The Natchez Trace And Inspiration

An amazing man with an amazing story. Stay tuned for the full photo series and interview.

About two weeks ago the grandfather of a great friend of mine found the blog and contacted me through e-mail to pass along a book suggestion he thought might pair well with my travels. I went ahead and purchased the book online that day. It was today while sitting at a coffee shop that I finally had the chance to crack it open and I instantly fell in love with some of the author's words. In his forward Charles Kuralt speaks of his relationship with CBS and its conflicts with his dreams:

We gave each other gifts. CBS News gave me travel and excitement and a reason for living, and eventually a measure of fame and fortune. I gave her most of my waking hours, and most of my thoughts and energy, and nearly all of my dreams for the future. I took crazy chances for her, especially in the beginning, often sleeping too little, working too hard, driving too fast, risking too much in places too dangerous, all to prove my love. I was ever constant. She took notice. We were consumed in each other. We were content.

Then I woke up one morning and realized I didn't love her anymore.

Time had passed, and we had changed. We no longer suited each other. An inner voice spoke to me. It said you are going to have to give up your big salary and your corner office and leave that Sunday morning program of yours to somebody else.

The voice said you haven't a world of time left to do all those things you promised yourself you'd do someday. For now, your lungs are still strong enough to let you walk through a mountain meadow and your legs will still support you in the current of a trout stream. You have plenty of curiosity left, and energy and love of life. You have at least one good long trip in you yet. If that's what you really want, you'd better be about it.

Charles Kuralt - "America"

Don't forget to take a minute and look over the detailed map in my previous post and let any friends in nearby towns or cities know about the trip!

Southern Bike Tour Cities

View Red White Bicycle Tour in a larger map

This whole thing just got real. I spent the afternoon creating a rough draft of the cities I'll be passing through. This will give everyone a much more detailed picture of where I'm headed and I hope you'll have insight into people, places, and things along the way.

I'll be leaving St. Augustine, Fl on March 23rd and completing the trip in just under two months. Now, time to get to work on the whole couch surfing thing.

Training And Planning

This is what I do for hours on end when it's cold and rainy and my mind hurts from planning.

I've been pretty amazed at the response so far and the amount of people that have contacted me offering tidbits of information on where they live or who they know. So, a big thanks to those of you who have taken them time to reach out and expect to hear from me as I find time to reply and possibly set something up! In coming weeks I'll be giving out more specifics about the towns I'll be near and a more clearcut time frame, so please continue to spread the word about the blog.

I'm also pretty thrilled to announce that I'll be beginning the first of many photo essays on Wednesday of next week!

Six Degrees Of Separation

As I've been out and about at bike shops or pulling internet from cafes talking with people about my trip there's always an "Oh, I've got to introduce you to so and so!" It's becoming clear that everyone has a friend of a friend and that's what I'm banking on here.

The month of February is crunch time for me to work out the logistics of the trip and secure as much housing as I possibly can. This is where you guys get to lend a hand and point me in the direction of folks you know along the way, or at least nearby. I'm basing my travels off of The Southern Tier Route.

Take a minute and mull over the route, talk with your friends, tell me who you've couchsurfed with, what towns you've visited, and repost this wherever you can! I can only make so many calls and e-mails and I'm really relying on those reading who have heard great stories or know great people that I don't want to miss along the way!

I've also got some exciting stories in the works just from meeting people here in Nashville and talking about the trip. Stay tuned!