From the (Eastern) Foothill of the Mighty Rockies

Reporting to you from the Mile High City of Denver, CO, on the Eastern foothill of the mighty Rockies.

Crossed the second thousand-mile mark. The first thousand miles, from Hampshire College, MA, to Chicago, took 25 days. The second thousand miles took 17 days.

On July 18th, after resting for three days in Omaha, the KR White Dragon Horse continued trotting west. Arrived in the town of Wahoo, after biking for a few hours in upper 90 degree heat. How could you miss out on a town with such a good name.

On Privileges, Wind, and Inner Cultivation

The past five hundred miles in the Midwest has been a solitary journey. You are by yourself, listening to the Bible, battling the elements: sun, wind, humidity, gravity, and sit-bone pain. What a great time to turn the gaze inward, and do some reflection. Here are a few thoughts.

1. Privileges

For 1,500 hundred miles so far, people have been most welcoming and generous. Every evening, some one would let me camp in their yard. Over half of the times, they let me sleep inside, often on a comfortable couch or even a bed. About a third of the times, they would feed me, and send me on my way with snacks. Always, they would most generously share their life stories, dreams, believes, and would take great interests to hear my story.

Five Hundred Miles of Midwest: Thoughts on Politics and Religion

Enjoyed 500 miles of Midwest over the past seven days, and arrived in Omaha on July, 15th.

Very sorry for the delayed updates! Between the 70+ miles riding days and the lack of reliable internet access, I've only been writing notes in the small journal, waiting for an all-inclusive update.

Thousand-Mile Reflections

It's been one thousand miles. Almost one third of the journey. In the good Hampshire College tradition of "mid-semester self evaluation," here are some observations and reflections from the first 1,000 miles.

1. Lawn mowing

After passing by hundreds of American homes, there are two activities that stand out as truly, uniquely American: lawn mowing, and yard sale.

Multiple Universes, In One World

Each day, the journey brings the traveler through multiple universes. Within hours, you can go from the murder capital of the US (Gary, Indiana), to the polluting and monstrous BP refinery, to the heavenly world of Lake Shore trail, where healthy, affluent urbanites are jogging and biking, listening to their iPods. People living in these parallel universes seem to be unaware of the existence of the other reality. Or they are too busy surviving/excelling in their own world to bother with the other worlds. But if you are biking through all them within a day, with their respective odors pressed upon your skin, then these multiple universes would stuck with you for a longer time.