The Mountain

     Music:
     From now on I am going to choose some song selection that I feel is most appropriate for the most common sort of emotions I felt during my travels of the week. I suggest listening while you peruse the rest of the update, at least once. Maybe while viewing the pictures is best, but I'll put it up top anyways. For those perhaps unaware, simply open this link in a new tab and (assuming youtube and sound work correctly on your device) you should be able to read with the music in the background. If you have a smart phone you are on your own, I don't know how those things work haha!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQWAcgefsQQ


     Disclaimer:

     Before my usual narrative wall of text, I wanted to bring to discussion my feelings and position on two more controversial activities I engage in; them being the "diving" of dumpsters and the use of cannabis.

     Yes, I smoke marijuana. It is true. I actually just started about a year ago—I got through 27 years of my life without ever altering my mind, so I think I did pretty good. I have never touched alcohol and don't plan to ever, or at least until I'm like retired or something. I definitely find it interesting when someone who regularly imbibes seems to look down on me for the use of the plant, but I try to let that go (I just don't really see the difference). I do worry that some folk I may give my blog out to will think less of me knowing that I indulge in the weedy vice, but I can only assure every reader that I am in control of my utilization of the THC and that I am not, in fact, some crazy pot-head joy riding my bicycle across the country.

     Also, the practice of "dumpster diving." For those who do not know, supermarkets throw an amazing amount of perfectly good food away every day. Honestly, it is completely appalling how much food is wasted. People are starving in Philadelphia while less than 20 miles away Trader Joe's is dumping just expired but completely edible calories into their trash. Even going so far as to padlock the dumpsters, or worse, destroy the food matter in a compactor. Ugh, I hate those things. So yes, in an effort to not only supplement my food spending, but also allow me to be much more giving with both my money and food, I literally ride to the back of supermarkets and hop right into their dumpsters in search of edible food. I am not ashamed of this at all, and will greet the normal patrons with a smile and a wave as I ride through the parking lot to check out the stores back end. I have found loafs of bread, days worth of fruit, vegetables, yogurt, milk, frozen pizza, snacks and cookies, you name it.
     The best find so far (and I challenge any other D'Ders to top it) was three still cold cartons of ice cream. Let me tell you, I felt totally blah and sluggish that morning, but when I found a vanilla bean and two chocolate peanut butter ice cream liters just sitting atop the rubbish, I perked right up. I obviously couldn't take the ice cream with me with no way to keep it cold, so I pigged out right there behind the store, and have never felt better about an ice cream binge haha!

     Perhaps my engagement of these two things makes me a hero in the reader's eyes, or perhaps a degenerate. I leave that to you to decide. Regardless, please keep in mind that nothing I ever do happens without careful thought.

     Thoughts:

     If I can say nothing else about myself, I will say that I am extremely hard on myself. There is a careful line I tread between self-confidence in my accomplishments and whatever I feel just isn't good enough. If I'm too easy on myself I won't try hard enough. If I'm too hard on myself I may decrease my moral to a point that it will affect my performance negatively. Low moral can be absolutely debilitating, so that mind-state needs to be monitored and kept in check consistently.

     What we also want to avoid is going too far in either direction. Firstly, aside from making me a total jerk, complete conceit is just untrue. I have personally met people much more amazing than I, doing or having done things greater than what I am attempting to do. These are the people I especially wish to meet the most. Rather than feel inferior, I seek to learn from such individuals and strive to be more like them. The more conceited I am the harder such an attitude would be to have.

     Secondly, a complete lack of self-worth is also unfair and untrue. I'm trying really hard out here and even though I don't think I'm better than anyone—we all have our story, our path, the things we must learn—I do think I have/know something valuable that, for instance, the unhappy looking man with the bottle in his hand may not have/know. Perhaps this is only true because of gifts given to me along my way, or because of the different myriad of decisions the each of use made in our lives.

     Regardless, my ideal is to prematurely judge no one. That can sometimes be difficult, for us all, but I believe it is possible. When you take the time to meet and get to know people on a closer level that look completely different than the sort of people you may usually see yourself associating with, I do believe you will find that they will be surprisingly more human than you thought.


     Story:

     As I came down a large hill going into the small city of Lenoir, North Carolina, I got my first glimpse of my next and greatest challenge—Appalachia. Whichever ridge I happened to see from afar was massive, not at all comparable to the rolling hills I'd been rolling over through North Carolina so far. Up to that moment, I had been simply focused on 50+ miles a day, Asheville by Monday. That's it. But when I saw those mountains I knew, a major obstacle lay before, and it was going to be the most demanding challenge I have faced yet.

     So, I needed to prepare. I stocked up for the mountain, finally going inside one of these Food Lion grocery stores I had yet to enter (they had the best dumpsters in North Carolina haha) to get some protein. I was going to need it. I checked their dumpster too, of course. That one was actually a bust, but just down the road at the Aldi I received the aid I sought. Oranges, strawberries, a couple things of brie cheese, bagels—there was food for several families for days in there. I took what I could carry and headed to the local library to rest and eat.
     I did not make it in time before they closed but had this frozen pizza from a dumpster and decided to experiment: could I cook this to an edible level just by placing it in the sun? The answer is yes! And even better, cooking a frozen pizza in the sun is a great conversation starter. One little girl, from the window of the SUV she was in, said, "Are you cooking a frozen pizza in the sun!? You are awesome!" All in a days work small child. Hopefully I'll find a few more in some dumpsters along my path to continue to impress youngsters with.
     As I approached the base of the mountain the night before I planned to climb, looking for a safe campsite, an ancient voice of Earth and Green resonated in my being. The presence was heavy and real, speaking in a voice that could not be called voice using words that could not be called words.
"So young man, you want to climb these walls?"
"No. The walls I want to climb; they are only in myself."
     With that, sun receded behind trees and darkness fell over me, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the mosquitoes, the latter cleverly attacking the back of my knee, the former not so cleverly attacking the back of my mind. I treated myself to a large dinner of fruit, crackers, cheese, and yogurt. I figured I would need every bit of energy and morale boost I could garner. I did not know exactly what challenge lay ahead. I only knew what I had done up until this point and how I felt. What I had done to this point was not a mountain, at all, and I felt tired and sore.
     The next day began slowly, with my ipod dying after giving me my final bit of encouragement, Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." I would have to achieve this feat on my own, with no musical emotional support. The mountain came slower than I thought, and I did not realize I was climbing it until I was definitely climbing it. For those who may have a hard time imagining, a simply unending uphill, extending further and further after every turn. The road went on and on, up and up. I would say at first I had to break every fifteen minutes or so, just to catch my breathe and hydrate.
     I eventually came across, somewhere past 2000 feet elevation,  a "Biker Rest Stop" and, needing water, figured I'd head inside. The sign was referring to motorcyclists, but hey, I got two wheels. We can vibe, right? It turned out to be just a loving project from a devote couple and their friend, bringing the word of Jesus to anyone who would listen. The fine people there gave me water, food, and wisdom. While the H2O was needed, the calories greatly appreciated, and their guiding words provoking, what these people truly gave me was much greater. Love. Just a sincere ear to listen, sincere words spoken earnestly with a desire to help, and real needed gifts of food and water. I left the rest stop after hours of talking and sharing feeling refreshed and motivated.
   
     I am unfortunately out of time on the library computer, so for now the pictures below will have to tell teh rest of the story. I'll update this when I can. Love you all <3
   

     Poetry:
     This poem was inspired by my time in Virginia and Carolina. I'm going to make a Carolina version of it, sometime. For now, if you want the Carolina version just read it in a deep Southern accent and change "Virginia oh Virginia!" to "Carolina sweet Carolina!"
     Also, "you" to "ya'll" and drop several words determined by some grammatical rules I've yet to figure out. Southern dialects are really fun haha!

     "Heart. Land."

     Virginia oh Virginia! Beauteous land!
     Fertile and rich, you leave me no want
     —but to defend you, with rifle in hand
     my spirit stays here, though I cannot.

     Virginia oh Virginia! Will you remember me?
     I am leaving you for horizons unknown
     Take care of Mother, whilst I journey across the sea
     For my Brothers! I fear we shall not all return home.

     Virginia oh Virginia! How could I ever let go?
     Mere reminiscence and heart is untame
     like great Jackson or Lee, rising to any foe
     and yet bottle in hand remain.

     Virginia oh Virginia! What am I to you?
     Glittering firefly lit fields astound
     as memories of them fade, I knew
     I've let both her, and myself, down.

     Virginia oh Virginia! Can we not peacefully live?
     Simple, good, and kind, we each here aspire
     To hold any small piece of you, I would give and give
     Yet behind ever smiling face, what does each here desire?

     Virginia. Oh, Virginia. When again may I behold?
     Past does not stay in hand; it fall!
     Your future was never mine to mold
     for change must cometh, to one and all.


     Pictures:
     As there was significantly more riding and less not riding this week than others so far (and the camera battery didn't die), we have more pictures! Yaay!

Climbin' mountains for 'Merica!

Sometimes you camp in some odd places, like behind Wal-Mart. 

Sometimes you camp in some spooky places, like this abandoned home I dare not approach. 

They do things differently in the South.
I did not know what to make of this airborne cage of puppies, built aside the road seemingly as an intentional sort of advertising.
I wonder if blatant cruelty increases puppy sales?

Had lunch under the ivy.

The ol' county market ain't seein' much business no more.
There's a Food Lion grocery store just across the street.

Ya can't resist change when the deal is so convenient nobody will think of a good enough reason to question it.

I camped at a nice park in the interesting city of Winston-Salem. Didn't stay long, but "White Money" would be a good way to describe the area, from my first impressions.
The park I stealth fully camped at was filled with mulberries, which were my dinner that night! 

This is how most of North Carolina looked. 

 Sometimes you camp in some beautiful places, like in this meadow.

A light but nutritious dinner.
That's protein powder in that bag, if you couldn't guess. 

I could not wait to see the sky that night.
I wrote te above poem looking at the stars and the fireflys shine away. 

Pizza is cooking. It worked! Sort of! 

Sometimes you camp in some ironic places, like this little nook nestled between several "family campsites." all outfitted with complete RV hook-ups, bathroom/showers, water slide, and each blasting pop music into the night. 

Pictures never do the majesty of mountainous landscapes justice, but here I am the eve before the ascent, on a hill just able to see some of the ridges. 

The midst of a long day. I didn't know it, but I was just getting started.. 

Thanks Aldi, just what I needed! 

The end of a long day.

I'm actually more tired than I look.

Day 2. Time to climb Mount Mitchell. 

No reason to hold back any more!

Break out the protein bars!!
KE-OH-KEEEEEN!!!!
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f3aace7e0b7e0a9222c426d25340ab3c/tumblr_n1ol19qSIw1t6ns60o1_500.gif

I made it to the top!
Riding on the Blue Ridge parkway was the most absolutely amazing—and challenging—ride I have ever had.
I implore my fellow cyclists to ride this road one day. It was kind of like the AT, for bike riders.
Driving it is a good idea too, I guess (; 

I met a great man on the mountain that offered me a place to sleep, eat, and shower when I got into town. My adventures in Asheville start with this meal! Tune in next week (;