Jacksonville, FL to Terrell, TX by Bus

My journey from Jacksonville, FL to Terrell, TX started out a little rough. I was up literally all night Sunday night transferring the remaining boxes I had from my 5x10 storage unit into a 5x5. I managed to get the medium sized U-Haul boxes - Fully Loaded - stacked seven high, and similarly heavy boxes of files (yep, still got plenty of those left) stacked on a five shelf chrome wire rack, again, all the way to the ceiling.

I don't know for sure what the weight limit is on those racks, but I'm sure I'm pushing it! By 4:45 am, I was finally done, and laid out my blue mat, my sleeping bag, and my buck wheat pillow so I could take a rest in the now empty 5x10 unit to await pick-up from Alisa. I almost dozed for a minute or two and then decided my time might be better spent doing some yoga as my body was feeling quite strained from all the efforts of the last few days.

Prior to getting on the bus, I was confronted by the fact that transporting my bags was going to cost me much more than I'd expected. Although I had looked pretty hard to find baggage limits, fees, etc., on the Greyhound website, I wasn't able to find anything, and there was no additional information on the tickets that Alisa and I printed at her house. So, my first checked bag was free. I was pushing it with two good-sized carry-ons, i.e. one carry-on and a big bag/purse with my back-pack and lunch bag in it - Thanks to Alisa for always having re-usable (and stylish) grocery bags in the car! But that left another larger duffle, medium duffle, and my uncle's suitcase I had been borrowing since I left Weatherford, TX.

Total at the bus depot, was an additional $55.00. And that left my bulk-food bag for Alisa to ship as soon as she can. Although I had hoped to leave enough money in her account to cover my storage rent for the next three months (July, August, September), I'm afraid the baggage fees put a big dent in that plan. Hoping the Chrome Racks I have on Craig's List will sell sometime soon, but, if you'd like to help out at this point, please feel free to use the "Donate" button in the right-hand column of this blog page. Thanks!

When Alisa and I were waiting at the station in Jacksonville, we spied a couple of guys carrying bright yellow and black panniers - fellow cross-country cyclists. One of them ended up sitting next to me on the bus so I got the scoop on their trip. They're names were Dylan and Vincent and they'd just finished a seven week trek of their own from Phoenix, AZ to Jacksonville (mostly) on the Southern Tier Adventure Cycling route. Having already shipped their bicycles from Jacksonville, like me they were taking the bus, three days for them all the way back to Seattle. As Vincent was telling me, he's wondering how he will make the adjustment to being "off the bike" and once again clocking miles in terms of minutes by car rather than hours! (As I no longer have a car to drive myself, I guess I'm generally still on "bicycle time".)

(It was raining as the bus traveled through Tallahassee, and I remembered it was also raining when I was riding through there roughly the same time last year. I also saw a few familiar spots earlier, in Lake City for instance, before the bus moved off of HWY 90 and on to I-10.)

It was a rough bus trip though. My legs and arms are bruised and strained from shifting and hoisting all of the boxes around. As with my computer skills, I freely admit my limitations when it comes to planning ahead and keeping things running smoothly, but, at the end of the day, (or, in this case, the end of the night), everything was done that needed to be done. (Once again speaking to the fact that sheer determination and will-power can sometimes overcome deficits in other areas!) I know that I am getting back on the road having done the best "I" could to make this second half of my cross-country journey a success. And even though the bag fees were a blow, the money was there, and even though I feel even "tighter" this trip than the last, something tells me, things will continue to work out along the way. Honestly, I am still grateful for the experience of Living On Cash as it does have a way of keeping you in the moment more so than credit!

I want to offer a special thanks to recent contributors, either through direct donations, signing up to be members of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, or buying items I had for sale. So thanks Ron, Glenn, Sandy and Carl, and of course, Mike K. It was also great to meet and talk with fellow SCA'ers, Bob and Leilani at the VFW on Friday night. And thanks to Tim as he bought my bright purple and teal back-pack for his daughter Faith recently. I hope she enjoys many Happy Adventures of her own. And thanks to Mike and Janet for signing up to be new members of the NAPF.

And, once again, Big Thanks to my friend Alisa for giving up her room for me over the last two months. I was joking with her on the way to the bus station about how much more open it looks now that it doesn't have all of my stuff scattered everywhere! (Still some "stuff" left in the garage, but hopefully, that will all sell eventually!)

* * * * *

P.S. Remembebering the "Rumble Strips" of Alabababamamama

While on the bus, I was shaken from my resting state by loud noise and vibration, only to look at the road we we're traveling on to see "Rumble Strips" on the shoulder. When I was traveling these Alabama roads last summer, I recalled how hard it was to avoid them as the shoulders were too narrow to accommodate my trailer fully right of the rumble strips, which meant I was more often forced to ride to the left of them on the roadway. Not sure if these "sleeper bumps" as I like to call them have caused a significant positive impact on sleep related car accidents, but I know from personal experience, they sure make it harder and less safe for cyclists, at least ones like me with trailers! It does highlight the idea of State Sovereignty though, as I have noted these significant differences in road conditions state to state along my route.

Aaargh! Blog Platform - Photos - Google+

For the record: I am not a "wiz" at all of this computer stuff. I was programming "FORTRAN" in high school if that tells you anything!

So, I do not know "HTML" except for what I have learned accidentally here on this blog site. I'm starting to learn merely by looking more closely at what comes up automatically.

However, recently, I noticed that I had photos from this blog posting automatically to my "Google+/Picasa" account. In an attempt to re-organize that page and delete duplicate photos, I inadvertently deleted photos from these blogs. Now, I'm having to do some kind of round-about stuff to re-locate them and re-place them.

It is all Very Frustrating!

However, I am going to persevere, and as lame as I may be about all of this computer stuff, I know more now than I did when I started blogging here over two years ago. And I feel it is so important to be utilizing the tools that are available to us these days, especially for such an important purpose; i.e. to bring more attention to the cause of ridding the world of nuclear weapons and moving towards the realistic and long-term goal of World Peace.

I guess what I want to emphasize here for my readers is that - I am Really Not That Good with all of this stuff. None of it has come easily to me. I do not feel that I have any advantages over anyone else in this area. I am just absolutely determined to accomplish my goals and if I have to slog through, slowly, even painfully, one step at a time (and in this case, even having to back-track sometimes), then I am willing to do that. Period. I am not going to give up.

So if there is something that You Really Believe In, then do not let any doubts about your abilities get in the way. I think anyone with enough Willingness to "go the extra mile" will not let anything stop them. There may be some stumbling blocks and some slow-downs, and even some back-tracks, but the key is to Keep On Keepin' On!

And that is what I am still determined to do.

In the mean time, if you see any of my blog posts with weird grey circles with minus signs in the middle of them where a picture should be, that just means I haven't gotten around to fixing them yet!

Peace!

One More Week Left in Florida!

As of this time next week, I should be heading to the bus station to begin my 24+ hour trip back to Texas. As of right now, I still need to raise at least another $100 or so just to start the trip. That leaves another $2000 or so to raise to finish it.

I have a New Page on this blog, in case you haven't noticed. I'm calling it my "Please and Thank You" page. On it I have listed, pretty explicitly, all of my "needs" and some of my "wants" for the second half of my cross-country bike trek, and I will be updating it regularly. I didn't have anything like this for the first half of my journey because I did not have the experience to know for sure what my needs were going to be, and I was still getting used to this blogger platform which has actually changed quite a bit since I first started using it. However, this time I do have that first half of the trip under my belt, so the estimates should be pretty on-target. Furthermore, I'm going to be more diligent in giving public recognition to the people who have been helping me (if they would like that). I was not as savvy about how to do that on this blog last time, but now that I have my "Please and Thank You" page, I feel I should be able to do that without too much difficulty.

For the record: This has all been an amazing Learning Process for me and although I wish I had known how to do everything from the beginning, there have been a lot of things I've had to figure out along the way instead, and I figure, that's okay, too!

Now, however, speaking of "Donations" if you would like to provide financial support for my trip, there is always the PayPal "Donate" button, and as you will see on my "Please and Thank You" page (linked in the upper part of the right-hand column), I have provided some other alternatives for sending money to me via my friend Alisa as well. There are also specific items you can purchase directly and then have them shipped to Alisa and she will then get them to me. Or...if you let me know in advance, I may be able to give you an upcoming host's address to which you may ship needed supplies. ALL types and levels of support are welcomed and appreciated!

And, speaking of Alisa...She has been so very generous to me over the last couple of months. She gave up her room to me, and I have made a mess of it with all of my boxes, etc. (which I will be clearing out this week, of course). She has been chauffering me around to and from the Christ Church Bazaar on Wednesdays, and to and from my storage unit, and of course, to get groceries. She's an awesome person and there is simply no way I could be doing what I'm doing without her support. I feel very lucky and grateful to count her as a friend.

Another person who has been particularly helpful is Mike Kieffer who manages the bazaar/flea market for Christ Church. Not only has he helped me with a free table at the market, he has offered his friendship and personal support as well, helping me to get connected with the local VFW here (and, thereby, to all of the other VFW's across the country), giving me some work to do and get paid for, and buying some of my few "man things" at the flea market. He is a wonderful man, and I have enjoyed getting to know him better as a friend during this second time around for me here in Florida.

I have one more week here before I will be taking a bus to Texas. I've chosen the bus over a plane because the price was significantly lower and, as Alisa and I agreed, it would give me more of an opportunity to meet and possibly talk with other people about my mission...which is really what this is all about! I am getting more excited about getting back on the road as I trudge through the remaining practical details I've had to handle here in Florida. Once again, I am looking at maps, e-mailing potential Warm Showers and Couch Surfing hosts, planning my route, and keeping my heart open in faith, as it has been through all of this, knowing that, things Will Work Out...one way or another! That is something else that this past year plus of experience has taught me: I have never gone hungry; I have never been without shelter; I have never been "completely broke" (although I was down to change a few times); and I am meeting so many wonderful and generous people, and learning so many life lessons from all of these experiences, I know it has been well Worth the Effort, and I am motivated to keep "efforting" as necessary to Finish what I have Started!

It continues to be an amazing adventure and I appreciate every person who has been a part of it with me as I continue to "Pedal for Peace"!

Food Basics Part VI - Essential Whole Foods

Here are the links to all of the preceding blogs in this "Food Basics" series:

Food Basics Part I  where I discuss my initial experiences with the principles of "Proper Food Combining" and "Raw Food Vegetarianism" as well as the pitfalls of "Lunch Righteousness."

Food Basics Part II where I give a progressive overview of my "Fruit First" breakfasts ending with my very simple recipe and long-term storage ideas for "Green Smoothies".

Food Basics Part III where I describe how to create my "Finger Salads".

Food Basics Part IV where I describe a simple way to sprout lentils, mung beans, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

And finally,

Food Basics Part V where I discuss how to prepare my "Special Egg Fried Rice".

In this blog I am going to explain in more detail why I have focused on consuming these foods in particular:

1. Dulse
2. Almonds
3. Sunflower Seed and Pumpkin Seed sprouts
4. Brazil nuts and Cashews
5. Mung Bean Sprouts and Lentil Sprouts
6. Carrots
7. Brown Rice and Wild Rice
8. Cucumbers
9. Tomatoes
10. Romaine Lettuce
11. Celery
12. Greens - Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard
13. Fruit



About one year into my early exploration of "Natural Hygiene" which I discuss at length in my "Food Basics Part I" post, I decided to go give blood. However, when they measured my hemoglobin it was registering as "low" and the nurse suggested that I look into taking iron supplements. Of course, knowing what I knew then about "supplements", I knew I could do better, I could find some other whole food alternative, I just needed to do a little more research.

That research led me to purchase a copy of the following manual: Composition and Facts About Foods... by Ford Heritage. It has been a critical reference for me ever since.

What I found to be particularly useful about this little manual was that, not only did it offer a very thorough nutritional analysis of whole foods (as illustrated here)...

...it had another section where each major nutrient was listed and then foods containing that nutrient were listed in descending order according to the relative amount of that nutrient they contained compared to all of the other foods analyzed.



As I was concerned about finding foods high in iron, I simply turned to the "Iron" page and sitting there at the very top of the list was something called "Dulse".

I had no idea at the time what "dulse" was, but it did not take me too long to find out that it was a type of seaweed. I found some of the dried, full leaf version at the local health food store and along with my fresh oranges in the morning, I would roll some dulse leaves in romaine lettuce and eat it like a juicy, salty snack. As I explain in my "Food Basics II post", that procedure evolved over time so that now I simply add the flaked version of this washed and sun-dried seaweed to everything: green smoothies, egg-fried rice, the occasional soup or sandwich, pizza, or even the (rare) salads and entrees bought at restaurants (as I often carry a small container of dulse with me). You can usually find it in 4 oz packages in a lot of the health food stores. You can also buy it directly from one of my favorite companies: Main Coast Sea Vegetables.

Within a relatively short period of consuming dulse regularly, I could literally feel the difference in my energy levels, in terms of feeling "oxygenated" and clear-headed. However, I also learned, that if my life-routine got so disrupted that I was not able to get my daily intake of dulse, within two or three days I would once again be feeling tired as in anemic. Furthermore, with the iron in my blood that I needed, my cravings for sweet foods (i.e. for sugar high "energy") started to level off.

Granted, I have not gone to give blood lately, but I had plenty of blood tests while I was in the Navy, and the fact that I continue to have the energy I need to Ride My Bicycle Across the Country at the getting "more mature" age of 48 (as of this writing), then, after 20 years, the Dulse is one thing I make sure I do not run out of. Furthermore, it kind of boggles my mind that more people, especially those who are vegan or vegetarian, do not know about this excellent source of not only organic (as in Plant Based) iron, but also many other organic trace minerals.

However, I did not stop my research on the "iron" page of my Composition and Facts About Foods manual. Over the years, I have focused my food choices primarily on those foods which: a) I enjoy eating, b) are readily available, and c) rank high on one or more of those pages. Should you purchase this manual yourself you will discover that, for instance, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds show up very highly on many of these lists. (It is no wonder the birds go after sunflower seeds as much as they do as they really are loaded in nutrients.) Pumpkin seeds may be a little expensive, even in bulk, but, again they are Nutrient Dense and when you sprout them, it makes those nutrients even more available for assimilation.

Although it may be strange to eat "Finger Salad" with No Dressing or Dip, I really enjoy eating these whole foods. Because I am Not regularly overwhelming my tastebuds with high concentrations of sugar, salt, and other chemical flavorings that show up in so many processed foods, I can taste what cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and lettuce are supposed to taste like. And because I have seen where these foods show up on each one of these lists, I know where I'm getting my Calcium from, and I know where I'm getting my B-vitamins, and I know where I am getting things like Silicon and Bromine. I know that celery is one of the best foods I can put in my body because it helps regulate my pH balance as it is one of the most alkaline foods available and, if I ever need it (which is not very often), it makes a great, natural antacid. What I have discovered is that if I want to keep things simple, and yet cover all of my essential nutrients, I can do that with the foods I have discussed in this series.

For my own personal metabolism, I have found that I also enjoy: Organic Sharp Cheddar cheese and stone-ground whole wheat crackers, tuna salad that I make from - guess what - celery, mung bean sprouts, lentil sprouts, sunflower seed sprouts, pumpkin seed sprouts, dulse, and some light mayo of some kind. And I also like to occasionally eat sardines that I lay on romain lettuce leaves, spread with mayo and sprinkled with - dulse - which I then roll up and eat by hand. I eat sprouted whole grain bread which frequently gets made into organic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I also like to eat "Luna" bars every once in a while. Those are my "desserts".

What I know though is that the majority of my actual nutritional needs are met by the foods I listed at the beginning of this post. Everything else is kind of "extra", although I suspect there are some Omega 3 oils or something like that in the fish that have value, as well. And I do include eggs in my "Egg-Fried Rice", and I like to make fried egg sandwiches once in a while (with romaine lettuce and Dulse - instead of bacon).

Furthermore, all of these foods can be routinely packed in a Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner bag as necessary. This is the typical bag I would pack every day when I worked in a lab at the National Institutes of Health:

Breakfast - Green Smoothie with Dulse, soaked almonds, or Brazil nuts and cashews.
Late Morning Snack - Six stone-ground wheat crackers and six slices of sharp cheddar cheese (about an ounce).
Lunch - Finger Salad
Late Afternoon Snack - Luna Bar or Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Dinner - Egg Fried Rice with Dulse (Coming straight from the refrigerator, by the end of the day it was up to room temperature and I would just eat it that way rather than heating it.)

On weekends, when I prepped my vegetables for my "Finger Salads", often with left-overs, that's when I would make either tuna salad, or sardine salad, or maybe have an organic frozen pizza to which I would add my sprouts and seaweed just after it came out of the oven.

The only changes that I made to this basic routine for my bike trip was the addition of a mixture of "Cliff Shot" electrolyte powder, organic sugar, and filtered water, for drinking while I am riding, a few more Luna Bars to cover the additional calories I am burning, and instead of PB&J's, I did the "dried" version (with chocolate); i.e. peanuts, raisins, and M&M's (the "classic" trail mix). Also, I found that my hosts tended to want to feed me once I reached their homes and so I welcomed their hospitality and ... added dulse, and sometimes my sprout mix when I had it. Otherwise, if I stayed long enough, I would cook my egg-fried rice recipe to share with them.

I hope you can appreciate that: 1) This diet regimen did not come about for me overnight. I've been working on it for many years now, and 2) It really is not that difficult once you know a few things, especially about those foods that are particularly Nutrient Dense. Give yourself some time to adjust to the "blandness" if you are used to eating more highly processed and seasoned foods. And, just so you know, a lot of garlic can compromise your taste for things like this as well. That is one of the reasons I avoid eating garlic almost completely and onions most of the time.

As I said way back at the beginning of this series: It is important that everyone find what works best for them. But knowing some simple Food Basics can help build a foundation, especially for people who are working and commuting long hours, but still want to be able to prepare their own food on a regular basis.

I hope you have found this post and the whole series helpful. If you have any questions or comments, your feedback is always welcome.

Update from Florida

Talk about "Turtle Power"!

While still recovering from a pretty bad upper-respiratory infection, it was a struggle today and yesterday to get some items up on E-bay and Craig's List. Because I am making sure a portion of my sales from E-bay go to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, I have to go through a more convoluted route to get a post completed. It's pretty annoying, but I have persevered and have several items listed now with more to come.

If you would like to support my trip with a bid/purchase, you can find my E-bay listings here.

I will be at the local Flea Market this Wednesday, and will probably do yard sales on the weekends. More sorting, E-baying etc., during the week. Looking back at some old photos of my stuff in houses where I have stayed and now in my storage unit, it is just hard for me to believe, even after everything I have already gotten rid of, there is Still More Stuff! It really is amazing what we can accumulate in a lifetime!

But, I am going to continue to persevere. Again, I know what I'm working for. I know what I have to look forward to, and so I just have to stay focused.

In the mean time, there have been some interesting things happening on-line regarding the sequester, military spending, etc. Here are links to some of the articles and references I've been reading:

For America's Military: Less Nukes

It's Not You, It's Me: America's nukes are designed to comfort us, not scare the enemy

50 Facts about U.S. Nuclear Weapons

The Most Expensive Weapon Ever Built

Cost of War: Tradeoffs (Calculator)

CostsofWar.Org

On another tangent, I found this TED talk after it was recommended to me by someone I met at a Starbucks in Santa Barbara: Bonnie Bassler: How bacteria "talk". I'm looking forward to seeing where this research goes in part because these bacteria can migrate from person to person. I wonder how much they "talk" to each other while using us as the vehicle of that "communication"?

So, staying busy, trying to stay updated on what's going on out there in the world, and continuing to do my part to make it a better place!

Back in Florida for "Round Three"

After a hectic but very satisfying last week in Santa Barbara, CA, I managed to get my room full of "stuff" packed up and distributed in part to my friend Eleanor's storage unit (Thanks, Eleanor!), and otherwise into my Uncle Jim's hard-sided Samsonite suitcase that I used to get from Texas to Santa Barbara (Thanks, Uncle Jim!), and another big duffle bag, the largest I could find at the K-mart store. After the long cross-country flight, I was grateful when one of the baggage attendants at the airport in Jacksonville offered to help me to the curb with my nearly 100 lbs of luggage, especially since I was also carrying my back-pack, lunch bag, and change of clothes in my "custom" clothes bag cleverly disguised as a large black trash bag with the pull-ties wrapped around the hangers! I tipped the attendant the cost of a cart, $5.00, preferring to pay him rather than the machine.

Just before leaving town, and in part because it was near the storage unit, I managed to say my last good-byes to my former co-workers at Jordano's, leaving them my business cards with this blog address as promised. Helen, for whom I had filled-in during the month of January, offered me her support with an on-the-spot cash donation for which I was very grateful. (Thanks, Helen!)

In addition to letting me borrow her bicycle while I was in Santa Barbara, letting me use some of her storage space for the clothes, etc. I needed to leave behind, and letting me borrow her kitchen on occasion to bake cookies, mix-up my stir-fry and green smoothies, Eleanor was also generous enough to chauffeur me to the LA airport. I knew I was in good hands as she was a resident of LA for a long-time and knows her way around. She also new what time we needed to leave in order to make my 10:30 am flight, so in spite of the fact that I left my belt at the security check-point and had to go back to get it (!), I still managed to board my flight on-time. (Thanks, again, Eleanor!)

With a long day prior to my departure, I thought I might keep to myself and even sleep on the plane ride, but the woman who sat in the middle seat next to me turned out to be really friendly and she was also going all the way through to Jacksonville, so we kept each other company for the entirety of the trip. She was even generous enough to treat me to a meal during our stop-over in Houston. (Thanks, Vicki, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!)

On the flight from LA to Houston, I also shared the row with Kirk Kirkland, proud father of eight-year-old Mimi Kirkland who recently played the role of "Kristen" in Safe Haven. Apparently, Mimi has something of a photographic memory for learning her lines as well as good intuition when it comes to improvising. Needless to say, I'm going to make it a point to see Safe Haven as soon as I can.

Last, but certainly not least, my friend Alisa picked me up at the airport and has once again opened her home to me as I finish the Third Round of my Sorting Through and Selling-Off My "Stuff" since early 2011 when I originally conceived of riding my bicycle across the country. (Thanks, Alisa!) I can only hope that, in this case, "three" will be a "charm" and this will be the Last Time I will have to do this to any significant degree.

To be honest, I am growing more and more comfortable with the idea of "starting over from scratch" when it comes to re-establishing myself in Santa Barbara at the end of this journey - keeping things simple, staying on a "cash" only payment plan for whatever I might need there, and continuing to use my creativity, ingenuity, and newly found willingness to exercise self-discipline by "delaying gratification" in order to meet my needs as cost-effectively as possible. Everyone speaks of the "high cost of living" in Santa Barbara, so, as they say of New York, I figure, "if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere", and I'm sure there will be much to be learned from rising to that challenge. Having lived there for the last seven months, I know of all of the Good Things I also have to look forward to, so I am willing to make the effort!

In the mean time, it's back to the trenches for me! Time to "dig through my stuff" once again, get some of it up on E-bay and Craig's List, out to the local flea market, and maybe even stage a few more yard sales here at Alisa's house. While doing all of that, I'll also be planning the second major stage of this cross-country bike trek, with some help from my friend George Throop, who has already covered the territory by foot during his ongoing Walk Across America. (Thanks, George!)

And Thanks to All of You who continue to follow this blog and offer your support in so many other ways. There has been a lot of "effort" all around and I understand what that really "means" now even more so than ever before!

Update from Santa Barbara

I know it's been a while...Hope Everyone is Enjoying a Very Happy New Year!

I am currently working a full-time temp job with Jordano's one of the largest food and beverage distribution companies on the west coast.  The family run operation has roots in the Santa Barbara community going back over 100 years, and has a well established reputation for excellence in customer service and for taking good care of their employees, many of whom have already worked there for 20+ years.  I actually feel quite privileged to be working for them, even in what is currently a temporary capacity as a front-desk switch-board operator. (And thanks to "Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory Program" - I had the 100+ extensions of the two main consoles memorized in about three days!)

This full-time income means I may be able to finally get enough money together for that ticket back to Florida, where I can then take care of all of the rest of my household goods and - hopefully, by no later than some time in April, re-start my bicycle trip from Texas, probably Luling as that was my last "official" pit-stop before the trailer break-down on the way to New Braunfels.  I may actually ride down from Weatherford, TX, just depends on where I can stop along the way.  My goal though is to possibly pick-up cross-country walker, George Throop's path through Southern Texas - including contacts, as I am figuring if he could walk it, I should be able to bike it!

I will offer that one of the benefits of this whole life journey has certainly been to make me much more conscious of what I "need" to live day to day, or week to week. Simple things really, like, yes I need a blender if I am going to continue to make my green smoothies, but maybe it doesn't Have to Be a "Vitamix". Yes, I need a certain quantity and style of "business clothes" to get me through the work week, and I really like having a drying rack to hang those (sometimes slightly sweaty) clothes on after riding my bicycle home on a warm day. While being here in Santa Barbara, and having been generously loaned a bicycle to ride while I've been here, I now know that I can actually get around most of this area by bicycle without too much difficulty.  That was never really an option while I was living in Maryland.  I've also learned to sleep on a couch, regularly or as necessary, in all kinds of different settings, and being the particularly light sleeper that I tend to be, I'm gaining a little more confidence in my ability to "sleep anywhere", and to accommodate lights and noise as necessary.

I've also developed more confidence in my ability to adapt fairly quickly to a new community.  In this case, Santa Barbara has a great focus on community anyway, so finding a way to become a part of that was not that difficult.  Between the NAPF, Veterans for Peace, MeetUp groups, connections made through the SOLFood Festival (especially the Santa Barbara Time-Bank), the "Conscious Evolution Network", the bicycle shops - "Bici Centro" and Bicycle Bob's, and even by applying for various jobs in the area and concentrating first on temp-work, so I could get to know even more about the community through working for the various businesses here, I've readily made personal connections that have sustained and supported me - and kept me motivated to arrange things so that I could eventually settle here permanently.

Though challenging at times, both personally and practically, it has been a really great experience.  Of course the highlight has been volunteering for the NAPF, getting to know Paul Chappell better and having the opportunity to internalize a great deal for the benefit of my own writing by observing him through the last few stages of the writing process of his upcoming new book, The Art of Waging Peace (due out in July).

It has been quite a "ride" so far and I am looking forward to seeing How the Rest of My  Ride (and Life) Turns Out!