Philadelphia, PA
We arrived in Philly amidst the rain. Our host Ariel (a friend of a friend of a friend) was more than accomadating to three wet bikers. She took us out to a local Falafel joint, and helped re-acquaint us with city life after our brief stint in Amish country. We spent much of our time in Philly perusing the local food vendors at the Reading Terminal Market, and then capped the trip off with one of our favorite activities: Contra dancing! Philadelphia showed it true colors at the "Thursday Night Contra Dance," which has been in action for more than 25 years now. We resolved to see more of the city upon our next visit, and promptly set off much the same way as we cam: in the rain.
Paradise, PA (Amish Country)
Arriving at Dan Esh's sons house was a walloping jouney through the rolling hills of Maryland and Pennsylvania to Lancaster County. Staying on an Amish farm was certainly a first time experience for the three of us, and the wonderful family we stayed with was happy to answer all our questions as we chit chatted the night away around a bonfire by the edge of their pond. There were many surprising things about the Amish, not the least of
which was finding Amish homes with solar panels and wind turbines
powering their sewing machines. A few steps ahead of many of us, at
least on the renewable technology front. One could debate the intricacies of the Amish way of life for years on end. One CANNOT debate, however, their mastery of the cinnamon bun.
Owen's Mill, MD
The ride out of Washington, DC fades from wide suburban streets plagued with traffic and development complexes into farm fresh countryside roads with pollen speckled sunsets…and then back into suburbs yet again. Our hosts, who were recent converts to the glories of cycling, were a diamond in the suburbian rough. June and Louis are both of Native American descent, and discovered their deep-rooted cultural connection later in life. Louis picked up the native flute, a deep toned, hauntingly beautiful instrument and hasn’t put it down since. He gains enjoyment and employment from his knowledge and mastery of the flute playing nation-wide at pow-wows and other celebrations.
Spending time with American Indians is an important wake up call. While some recognition of Native culture exists in popular America today (like museums that eerily make them seem like an historical ancient culture), we still glorify Christopher Columbus and ignore the current state of the American Indian. If everyone could just go stay with Louis and June for a night, maybe we’d begin to see some changes in our highschool history texts about the character of many of our forefathers. Check out this article that Louis wrote on the subject : http://www.snowwowl.com/voices/voicesnewillusion.html
Another story of people changing their lives well into their adult lives. June and Louis Eagle Warrior had both felt a hollow place in their lives that was filled when they heard the music of their ancestors. Years later, they’ve made their heritage a focal point in their lives, something that hadn’t even crossed their radar screens until their thirties. Way to go.
DC (Round 2)
Now that we had a handle on DC from our first visit, we effectively used our limited time here the second time around. Given that congressional offices were closed for the weekend, effective meant lots of time book hunting, re-uniting with old friends, and eating with our fabulous host Aunt Ellen. (Who is acutally some other far-reaching relation, we'll stick with aunt for now). Besides this, we added a new member to our crew, which had dwindled down to two for the past week. Enter Gillian: color manipulator extraordinaire, walking wikipedia, greenthumb guru, and general delighter-in-chief. We celebrated Gillian's arrival with, what else, a bike ride through DC and then a whopping dinner at Ellen's.
The next day, we jetted off to the DC Public Charter School, where we had two presentations lined up for the day. We got to chat with some awesome kids about what we are doing, and how we're all going to save the planet (one of our favorite topics of discussion). With all that behind us, we hopped on the Metro and headed out of DC for the jaunt up to Philadelphia.
Easton, MD
Somewhere north of this wetland and east of booming rainstorms, you can catch Livingston Taylor and grab a Portobello burger with some sweet potato fries in Easton, Maryland. Or you could do what we did when we arrived, and search out the largest quantity of vegetarian food you could buy with the smallest amount of money, and wind up pleasantly surprised at a Mexican joint on the far end of town. Amidst the scent of homemade tortillas and sounds of Mexican soaps wafting through the air, we caught air of one other table of young folks speaking English. We wound up staying at Rudy and Liz’s house, and gained some insight into the town of Easton, two friends, and a violin.
The next morning, we discovered something that would change our lives! (especially for the next few days). Meandering to the other edge of town, we found our way to Easton’s Amish Country Market, a mystical, jolly place that spans centuries of time. Horse drawn carriages carry delighted children through a parking lot chock-a-block full of fossil fuel fired vehicles, women in plain dress and bonnets sell homemade fudge to housewives letting their belt buckles loose for the weekend, window shoppers from the nearby mall follow their noses to the outdoor stands selling fresh fry pies, donuts and pulled pork sandwiches. Two years back, the Amish community from nearby Lancaster county, PA decided to combine familial forces and buy an old shopping center. It now houses a full market, each family running a different section (produce, dairy, meat, fish, prepared food, ice cream and fudge, flours and dried foods, pretzels, bakery items) plus crafts galore. Over breakfast, which consisted of the best yogurt in the world, fresh blueberry fry-pies, and apple cider, Alec and I discussed how many of our assumptions about the Amish had already changed, and wondered what kind of farming practices they employ today. The Gods of Cycle touring heard our prayers, and the plea of Alec’s violin, and sent us Dan the man.
Upon hearing Alec’s fiddle tunes outside the market, Dan insisted that his donation bucket be put to use to earn us some money. Dan is a solid man with a Gandalfian beard and inquisitive eyes. Curious about our trip, he invited us back to his son’s farm in Paradise, Pennsylvania to enjoy their way of life. 
The Eastern Shore
There are some magical places in this country that surprise the senses and delight the heart. Like finding 20 dollars in your winter coat from last year, or discovering a wild rose bush persisting in your back yard beneath the onslaught of invasive weeds. Such is the Eastern Shore of Virginia. A mesclun mix of old and new, this spit of land jutting twixt the chesapeake bay and the atlantic ocean attracted 17th century settlers, some of the first white men to arrive in the America. These first settlers found a Chesapeake Bay that was crystal clear 20 feet down, due to the abundance of oysters and clams that filtered the water twice a day with the tides. Fish and crabs swam and scuttled about the shallow bay waters, and the Chesapeake watermen lived off the water here for centuries. Today, the Chesapeake Bay watermen live less off the water, and more off of government subsidies. Over-fishing and consistent dumping of industrial chemicals and animal waste up-river have left the bay with just a fraction of its previous wild glory. Enter the intellectuals: with the Eastern shore now devoid of a working economy, but full of undeveloped beauty and cheap land, the e-squareds (educated elderly) who don't want to brave the Florida scene are flocking out to get a piece of Virginia's secret bounty. This is good for us, because it means delicious organic sandwiches, local food co-ops, and cold fruit smoothies after a hot day of biking, but its bad for the locals (some of whom have had land in the family for 3 centuries), because it means higher land prices and higher taxes.
As for us, we had the privilege of staying with Jean and Terry on their small Biodynamic farm where they grow turnips, greens, corn, stinging nettle, goats, chickens, and two small boys by the name of Liam of Forrest. We solved the world's problems over some smoked bluefish and dandelion wine, and then played music and sang till the small hours. The next day we took our environmental inspiration over to Terry's 12th grade English class, where we talked about how most of the Eastern Shore lies less than 4 feet above sea level (including Chincoteague Island...where the wild ponies live!). The class seemed equally (or perhaps more) interested in where we slept and what we ate, but had more questions than your five year old kid sister in her 'why' stage. Some of those raised hands showed real interest in why eating veggies saves more carbon than turning off their lights, and some kids asked the tough, pragmatic questions about climate change.
The Atlantic Ocean!
We've been overturning snippets of the northeast since the first Dunkin' Donuts we saw back in Georgia- Cape Cod Potato Chips, people rushing, the WaWa gas station chain- but nothing was as monumental as our first glimpse of the mighty Atlantic. Sighting occurred on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, when the Atlantic rose up in all her blue-grey, tumultuous glory to welcome us back to the East coast. I can't believe it, but we've biked from coast to coast.
hangin by the seashore
Chapel Hill, NC
After a rideshare to Chapel Hill, NC with a genuine Bostonian (hey yous guys!), we're back on the bike route track. A town composed of a big American University and all the frills that come with it (progressive attitudes, a central strip of knarley nightlife, etc) the Hill gains extra points for having a killer famers market, several bike stores- one of which specializes in bike extensions that turn your wheels into multipurpose vehicles reminiscent of chitty-chitty-bang-bang -, a big natural foods market that is the real hub of the town, and two South Kingstown Highschool graduates. Camping out in the wilderness on a long bike trek- nothing like it. A pit stop at your best friend's house-priceless.
Washington, DC
A few days of fasting (which do not go by with the speed implied by the title) later, and we now have a climate change bill written. The Waxman-Markey Energy Bill was passed through subcommittee thursday night, and is expected to hit the floor of congress this summer. Our week in DC was well spent meeting with our reps, talked to some folks on the street and in awesome eco-cafe called "Green-Java," and participated in a peaceful protest in the House office building on thursday.
This bill will introduce a national plan to regulate CO2 emissions, a controversial system called cap-and-trade made up of a national �cap� on total emissions, and tradable permits that allow an industry or company to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases. Other points include green job promotion, investment in renewables, and efficiency standards. Although much of this is bullocks.
Thursday afternoon, 50 people (three of them being the urgency of now brigade) stood in front congressman Rich Boucher's office and 15 people (none of whom were part of the UON brigade-don't worry mom) we're arrested trying to bring attention to why the bill's been dragged down so much during it's 40 days in committee. Boucher has been a long-time supporter of the coal industry and has received nearly $200,000 in funding from companies like the one who �bought� a five generational family orchard from the woman I stood next to at the sit-in, after letting her know that they would be mining underneath her land if she didn't sell anyways. Her land has now been sacrificed to mountain-top-removal coal mining, a typical story aacross much of Appalachia. Setting aside funds to research clean coal technology with a bill that's meant to develop renewable energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions defies logic. Clean coal does not exist. At the same time the Waxman Markey bill is introducing a tool for reducing greenhouse gases and curbing global climate disruption, it is funneling money into the dirtiest of all fossil fuel industries.
Check out some pictures and videos of the protest here at (http://fundingourfuture.campusprogress.org/2009/05/polluter-friendly-climate-bill-passes-15-people-are-arrested/).
The sit-in yesterday may not have changed the content of the bill, but this south-western Virginian congressman may get the message that mountain top removal is hurting his congressional district through job and property loss, air pollution, and community destruction.
While the Waxman-Markey bill is a step in the right direction, it is also difficult to support it because, unlike any other issue, we cannot afford any more time in delaying the necessary cuts to CO2 emissions. Hmmmm...what to do.
URGENCY UPDATE! The Urgency of Now crew has embarked on a side journey to address the Urgency of government policy on Climate Change. We have voyaged to the wide streets of Washington, DC to get to the heart of the action.
As you may know, there is currently a committee writing the 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act, which is scheduled to be released on friday. It is the first US legislation to address climate change, however, it suffers from acute corruptionitis.
We have chosen to join the "Fast for our Future" (www.fastingforourfuture.org) crew to show our commitment to good climate legislation and to protest the provisions of the current bill. The demands of our protest are thus:
A moratorium on new coal developmont (provisions in the current bill give billions to new coal development and give away free carbon permits to the coal industry).
Auction off 100% of carbon permits, with the revenue passed on to consumers (provisions in the current bill give away 85% of carbon permits).
Reduce U.S. CO2 emissions by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 (Currently the bill aims to reduce CO2 emisions by 17% below 2005 levels. This is unacceptable for the future of our planet).
We will be taking some further direct actions during our time here in DC, so stay tuned for updates. For more info check the website: www.fastingforourfuture.org
Atlanta, GA
Oh Mylanta!
Back on the road, eastbound for the city of Atlanta, shocked by the site of ever more dynamic terrain. Each arduous incline followed by an equally exciting 'wind shower' of a downhill. Our first night on the road led us to the home of Granny Mac and Billy. On in their years, they had surely seen the changes and growth of the Alabama countryside. Billy, a Korean War veteran, NASCAR security enforcement and according to Mac �the finest ditch builder in the state of Alabama� accompanied us well into the night, sharing tales of older days. A simple gent, with a keen taste for biscuits and gravy, and considerably less familiar with the lentils and pAsta (pronounced the Canadian way) that we prepared for dinner. �I dont even know what you are tallking about!!� Billy's imediate response to our, as they say in the south, supper menu.
The next day brought more hills and thus more pints of ice cream. After the evening pit stop at the Piggly Wiggly we found ourselves without Sir Alec. In wonder of his disappearance, Shannon went out in search, Jo waited patiently in place. After several momenets, Mr. Ellsworth arrived, not in his usual chariot, but in a much larger transport. Amidst his mission for the night's resting quarters, his bike chain had taken an unfortunate turn. But as luck should have it this incident occurred whilst in mid-conversation with west Georgia's only 2 cyclists - Victor and Phil (maybe not only 2, but the town was certainly not brimming with bikes). In fear of the evenings weather forecast and from the loving place in his heart, Victor invited 3 vagabond travelers back to his home nestled among the beauty of Georgia's landscape. Victor is also quite the musical fellow, having played in various bands since 1964. Victor and Phil also participate in the annual Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG), to raise money for cancer research. Several stores, a sing-a-long and large quantities of banana pudding later, we were off dreaming of magical moonshines to come.
Quick questions, is Atlanta also called the Gator? If not, then I really don't know what people kept referring to.... but I am known to be hard of hearing. Our first stop in A-town, the Decatur Greenfest organized by the Dogwood Alliance. We took up residence next to the electric powered bike, a wonderful solution to many of the less enjoyabe moments atop a bicycle. We also rekindled a quick subway encounter with Graham Greene, the director of The Torturer, a soon to be released movie depicting inquiry tactics used by American soliders. After many magical moments and melodious muses later, we returned to the shared home of John the Baker and Chris. yup, shared home. John and Chris live in a co-housing community called East Lake Commons. A wonderful abode, housing 270(ish）individuals, and boasting the largest co-housing community in the USA.
Co-housing you ask? It entails a lot of cooperative decision-making, shared responsibilities and a closer relationship between neighbours. What really impressed us was how cars were only parked around the perimeter, within the community, houses faced each other with only a small pedestrian road between them. Perfect for children playing and an across the way hello! East Lake Commons also has a farm. With only 1.5 acres that are able to provide food for 63 families. Quite astounding. Efficient and effective utilization of land and farming, that may be all it takes. John and Chris were also fellow bikers, having done rides called "Charity Treks" from Montreal to Maine for the past several years to raise money for AIDS research. After much wine, pasta, jazzy peanut butter and chili chocolate we headed 3 miles down the road to the Lake Claire Community Land Trust where we stayed with Josh and his awesome roomies.
Land trust you ask? A land trust is a piece of land or property that is co-owned by several individuals. Among the majesty of the land trust was a Sweat-hut, for a late night warm-up, a stage for performances and the weekly drum circle, SoulShine daycare, gardens galore, a lake and some other really awesome projects. Atlanta certainly seems as though it likes to share, and as the greenest city in USA, there seems to be no reason not to. While our experience may have been slightly biased, it was truly a magical experience full of great home-brewed beer, an international farmer's market, enlightening conversations and an African Children's Choir that rocked our socks off.
Wham Bam Birmingham We somehow managed to find ourselves in what our hosts described as "the Austin, Texas of Birmingham"...the outcropped bubble of liberals and progressives living on a (mad steep) mountain to the east of downtown, housing the cosmopolitan crown on the toad of the big B. I suppose that "somehow" was actually Kristin Hardy (thanks lady!), a friend, fellow biker, former Birmingham resident, and graduate of Indian Spring School, where we did four presentations with about 100 students from 8th grade environmental science and Senior AP Sustainability classes.
The aim of our presentation has increasingly become showing our audience how and in what ways folks across the country are changing with the changing times. Using our mantra �a good crisis is a terrible thing to waste!�, we talk about the opportunities that arise in a time of massive economic and political shifts to work on a problem as large as climate change. Anyone could look up the boring old info on global climate disruption (it's actually quote thrilling and apocalyptic...please check out www.westcoastclimatequity.com if you're curious) in a 10 minute google search. The photos and stories we bring from Washington state on are really the only thing we have to offer an audience that's special and coincidentally, the most inspiring thing to give. Some old cliches- think globally, act locally...every little bit helps....are simple messages that have become profound realities for us as we travel far enough and slow enough to notice how widespread the environmental movement is. Biking through yet another state in an unusual period of drought, which has one of the worst air pollution records in the US, and finding a school where kids are building solar panels and windmills to generate power for lighting in the recently built greenhouse, where they can get paid for working in the organic garden, and take advanced classes on sustainability, that right there is a lovely example of what can emerge from dark and mucky places.
We also did a presentation at a Waldorf school, where we were (once again) amazed at the knowledge of the 7th graders before us, who would soon be part of a building crew putting together a LEED's certified building for part of their campus.
Birmingham is also home to a wonderful Jewish community center where we got to play a game of conservation sherades (a morphed version of our presntation, fun for all ages!) with some 4th and 5th graders. When asked for ways to conserve water, answers ranged from :
Turn off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth to...
Water your lawn once the sun has gone down, so the water doesn't evaporate before reaching the roots to...
Eat Vegetarian! The water intensity of any animal product is many times that of any vegetable or grain, don't ya know.
Quite impressive.
(Super special thanks to Kristin's Mama and Stepdad- for not only great exposure to ideas like a University on Second life which Ken hopes to found in exchange for Alec's idea about a WikiUniversity, but also for lasagna, pumpkin pie, whole wheat cous cous, bagels, berries, beds, showers, laundry, and a beautiful spot to read)
Montgomery, AL
As a result of spending so much time on our bicycles, we are constantly searching for little tidbits of wisdom that make us think, or occupy our mind for at least a few moments of the many hours spent pedaling. Whether its the constant struggle of grass vs. pavement on our edge of the road, or the wildflowers that pepper the sides of each state's highways, we have ample fodder to find beauty and stimulation along our route. A recent addition to this array of food for our eyes and minds has been the constant presence of church signs in Alabama. Christians must be imbued with a passion for creativity, because we have seen some remarkable catch-phrases and one-liners posted on church bulletins. Some of the better ones have been:
"Is your life a mess? Give God the broom."
"Had a hard week? We're open on Sunday."
"This is a CH__CH. What missing?"
"God answers knee-mail."
and our personal favorite:
"Sometimes its nice to stop in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
Our ambassador of Judaism, Joanna, has some of her own creative slogans that she has picked up from her community. One such favorite is, "Jesus saves, Moses scores on the rebound!" or for those more financially minded folks, "Jesus saves, Moses invests!"
We have had a chance to visit some wonderful baptist churches in the past several weeks, and this past Sunday we got a special treat because Montgomery is the home of the Dexter Avenue Baptist church. This downtown church is where, at the age of 25, Martin Luther King Jr. led his congregation and helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. The sermon was full of insights, and the church was full of surprises...
Anyone who has every traveled anywhere soon figures out that Australians are everywhere. In our particular case, our trek across the US has been devoid of aussies. We know that long flights don't deter them, so we've been trying to figure how exactly we've been avoiding all the australians. At long last, the invetable happened. Here in Alabama, we found a couple (to be fair...only one was from Australia) traveling with their daugher on a �year in america� trip. Fiona, Nyani, and Teya are chronicling the first year of the Obama presidency on their website, www.yearinamerica.net, and spreading southern style love and good vibes along the way. In tow they had Nyani's sister Liliona and her husband Jon, who had come down from Montreal to visit their intrepid family members. There have been many times on this trip where we have felt like foreigners within our own country, so it was neat to find a couple foreigners to make us feel at home! We had a great chat with the group, and look forward to seeing them again. Be sure to check out their blog.
Just a stones throw away was the Montgomery Civil Rights memorial, which was elegantly designed to tell the story of the martyrs who gave their lives to the movement. Under a cascade of water were engraved the words, "Until justice rolls down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream." Seeing as how the title of our trip was inspired by a MLK quote, we are very excited to submerge ourselves in his legacy.
chillin outside Dexter Ave. Baptist Church
New Orleans
A broadway boogie woogie lightfest, nary a nights rest, a brass band takes the stage, gator shoes are all the rage. Po Boys and peanuckle, proud Mary keeps on second lining down the bayou backdrop while Armstrong park's ghosts of Natchez Indians and slaves still party together on Sundays....
Several things about New Orleans are worth mentioning.
1) The State of the Marshlands
Since the Mississippi was dammed and levies put in place, the silt that once washed all the way down the center of the country and formed the saltmarshes and fed the mangroves has been disappearing. There used to be a balance between the amount of silt washing down the river building up the land, and the amount of erosion caused by the gulf lapping up against the coast. The cajuns we stayed with in Lafayette told us that since the 1950's, (when a lot of the engineering was done) a football field a day of saltmarsh is lost to erosion, since it's not being fed the river runoff any longer. Even before Katrina, the marshes had receded a mile inland from their position in the fifties. We're not just talking Marshland here, this is people houses, and habitat for everything from alligators to turtles to egrets.
The mangroves especially are in issue of safety for coastal developments (ie, New Orleans). The mangroves that used to flourish there were the first line of defense against an intense storm flooding the city. One group working on magrove restoration is Common Ground. (****)
2) Music
Rebirth(****), New Birth, and Hot 8. Zydeco, brass, blues, jazz. Frenchman street. Anarchists on violins, and voodoo princesses on accordians. What more?
3) The Ninth Ward
Was not a poor black neighborhood. It was (and is) a neighborhood of working people. When Katrina hit, it knocked the Lower 9th the hardest, because it's at the lowest elevation. Most people lost their homes and as opposed to many neighborhoods that also felt the hurricane, 9th ward people were not in a financial position to 'lose everything today, and have it back again tomorrow.' The city had plans to turn this area into a greenspace, a park, restore some marshlands and mangroves...until they found out that most people who had been living there have owned their property and home for generations.
There are some cool projects going on to try and help get the 9th revitalized....Brad Pit's eco-homes (****), large art shows, etc. As local character Ronald Lewis(****) told us though, that's all well and good. But in the mean time, people just need houses, and a school. Like they deserve based on the tax dollars they pay. The best thing anyone could do would be to help roll paint rollers and tack walls. The best thing a really rich person could do if they want to help would be to open a warehouse, fill it with building supplies and give them away.
One final disclaimer as well: the lower 9th is not full of crack addicts and laziness. It's full of kids playing basketball, taco stands, and small streets with friendly people talking to their neighbors on the porch.
4) Katrina
It's still devastating. There are still homes with that old marine X-mark spraypainted onto doors and houses to signify that the house has been checked and whether or not there are people inside. Many wonderful people have volunteered their time and energy to help rebuild, but resources are extremely lacking and the Louisiana legislature is not helping. The city of New Orleans has lost much since Katrina, and though the French quarter may be razzle dazzled and up to snuff, there is much to be desired for the folks who live outside the Canal street, Rampart square. However, those who have stayed in spite of any hardship they're facing here are the die-hard New Orleansians.
5) Race
New Orleans is like no other place I've been to in terms of race relations. For starters, this may be a city that doesn't sleep, but it ain't no NYC. You say �hi� when you pass someone on the street. There's a clear proper way to treat a person, any person. Beyond that, never have I witnessed such mixed crowds at concerts, so many bands made up of fluid diversity, never have those subtle dividing lines that so often hold people's true character from flowing out been so dull. Maybe it's something going through Katrina did for people here? Maybe it's that New Orleans lives and breathes beautiful music, that moist uniting force?
Other Cool Projects:
Phoenix of New Orleans (who let us help them rebuild Lynette's house)
Cafe Reconcile (a program that places incarcerated youth into the restaurant biz, has them run every aspect from meal planning to cooking, and the best southern fare we had in Lousiana).