Welcome to the good ole' USA, home of Cheeses and Condiments... oh yeah, and freedom! Or, so I wish the sign had said in the airport, just after clearing customs (without even a single moment of interrogation) and prior to my first glimpse of the US in 13 months. Instead, I'm sure it warned me of impending doom of one nature or the other, or perhaps that picking my nose would be awfully inappropriate upon exiting the baggage claim area, or that, indeed, contact with livestock was inadvisable in foreign countries so if I had been silly enough to endanger myself by, say, petting a cow, I was to notify the nearest security officer for disinfecting (as if I, a savvy American, would do such a thing!).
Anyhow, I have indeed returned to the US -- I've been kicking it around the east coast for approximately a month, driving way too much on my quest to see the majority of people I know prior to Sept 1st. Wait -- what significance is Sept 1st, you may ask? If you DO ask, you perhaps haven't been doing the appropriate amount of note taking whilst reading my blog, or your world does not revolve around me (as if)... :) ... but I'll forgive you, just this once, and use this opportunity (unique as it is) to formally announce my next adventure : Jess and Jon's cross-country bicycle trip (witty title to be formulated in the near future)!
Yes, indeed, you may have noticed the slightly different introduction to this blog, or perhaps have already browsed for pictures and noticed a rather small map with lots of little lines all over it, made larger by clicking upon it (something I would suggest as I explain a little more), and wondered, "What is that crazy Jess up to NOW?". So, in response:
I intend to ride my bike across the country, accompanied by my friend Jon (with whom I went to college for a year or two), in the next few months. We depart the east coast, by plane, bound for the beginning of our ride in Seattle. Starting Sept 1st, we will be biking down the west coast at a leisurely pace, training our leg muscles not to give out while going uphill and taking many breaks, since neither of us has ever ridden any significant distance before. By the end of Sept, we intend to be in Sacramento (one way or another), where I will attend the martial arts Gathering (seminar) that I've gone to numerous years in the past -- accompanied by my favorite World Traveling companion, Ms. Emily Kirschner. Following the Gathering, we start across the country, into Utah; head south, around the edge of the Grand Canyon, to Phoenix; and across the southern tier of the US, bound for N Florida (or as far as we make it) by the middle of December, upon which time I will return to Lewisburg for a few months and Jon will... well, he's not quite sure yet, but heck, that's a long time away and it'll all come together by then, I'm sure.
Oh, this all corresponds to the little lines on the lovely map below, so please click and follow along: From Seattle, we head over to the start of the Pacific Coast Trail (turquoise), which takes us all the way to San Francisco. From there, we pick up the Western Express (red), which after a brief pause in Sacramento we take all the way to Cedar City, Utah. The Grand Canyon Connector (green) takes us down to Phoenix, where we hook up with the Southern Tier (brown) which takes us -- hopefully -- all the way to Pensacola, FL. For a clearer view, I'd suggest a brief side-trip to
www.adventurecycling.org where you can view each route separately.
(click on me to make me bigger)
So, that's the plan. Jon and I intend to blog again, ideally more frequently than this last adventure, so keep an eye here. And, as it's all starting pretty soon, I'd love for you to have a role in all of this galavanting: so a request! Jon and I need places to sleep -- homes of friends and family across the country -- and suggestions of places to visit on our long, long ride. So, if you think you've got a useful contact or suggestion, I'd love to hear it -- drop me a line at jess.p.scott(at)gmail.com, and we'll chat! As always, I'm eternally grateful for any help you can provide, and for your unending support and wonder.
There's more to come on this blog in the next week, including (hopefully) a link to a little musically-accompanied video of photos from the first half of my trip (depending on how productive I am) and a few notes wrapping up my year+ abroad, and how I feel about being back in the states. Pass this blog around to biking (and non) friends of yours -- Jon and I need lots of advice, and would love to have this blog introduce us into some biking communities/networks, and (perhaps) serve as an introduction itself for those wannabe bikers (like us) who want to get out there.
With love, and anticipation, I sign off, and wish you all the best!
WTJ (a new nickname to come in the near future)
