Thursday, May 29, 2008

So here's the plan

Tuesday I'm leaving to ride my bike across the country with my roommate Sean. The tentative plan (pending sufficient sleep Monday night) is to wake up just before the sun rises, ride to the bottom tip of Manhattan, take a moment to reflect on time, space, and all that junk (while gazing at the Upper New York Bay), and then hit the West Side Highway bike path. The longest I have ever ridden straight is about 40 miles. We are talking about riding almost 4000 in a little over a month. I honestly have no idea what to expect from myself, Sean or the trip itself. This is so much unlike anything that I have ever done that I don't know if I should be terrified, excited, both, or some other as yet unconsidered emotion. One thing is for sure: I need this. I've spent too many days inside my own head surrounded by flashing billboards and flashy people. I have a lot that I need to sort out, about my life, my goals, my desires. Not to be vague or anything. I need some perspective. I need some sensory and social deprivation. I need the open road. I know it's not particularly original, but distance has a calming effect on me, and I need it right now.

On the practical side of things, I will most likely only have computer access once every week or so from the time we leave until the time we reach Portland, and when I do I will hopefully have the motivation to write something, although I might be so busy responding to all of the myspace messages from people who miss be terribly that I might not get to it. When I'm not near a computer, however, it will be because I'm spending my nights camping, which means no electricity, which means that my phone will be turned off most of the time. I promised my mom that I would text her every night and let her know where we are sleeping, but other than that, I will likely have very little contact with the rest of the world, and I'm really looking forward to that. Wish me luck.

PS if you live in NYC and aren't coming to Ian's bbq this Saturday, call me so we can hang out before I leave for the next couple of months.

2 comments:

jen twigg said...

awesome, dude. good luck and stay safe.

Unknown said...

i love this.