Cartharsis

When I heard the news Saturday night, it didn't really sink in.  It wasn't until the next morning while sitting alone in front of the computer that I finally broke.  I couldn't help crying, feeling so incredibly far away from my family with only the kind words of Facebook and a bluegrass soundtrack to console me.  I left Lansing as soon as I could arrange a ride with my sister, Kristi, and pack a bag.

Everything Happens For A Reason

I awoke in a frenzy at 11:45PM last night, frantically searching for my phone.  I knew something was wrong.  I had fallen asleep early in order to get a good night's sleep before departing for my trip.  I had known for a while that this may happen, and tonight, it did.

Just around 10PM, my great-grandma, Audra Myrle Armstead, passed away at the age of 90.

I am by no means happy about this, though I am glad that I wasn't already on the road at this point.  That would have added a whole other set of complications.  Silver lining, I guess.

I will update again once I return from West Virginia.

Bike & Gear

Just a couple of pics I have at this point of my bike and gear.  Let me know if there is something specific you want a picture of!

DIY Pannier

The New Plan

So, a lot of changes have occurred since I last updated. Trips planned, cancelled, re-planned and subsequently cancelled again.  For a while, I became disheartened.  I wasted my nest egg and gave in to despair. I resigned myself to internet fantasies of someday travels.  Then, an epiphany.  Why feel confined within national boundaries when there were boundless opportunities for me to explore from within?

There are a lot of places I've yet to see on this side of the globe, let alone on the other. Michigan excluded, I have immersed myself in 4 of 48, 2 of which involved permanent addresses.  I decided to discover America's food potential stateside rather judge it from abroad. It began as a trip to Portland, OR for a friend's wedding and mutated into something completely different at an incredible rate.

I assume by this point, you are asking just what this monster of a trip entails. Bear with me, as this about to get a bit ugly.