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May 14th, 2012

 After a week and two days at family friend's houses, with unforgiving knee pain, I made the decision to end this trip early. This is not my last attempt at the Cent-a-mile Tour though; I will give it another go at summers end. The money raised will still be donated to Homeless We Care, and I will still write this blog for the duration of the trip.

 

The knee pain persisted through the fitting I had earlier this week. I cannot ride more than two miles without being in pain to the point of taking one foot off the pedals, or walking the bike. This is simply not suitable for a knee with 4,000 miles left to go. 

There are too many factors and too many unknowns to continue the trip with my knee in its current state. It is not easy to make this decision, but I feel compelled to at this point.

More ...   read more...

May 10th, 2012

Picking up the Freedom Trail where I left it yesterday, I continued my self guided tour through Boston. I visited the Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution. Throughout the day, I thought about writing this blog, and decided to best explain Boston with another series of pictures accompanied by a short comment (CAUTION: SARCASM MAY ENSUE).


In the bathroom of a Bar; I knew there was a reason I suddenly had the irresistible urge to pee!


This Garden is older than my home state of California (1850), and even older than Colorado (1876)!

There are many great works art in Boston:


Of strange, Catfish-like creatures.

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May 9th, 2012

While resting the ever-painful leg for the day, I took the "T", the local commuter train, east to downtown Boston. Boston is filled with colleges, restaurants, culture, and history dating back to the Mayflower. (That's a long time for us Americans. If the revolutionary war and the signing of the Declaration of Indiependance were the birth of America, then the arrival of the Mayflower was its conception.)


This plack outside a graveyard shows the names of notable people interred inside. Notice Mary Chilton's title.

After a late morning that included a hearty breakfast of cereals and fruit, dishwashing, and following the dog around the block, I made lunch and walked 20 minutes to the train station. On the way there I was astonished by the top tube of a bike. It had been bashed and dented so badly that it looked more like a witches finger than a slender steel ...   read more...

May 8th, 2012

Because of the pain in my right knee (and because after hours of scrutinizing every detail of the bike, I still had no idea what was causing the pain), I met with a professional bike fitter. Aaron Taushcer, of "Cycle Loft", has been fitting bikes to their riders for one year, and works with one of the few fitters in the USA who are certified by Specialized with the rank of "Master".
Aaron standing in front of the fitting area.
Aaron and I talked about what I thought the problem was stemming from. It could not be that my knees are weak because I have been a consistantly-avid rider for three years. It could not be from riding with uncovered knees, or  from pushing too hard a gear. It could be due to improper cleat placement and angle, seat height and position on the rails, or a ...   read more...

May 5th, 2012

Teri, the lady I stayed with for the last two days, has upcoming doctor appointments and parties to attend. She also has a friend coming into town to stay with her for a week starting Monday. For these reasons, I decided to move to Boston and visit my dad's friends for a day or a few.  (I love how easy it is to move when all you have is a bike and 60 pounds of food and gear!)

Two hours of phone calls to various bus opperators later, I found a route from Monroe, NY to Boston, MA with only one stop in New York city. Nervous as I was to be alone in New York City with my life in five bags and on two wheels, I bought the tickets for the Shortline and Bolt busses.

I found my way on and off the first bus without a problem, but making my way around the NY/NJ Port Authority bus station was a nightmare. The information desk misinformed me that Bolt did not leave from seven blocks down, but from two floors down. On the escalator, I carried my bike ...   read more...

May 5th, 2012

After three days of disappointing events, I managed to talk the supervisor of a bus line into allowing me to board with my bike. The driver of the 9:55am bus rejected my request to board, but half an hour of phone calls later, I talked my way up to the corporate office in New Jersey, and persuaded the supervisor onto my side.
         
I managed to catch the second and third connecting busses as well. At the bus stop, I met Carrie, my dad's, half-brother's, ex-wife's, mother. She is very kind and is letting me stay at her house for a few days.


Cian and Teri Amanti...with Cian's funny new haircut

She treated me to dinner, gave me a bathroom and a bed, and has been a savior for me and possibly this trip. My knee feels better with ...   read more...

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