This morning my grandpa Leo passed away due to complications from pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis. It’s weird to think about him missing from the world. In my mind he had achieved the status of a fixture, something that would always be there. My dad told me someone from the hospital said that there had never been as many visitors for another patient before, that was nice to hear. My grandpa was always making friends wherever he went. He had the gift for small talk that I also see in my dad. I think when we lose people, even outside of death, we tend to incorporate the things we like about them into our own lives as a way to remember them.

Today I made two friends at a service area in New Jersey while I ate lunch, they were both younger kids that worked there. They seemed pretty excited about my trip and that someone could even think to do something like it. I gave them the website so maybe they’ll see this—hi Toni and Paul!

Tuesday the 19th I left Washington, DC to head up to Brooklyn. On the way up I paid ~$25 in tolls and had to exit to find an ATM as I ran out of cash at one point. It is a skill that you rapidly perfect as a motorcyclist. Neutral is better than turning the bike off, and putting your money where you only have to take off one glove to get to it also helps.

The first two nights I stayed with my friend Jenny, who works for a law firm and writes beautiful things occasionally. We both suffer with problems of writing motivation and it was interesting to talk about it. She lives on the 5th floor of a walkup with tall ceilings which meant several trips up and down to get all of my luggage into her place. She took me to a little place called DuMont Burger that had Danish blue cheese on the menu, which I asked for and received. It was so good I wanted to go back for breakfast and lunch and dinner the next day.

I went to B&H Photo Video to buy a Canon 40D body and some lenses and accessories and was kind of blown away by how big the store was and how nice the people were. I changed my order a couple of times and during one change I got to talking with the sales guy about my trip. He brought out his wallet and gave me a $20 bill and said, “this is for your gas tank.” I thought that was pretty awesome. I tell that story to people in New York and they all say something like, “wow, that restores my faith in humanity…” I had planned to buy everything from Amazon but Amazon and my bank decided they did not want to play nicely together. They did have someone call me though, finally.

I tried to get rush tickets (1/3rd price) to Fuerza Bruta for Jenny and I but we just missed the cutoff. I elected to buy a full price ticket anyways because I remember De La Guarda being such a good show. After that Jenny took me to Cafe Orlin and we ate good food and I took a couple of pictures of her with the new camera, which I will upload later.

Fuerza Bruta (“brute force”) was better than I could have imagined. They mixed a kind of technical mastery with a kind of emotional mastery and threw in good music and shooting water. I ended up soaked, which also happened after De La Guarda. Jenny’s boyfriend Billy took me out to see Ambulance LTD after that in Park Slope at a place called Union Hall. It was an interesting venue with two bocce ball setups and library shelves and portraits on the walls. Fancy. The Ambulance LTD set was short but good and apparently they are going to make another record soon.

Nights 3 and 4 I stayed with Jeanne, a friend from high school. I had planned to just visit briefly but it snowed and I figured it would be best to wait for it to melt instead of forging on. Jeanne and I saw Jumper, which I remember briefly from my days at Zoic Studios. It was cheese, but visually appealing cheese in the form of Rachel Bilson.

Jeanne’s cat Penelope is alternately angry and waiting to be fed or a perfect angel of a cat. She sat on my legs for hours while I caught up on the state of the world on Jeanne’s couch. I remember when she was just a kitten. I’m still waiting to be able to say that to one of my friends’ kids—“the last time I saw you you were this big!”

While Jeanne was at work one day I went into the city to brave the ice and slush and see Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind. I am a Gondry fan and a Jack Black fan and a Mos Def fan so even if it had sucked I would probably still have liked it—but it was great on its own. My favorite work of Gondry’s is still the video for Lucas With the Lid Off, though.

While waiting for the movie I sat in a McDonald’s and wrote on the laptop and caught up on more news. I tried to repent for that sin of gluttony by eating humus and deep-fried pickles with Jeanne and her boyfriend Fabi after seeing a play called Does Anyone Know Sarah Paisner? The play was interesting and relied heavily on posts from the missed connections section of Craigslist. The humus and pickles (separate restaurants) were good too. Mom, can you believe I ate pureed chickpeas?

Now I’m in Front Royal, VA (chartered 1788!) in a super cheap motel. I can see my bike from the window looking naked without all the luggage. I do feel a little bit ridiculous with all the crap I’m carrying on it, six pieces of luggage feels a little excessive. Can’t bear to think about leaving the guitar though, that’s blasphemy. In bed now and I’m about halfway through The Man From Earth, a movie about a man who has lived for 140 centuries and what happens at his going away party. Good so far, ending will be crucial. Will report back.

On Wednesday the 13th I said goodbye to my mom and Bill and started the ride up to South Carolina. It rained in Jacksonville and for a little while after it but eventually the temperature became tolerable. I got up a little ways past Columbia, SC and stopped at a hotel for the night. I drove around to all 5 hotels because they were all so expensive, I eventually decided on a Quality Inn. In the morning as I was packing up a man and a woman pulled up next to my bike. The man said “Sir? Good luck and safe travels!” He said it very emphatically, I don’t know what prompted him to say it but I appreciated it.

The scenery on the way up through Georgia and the first half of South Carolina was beautiful. It’s weird how you expect the scenery to change when you cross a state border, as if we divvied the land up based on how it looked.

On Wednesday I dropped by the Outdoor Supply Company and replaced all my camping gear with the help of the General Manager, Rick Coyle. It’s a great store in a small space and it’s packed with much higher-quality gear than you’d find at REI or Cabela’s.

Driving through North Carolina was pretty cold, I stuck to the main freeways and noticed snow on the ground wherever there were shadows. When I filled up my tank I had to back up the bike to avoid going through a river of slush.

Virginia had its own particular look and the trees were green and beautiful. I feel like no one speeds in Virginia—at least not on I-95.

I passed the Phillip Morris building and the smell of tobacco that goes with it. I wonder if they pump it into the air.

I got to DC after dark and I was freezing. I went past the Pentagon and through Lincoln Circle and found our hotel, the State Plaza. I waited for 15 minutes or so and Vibeke arrived via cab from the airport. We got all our luggage into the room (no small feat for me) and I parked my bike in their garage.

Vibeke and I had a great time in DC. We rode all around the Metro system (much cheaper than cabs and cleaner than New York’s subway). We suffered through horrible service at Friday’s, saw In Bruges (hilarious), and had a night of fun with some local DC residents including an environmental lawyer and a Vietnam vet that ended with karaoke.

We ate at Lindy’s Lion and met Jim, who was tending bar when we got there. I told everyone about my trip. People’s reactions always surprise me in their variety—they immediately relate it to themselves.

“I could never do that, I’m not brave enough.”

“I wish I could quit my boring job right now, can I come with you?”

“I just finished a trip like that, you’re going to have blast!”

We always view things through the lens of our own experience. Like Anaïs Nin said, “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.”

We met a hot dog vendor named Manouch who I wanted to interview about how he had come to be where he was in life. It always interests me how people come to rest; Jim told me he had been working as a vendor for the last 20 years. Longer than the new batch of freshmen students at GWU were old.

We went to the Lincoln Memorial and I have to say that at night is the time to see it, all lit up. Much more awe-inspiring than the same sight in the day, with everyone milling about on the stops. I also recommend Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and his Gettysburg Address if you haven’t read them in a long time (or ever). Kudos to the History Channel’s The Presidents for that one, which we almost stayed inside all night to watch.

We went to the Washington Memorial, which stood partially completed for 18 years due to lack of funds. It was originally started by a non-government group who funded the work by way of subscriptions. You can see the change in coloration on the marble where they resumed work on it.

We saw many portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, as well as a show called RECOGNIZE! which featured hip-hop portraits in painted and photographic form. I really liked Kehinde Wiley’s paintings, which are vivid depictions of hip-hop icons inside famous paintings from throughout history.

At the Treasures of American History exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum we saw artifacts like Dorothy’s slippers, Lincoln’s shotgun, the first American wine to win first prize over a French wine, and R2-D2 and C-3PO. I also sought out the Spirit of St. Louis because of a poster my grandpa Bud had in his room while I was growing up about Lindbergh’s history-making flight across the Atlantic.

At the International Spy Museum we saw all sorts of gadgetry used by spies both foreign and domestic. The museum is gigantic and takes a while to walk through. Definitely worth the price of admission if you’re into spies or espionage.

We ate garlic fries at Gordon Biersch that reminded me of the ones they sell at the Giants stadium in San Francisco—so delicious. I realize now that I ate garlic fries there with Vibeke when we both went to SF last year.

There was a newer-looking bar/restaurant down the street from the Lion that we checked out, I had a burger and it was great. I played some Elvis, Young Dubliners, and Thin Lizzy on the jukebox and the bartender, Pete, told me I could come back any time. We got to talking about my trip and he told me he had done a very similar one, and is still planning on doing more legs. I think that’s a smart way to do it, saving money for each leg instead of all at once. It might help with the restlessness that comes after you finish…

Sandy has talked to me about how vacationing with someone can be a really good process for getting to know them, and I think that is true with Vibeke and I. We got to see a lot of interesting and important things together and learn more about each other as well, and it was a fantastic week. Here’s to great friends!

Having a blast in Washington, DC and will be heading to Manhattan tomorrow morning. Took lots of pictures and will be writing up a lot about my time here, but this is just to let everyone know that I’m alive and well and am having a great time!

Saturday I rode through the beach roads towards Destin, FL. After riding through the town (read: getting lost) I’d say it’s pretty charming. Lots of fancy hotels, beach houses, and retirement homes on the beach. Though those familiar with me know how I feel about beach front property.

Saturday night I stayed at a rented beach house in Santa Rosa Beach, FL called the Happy Lobster. Katrina’s roommate Jillian invited me to come out if I was in the area which was great because I was not able to meet up with a friend near there. Present at the house were Jillian and 10 French exchange students. I got to learn a little more French and talk about French movies, which I love. I also had a bacon cheeseburger at Cheeseburger Paradise. Note: Fish tacos are apparently not their specialty.

After a night on the couch trying to sleep through a party sans culottes I had a brief respite at the beach the next morning before heading towards Jacksonville.

Sunday night I stayed at a Days Inn near Madison, FL. I started writing with a program called Dark Room, which helps to cut down on distractions and looks pleasingly lo-fi to boot.

Monday night I stayed at the Pirate Haus, a hostelodge with dorms and private rooms. I’ve been wanting to meet more people on this trip so the dorms were the perfect place to stay—they are also cheaper than a night with a tent at a KOA campground. A+, would stay again. I met two young bicyclists there who had traveled all the way from San Diego and were now done with their journey. We talked about thefts and life on the road and I got some good ideas for road food from them. I also met a girl traveling via public transportation to Miami to see her hundred-year-old aunt. I wish them all the best of luck.

Today I drove through Daytona Beach to get my oil changed at BMW Motorcycles of Daytona Beach. They were great, did not charge me too much, and were pretty quick. Their master tech also pointed out a kink in my chain, probably a consequence of not oiling it properly for the first 5,000 miles. Live and learn. On that note, Katrina’s roommate Marisa gave me a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which I am not 60 pages into.

On the way out of Daytona Beach I drove past the International Speedway which is gearing up for the Daytona 500. It is immense. An officer on a bike passed me without signaling, then passed moving traffic in the left turn lane again without signaling. Apparently he had somewhere to be.

Now I’m at my mom’s boyfriend’s parents’ apartment in John’s Island, located in Vero Beach, FL. There’s a tornado warning and I see lightning outside a couple of times a minute over the ocean. Leaving rain or shine for South Carolina tomorrow, then a slight detour to an outdoor store there for a new Hilleberg tent (and footprint, which I did not buy the first time) and on to Washington, D.C. on Thursday to stay until the 18th.

While my stuff was being stolen the other night I was at Sluggo’s, a vegetarian restaurant and music venue. Katrina and some of her friends brought me along to experience the magic that is Pony Pants.

Pony Pants is a drum machine, a female vocalist, a bassist, and two guitarists who are also brothers. I feel like they carry on the tradition of dueling guitars brought to us by Thin Lizzy but with more bare metal. Emily J.K., the vocalist, is fantastic in the amount of energy she has on stage and I can tell that all of the band members enjoy having as much fun as possible with their music. I talked to Jason, the bassist, and he invited me to stay with him and his fiancee in Philadelphia, which I may take him up on.

Highly recommended, and you can hear stream them on Apollo Audio.

I had my duffel bag stolen last night from the campus parking at the University of West Florida; the contents included my Hilleberg tent and my sleeping bag, air mattress and Turtle-Pac gas container.

I reported it to the police, my insurance (who were very nice despite not covering it, which I had assumed) and called up all the local pawn shops. I also checked the Pensacola craigslist but no one has listed it anywhere yet. Most of the pawn shops I called don’t accept items like the ones stolen so I think my gear will end up getting dumped into a ditch or dumpster.

On the bright side, I’ve now fallen once and had one theft, so I should be clear for the next 100,000 miles!

If you know people who go to school or live around these parts you can send them bulletin I made about the theft.

I’m in a tent at a KOA in Louisiana in a town just after Baton Rouge. This town is completely full of people here for the grand opening of a Bass Pro fishing store. The main drag is full of police to direct the massive amount of people coming to check it out. Apparently fishing is big business here.

I spent the last 3 days at Will Keckley’s house in Houston. We ate ice cream and watched movies and I helped his new roommate Ben move in. It was like a nerd slumber party. Will’s freezer only has frozen fruits, which are converted into smoothies once daily. We traded motorcycle seats, my stock for his custom by Mr. Ed’s. It is much more comfortable than mine, and he is right; I am crazy for not switching seats as the first modification to the bike. It is a necessity.

Coming into Lafayette was beautiful, magic hour started just after I got off the stretch of I-10 that’s elevated above the bayou. There were trees off to both sides of the freeway, the sun was directly behind me, and the sky was purple through the trees. It was beautiful.

I think a better rhythm for this trip is going to be a very long drive followed by a couple of days of rest. I feel like I’ve been doing short drives and not really seeing anything but the road and the inside of a tent. When I get to crash with friends I tend to resume nerd mode instead of seeing the sights, which does not help either.