host, Nick, who I just found out works at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

What a small world we live in.

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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.

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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!)