the NEXT big thing

winter gets me down.

don't get me wrong. the winters down here are way mild compared to those of new england. daytime lows rarely drop below 40, and in the sun it can still be downright balmy. but it's definitely winter. and winter gets me down.

which starts the chain of thoughts that leads to my non-traditional lifestyle. namely, long distance self-propelled travelling.

john and i moved to asheville with the intention of escaping the northern climes of our youths, enjoying the community of a hippie town, and putting down temporary roots while we planned our next adventure; plans are in the works. i hesitate to write them down, because, notoriously plans change, especially when they are as far off as these, but they are so exciting, and writing them makes them feel more real.

the short-hand version is "PCT 2012." gotta get it in before the world ends, obviously. the longer version is more exciting, tho. our goal currently is to leave asheville early (possibly as early as Jan 1) 2012, and head south by bicycle, escaping the cold mountains for the beaches of south carolina, georgia, and florida. travel all the way to key west (the southernmost city in all the continental US), and then make our way (by bicycle, of course) across the southern portions of this country to SoCal, probably closely tracing the route mapped by adventure cycling. all told, we should arrive in Cali with comfortable time enough to ship our bikes up to BC and make our lives once again about walking.

of course when we finish the PCT we plan to continue travelling, but where exactly and to what end is not allowed to be on the radar yet. that's just too far off. but with skill and forethought we're hoping to make this next trip last upwards of 2 years, ideally even longer.

so the question becomes: can we convince ourselves to stay put for that long? 2 years is longer than i've lived in any one home since moving out of my parents house at the start of college nearly 8 years ago (actually i believe the current record is held by a dover, nh apartment at 15 months), and i'm obviously already feeling the itch, considering how much planning i find myself doing for a trip that's supposedly 24 months away. lately my average seems to be about 6 months in one place or doing one thing, which will only get me a quarter of the way there.

anyway that's our current plan for the next big thing. assuming we can wait that long.

i've got a bike you can ride it if you like

first order of business upon arrival to asheville: finding adequate modes of transportation. john and i both vowed, somewhat coinciding with the time line of our at hikes, not to own cars anymore. this worked out fine for me living in boston, and fine for him living in new york, but the rest of the world is hardly so self-propelled/public transit friendly.

living in boston, everything i could conceivably need was within easy walking or bus/train riding distance. my mile walk to and from work passed a grocery store, the laundromat was around the corner, as were all manner of restaurants, and let's face it, there wasn't much else i wanted. there were many a time i took 2 hr walks to get to a luncheon date, enjoyed a meal, and walked the 2 hrs back home--but this was for pleasure, not ever out of necessity. after walking for 8+ hrs/day for 6 months straight, walking for the better part of a day doesn't feel like a waste of time.

moving to asheville sight unseen was risky, given my commitment to not owning a car. that, and the fact that i didn't own a bike or any other means of transportation other than my shoes (which were brand new thanks to an awesome return policy from patagonia!). but, with some generous help from chaco and wak, john and i were both able to procure cheap old 10-speeds at reasonable prices. my bike is a red schwinn world, with a white water bottle cage and white handlebar tape. it looks pretty awesome.

biking in asheville is moderately challenging, because it's so mountainous, and there are a few places that are less than convenient to get to (i'm thinking of crossing the french broad to get over to west asheville, specifically), but generally speaking it is a very manageable town. so far my coveting of 4 wheeled rapid transport is mostly connected to my coveting of freecycle furniture that requests "must be picked up today." biking up to the real mountains for a hiking trip is also self limiting: by the time you get reasonably out of town you've already climbed over 2000 feet, and you're downright exhausted. this is, in part, a result of the quality of our bikes. but it also means we don't have to travel far for bicycle based entertainment: a 7 mile climb out of town means a 7 mile descent back down.

when it began, choosing to be self propelled meant having less impact on the world. i'm finding, tho, even more important, it is a way for me to remain present in my life. it's hard to remember that the journey is the destination when you're trapped inside a car, zooming to a destination, or stuck cursing in traffic, separated from the rest of the world; travel becomes only the means to an end. being forced to ride a bike to get anywhere (everywhere) reminds me daily that it's important to slow down and appreciate all the moments, because they are ALL part of life. and no matter how grumpy i am when i wake up in the morning and have to go to work (and believe me, i can be a grumpy ass grump in the morning) by the time i get to the hospital, after 15 minutes of pedaling hard and wind in my face, i couldn't feel better. rainy days included.