As I packed up my apartment in Baltimore, I had a semi epiphany: I was going to be giving my recital and whatnot in WI, why not--to preserve what is left of my knee, and if something does happen, pertaining to my knee--move my cycling trip to WI rather than chancing having my knee give out in upstate NY, Canada, MI, etc.? (That was a great example of a run-on sentence!) So, that being said, I redid my trip to involve a car road trip to WI, and then my cycling trip could involve the perimeter of WI. This repositioning of the trip served many purposes. Not only was I going to be showing my WI pride by cycling around the state I was born and raised in, but now I was also going to be learning more about this beautiful state by traveling it at 10-12 miles an hour, and also staying with a few CS hosts along the way. Not to mention, I would also be learning more about myself along the way, which is always the best part of the trip.
When you live in any area for more than a month, you accumulate stuff (I am using that term loosely). After living in Baltimore for two years, I had some extra "stuff". I sold two of my old bicycle frames, a mini fridge (which I had brought with me to MD, and it came in hand the 2 times my fridge broke at my old, shit hole apartment :/ ), and I am not even sure how much I gave away. I made it a point to only fit all of my belongings in the 6x7x8 Upack unit I ordered. If it did not fit, it was sold, donated or given away. Moving across the country, especially after a big event like graduating and starting that next chapter of life, makes you sit back and reevaluate life, your possessions, what you want [out of life], and so much more (or it did for me, anyway). Having to go through all of the stuff, junk and lifelong possessions alike, you tend to get a really good look at all that you are. Our possessions say a lot about us. As I waded through my "life" and put it into Rubbermaid tubs or boxes, I got a good look at who I have become; that is
not a bad thing, if that is what you are wondering. But, I did end up giving away a lot of things: lamps, shelving, clothes, bookshelves, a few small appliances, etc. I felt slightly wasteful as I put all of these things in the "free to a good home" pile... but, I felt better knowing that I was giving it away rather than throwing it in the garbage. At the same time, I looked at all of what was packed into my moving/storage unit and knew that I needed to get rid of these things that were not necessities. I still have downsizing to do, but I did a pretty good job initially!
So, after loading up my life into boxes, I started my road trip back to the Midwest from Baltimore. I squished the remainder of my possessions into my car with just enough room for my dog to lay down and my cat to roam. It was a snug fit, but we all squeezed in and left for out journey (after a $52 parking fine in Baltimore--GAH!)!
The first night we stopped in Rochester, NY. It was raining and an unfamiliar place (which I had been told was a little sketchy too), so we went to a semi-decent place, parked, and slept in the car for the night. In the morning we headed in a direction that looked civilized and ended up the downtown! Hot dog! I stopped at a coffee shop in Rochester, and then after breakfast I walked my pooch to the Eastman School of Music (I am looking at potential schools for my Doctoral degree--let us just say that I would not live in or enjoy being in Rochester...). After that, we reloaded and headed west :)
Day two, we went to Niagara Falls. Oh my gosh. This place is beautiful. Dodge and I even did a truncated version of the tour, but we got a few amazing pictures. It is so amazing to see such natural beauty, such brute force of nature, such incredible sights. It is always fun to see all of the foreigners that our national attractions (and I am sure they feel the same way as they watch all of the moronic tourists posing in front of their national monuments and such). After we stopped at the falls, we headed to the Canadian border. That was a semi-fiasco. Ugh. About an hour or so just waiting in line to cross, and then, because I am a cautious traveler (more so on my bike) and carry pepper spray, I had to take a little detour to the to the side to give my spray to a Canadian officer & have a "receipt" made up. After that it was relatively smooth sailing.
We made our way through Ontario--the first thing to do (which I felt pretty bad ass doing) was read kilometers--good thing my car had them on the speedometer! We stopped in Woodstock, ONT for lunch, and then, per the suggestion of my good friend, we went to the Black Walnut Cafe in London, ONT. OOOOOOOOH MAN. I 'spoiled' myself and got the Almost Flourless Chocolate Cake. That was one of the BEST things I have ever eaten!!!! It was so delicious and well worth the miniscule detour on my way through Canada. After that, we trucked it over to Michigan! Our destination was Ann Arbor, MI for night #2.
Ann Arbor. What a wonderful city. I parked near the public library, walked around downtown with my pooch, and then stopped at a place for dinner. This is where I had one of the most amazing dinners of my life too... I had the Panzanella. Oh man. Normally it is just a crusty bread salad with a tomato based sauce that it is coated in, BUT, this one... ooooohohohohoooo yeaaaaaah. It was more of a salad than Panzanella, but it was AMAZING. A bed of greens, roasted veggies, cucumber, and the toasted bread coated in a balsamic reduction and topped with grilled shrimp. The combination of flavors was impeccable! Absolutely tasty! After dinner we walked around for a bit more, then we tried to find a place to sleep. We drove a mile or two away from downtown, and found a suburbia-like place to park. Unfortunately, if was still pretty darn warm--especially in the car--so Dodge was panting like a banshee. Luckily I had all of my camping gear with me in the car, so I grabbed my sleeping bag, and the pooch and I set up camp in the grass between the road and the sidewalk. I tied the leash to my ankle, cozied up in my sleeping bag, and went to sleep. Shortly afterward, though, I heard grumbling and I woke up. It was my pooch, laying still as a statue, but his ears and head were up--he was growling and barking quietly, just enough to let the passerby know that he was there and was protecting his mama. It was so heart-warming to know that my pooch would protect me. :) After that, it was easy sleeping. We woke up about 5:30 am, then hit the road!
On day three, we headed out from Ann Arbor and went toward WI. But, Chicago, holy traffic HELL. Let us say that I shall not be driving around that area any time again soon. Oof dah! It was so ridiculous. Eventually, I made it to Milwaukee (after some semi misguided directions from my sister). I napped for a few hours, then drove to my hometown to drop off my car & cat. Then, a Brewers game with the family the next day! (I was slightly busy if you could not tell.)
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Now I am prepping for the ol' 19 day cycling trip. I am so excited to see this state at a slow-motion pace. I am resting my knee, getting a better brace for it, taking my vitamins, and will take care of myself as much as I can :) As for the recital, it should be on the 31st of August. Come for a good show and the chance to buy once of my Master's recital CDs!
To the road ahead--may it be long and eventful.
