More Treasure That I Found This Past Summer

Some of you might remember this photograph. I took it during the bike tour, back in Missouri, right after I found this 1/2'' socket extension bar lying beside the road.

This past summer I was constantly accumulating stuff--tools, books, music, Christmas presents, postcards, brochures, maps, data, menus, t-shirts--and every so often I'd mail this stuff home. When I got home I had all these packages to open, which was kind of fun.

The following photographs will show you most of the other tools that I found this summer.

Travels With Marley

I go to the dog park quite often. Marley here needs his exercise. Most of the time I use my bicycle to get us there, that way I can get some exercise too.

I feel good from the exercise I get pulling Marley, our 45-pound Siberian Husky. But I also feel good knowing that my efforts help keep the air a little cleaner.

Here we are getting ready for the 5 mile commute.







The first time I tried to put him in the trailer he objected. But I gave him a treat and calmed him down, and we made it to the dog park. Now he is happy to get in the trailer because he knows that he's going to the dog park.



Here you can see the two leash set up that I use to keep him in the cart. He can move side to side, but he can't move his legs or body out of the trailer.







Marley just sits there and smells the air. I think he enjoys it.

Riding with Marley I get tons of attention. People in cars slow down and talk to me. The ladies out walking exclaim, "Ahhh, how cute." Kids really get a kick out of it. "Mom, mom, look at that dog!" they exclaim. When I'm stopped at a stoplight I like to watch the faces of the people driving by. People love seeing us, they really do. And Marley is a cool as can be. Just sitting there, staring at the world. He loves to be outside.


This time of the year I have to suit up for the dog park ride. I usually wear two or three pairs of pants, a couple layers under my neon windbreaker, and a hat under my helmet. When I get to the dog park I put on my down jacket. But Marley leaves the house wearing nothing but his collar. He's a pretty cool dog.

Our Path Across The Country

People need maps. Large spaces--great distances--can be conveyed simply and accurately. People have been asking me about my route from this past summer. I hope this helps.

This map, which comes from the Adventure Cycling Association, shows the route that my sister Janice and I followed while riding our bicycles across the United States.

Back in May, Janice and I started cycling at the western terminus of this route, which is in Astoria, Oregon. 101 days--and 4,000-and-some miles--later I reached Yorktown, Virginia, the eastern terminus of this route. Officially, this route is known as the Transamerica Trail. But the name is slightly misleading because there is basically no trail riding on the route. Most of the time, the Transamerica Trail seemed to follow the back roads, the old two-laners. There were small towns, big skies, endless forests, mountains, and prairies. Places where there were so few cars that for a time we forgot about them. Places where the air was still clean and good.

It is hard to sum up a journey like the one my sister and I had this past summer. Too many things happened. The memories weigh too much. A book might get the job done, but that will be for later. For now you can rest your eyes on this small corner of the Internet and know that there is still more to come.