A second (or third) wind

I woke up this morning at Fort Pike State Historical Site just off US-90 approximately 30 miles east of New Orleans. My morning ride was on a narrow strip of land straddling Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne and I couldn't help but predict that if sea levels do rise in the future, this will surely be one of the first spots on the globe that will be affected.

In Bay St. Louis I stopped for a quick breakfast and learned that the eye of Katrina actually hit this Biloxi suburb. Many reconstructive efforts are still underway and the actual highway looked as if was recently paved.

Stooping in Biloxi, I met my friend A and she took me on an architectural tour of the tri-county coastline. We ate at a new restaurant that could compete with Mixt and chatted about the last six years. (We last saw each other at Pres. Bush's second inauguration.)

Over the past couple of weeks I have been feeling the 3100 previous miles weighing me down. But after cycling through a part of our nation that has suffured more than I can imagine, all of my troubles seemed infinitesimal. I also want to thank you all for your support as I continue on this mission. It's nice to know, as I pedal anonymously through these parts, that there are folks back home that are wishing me well.

Tomorrow: Alabama.

Tuning in

Having arrived in Austin on the second, this trip has since taken a change in direction - psychologically speaking. Leaving my phone "off the hook" has allowed me to completely live in the present time and place. An ideal we may commonly strive for, it is virtually impossible in our time. Already without an alarm clock or music player, all of my experiences are now purely organic. I take pleasure in mailing things to friends and family and listening to my mind and body for all direction. Raw gut instincts have taken a new meaning and learning how to make personal weather forecasts based on simply looking in the sky have brought me to a different place.

Homo sapiens evolved from homo erectus but I'm confident that we all still poses some traits from the species. Identifying, utilizing, and enhancing various instinctual abilities is almost unheard of to me and whenever I attempt to evolutionary regress I find myself progressing in a revolutionary manner.

The trip updates are over and most of my goals regarding the petition have been reduced. I'm simply at the point where I am just trying to finish the ride. And when it is all over, there will be plenty of time to blog, f-book, and email. It seems my spirit is just not programmed for the digital world and with that, I sign off....