As I wrap up one chapter in my life, I know the end must be better than the middle, so I have some big shoes to fill… Aug 9th                                                           Princeton, NJ I woke up to rain and asked if I could stay one more day. It was ok, so Blair and I had talked about a day at the movies, so we headed off to a  flick called “500 days of Summer “ which was a very cute story about thinking you have the one – only to realize that when trying to control love is like holding back the Mississippi River.  Over time it will tear you apart. Once again I am just set in my thinking that trying to control anything is human’s main downfall. That evening we had one last dinner and I planned to head for the coast for the Cape May ferry. Aug 10th                                             Delaware I left with all the family there and said goodbye. It was hard to leave them since they truly treat me like one of their own. I jokingly asked to sign the papers to become an official Lamb. I decided to use the shortest distance option on MapQuest and I was so pleased with the ride. New Jersey is highly underestimated in its beauty and I think because of its large cities people give it a bad name. Remember it is the Garden State and it lives up to that name. I went through the blueberry capital of the US and then the pine … [Read more...]

Aug 3rd Norwood, MA So it was time to move on once again. It’s weird as the trip gets further in; it gets harder to move on. I hung around till everyone was up and I could say good bye. This has become like a second home to me and I know I will see them all soon so it was not too hard to leave. The day was beautiful and I got into the swing of things pretty fast. I was headed for the Maine coast and just the scenery alone could keep a man on that bike forever. Before I knew it I was in the state and on the coast and was already back where we had driven the day before in New Hampshire. Soon I was in Massachusetts and I could not believe the ground I was covering. Before I knew it I realized that I was going to end up in Boston by nightfall and at this point in the trip can not afford a hotel anymore. I had to think on my feet and decided I was going to take a train into Boston from a few miles away then hit up the suburbs through another train. In Beverly I got on and just loved the ride. New England’s train system is brilliant and when I got off I rode through Boston with a smile on my face – the history and vibrancy surrounds you. It’s a cool town and always growing. I got to the south station and got a second ticket to Norwood to get out of the congestion of the city. I did not realize but it is getting night fall much sooner now and when I thought I had an hour to ride it was already dark in Norwood. So I was off to find a spot in this much … [Read more...]

July 27th Buffalo, NY to Auburn, NY So it was finally time to leave Buffalo, New York and it was not too big of a deal since I was seeing them all again in four days for Jeremy’s birthday. There was still a sense of moving out. We had all gotten along so great and I will miss Sunita’s, Tom’s and my nightly philosophizing. I followed Jeremy to my turn and then it was back off to what I know the best – the unknown. The day was great – I was pedaling along singing bad songs and thinking of ideas for whatever I would do next when – pop! I hit a rock and just knew what was next. That cheap wheel I had to buy back in Sandusky had ripped. It was not too big a deal, but a nice gentleman stopped with a pump and I noticed the last bike shop stole my adaptor for American pumps. I thanked him anyway and pumped it myself because it was good for my arms. I traveled through the state running next to the Finger Lakes. Upstate New York is one hilly place with sharp inclines everywhere, but I had missed it since I was out west so I loved the burn. In Geneva I looked to the left and saw a sign for a bike shop so I pulled in. The store said that was the second time the sign had worked for them with cyclists, so I told them they had a winner. They were great and super kind – (we even chatted about other bike shops especially the last one I left called Ricks – because they just walked away not really wanting to help). In no time they changed my tire into what … [Read more...]

July 18th                              Toledo, OH I was so excited for today was the day I got to venture to the Motor City- Detroit, Michigan. Peggy and I picked up a few of her friends and we were off. I must note that one friend had a beautiful home her mom left her with artifacts of her world travels. The home was stunning but at the same time very claustrophobic thinking about all that would have to be moved.  It is just this freedom one gains by not having things – it allows movement. I just think about my simplicity and how it translates into our language. The word DO is so short and sweet but holds more meaning than any other word I can think of. We think we can “do” because of our stuff and releasing that burden releases your soul. It the feeling you get when you clean out your room or car – you are just lighter. Sorry about that -back to Detroit. I was so excited to see this city just one week before the last major super market shut down. Much housing is ripped of its copper and empty — poverty is in the rise and the only time people are downtown is for a sports game or a casino visit. When we arrived this is what I saw – a city that looks like it is dying and it’s sad. I had not felt this way since I was in the Indian reservations. We even stopped through some of the worst parts of Detroit. Still a low heart pulse remains and the city lives –we went to the concerts of color which is just a small … [Read more...]