Category Archives: Americanism

Return to the Madding Crowd

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Joey here.

I look wistfully at the George Washington Bridge that brought us home from the outback.

One day I’ll get over it … in a manner of speaking.
Red pins: our bike route from Golden Valley to South Bend. Blue pins: the 2011 Ride route from NYC to South Bend that we just drove in reverse.

This morning we met Sal to discuss trike parts.

Sal is happy to be an American in America, where we accept thought and behavior that get you in trouble in his native Tajikistan. He had general questions about the Ride, the U.S. border, asylum processes, and politics. Jeffrey had answers.

Our visit concluded, we wanted to circumnavigate Manhattan.

We didn’t do it.

We’d forgotten that it’s Five Boro Bike Tour weekend.

Tomorrow, 32,000 cyclists will pedal a 40 mile route through all five boroughs. (It’s too late for us. Registration is closed.)

Today, tens of thousands of visitors are clogging bike lanes …

… on foot …
… and on wheels.

They’re wandering the streets and sidewalks, too.

We’ll have better luck on Monday. Rain is in the forecast. That’ll keep the amateurs out of our way!

We relished the relative quiet in the city today. No caravans of diesel trucks roared alongside us.

But we miss the wide open land.

Minnesota flashback

Thanks to those who made thematic suggestions, publicly and privately, for what now are our remaining 375 miles. Keep them coming! We will consider them all.

We’ll be back on the road the day after tomorrow.