September 9, 2003
Ok, I know I've been MIA for a few weeks now.....or is it a few weeks?
I don't know. Here's the scoop on the poop:
When I said I could see the ocean last email, I lied. In fact, I'm 70
miles into Oregon now, and I saw the Pacific for the first time only yesterday.
Look at a map, and you'll see why it took so long to get to the actual
ocean. Lots of bays and inlets and peninsulas and such. Anyhow, the group
changed up a little when we reached Anacortes, WA. Right now its just
Max, Brian, myself and the new edition, Brianne. It's nice to have my
girlfriend with me now, for obvious reasons.
The riding has been difficult for a while now. After the last email, we
went up and over the North Cascades, and that was balls-to-the-wall hard.
Once we turned south, the hills got a little smaller, but now there are
a lot more of them, and they are steeper. Also, it finally decided to
rain on us, and has been doing so for 3 days now. I'm actually sitting
in this library, soaking wet from 25 miles in the rain. At least I can
appreciate dryness now.
Oregon is quite scenic and lush, and the ocean itself is breathtaking.
When I see the rocky bluffs jetting up out of the water, I want to do
a little dance. Dancing on a bike is for circus performers, so I refrain.
We are getting close to the end; less than a month to go. If my funds
make it, I'll finish in Baja. If not, Southern Cali will work just fine.
Peace to all of you, and see you soon.
Leon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 21, 2003
Well, I can't actually SEE the ocean, but we are now in Washington. The
state of Washington, mind you. Montana was nice, except for the fires
and the unbelievably angry motorists; Idaho was beautiful, and then it
was over; now we are in the last state in our west-bound adventure. In
about 9 days we will reach Anacortes, just north of Seattle, then ride
the ferry out to Orcas Island, where my girlfriend Bri is working. After
we pick her up, its down the coast we go. I can't wait. Even though people
always ask me if I'm from there, I've never seen California. And so I
shall.
The Rockies were a peace of cake. Now, we just have to cross the "Five
Passes," which are 5 big ol' peaks in the Cascades. Could be some
hard miles, but oh well. Nothing we haven't done before. At least I hope
so.
Team Delirium went on another EARLY morning ride two days ago, to cover
100 miles into Sandpoint, Idaho. A few days prior, we lost our president,
Kristy, who had to run off to college. Team D just isn't quite as loopy
without her....or maybe the coffee helped.....I dunno. In case you didn't
know, Idaho is beautiful and Sandpoint is a kickass town. We chilled there
yesterday, by the lakeside beach, all day long. If you can stand gorgeous
summer weather and 7 months of snow, I suggest you move there.
Not much else to say for now.....All is well, and life is stellar. Talk
to you all soon.
Leon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 15, 2003
Greetings from Cut Bank, Montana, halfway across the state and 70 miles
from Glacier National Park, aka, Hell On Earth. If you haven't heard,
the park is on fire, and has been on and off for a few weeks. Doesn't
look like we'll be able to go thru, which sucks, because I wanted to see
it pretty badly. I'll just use it as an excuse to come on back sometime.
SOOOO, Montana is a HUGE state, and pretty flat on the eastern half. Great
expansive landscapes, oceans of wheat and grasslands, blah blah, whatever,
Bring on the Mountains. I'm ready for a change of scenery. To shake up
the monotony of Monotanany, a few of us decided to revamp our biking schedule.
Two nights ago (or was it three?), Max, Lucas, Kristy and myself got up
at 1:00 AM and biked out of town. The moon was two days short of full,
so we had lots of light, and the highway was deserted till the sun came
up. However, the mosquitoes were beyond anything I've ever experienced,
ever, in my entire life, so there was no stopping really until dawn. We
reached our 90 mile goal at 11:00 AM, in such a state of disorientation
and loopyness that we named ourselves "Team Delirium." Last
night, Team D. slept in till 3 AM, and biked to Cut Bank under the full
moon. Lord 'a mercy.
No one else in the Bike America Team wants to participate in the wee-hour
activities so far. Maybe it has something to do with the lack of sleep
we have to endure to maintain this state of mild insanity.....whatever.
By trip's end, I won't during the day at all! And I'll ride backwards
too! Buck naked! I mean, buck neckid!
Other than all that, no big news....just hanging in there, dealing with
the little problems (like 4 flat tires in one day), and keeping it real.
Next stop, Rocky Mountain Way. Which, incidentally, is better than the
way we had it. Or so I hear.
Peace to all, see you soon, love to hear from everyone.
Deine,
Leon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 6, 2003
Hello all. Its been a while now since I've encountered a computer, so
if you were wondering about my status, I'm happy to report that I am still
alive. The last few weeks have been (big surprise) friggin' awesome. So
much to tell.....
Minnesota is a wonderful state, full of all kinds of birds and other wildlife,
such as bugs. Bugs like you can't imagine. We cruised along the Mississippi
out of Iowa and into Minnesota, then turned west to ride right into the
Twin Cities. That was a cool experience, to ride thru downtown Minneapolis
and check out an art museum, then back out of town the next day. We even
found a couple of high class prostitutes to take back to our hotel room.
Wait....I was just kidding about that part. No, really.
A few days out of there, we were picked up by our old thru-hiking friend,
Sugar Mountain Mama. She took us to the camp where she works, and I had
the BEST day on this trip so far. They fed us, sheltered us, I went horseback
riding for my very first time (on a mule named Jenny....so I'm halfway
there), then windsurfing, I took an epic nap in there somewhere, then
a Hoot nanny in the evening where I got to play some music with the locals,
and even did a few numbers by myself (Props to Big Pretty - they loved
"Meet Me in the Middle"). As the party ended, we strolled to
the parking lot, only to see.....the Northern Lights. Yes, my first Aurora
Borealis experience, just to finish off the day. Much love to Sugar and
the whole Many Points staff, especially the Flintlock kids, for an awesome
time.
So then we hit Fargo (doncha know?), re-picked up our new biking pal Kristy
(long story), and flew into North Dakota. Drumroll please......OK. This
state will blow your mind. Nobody expects it, if they haven't been here.
Today, I saw some of the most amazing scenery......as far as the eye can
see, rolling hills in shades of green and gold, dotted here and there
with trees, sometimes horses and cattle, and hay bails lined up like little
chess pieces. The hills are the most amazing part, because you can see
for SO FAR once you're on one. This is the kind of day that you thought
only existed in the deep confines of your imagination.....and here it
is right in front of me. The North Dakota license plate says, "Discover
the Spirit." No shite man. I was cranking the iPod as I biked thru
all this today; ever heard the "Last of the Mohicans" Soundtrack?
The music fits this scenery to the tee, expansive and epic as hell. I
felt like I was galloping across the uncharted grasslands on a steel hors
So as you can imagine, life is good. I'm starting to miss the home front
a little, but no worries. There's time enough for all this, and all that
as well. We'll be home soon, till then, enjoy life as best you can, wherever
you are.
And don't forget to reply to my other address, bikinglion@yahoo.com. All
your love is welcome and appreciated. Thanks again to everyone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 21, 2003
Like I said, Iowa is not flat. It has all worlds of hills. And today,
it has one helluva headwind, so the going is quite slow. But we have crossed
the mighty Mississippi, and are just short of 2000 miles, so you could
say we are on a roll.
Let me tell you something. The Midwest has the biggest, baddest thunderstorms
you've ever seen, ever. A few days ago, we stopped alongside the cornfields
of Illinois to eat a snack. To the West, the sky suddenly darkened. We
heard the thunder approaching, and decided to start biking. As we biked
toward the oncoming storm, the sky got darker and darker, and here and
there bolts of lightening could be seen, most at least 20 miles away,
but getting closer by the minute. We were on the lookout for a barn to
hide out in, and I saw an old farmer inside of one of his many storage
sheds from the road. I pulled in to ask if we could stay, just until the
storm blew over....and he wanted none of it. He never exactly said, "No,"
but he just stood there, unresponsive and maybe sketched out a little
(Do I look scary?). By the time I gathered that he did NOT want us there,
the storm was almost on us, so we hauled ass again in search of shelter.
Then the sky opened up. Biggest drops of rain I've ever seen. After
That was Storm # 1. Last night, we were camped in the park of Oxford Junction,
a very small town here in Iowa. As I drifted into sleep, I woke back up
as a fellow from the local fire department walked over to Brian's tent,
and warned us that SEVERE weather was on its way, and if we wanted, we
could sleep inside the fire department. At the time, the sky was clear.
However, within ten minutes we were scrambling to back up all our stuff,
as the lightening and wind were comin' hot.
We made it into the fire station before the rain came, and watched as
the sky lit up. I have never seen lightening strike so frequently for
so long a period. Literally, there was not a 5 second break between flashes
for at least an hour and a half. A tornado touched down 30 miles from
where we slept. Many thanks to the Jones County Volunteer Fire Dept, especially
the guys in Oxford Junction, for keeping us safe and dry. Good lookin
out.
Adventures like this make for good fun. I'm glad I'm out here in the midst
of all this, even if it means getting wet now and again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 16, 2003
Ever have one of those days where you look around you and think, "Life
is so good. The only thing that could make life better right now is if
there is a quaint little diner in the next town where I can get a milkshake,"
and then there actually IS a diner in the next town where you can get
a milkshake? I've had three or four of those days in a row. So you could
say I'm having a swell time.
Hard to really recap all that's happened since the last email. There was
our trip to Ann Arbor, where some friends and I assumed our rockstar alter-egos
and put on one hell of a show at a bar called Touchdowns. Turnout was
awesome, and I had the best time. Special thanks to Nikkie, Whitney, Leslie,
Gary and Joe for making the haul up from Chapel Hill. There was also the
4th of July weekend in Cleveland, where we picked up our young friend
Josh to join the bike trip. And of course, lots of miles in America's
heartland.
Some unfortunate news....our other young companion, Patrick, aka The Accomplice,
hurt his knee in a fall one day. He rode for a few more days, but the
knee got worse instead of better, so he had to head back to NC. It was
a sad day for us, and we will miss the guy. We salute you, The Authority.
Indiana is now underwater in many places, due to constant heavy rain over
the last week. We've had to detour around flooded roads several times,
and have seen many a corn field under a lake. The people here are super
nice, and are keeping their heads up.
Another point about Indiana. They like to play ball. The reputation is
deserved. Yesterday we camped in a park in Royal Center, IN, where they
had THE NICEST outdoor goals I've ever seen, with two full courts side
by side, angled perpendicular to the movement of the sun so as to avoid
sunlight in the eyes whilst shooting. Fiberglass backboards and break
away rims, brand new nets, and plenty of games going on. Lucas has his
ball of course, and the full group is split up, so we are traveling as
a 5-man squad right now. We usually like to send Josh over to call next
(he's only 5 feet tall), and then we roll up with Lucas and Brian, and
half of us wearing teva sandals. People don't know what to think. Then
Josh steals the ball from every one of their players and shoots like 10
three's in a row, and Brian dunks in his sandals. I even get in a few
shots occasionally. Right now, we're 4-0. And that's after 50 or so miles
on a bike. We've begun working on plays, so I'll let you know what happens.
Like I said, Life is Good right now. Really good. I'm sure I'll have a
bad day sometime soon, I'm due for one, but in the meantime, bring on
the bike trip.
Thanks to everyone out there, for your emails, donations, support and
love. Keep it all coming!
Also, please send all your emails to my new, empty mailbox at bikinglion@yahoo.com.
Leon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 1, 2003
Good afternoon, peoples. The Bike America 2003 tour continues.....having
just left Pennsylvania, and moving now towards Cleveland, with Lake Erie
running alongside us on the right. Funny thing about these Great Lakes....you
feel like you're jumping in the ocean, there's a beach, and driftwood,
and waves, and you can't see the other side; then you get in, and it tastes
funny because it isn't salty. Feels good to jump into a body of water
after a long day of biking.
What's been going on? Let me see....the birthday was awesome.....we camped
beside a lake in NY and did flips off a nearby bridge into the water,
then drank lots of Molson and LaBatt Blue (Canadian beer has a higher
% of alcohol). New York was great, it eventually got flat, and we rode
90 or so miles on the Erie Canal, right along the old oxen path. That
part was REALLY flat. Rode 50 miles before noon into Niagara Falls on
Saturday (my first time there...quite amazing but very touristy), and
stayed in a hostel located in the middle of the ghetto. Here we traded
out our riding partner, BasketBall Jones, for his 14 year old son, The
Accomplice.
For those of you who don't know Basketball Jones (Sean McLaurin) and
The Accomplice (Patrick McLaurin), I'll explain. We met these two whilst
hiking the AT two years ago. BBall was finishing up his thru-hike, and
his 12 year old son joined him for the last 600 miles or so. The kid takes
after his old man, in that he is basically a badass. BBall took a
few weeks off work to bike with us from Maine to Niagara, and when his
wife and son came to pick him up, we convinced Patrick to join us. So
now we have a 14 year old with us....he did 53 miles the first day, and
62 yesterday. He isn't even a biker (but neither were we three weeks ago).
All is well, spirits are high, and Life is good. I'm growing more excited
by the day, as the Big Pretty and the Red Rockets' show is now confirmed.
July 8th, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The first and only show of the 2003 Reunion
Tour. Watch yourself.....
Lucas is now out, but is somewhere ahead of us, and we aren't sure where.....he
said to watch out for the overpasses....my eyes are peeled for Cato.....
Love you all, thanks for the many birthday emails.....you'll hear from
us again soon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 24, 2003
Hello all. Today is the 24th of June, and I would like to thank my wonderful
mother for undergoing 18 grueling hours of labor 24 years ago to produce
little ol' me. Just in case you were wondering, Mom, it was worth it.
For ME anyway...
Just a quick story - On the evening of the Summer Solstice, we camped
at a small warehouse on the outskirts of Ticonderoga, NY. It rained for
a while, so we sat underneath the awning of the building and cooked some
food. The rain stopped for a while, and the sun began to set behind
the Adirondacks in the West. As we walked out into parking lot to watch
the sunset, we saw a rainbow form in the East, the biggest rainbow I've
ever seen. It spanned from one end of the horizon to the other, way up
in the sky, like a bridge over the Northern Hemisphere. Unbelievable.
The rainbow to the East, the sunset to the West, we stood in absolute
awe. If anyone is familiar with our old friend Bearcat, you might have
laughed as he screamed, "We're at the nexus of All Things Killer!"
Killer indeed, my friends, killer indeed.
As my friend Sheriff has said, we are batting 1000 right now. The morning
after the Nexus, we were invited to Eugene Slade's house 5 miles down
the road for the biggest homemade omelets imaginable. That was a nice
touch. Last night, we were invited to stay at our new friend Debbie's
house, where we ordered three large pizzas and finished off with ice cream,
and slept in her BUG FREE basement. Life is good. Except for the bugs.
They suck. And they are much worse than they have ever been, at this point.
Soon we will be in the flatlands of the Midwest. I hear Big Pretty and
the Red Rockets will be performing sometime soon in Ann Arbor...what a
coincidence...my bike is named, "The Red Rocket."
Thanks again to everyone for their emails and what-nots....I think of
you all often.
Living, laughing, loving,
Lion