Hello folks,
I write you tonight while
sitting by the ocean. It rages behind my back, crackling now and again to
remind me of its power. Luckily, I have a giant concrete wall behind me, as
well as one to my immediate right. I’m on the lower level of the oceanfront Baptist
Church in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
I rode 68 miles today (5 were
on a ferry). I started in Grand Bay, and
rode to Dauphine Island, got on the ferry, and traveled to Fort Morgan. From
there, I rode the coast until I hit Gulf Shores. My goal was to camp at Gulf State
Park. With the sun setting and thunderstorms headed my way, I searched for
shelter. The wind along the coastline can be brutal, especially when you’re in
a tent. After finding there was no type of shelter at the park, I decided to
take my chances and pedal on. The fact that the park charges $26.00 a night for
a primitive site for me to lay on the ground has nothing to do with this, but I
just want to take a moment to say “Come on guys, seriously?”
The wind was intensifying at
this point, and the skies were growing darker, foggier. I deployed my night
gear. I was ready to ride another 8 miles to find a possible spot to camp.
It’s
kind of funny how covert you become when you start touring. When the sun starts
going down, your eyes begin to scan for possible low-key spots. Your brain
begins to utilize all your experience on the road to come up with a statistic
for getting hassled in the middle of the night. And I don’t mean by just the
cops, I’m talking ANYTHING. Maybe it’s the “park for egress” attitude that
comes from my jobs? I don’t know. Here
are some things that roll through my head when I’m looking for a spot:
Dogs- is there poop around?
Will someone be walking his or her dog here in the morning? Is that dog down
the street barking at me, or a deer, and if so, will it bark all damn night?
Lighting- security lights
coming on after dark? Shadows are good. Is there a bright light that’s going to
keep me up all night? What angle are the cars turning? Are their headlights
going to shine on my tent, revealing my location?
Ants- well that’s a no
brainer right?
Bike storage--Is there
somewhere to prop up my bike? It’s easier to get in and out of the bags when
it’s upright. Covered storage trumps all.
Shelter—if the rain REALLY
comes down tonight, is this thing going to hold up? Trust me- I learned this
the hard way.
Access to amenities- Can I
get water near by? Is there an outlet to charge my stuff? These are only
on-site maybe 50% of the time, but it’s really nice to have charged-up stuff.
Trains—SO MANY DAMN TRAINS.
Safety—Am I going to get
knifed in the belly during the middle of the night here? If you keep your eyes
open, you’ll find out what the level of threat is as you ride through.
Remember, just because you don’t see a crack head at 6pm, doesn’t mean they
aren’t going to be out at 3am. Finding a location that is secluded is only
valuable if your confident nobody is going to have a reason to wander into your
spot. If you have no choice but to rest your head in a questionable area, sleep
with one eye open, and keep your knife at your side.
Ok, so these are things that
pass through my head as I scan, but really the best thing to do is to find a
warm showers host and call it good.
You’ll meet some amazing people, share some great stories, and make tons
of new friends.
Rather than just preaching to
folks about my “stealth camping system,”
I should talk about something far more important. The past two weeks have been
crazy. I don’t even know where to begin. I think it’s been much longer than
that since I’ve written an entry. I know I’ve really been slacking on the media
aspect of my trip, but somewhere along the way, I realized that it was
stressing me out.
I’m so glad to be involved
with the charity aspect of the trip. I’m also super stoked that people have
been enjoying my posts, blogs, and youtube videos. Putting in 40-80 miles a
day, planning my routes, and experiencing the sights leaves me little time to edit video. It takes
me approximately 8 hours to upload and edit an episode for the blog. If I want
to make that happen, I must commit my one rest day to doing it. This pressure
has left me a little tired. This is why I’ve decided to postpone any new episode
production until I get home.
I have about ten days left
out here on the road. I believe it’s important to experience these next days
with clearest conscience possible. One of my favorite quotes comes from Henry
David Thoreau:
“I went to the woods because
I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and
see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living
is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite
necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live
so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a
broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its
lowest terms.”
This quote represents my
beliefs in so many ways. I enjoy taking the hard road, if it means a better
understanding myself and others. Sometimes I get tired of being dirty. That
aroma of sweat and two days worth of sunscreen gets to be atrocious! But when I
really boil it down, I always come back to the same train of thought- Nothing
is forever or for certain.
Living on the road like a
gypsy, vagabond, traveller, or whatever you want to call it, keeps me
real. It humbles me. It reminds me that I have it made in my world. It helps me better
understand our human condition. I’m not talking about race either. I’m talking
about the core values that every good person on this earth equally understands,
no matter where they’re from.
When you throw in the
physical aspect of the trip, it gets even more complicated. In Thoreau’s quote,
he speaks of driving life into a corner and reducing it to its lowest terms.
I’ve learned about my body's needs more than a 13 year-old kid hitting
puberty. It’s absolutely insane what you can do if you just don’t give up. YOU
WILL GET STRONGER. YOU WILL GET FASTER. Just give it time. Focusing on what
your body is asking from you is important. You can’t just bust out a century on
your first day.
Maybe your knee has a weird
feeling like mine did this morning. A yellow flag went up immediately, but I
didn’t stop. Yes, I was trying to make some miles, but what’s it worth if you
knee blows out? I down shifted and pedaled easy for 30 minutes. When I felt the
pain was gone, I slowly increased my speed, monitoring any subtle
inconsistencies or pops. Sure, I go beast-mode sometimes, but I do it with some
calculation.
The biggest challenge is the
mental game. I daydream for hours sometimes. I get focused on a subject or
idea, and think about it until some external stimuli snaps me back to reality.
I did this once for about four hours. When I looked down, I had ridden almost
50 miles!
Negativity will become your
worst enemy, and most formidable form of resistance if you let it. This is where the mental
agility really comes into play. There are a handful of things I do to keep the
negative thoughts from creeping in.
Hammer down—Grit your teeth,
shake your head a few times, and literally tell yourself, “Give me your best!”
and get into super-bikeninja-focus.
Put on some tunes—Change it
up. Try and find something that suits both your mood and your scenery. For
example: Yesterday, I was riding along the beach on the coastal pathway. I put
on “ Reggae Infusion.” Today I was riding through more of a Bayou of Alabama,
so I put on some Lynard Skynard. If you want to crank miles, put on some EDM.
Take a quick break—Sometimes
you just need to get some calories in your body and re-focus.
Stop and do something—Get off
the bike and reset you brain. Do something stimulating like walking through an
estuary, hitting up a museum, or getting a beer ( be careful with this one!)
All in all, I think the only
true motivator that can get you from point A to point B, no matter if it’s
ocean to ocean, or just to the supermarket down the street, is your desire to
make it happen. Making a choice, and sticking with it is important in all
aspects of life. Don’t make excuses. Figure out what you want to do, make a
plan, and execute. You don’t have to get elaborate, but make contingency plans
too, because things are going to get in your way. That IS one thing that is for certain. I guess it’s like that old
saying, “ Expect the worst, hope for the best.”
Damn it feels good to get
philosophical and wordy tonight. I hope ya’ll aren’t laying with your head on
the keyboard in a puddle of drool right now. This isn’t because I care if you
like what I’ve written, but because nobody likes to wake up with a screen that
just says:
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dfnririomrnrimoeii.
I have to get some sleep!
Till next time,
Carter
