Summary of my Southern trip
David Brian
September 4th 2013: I arrived in San Francisco.
September 5th 2013: I departed from San Francisco and stayed with my cousin Chris near the San Jose area and met his girlfriend and new born baby Makena. I had an amazing friend, seeing family is always a joy. Palm trees everywhere, it was warm, I had a really great stay
September 6th 2013 I was now in the heat. This was the South, it was intense. After already biking across the country once, and reaching a raw 200 miles from Portland to Seattle back in August, I was confident with my riding, but little did I know that a mixture of heat and mountains and far stretches between rest stops was a challenge. I battled 100 miles all the way to Merced, California. I didn’t arrive in Merced until 9:30 pm. I was a bit disappointed in myself, but I knew soon enough I’d get into a groove.
September 7th 2013: The heat, the heat, the heat. I made it to Yosemite National Park.
September 8th-9th 2013: I was now regretting this Southern Trip. I took two rest days just to regroup. Had some fun in Yosemite, I met these two really cool guys, Samson and Justin and we spent time hanging out together. The Yosemite forest fire prevented me from going across the park to Bishop California, so I had to leave the park, and head towards Fresno.
September 10th-11th 2013: I road all the way to Fresno. A lot of my riding was short and downhill. Since I was getting demotivated, I made sure to lessen my miles. I was inching my way across the country.
September 12th-13th 2013: I made my way more than 50 miles all uphill to king’s canyon. It was extremely strenuous, a high grade, and stops for water were limited. I reached an incredible elevation, and I was fighting off the gnats for the first time since being back in Iowa! I spent an extra day at king’s canyon after that long day. I did some small bicycle rides and met some cool people, and slowly was preparing myself for my upcoming ride of Death Valley.
September 14th 2013: I made my way out of Kings Canyon and headed towards Sequoia National Park and saw the Giant Trees. It truly was incredible! The trees were huge, and the ride was downhill! I made my way out of the park after seeing some of the largest trees on the planet, and I didn’t have a host to stay with, and I had to find a place to camp by myself.
September 15th-17th 2013: I made my way to Porterville where I stayed for 3 nights in total. Hank was my host, and he allowed me to stay as long as I wished. I was days away from facing Death Valley, and I knew I had to prepare myself mentally.
September 18th 2013: After leaving Hanks, I was feeling lazy after that many rest days. I hit over 40 miles, a majority of it uphill and the bugs were starting to kill me, I was trying to get to Lake Isabella and the grade was just starting to get ridiculous and it was getting late. I got picked up on a road where there weren’t many people on it. This was fate. A man named Ed from Birmingham Alabama picked me up. Nice guy, I camped with him, and tomorrow was the day I’d be getting into Death Valley.
September 19th 2013: Ed gave me a ride not far outside of Death Valley as he was heading further North. I road and it was getting hotter and hotter and hotter. I got picked up by these 3 nice ladies who were on a road trip. We entered the part where I was planning on camping out, the campground was a desert and it was hot. It was so hot, my sweat was evaporating and we weren’t even in the heart of the park! I begged them for a ride a bit further and they had no problem with that. I ended up spending the day and camping where they camped out!
September 20th-22nd 2013: I entered Pahrump Nevada and stayed on a registered farm with Donna, Roger, and Jenny. Sweetest people I’ve ever met! I stayed 3 nights with them! (My laziness was getting the better of me). I had a blast with them, helped fix up their bikes, and enjoyed their company, and animals. They had a lot! Dasher the horse was my favorite! Jenny and I still keep in touch, she is from Hong Kong.
September 23rd-25th 2013: I went to Red Rock Canyon with Jenny, Roger, and Donna. It was a blast and they ended up dropping me off in Las Vegas! Fabulous Las Vegas. I stayed with a family friend for 3 nights and had a great time. He let me borrow his car… Yes he did! It was fun. I lost 20 dollars! I watched the TV show Breaking Amish one of the nights and it made me want to become Amish.
September 26th 2013 I barreled my way into Arizona. I was getting lazy and I knew I had to start cracking down the whip and limit my slacking. I saw the Hoover Dam. It was so satisfying seeing the sign for Arizona, since being a child, I’ve wanted to come out here.
September 27th 2013: I didn’t have any set places to stay until I was in Tuba City/The Navajo Reservation. I was straight roughing it and I had only one goal, get to the Grand Canyon. I was now in the city of Kingman. I went to the police department to ask for assistance for finding a place to camp, they weren’t of any help, so I persuaded a man to let me camp at his campground for free. I met a cool German!
September 28th 2013: had a long ride, didn’t think I’d make it all the way to Williams; I stopped by a Chevron, and met a cool kid around my age who worked there. He told me I could stay at his friends house, his friend was in his 60s and really liked to drink and smoke pot, he only asked for 5 dollars to buy himself a nice 6 pack of cheap beer for breakfast, and he hooked me up with a nice bed and saved me a cold night camping!
September 29th 2013: Long day, had a lot of uphill, I made it all the way to Williams AZ, I was going to stop in this town, I was less than 60 miles away from the Grand Canyon, I kept going… Made it right outside of the park. Camped at a campground, once the sun went down, it started to get really cold. Getting to this campground was tough; I didn’t know if it existed, I had little money so I couldn’t afford to pay. Riding in the dark was a challenge, cars would flash their high beams blinding me and after the 5th time it occurred, I started riding towards their car. It worked and they’d turn their beams off.
September 30th-October 1st 2013: Worst morning of my life, best day of my whole trip. I woke up, well I couldn’t sleep at all, but when I regrouped and decided to pack up my stuff, I could barely do it because I was so cold. My fingers were freezing and hurt. I toes were numb, my face hurt. It was rough. I road 2 miles into the Park Limits of the Grand Canyon and had to warm up at a MacDonald’s for a few hours until the Sun came out. Finally I made it. It was quite the sight. It was just so real, amazing, and big! Greatest thing I’ve ever seen. I spent two nights in this park with a girl named Nadia who was a teacher in the park. She was very friendly and lucky to live in the park! She just applied and they took her in! My time in this park was amazing but was cut short due to the government shutdown. I had a full day where there were barely any tourists in the park and it was really cool.
October 2nd-4th 2013: I left the park, with sadness. I made my way towards the Navajo Reservation and everything just changed. It was incredible. I stayed with a couple named Matt and Savannah. They taught at the public schools in Tuba City. On the 3rd, I went with Matt and talked and hung out with some of his students. They were in elementary school, but it was a lot of fun to tell them about my trip and tell them that they could be like me one day! That night we drove to Flagstaff to watch the Buffalo Bills football game since Matt and Savannah were fans being from upstate NY near where I road in June! After hanging out in the bar, the Phoenix Suns basketball team came into the bar. It was pretty cool even though I didn’t know any of the players. Something I say very frequently, “I thought I’ve seen it all.”
October 5th-6th 2013: Matt and Savannah sent me to a man that lived in a city called Kayenta. He is a Navajo Native named Jon. That day was rough. Heavy winds, the weather wasn’t great, I was having issues with my tires, I developed high pain in my achilles tendon, and there were very little rest stops. I ended up making it through, barely. The following day Jon took me all over Monument Valley, and we went to the spot where the scene from Forrest Gump ended his cross country trip, but I kept going! We also checked out parts in southern Utah which were extremely scenic including Gooseneck Mountain! Jon was a great guy and he inspired to want to come back to the Reservation and teach children one day, after I tour Europe on my bicycle!
October 7th-8th 2013: Jon gave me a ride to shed off a few miles. I took a detour to hit 4 corners monument. It was one of those moments where you get there and it’s like, “Oh, that’s it.” But it was cool to step foot in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. It was an extremely long day, I biked just under 100 miles with some elevation points all the way out of the Navajo Reservation, into New Mexico, and made way to Farmington just before dark. I spent an extra day in Farmington just to regroup before my ride to Albuquerque. I stayed with a cyclist named Teesie who knew ALOT about bicycles. I got my bike all fixed up and ready. It was relaxing as well.
October 9th 2013: I had a long depressing ride. I was reaching out towards farmlands, everything was very desolate. I was having trouble getting through. It wasn’t a rough ride, it was just hard being alone. I hit the continental divide and found a place to camp near a truck stop. I came to the conclusion that mentally I didn’t think I was capable of biking across Texas. I wanted to do it, but being on the road so long by myself, I needed to get back east.
October 10th-13th I biked into a town called Cuba. I poor town, my achilles tendon was at its peak of weakness and I had to make decisions. I took a local bus to Albuquerque and came to the conclusion that I was going to take a bus across Texas. I no longer had it in me. I sucked it up for so long, that everyday seemed like I was putting myself through misery. Money was also an issue as well. I spent two nights in Albuquerque. I was around for the Balloon Fiesta, but due to high winds, it wasn’t as active. Great city, I visited Old Town which was really cool and historical. The following evening I headed to the Grey Hound bus station. The man who assisted me named Dan completely hooked me up. He was very intrigued by my trip. He gave me a voucher for a free dinner, and saved me lots of money on my luggage and bicycle. We still keep in touch, and I hope he makes it to Boston one of these days so I can show him around! I had a long 22 hour bus ride. Didn’t get much sleep. Made several stops including Oklahoma City, I got to check out the Thunder Arena during my layover. It was a friendly little town. I then went to Dallas, didn’t spend much time there, but was a large city. Finally I entered Houston! Green at last. I got picked up by my host (Mario), and we went out for a few drinks despite my lack of sleep. I slept until 7pm the next day. Mario got a bit worried, but I caught up on all my sleep. Mario is a massage therapist, and he gave me a full out massage which was amazing. He even gave me tips for my knees and achilles tendon. Mario is another great guy who I still keep in touch with. It was a refreshing stay, and I was ready to rock and roll!
October 14th 2013: Mario gave me a boost out of Houston since the traffic is a nightmare. It was very pleasant ride. There were gas stations all over, and everything was close by! I was very happy. I knew the next 2 weeks were going to be great. I had another stay in Texas, my last before departing into Louisiana.
October 15th 2013: I had an early start since my host (Jeff) had work early. It was nice to get an early start, and it was warm! I made it into Louisiana after my short time in Texas. The roads in Louisiana were terrible, it was getting humid, there were bugs everywhere! There were also way too many bridges. Bridges are nice, but not when there is little shoulder to ride on. It seemed like I went over thousands of bridges! I made it to Lake Charles, and couldn’t find a place to sleep, so I camped out near these bushes that had really high grass. It was difficult because the condensation got my tent really wet, and it was near a construction site which was loud, I feared that I would be seen, and the bugs were killing me!
October 16th 2013: I got a very early start, I had a place to stay in Opelousas and I was in need of a shower. The humidity was making me sweat like crazy. I made it to Opelousas. It was a wonderful ride, very green, scenic, lots of farms and such. I was coming to the conclusion of my trip so I was really trying to take it all in. One funny thing I observed, there are Dollar General stores in just about every little town! That was another plus, there were towns everywhere, filling up fresh water was never an issue. I met a lot of friendly people. Louisiana gave me mixed feelings. There were many pros and cons. But I made it to Opelousas and met a girl (the one I stayed with) who is a teacher and did a cross country trip in the past with a cycling organization. It was a pleasure to hear some of her great stories! She hosts MANY people, and I was surprised because it didn’t seem like her location was well known. But like me, it is the quickest way to get to Baton Rouge. She gave me some warnings, but I mean… C’mon… I’ve been all over the country, how bad can it be?
October 17th 2013: Within 20 miles of my ride, I encountered the 4 mile bridge. I was persuaded to be escorted across by a gas station tenant right before I went over the bridge. She called the department and asked, the wait was too long and I was in need of some risk. I’m sure it’s bad, but I’ve been all over, I need to add more crazy encounters under my belt! The women was worried. I ended up making it over the bridge with what seemed like the longest 4 miles ever! There was literally NO shoulder, and cars were zooming by. Luckily there were two lanes, so I didn’t get hit and die. I ended up making it to Baton Rouge. Within 10 minutes of being within the city limits, I witness a police chase. Nearly 20 police cars chasing a vehicle, right in front of me. I simply pulled out my GPS, next thing I know, there is a herd of police cars zooming down the road I was heading down. There was a helicopter as well! It was something different that I haven’t seen. I stayed with a girl named Brittni Bell. She goes to the college in Baton Rouge, it was a friendly stay!
October 18th 2013: The next day, before my ride to “The Greatest City in the Country”, Brittni showed me around the LSU campus, we got to see the mascot/tiger which was caged up. It was very random seeing a tiger on a college campus. Then I made my way to New Orleans which I was super exited about. I didn’t arrive until dark, and it was getting a bit rainy. But I made it! A prostitute asked me upon my arrival if I had any spare change and needed anything, I told her no but was happy that I was in the Greatest City ever! She was confused, and I left before trouble came about. I made it to my hosts house next to the French Quarter.
October 19th-20th 2013: I had a marvelous time as I spent two full days exploring the city. I hung out with another couchsurfer named Milos the first day. He is from Poland and we decided to get lost in NOLA. We spent a majority of the day together hitting all parts of the city including Bourbon street. We even had a few drinks. I spent the morning with my host who went by the name of Child. He was extremely open minded. Had an incredible viewpoint on life, there are some people I’d love to introduce him too. He was very supportive of my traveling, and told me I should one day further my challenges by going to a country, where I don’t know the culture, or know how to speak the language, and live out there for quite some time! Child has been all over the world, sometimes I feel as if I’m the Child when listening to him. He’s hosted hundreds of people from his native town, and he never gets tired of showing people around! He’s involved in the art scene, and he plans to move to Brazil in the near future. He knew many people in the area, and introduced me to a bunch of people. I greatly enjoyed my stay, and I’d love to cross paths with him again one of these days!
October 21st 2013 Warning: this paragraph contains graphical content, wouldn’t recommend children to read it.
I departed from New Orleans in the afternoon. My goal was to make it to Gulfport Mississippi. I was very exited to reach the Gulf Coast! I knew this was going to be a great next week along the coast. Up until this day, I did not have a single bad experience. I few angry drivers, but nothing serious. I made it all the way to Gulfport, crossed off another new state, and I did not have a place to stay. This may come odd to others, but when I’m in a situation where I feel as if I need assistance, I’ll make a calling. Don’t ask what it is, it’s not religious, it’s just a personal thing that is mental. Maybe there is a higher power following me, It’s hard to explain and I do not fully understand it myself. It works to me (call me crazy). Anyway, I needed a place to stay, so I made a calling! I was in a Macdonalds, sure enough a man comes up to me, he has a Southern accent, and asked to talk to me. When making a calling, you can’t expect something to happen, because it just happens. When talking to this man, I expected him to give me a place to crash. I’m sure I could have asked him, but he just talked and offered me money which I kindly declined. After, I needed to really find a place. I found a church, but it seemed sketchy. I google searched churches. Found one on a backroad, but the downfall, there were people lurking the streets. I went to a laundry mat and decided to kill an hour or so charging my phone. I noticed the laundry mat was closed. A black male, maybe in his late 30s came up to me, kept his distance, but was staring at me. He seemed homeless, I figured, maybe he may know of places to camp. Though he seemed odd, I figured what did I have to lose… Well, my life? His name was Terry, he didn’t know any places to camp at first, but was very impressed with my trip. He asked if I wanted to stay at his house. He appeared to be on drugs, something wasn’t right. He asked me questions like, “what do I have to offer?” and “Do I have a cell phone”. I thought he was going to rob me. Eventually he told me he wanted to be honest and tell me something, but didn’t want to offend me. I thought he was going to tell me he was on drugs. But he said, “Those biker shorts make you look good.” I was in shock. He didn’t look gay, but I guess he was. He asked me if I had a gun, I told him no, but I have bear spray. He kept asking if I was into gay men, or if I had problems with them. All these clues, but I was too dumb to realize what he was trying to do. We go to a park where he said I could camp out, it was a playground. I got worried and told him I need to go to a grocery store. He told me we could eat at his house. I told him I needed bananas. He then pulled down his pants, and told me he can give me a banana. I was speechless, wasn’t prepared for a situation like this. I was acting very kind in case he had a gun on him, this whole time he was taking advantage of my kindness. My heart was pounding, my head started to get dizzy and I couldn’t speak properly. He told me to touch it. I tried backing up my bicycle towards the exit of the small park but the pathway was so small and he was getting closer and it was difficult to rotate my bike with all my panniers. I pulled out my knife and got extremely loud and let him know where the knife was going to end up if he took a step closer. He backed up and pointed out the main road. I got to the gate, he tried calling my name and I just hopped on my bike and road as fast as I could. Found a church 10 miles down the road and camped out for the night with little sleep and my knife in my hand. Pulling out my knife wasn’t something I wanted to do. I want to keep a positive attitude and not bring forth negativity, but sometimes, you got to cross that line if your life is at risk.
October 22nd 2013: After that horrid night, I woke up the next morning early and set out to Mobile Alabama. I decided to put that piece behind. I needed a bad experience because I was getting to comfortable. I had an incredible start to the day along the Gulf. It was just incredible as the sun was rising! My knee was aching, I slowed down after 30 miles and iced up my knee at a MacDonalds. A man came up to me and saw that I was riding. We exchanged stories. He seemed very well put together, his name is Mark. The town I was in was called Pascagoula. He gave me his number and told me to call if I don’t continue on for the day, I sent him a text and he picked me up at 4:15pm at a Walmart after I went shopping for things that would help my knee. He told me he didn’t realize his house was full, and he brought me to a motel down the street and got me my own room out of his own generosity. I simply couldn’t believe it. I went from having a nightmare on Elm street in Gulfport to this! I had a great rest.
October 23rd 2013: I was behind and I was trying to make it to Pensacola. I met a man when I first got to Alabama named John. I was looking for the quickest route to Mobil and he told me I should take the ferry from Daulphin Island to Fort Morgan. Said it was quicker and more scenic because it’s along the Gulf! He gave me a donation as well to get me across the ferry. I also got his number and passed him my info! Things were starting to go well after my bad experience. The ride to the ferry was nice. I had to stop at a post office and got talking to a man for a while and the next thing you know my ferry was going to leave soon! I dashed to where it departed from non stop 20 miles. John was right, it was very scenic! I met a cool man from Arkansas. He was leading a school group on the ferry. It was a short ride. It was taking longer than I thought and I knew I wasn’t going to make it to my host’s house in Pensacola. I kept going and made it into Florida! I was so happy. I got two Jack Daniel shots to celebrate! I ended up camping out on the Gulf Coast. Let me tell you, it was great!
October 24th 2013: Waking up to the sun rising, the noise of the Ocean, and nobody around was one of the greatest moments of my whole trip that I won’t forget. I made it to Pensacola which wasn’t far from where I camped, I spent the day with my host Jon, he brought me to the beach, and I stepped foot in the ocean and could not believe how hot it was! The sand was so white, I took off my glasses and it looked like snow. It was beautiful.
October 25th 2013: I ended up riding nearly 80 miles. I had to make it by 5pm so I could catch dinner! I was on fire that day. I had a mean cross wind, but I was coming to the conclusion of my trip, nothing was going to ruin my day! Riding along the Gulf was simply amazing. Brought back memories of my final stretch ride along the Columbia River. A man stopped me at a CVS. He was doing some traveling trying to find his spirituality. His name was David as well! He offered me lunch at the Whales Tales. It was nice, and I was cruising hard, I had time to spare. I ended up making it to my destination. Beautiful area, a probable place for retirement in the near future if I ever decide to settle down! I spent time at the beach, I stayed with a man name Marty who was a cyclist as well. The area was beautiful and there were bike paths everywhere. He made a great pizza dinner!
October 26th 2013: I had no place to stay so I figured I’d just ride as far as I can go. I edged off of the coast when I hit Panama City. I could have continued along the Gulf but I just wanted to finish up. I hit a town called Blountstown. There were no camp grounds, I asked at a police station if they had any ideas, they sent me out of the county to another town. I crossed the bridge of bras. It was for breast cancer, it was quite unique. Lots and lots of bras. I stayed in a town called Britol, a police man sent me to a Mormon church.
October 27th 2013 I had a chill ride to Tallahassee. It was short. I got to see the capital. There were lots of college kids in the town. I stayed with my hosts who were also cyclists. I stayed in their community center. It was nice. Justin is a bicycle mechanic and gave me some knowledge about bikes. He had some cool stories about cycling. My stay was short. I was having issues with my phone charger so I had to dig into my budget and purchase a new high powered phone charger.
October 28th 2013: Things were starting to get emotional. My trip was coming to a conclusion and I was trying to take it all in. 5 months nearly on the road and it was soon to be over. I went to a food pantry in Tallahassee prior to my departure and was able to get some food thanks to the friendly ladies that worked there! I was very grateful. My goal was to get to Saint Augustine by the next day, and I was moving slow so I was hurting my chances of not making good timing. I also wanted to hit the Atlantic Ocean when it was light. I was in a MacDonalds to charge up my phone a bit and grab some water and an older gentleman came up to me. He was super friendly and we were talking for over an hour! It got to a point where I was like whatever, I’ll make it eventually to the Atlantic Ocean! Had a long day, but I made it to a town called Mayo, approximately 130 miles from Saint Augustine. I couldn’t find any camping, I went to the police station and they sent me to a Manna House where I was able to set up my tent for the night.
October 29th 2013: Longest day of my life. I started my day at 4am, got on the road by 5am when it was still cold, and biked for nearly 14 hours. It was a scenic ride, but knowing that I was so close to my final destination was hard mentally. It was like every mile went so slow. I was drained but made it to Saint Augustine by dark. I stayed with 2 ladies and their roommate. They were very chill and laid back.
October 30th 2013: This was it. This was the day I go to the Atlantic Ocean. I woke up a bit late. Didn’t have far to go. I got on my bike, didn’t bring any of my gear, I just left. I cruised through downtown St. Augustine and saw the bridge, the bridge that would take me to the Atlantic Ocean. I went over it, and down, and there it was, my prize for working so hard, an endless body of water the stretched for miles and miles. A tear was found in my eye as I had just made it across the country. I couldn’t believe it nor could I take my eyes off the ocean. I couldn’t understand that this was it. This was why I went so hard. I was so happy. Not an unbelievable happy since I knew I was capable of doing it, but a happy that I have set out another goal and accomplished it.
TRIP STATISTICS/FINAL NOTES
——————————————————————–
I started the Southern trip September 5th 2013 from San Francisco CA.
I ended my Southern trip October 30th 2013 in Saint Augustine FL.
I continued my trip to Daytona beach and took a ride to Orlando from there where I plan to stay until mid November.
Total duration: 56 days
Approximate total mileage: 2300
Budget departed with:
Warm Shower hosts: 9
Couch Surfing Hosts: 8
Other people: 7
Paid camping: 3
Unpaid/rough camping: 14
Motels: 1
Top 5 common expenses in order
-Food
-Bicycle tubes
-Post cards
-Park entrance fees
-Vitamins
Greatest Places (No particular order)
-Grand Canyon
-Sequoia National Park
-Gulf Coast
-Monument Valley
-Death Valley
Favorite states (in order)
-California
-Florida
-Arizona
-Louisiana
-Alabama
Favorite rides:
-Final stretch along the Gulf Coast
-Road to Death Valley
-Along the Grand Canyon
Toughest rides:
-Tuba City to Kayenta AZ
-Fresno CA to Kings Canyon CA
-Mayo FL to Saint Augustine FL (final ride)
Worst Experience:
-Gulfport, Mississippi
Best Experience:
Too many; Though my most memorable would be spending time with the children on the Navajo Reservation.
Favorite Cities (in order)
-New Orleans LA
-San Francisco CA
-Houston TX
-Pensacola FL
-St. Augustine FL
National Parks/Monuments
-Yosemite NP
-Kings Canyon NP
-Sequoia NP
-Death Valley NP
-Grand Canyon NP
-Monument Valley
-Four Corners
Biggest thing that I learned:
-How nice people are in this country and how they are willing to go that extra mile to help you. I had 1 bad experience out of thousands.
-The little things that are necessary such as food, water, and a place to sleep.
–
Things that got me angry:
-When stores refused to give me water
-Cars would flip me off or beep at me
-When people tell me to end my trip and fly home
5 Questions & Answers (most common)
“Why did you do this trip?”
-Many reasons, To see this beautiful country and a slow enough speed to take it all in. To continue to prove to myself that I can get out of my comfort zone and achieve my goals.
“Are you alone?”
-Yes
“What do you eat?”
-Literally, anything. Mostly Oatmeal and Ramen.
“What are you going to do after your done?”
-Pick another goal and go get it.
“Are your parents worried?”
-No, because they know I’m capable of taking care of myself. Grandma worries though.
What will I really do next?
I’m currently right outside of Orlando staying with family. I’m spending a few weeks here before making my way back to Boston. I wish to obtain a job as a bicycle mechanic to improve my repair skills for my next journey. I am undecided with my schooling degree, however I am and will be taking psychology classes in the Spring. I would like to have a career that revolves around the fitness field. I also want to help people as I have received so much help from people during my trip.
I would like to volunteer as much as possible to give back to society.
I also plan to continue to bicycle and train for the iron man. I also would like to save up for another adventure next year. Join me if you dare!
Last thought:
-You truly can do anything you set your mind too. Get out of your comfort zone and do something you never thought you were capable of doing. This country is beautiful and great. I thank everyone for supporting me. I believe anyone can do a cross country trip. If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to do it and let the excuses go. There are plenty of people I met who are doing things similar to me. They are out there! Let go of the fear, and that’s when your going to really start living, and it’s never too late.
-Staying positive was my biggest thing. If you submit good into the world, it will come back to you. There were plenty of times where I thought negative, and it came back to haunt me. Stay positive, do good for yourself and others. Don’t put people down, don’t control people, and listen! Listening is the biggest thing, you’ll learn so much just by opening your ears. I hope my words come of use. This trip truly has been the greatest thing I’ve ever done.
Bike trip around America 