biketobrazil.blogspot.com: The Green Finger

This is my video for the Step it Up's The Green Finger project. Check it out!

Frequently Asked Questions and the Answers

Where are you?
Mount Rainier, Maryland, USA
When did you start?
September 17, 2007
Why are you doing this?
To get to Brazil without contributing to global warming. To see parts of Latin America I haven't seen yet. To do something about the urgent problem of global warming, specifically support effective climate legislation in the US Congress.
Why Brazil?
I have been planning to move to Brazil since 2004. I first went to Brazil with Amigos de las Americas in 1999 to do community service. That was kind of an accident that I made it to Brazil and not some other Latin American country, but I really enjoyed my time there. I went back in 2004 and bussed around to various cities. I have stayed in touch with one family in particular. I really love Brazilian Portuguese as well.
What is your plan?
Right now, my plan is to search for riding companions and sponsors, and perhaps get a job for a few months to build up my bank account. Some dental work this summer put me in the negatives:(. When I get money, riding companions and sponsorship, I will continue or restart my voyage to Brazil.
Do you have anyone riding with you?
I have traveled with a couple of groups for a few days each (Cycles of Uprising for three days; Chainbreak from Winnepeg, Canada for five days), but other than that, I have traveled solo.
How many miles do you make per day?
Anywhere between 0 miles and 105 miles (170 km). A typical day on the road--I try to make between 50 and 70 miles in a day, which takes about five to seven hours, start to finish. A good rule of thumb is to allow about one hour for every ten miles. Travel is often between 12 and 16 mph average, though with rest periods, eating, etc., the overall average is less.
How many flats have you had?
I have experienced six flats on the road--a nail in Raleigh, NC, a screw in Austin, TX, a heavy-duty staple somewhere else, a piece of glass in Southern Veracruz, and an existing patch failed a couple times in the heat of Chiapas, Mexico. The temporary patch I put on in Raleigh gave way Austin, so I had to redo that one. So six and a half.
When do you expect to make it to Brazil?
So my first trip ended in April when I made it to Chiapas. My second trip, with between one and three other riders (I hope), will start sometime in the future, and run between eight and eleven months. Have not decided whether I/we will start again from the US or go back to where I left off in Chiapas. I need riding companions and sponsors.
Will you bike back to the US?
Yes. One of my objectives of this trip is to trailblaze a path between my house in Mt. Rainier and my new house in Northeast Brazil.
What will you do when you get there?
I hope to use my talents of language (English, Portuguese, Spanish) to work in translation, hospitality, and/or education. I hope to also study more, perhaps urban planning.
Are you nervous about the situation in Central America?
I am researching the region. The state department reports a more tumultuous situation there than in Mexico. I am reading the journals of other cycle tourists who have biked through the region recently.
Did you ever get in an accident with a car?
No. I have had some cars and trucks pass closely on narrow roads. I try to ride only in the daytime, and I wear neon, reflective clothing. If I get caught after dark, I have a tail light and a headlight, plus reflectors in all directions.
Do you ride at night?
I try to restrict my riding to daylight hours. A productive day on the road starts early in the morning. The single most important factor in how many miles I travel in a day is how early in the morning I start. Once in South Carolina, I rode after dark. I had a series of turns to make, and at one intersection, I couldn't see the street names, but I made an educated guess. Ten miles later, I found that I had made a wrong turn and crossed the border back into North Carolina. I decided I would not travel at night after that. I just isn't worth it.
The way back North (Brazil to US) will be uphill, right?
No comment.
Where do you sleep?
I usually try to develop a series of contacts--asking people if they know anyone along my route. If I do not have any contacts in an area, I will stop in a town, go to the center--or a restaurant, and just engage people and tell them about my story and journey. I will ask them if they know of good places for me to pitch my tent, or if they perhaps would let me pitch my tent behind their house. My sleeping situations range from pitching my tent in a park or near a river, to pitching it behind a gracious family's house or restaurant, to sleeping on the covered porch of a gracious family near the police station with the police looking after me and/or my things, to crashing on the floor or the couch of a gracious aquaintence, to a unfinished/storage room in a motel, to a complimentary motel room, to a room I pay for, to a beautiful room in a pre-arranged contact's house, to a room in a friend's four-star hotel.
What do you eat?
I am basically vegetarian. I will often go to economic roadside restaurants and either pay for a meal or if I am feeling good and ambitious, I will explain my situation and see if they won't comp a meal for me. They often do.
Do you get tired?
When I am on the road on a good day, I will take a break every hour or two. I have many rest days, though, so fatigue doesn't really build up. If I had all my stops and routes planned out, with places to sleep all worked out, though, I think I could bike six days a week and not get worn out. Biking as I do really isn't as strenuous as it might seem. The first week was really the break-in period, and it is when my muscles grew and I had to ice my knees for a couple days. But after that, fatigue never has been an issue.
Do you listen to music on the road?
No. The important thing is to be monitoring the traffic ahead and behind. Really, that is just about all I do on the road--that is where all my attention is focused. When traffic is light, I can relax and enjoy the scenery and take photos. The sheer joy of cycling and powering my trajectory down the road fills my heart. Making it to the top of a hill, and then cruising down is a rush. To have all my belongings in one integrated, human-powered machine is a thing of beauty.
Where do you get internet access?
Almost every town has internet somewhere, often in an internet cafe, where they charge approximately one dollar per hour of use. I have had a laptop since Houston, and I can normally just plug in at the cafe. Sometimes I find hotels or coffee houses with wireless access. At a coffee house, I will just purchase a coffee or a cookie, and go to work. In the US, I often went to libraries for internet access. Do you ever accept rides or travel by other modes? On a few occasions I have asked for rides across bridges or under tunnels where bicycles are prohibited or it seems the traffic will be too heavy. On a few occasions I have accepted rides to get me the extra distance to my destination at night. On two occasions, these were trips that were going to be made anyway, and I simply hitched along. On two occasions, I had to ask for my host to come pick me up at night when I did not make it completely to my host's house.

Stats and Data

Estimate of Signatures Collected: 7,000
Money contributed to Environmental Defense: at least $400
Odometer: 5,300 miles/ 8,548 kilometers
Date left house in Mt. Rainier: 17-Sept-06
Date entered Mexico: 22-Dec-06
Flats: 6
Longest distance in a day: 105 miles/169 kilometers from Forked Island, LA to Johnson's Bayou, LA
Bicycle: Koga Miyata World Traveller
Panniers: Ortleib front and back rollers
Tools: Chain tool, spoke wrench, tire levers, patch kit, allen key, wrench for headset, wrench for Brooks saddle

Places I have been in a reverse chronological list

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania
Confluence, Pennsylvania
Cumberland, Maryland
Hancock, Maryland
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Manhattan, New York City, New York
Hamilton Heights, New York City
Hoboken, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wilmington, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Elkton, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
Mount Rainier, Maryland, United States
Mexico, Districto Federal, Mexico
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
Chiapa del Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico
Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
Raudales del Malpaso, Chiapas, Mexico
Las Choapas, Veracruz, Mexico
Minatitlan, Veracruz, Mexico
Cosaleacaque, Veracruz, Mexico
Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico
Monte Pio, Veracruz, Mexico
Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico
Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico
San Andrez, Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico
Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico
Lerdo de Tejada, Veracruz, Mexico
Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico
Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico
Medellin, Veracruz, Mexico
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
Cempoala, Veracruz, Mexico
Quiahuitzlan, Veracruz, Mexico
Palma Sola, Veracruz, Mexico
Tecolutla, Veracruz, Mexico
Gutierrez Zamora, Veracruz, Mexico
El Tajin, Veracruz, Mexico
Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico
Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Alta Mira, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Tres Marias, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Gonzalez, Tamaulipas, Mexico
El Nacimiento, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Santander Jimenez, Tamaulipas, Mexico
San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Brownsville, TX
San Sebastian, TX
Raymondville, TX
Rivera,TX
Kingsville, TX
Alice, TX
Calliham, TX
San Antonio, TX
San Marcos, TX
Austin, TX
Brenham, TX
Sealy, TX
Houston, TX
Pearland, TX
Galveston, TX
Winnie, TX
Port Arthur, TX
Johnson's Bayou, LA
Forked Island, LA
Lafayette, LA
Baton Rouge, LA
New Orleans, LA
Pass Christian, MS
Biloxi, MS
D'Iberville, MS
Ocean Springs, MS
Mobile, AL
Uriah, AL
Monroeville, AL
Montgomery, AL
Franklin, GA
Atlanta, GA
Athens, GA
Calhoun Falls, SC
Newberry, SC
Great Falls, SC
Laurinburg, NC
Whispering Pines, NC
Apex, NC
Garner, NC
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
Fredericksburg, VA
Alexandria, VA
Washington, DC
Mount Rainier, MD

Equipment

Holy Soles sandles, courtesy of Charbon's Outfitters
First Need water purifier (thank you Michael Brehl for the suggestion)
Whisperlite International MSR stove
Specialized gel bike gloves, courtesy of The Bicycle Shop
Miracle rear-view mirror, courtesy of John Keating (Hand of God: The Story of John Keating and the Power of Love)
Novara Klick-fix handlebar bag
Novara spare inner tube
Louis Garneau mountain bike shorts, courtesy of The Hub Bicycles
Bellweather compression shorts, courtesy of The Bicycle Shop
Specialized Taho mountain bike shoes
REI reflective ankle straps
Bell helmet
Louis Garneau long-sleeve jersey, courtesy of John Keating (Hand of God: The Story of John Keating and the Power of Love)
Western Safety reflective vest, courtesy of Juliellen and Alex Martin
North Face tadpole tent
Cat Eye Enduro odometer
North Face 40F/4C sleeping bag
REI sleeping pad (not recommended--lots of holes)
Cocoon silk liner

biketobrazil.blogspot.com

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Green Finger

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