If anyone knows anything about Pittsburgh, they may find it of interest that I ended up going through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel by accident. It was a two-lane traffic tunnel nightmare without a shoulder and so much louder than I would have liked.
Also, Kate and I may or may not have fallen from our bicycles at 30 miles per hour yesterday. Blood.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Now introducing…
Some of you may already know this, but to others it will be news. I will have a companion on my travels soon. I have waited to mention him until now so as to be able to introduce him properly. That’s how professional wrestlers would do it. So without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the highly esteemed and much thought over Mr. James Pearson.
(The following is an interview I had with his sister, Kate, who let me stay at her house until he arrived in Pittsburgh. At the time of this interview, James is doubtless somewhere to the north flying toward us on his two wheels with his ears a burnin’.)
Oh! he's here already...
*I will post the recording of the conversation I had with Kate and James as soon as I figure out how to do that. I apologize for the delay.
(The following is an interview I had with his sister, Kate, who let me stay at her house until he arrived in Pittsburgh. At the time of this interview, James is doubtless somewhere to the north flying toward us on his two wheels with his ears a burnin’.)
Oh! he's here already...
*I will post the recording of the conversation I had with Kate and James as soon as I figure out how to do that. I apologize for the delay.
"A blow job counts"
I rode 85 miles on the second day and 95 on the third. I’ve been staying in Pittsburgh since I arrived on Thursday night, but I will get to that in the following post; for now I’d like only to share some of the comments people have been making to me about the coming election.
First I spoke with Mary in Chambersburg, PA, about how she hasn’t voted since Kennedy or Reagan and how she doesn’t plan to vote in this election either. “I liked Kennedy and Reagan,” she tells me, “but it’s better I don’t vote so no one can blame me later when they don’t do a good job.”
I asked her if she would vote in this election had there been a candidate that she liked and she told me that she would, but that they’re all overly full of themselves. “And that Hillary doesn’t belong in office…I think about that sex scandal and with her husband and I know what is and isn’t sex, and a blow job counts…she’s tied to all that mess and I don’t think she’s ready to handle responsibility.”
Then there was Bob. He tells me it’s a decision between evils, between bad and worse, but that in the end he’s got to go with the McCain/Palin ticket on the outside chance that McCain will die and Palin will become president. Bob feels strongly that the Republican ticket has gotten reversed and that the republicans ought to have Palin out front for president and McCain in the VP slot. Pressed to put into words what exactly it was that he found so appealing about Ms. Palin, he told me that it was important to him that her husband is a blue-collar worker and that she herself, like Bob, goes hunting and fishing. Bob lives just outside of Schellsburg where he owns a small motel park and works as a wedding and portrait photographer.
Harry from Stoystown will be voting for McCain. Harry, who was himself in the Navy, feels he best relates to McCain, noting especially his promptness in making decisions as a decided virtue:
“He doesn’t hesitate. You know, it takes a great deal of judgment to be able to successfully land one of those fighter planes on the aircraft carrier and catch the wire and all; or else you go for a swim.”
Harry has told me he will not be voting for “the black one,” but that it has nothing to do with his being black. “No, no, it’s because he doesn’t know how many states there are…he said he was only campaigning in 35 of the 38.”
Harry approached me later as I was filling my water to tell me about an experience he’d had at the truck driving school where he used to teach:
“In all seriousness, I used to teach in a truck driving school, and this one time I had to drive out to Harrisburg to get some paperwork done…and I got there and had to wait hours and hours…hours and hours…and there were all these fat black people in suits walking round…and that’s about what we can expect if he wins.”
Dennis Bodinsky, who has at one time or other been a member of both of the two major parties and voted for both in different elections, says that he is leaning toward Obama in this election, but also that, “honestly, I am just so tired of all the fanfare (it’s been going on a year and half now) this time around I may not even vote…I’m just getting sick of it.” Dennis also expressed his admiration for Obama’s speaking ability, stating that of the candidates he seemed the best educated and most articulate. Dennis is a self-employed food distributor in Stoystown and the surrounding areas. His business has been suffering in tandem with the economic downturn.
Finally, I should mention Dick Mosky. Mr. Mosky had the following to offer:
“This country’s in deep shit. Bush fucked everything up…but you know what, don’t blame them, blame the people…democrats vote for democrats…republicans vote for republicans…the thing about it is they’re stupid and just trying to save their jobs…”
Mr. Mosky (who also claimed the only successful political structure we could hope for in this country would involve killing 10 politicians a day) was a hard man to follow, but I can’t help thinking there’s a striking insight glinting somewhere among all his wiliness.
Well, there were many, many more conversations than the few that I have here transcribed, but I am afraid that this is all I have time for at the moment. I must figure out how to start posting the digital interviews and pictures so that I don’t have to write it all out this way.
So much for now.
First I spoke with Mary in Chambersburg, PA, about how she hasn’t voted since Kennedy or Reagan and how she doesn’t plan to vote in this election either. “I liked Kennedy and Reagan,” she tells me, “but it’s better I don’t vote so no one can blame me later when they don’t do a good job.”
I asked her if she would vote in this election had there been a candidate that she liked and she told me that she would, but that they’re all overly full of themselves. “And that Hillary doesn’t belong in office…I think about that sex scandal and with her husband and I know what is and isn’t sex, and a blow job counts…she’s tied to all that mess and I don’t think she’s ready to handle responsibility.”
Then there was Bob. He tells me it’s a decision between evils, between bad and worse, but that in the end he’s got to go with the McCain/Palin ticket on the outside chance that McCain will die and Palin will become president. Bob feels strongly that the Republican ticket has gotten reversed and that the republicans ought to have Palin out front for president and McCain in the VP slot. Pressed to put into words what exactly it was that he found so appealing about Ms. Palin, he told me that it was important to him that her husband is a blue-collar worker and that she herself, like Bob, goes hunting and fishing. Bob lives just outside of Schellsburg where he owns a small motel park and works as a wedding and portrait photographer.
Harry from Stoystown will be voting for McCain. Harry, who was himself in the Navy, feels he best relates to McCain, noting especially his promptness in making decisions as a decided virtue:
“He doesn’t hesitate. You know, it takes a great deal of judgment to be able to successfully land one of those fighter planes on the aircraft carrier and catch the wire and all; or else you go for a swim.”
Harry has told me he will not be voting for “the black one,” but that it has nothing to do with his being black. “No, no, it’s because he doesn’t know how many states there are…he said he was only campaigning in 35 of the 38.”
Harry approached me later as I was filling my water to tell me about an experience he’d had at the truck driving school where he used to teach:
“In all seriousness, I used to teach in a truck driving school, and this one time I had to drive out to Harrisburg to get some paperwork done…and I got there and had to wait hours and hours…hours and hours…and there were all these fat black people in suits walking round…and that’s about what we can expect if he wins.”
Dennis Bodinsky, who has at one time or other been a member of both of the two major parties and voted for both in different elections, says that he is leaning toward Obama in this election, but also that, “honestly, I am just so tired of all the fanfare (it’s been going on a year and half now) this time around I may not even vote…I’m just getting sick of it.” Dennis also expressed his admiration for Obama’s speaking ability, stating that of the candidates he seemed the best educated and most articulate. Dennis is a self-employed food distributor in Stoystown and the surrounding areas. His business has been suffering in tandem with the economic downturn.
Finally, I should mention Dick Mosky. Mr. Mosky had the following to offer:
“This country’s in deep shit. Bush fucked everything up…but you know what, don’t blame them, blame the people…democrats vote for democrats…republicans vote for republicans…the thing about it is they’re stupid and just trying to save their jobs…”
Mr. Mosky (who also claimed the only successful political structure we could hope for in this country would involve killing 10 politicians a day) was a hard man to follow, but I can’t help thinking there’s a striking insight glinting somewhere among all his wiliness.
Well, there were many, many more conversations than the few that I have here transcribed, but I am afraid that this is all I have time for at the moment. I must figure out how to start posting the digital interviews and pictures so that I don’t have to write it all out this way.
So much for now.
First things first
So I carry things with me and I thought some might find an inventory of interest.
Let’s see…
One Trek 520 Touring Model Bicycle
One Axiom brand bicycle rack
Two water bottle cages mounted on frame
One Trek brand Bike computer
Two Axiom brand panniers (bike bags that mount to each side of the rack)
Credit cards, driver’s license, and voter registration card (unaffiliated)
One pen
One cellular phone and charger
One 80 gig iPod with charger
One Belkin brand digital iPod microphone
One copy of Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple
One laptop retractable cable combination lock
One Petzl brand LED headlamp
My retainers (sigh)
Native brand sunglasses with four sets of lenses (clear, yellow, orange, and dark)
One Nikon brand D70 SLR (it’s a camera)
One chest harness to sling about my big camera and have it easily at hand while riding
One bottle of sun block
A knife
A pencil
A pencil sharpener
Some duct tape (or if you’re high spirited, “duck tape”) rolled onto a small plastic card
Some electrical tape wrapped around my seat post
A lighter
One flashing red Cat Eye brand light to deter the cars that chase me through the night
Chap Stick
A spoon
One S-Biner clip
One small bendy tripod deal
One small notebook
One large notebook
One super light 2 liter Camel Back brand water backpack
One Avenir brand handlebar bag
Two long sleeve shirts
Three white under shirts
One pair of camp pants
Three pairs of bicycle socks
Two pairs of Pearl Zumi brand bicycle shorts
Two bicycle shirts
One Bell brand bicycle helmet
One pair of Sidi brand bicycle shoes (mountain bike style so I can walk around without looking like an elf)
One MSR brand single person tent (Zoid – smells like a barn)
One pair of fingerless wool gloves
45 days worth of multivitamins and Glucosamine Condroitin with MSM for joint care
A small sewing kit
An ace bandage
Assorted band-aids
Three spare inner tubes
One patch kit
Two tire wrenches
One tire gage
One “bunch” of Emergen-C electrolyte packets
One small frame mount Topeak brand bike pump
Toothpaste/toothbrush/tongue scraper
Revlon brand nail clippers (eh)
A small bottle of Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap
One shaving implement
One Nikon brand wide-angle lens with case
One polarized lens filter
One collapsible fill light reflector
One wool cap
One fleece neck warmer
One Topeak brand Alien II bike multi-tool
One inflatable Thermarest brand inflatable ground pad
Two camera batteries and charger
One crescent wrench
Two spare links
Maps enough to get to San Fran
One pair of Teva brand sandals
One copy of The Father Brown Omnibus of G.K. Chesterton
One stack of English vocab cards
One pair of wool socks
One pair of bike gloves
One pair of bicycle booties (they zip over bicycle shoes to keep your feet warm)
One pair of spandex leggings
One thin fleece pull-over
One REI brand raincoat
One flag (made by my darling mother) hung on a fishing rod and displaying the question “Who should I vote for and why?”
My grandfather’s watch
Um…and food
…and 5 liters of water (but I will probably carry as much as 8 across Death Valley)
Let’s see…
One Trek 520 Touring Model Bicycle
One Axiom brand bicycle rack
Two water bottle cages mounted on frame
One Trek brand Bike computer
Two Axiom brand panniers (bike bags that mount to each side of the rack)
Credit cards, driver’s license, and voter registration card (unaffiliated)
One pen
One cellular phone and charger
One 80 gig iPod with charger
One Belkin brand digital iPod microphone
One copy of Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple
One laptop retractable cable combination lock
One Petzl brand LED headlamp
My retainers (sigh)
Native brand sunglasses with four sets of lenses (clear, yellow, orange, and dark)
One Nikon brand D70 SLR (it’s a camera)
One chest harness to sling about my big camera and have it easily at hand while riding
One bottle of sun block
A knife
A pencil
A pencil sharpener
Some duct tape (or if you’re high spirited, “duck tape”) rolled onto a small plastic card
Some electrical tape wrapped around my seat post
A lighter
One flashing red Cat Eye brand light to deter the cars that chase me through the night
Chap Stick
A spoon
One S-Biner clip
One small bendy tripod deal
One small notebook
One large notebook
One super light 2 liter Camel Back brand water backpack
One Avenir brand handlebar bag
Two long sleeve shirts
Three white under shirts
One pair of camp pants
Three pairs of bicycle socks
Two pairs of Pearl Zumi brand bicycle shorts
Two bicycle shirts
One Bell brand bicycle helmet
One pair of Sidi brand bicycle shoes (mountain bike style so I can walk around without looking like an elf)
One MSR brand single person tent (Zoid – smells like a barn)
One pair of fingerless wool gloves
45 days worth of multivitamins and Glucosamine Condroitin with MSM for joint care
A small sewing kit
An ace bandage
Assorted band-aids
Three spare inner tubes
One patch kit
Two tire wrenches
One tire gage
One “bunch” of Emergen-C electrolyte packets
One small frame mount Topeak brand bike pump
Toothpaste/toothbrush/tongue scraper
Revlon brand nail clippers (eh)
A small bottle of Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap
One shaving implement
One Nikon brand wide-angle lens with case
One polarized lens filter
One collapsible fill light reflector
One wool cap
One fleece neck warmer
One Topeak brand Alien II bike multi-tool
One inflatable Thermarest brand inflatable ground pad
Two camera batteries and charger
One crescent wrench
Two spare links
Maps enough to get to San Fran
One pair of Teva brand sandals
One copy of The Father Brown Omnibus of G.K. Chesterton
One stack of English vocab cards
One pair of wool socks
One pair of bike gloves
One pair of bicycle booties (they zip over bicycle shoes to keep your feet warm)
One pair of spandex leggings
One thin fleece pull-over
One REI brand raincoat
One flag (made by my darling mother) hung on a fishing rod and displaying the question “Who should I vote for and why?”
My grandfather’s watch
Um…and food
…and 5 liters of water (but I will probably carry as much as 8 across Death Valley)
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