50 Shades of Red

  From the moment that I decided this ride was going to happen for me (some 3 months ago), to the moment that I sit here now with 7 strangers, becoming more like family as each day passes,  I haven't asked and sat or pondered why I was really doing this ride.  All I really knew was that it must be done...I was feeling the itch to travel yet again.

  After having almost 3 weeks of riding down now, the layers of distraction are starting to dissolve.  Fast.  There is no where to go to find other peoples problems, or to amuse myself with daily chores, work, or partying.  There is nothing but plenty of time, pedaling, thinking about what I believe, how I perceive relationships I have or have neglected to have.

  Every once in a while I will come back to that question.  I guess my answer is I am here to jump into myself.  To begin a process of occupying myself.  I don't think I have had much control of myself in the past.  But what does it mean to "find yourself"?  Have people simply figured out certain equations and questioneirs to fill out and come up with an answer to all of your problems?  (Obviously not..)  How do people usually go about "finding themselves"?



God will become more significant.  What that looks like will take a lifetime to discover I am sure.  I do believe I make understanding (things in general) harder than it has to be.  At this point, I have decided, God consists of the most beautiful things my eyes have seen, the most terribly fearful things I have laid eyes on and everything that is not so black and white.

"Shall we"

I am alive :) 

and doing great!

It has been a week since I have started The Young and Wild Expedition 2013.   If you don't already know, it is a cross country bike ride from Little Talbot Island, Florida to San Diego, CA and then up North to Seattle Washington...5 months, 8 riders, $40 a day for food.

Along the way we are working with local nonprofits and spending time doing community service projects.  

So far everything we have encountered has been exactly what we needed in order to be prepared for what is headed our way in the next few weeks.  

A couple of days with rain

Damp cold nights

Wet rides on bike trails

Camp fires

Beach time

Building bikes

Cleaning bikes

Laughing

And "House keeping"

As of today, as a group, I am completely confident in the ability in every member of this team to succeed in this ride.  We will, together, be breaking physical and mental barriers we never imagined.  Personally, I have learned a lot about myself in ways I can't quite wrap my head around yet.  This will be a rather weak post unfortunately due to a lack of sleep and lack of understanding exactly how to put into words what I am feeling.  I am feeling more alive from day to day as I am pushed further and further out of my comfort zone.  Things I have always avoided feeling or thinking are slowly but surely washing up to shore.  

The sights, people, riding, and food has been so amazing so far.

I will have wonderful stories of generous hearts and breathe taking sights to share as the universe unfolds our journey to us.  

"People were putting themselves where they weren't supposed to be.

And I wanted to be there too."

-Jeff Johnson

Stay tuned :)

ROUTE ITINERARY

Young and Wild Expedition Bicycle Route Itinerary

1. Jacksonville, FL: Arrive Wednesday January 2, 2013—Mentor Orientation
1. Friday January 4—Rider Orientation
2. Jacksonville, FL to Atlantic Ocean Ride (and back): Sun. Jan 6: 30 miles
3. Jacksonville, FL to Sanderson, FL: Mon. Jan 7: 40 miles
4. Sanderson, FL to Live Oak, FL: Tues. Jan 8: 45 miles
5. Live Oak, FL to Lamont, FL: Wed Jan 9: 60 miles
6. Lamont, FL to Tallahassee, FL: Thurs Jan 10: 30 miles (205 total) 

7. YWE Option-Adventure 1: Fri Jan 11-Sun Jan 13, 2013

a. Tallahassee, FL to Blountstown, FL Monday Jan 14: 55 miles (260 total)	a. Tallahassee, FL to Port St. Joe via Weekend Adventure: Fri-Sun: 160 miles Jan 11-13
	b. Port St. Joe, FL to Blountstown, FL Monday Jan 14: 55 miles (420 total)

8. Blountstown, FL to Panama City Beach, FL: Tuesday Jan 15: 60 miles
9. Panama City Beach, FL to Destin, FL: Wed Jan 16: 50 miles
10. Destin, FL to Pensacola, FL: Thursday Jan 17: 50 miles 
11. Pensacola, FL to Gulf Shores, AL: Sunday Jan 20: 35 miles
12. Gulf Shores, AL to Mobile, AL: Monday Jan 21: 60 miles
13. Mobile, AL to Biloxi, MS: Tues Jan 22: 65 miles
14. Biloxi, MS to Slidell, LA: Wed Jan 23: 60 miles
15. Slidell, LA to New Orleans, LA: Thurs Jan 24: 40 miles:

16. New Orleans, LA to Baton Rouge, LA: Sat Jan 26: 110 miles
17. Baton Rouge, LA to Lafayette, LA: Mon Jan 28: 90 miles 
(Back up option: Opelousas, LA: 65 miles): (855-1,015 total miles)
18. Lafayette, LA (or Opelousas, La) to Lake Charles, LA: Tues Jan 29: 90 miles
19. Lake Charles, LA to Beaumont, TX: Wed Jan 30: 95 miles
20. Beaumont, TX to Houston, TX: Thurs Jan 31: 85 miles
21. Houston, TX to Eagle Lake, TX: Sat Feb 2: 70 miles
22. Eagle Lake, TX to Shiner, TX: Sun Feb 3: 55 miles
23. Shiner, TX to San Antonio, TX: Mon Feb 4 : 90 miles
24. San Antonio, TX to New Braunfels, TX: Tues Feb 5: 35 miles
25. New Braunfels, TX to Austin, TX: Thurs Feb 7: 55 miles
26. Austin, TX to Georgetown, TX: Fri Feb 8: 35 miles
27. Georgetown, TX to Waco, TX: Sat Feb 9: 80 miles  (1,545-1,705 total)
28. Waco, TX to Cleburne, TX: Mon Feb 11: 65 miles
29. Cleburne, TX to Fort Worth, TX: Tues Feb 12: 35 miles
30. Fort Worth, TX to Mineral Wells, TX: Wed Feb 13: 55 miles
31. Mineral Wells, TX to Breckenridge/Hubbard Creek Lake, TX: Thurs 
Feb 14: 55 miles
32. Breckenridge/Hubbard Creek Lake, TX to Abilene, TX: Fri Feb 15: 60 miles
33. Abilene, TX to Snyder, TX: Sat Feb 16: 80 miles
34. Snyder, TX to Lamesa, TX: Mon Feb 18: 65 miles
35. Lamesa, TX to Hobbs, NM: Tues Feb 19: 70 miles
36. Hobbs, NM to Carlsbad, NM: Wed Feb 20: 70 miles
37. Carlsbad, NM to Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Thurs Feb 21: 30 miles 
(2,030-2,290 total)
38. Carlsbad Caverns National Park to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, NM: Fri Feb 22: 40 miles
39. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, NM to El Paso TX
Excursions to Mexico: Sat Feb 23: 110-120 miles
40. El Paso, TX to Franklin Mountains State Park, TX: Tues Feb 26: 20 miles
41. Franklin Mountains State Park, TX to Las Cruces, NM: Wed Feb 27: 40 miles

42. Las Cruces, NM to Elephant Butte Lake State Park, NM: Thurs Feb 28: 75 miles
43. Elephant Butte Lake State Park, NM to Cibola National Forest, NM: Fri March 1: 90 miles
44. Cibola National Forest, NM to Belen, NM: Sat March 2: 60 miles 
45. Belen, NM to Albuquerque, NM: Sun March 3: 35 miles
46. Albuquerque, NM to Grants, NM: Wed March 6: 80 miles
47. Grants, NM to Zuni Peublo, NM: Thurs March 7: 80 miles
(2,770-2,930 total)
48. Zuni Pueblo, NM to Petrified Forest National Park, AZ: Fri March 8: 70 miles
49. Petrified Forest National Park, AZ to Winslow, AZ: Mon March 11: 70 miles
50. Winslow, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ: Tues March 12: 75 miles
51. Flagstaff, AZ to Grand Canyon National Park, AZ: Thurs March 14: 80 miles
52. Grand Canyon National Park, AZ to Peach Springs, AZ: Tues March 19: 120 miles
53. Peach Springs, AZ to New Kingman-Butler/Kingman, AZ: Wed March 20: 40-50 miles
54. New Kingman-Butler/Kingman, AZ to Boulder City, NV: Thurs March 21: 90 miles
55. Boulder City, NV to Las Vegas, NV: Fri March 22: 30 miles
56. Las Vegas, NV to Sloan, NV: Mon March 25: 30 miles
57. Sloan, NV to Mojave National Preserve, CA: Tues March 26: 80 miles
58. Mojave National Preserve, CA to Newberry Springs, CA: Wed March
27: 90 miles: (3,475-3,645 total)
59. Newberry Springs, CA to Barstow, CA: Thurs March 28: 25 miles
60. Barstow, CA to Yucca Springs, CA: Fri March 29: 80 miles 61. Yucca Springs, CA to Palm Desert, CA: Sat March 30: 40 miles 62. Palm Desert, CA to Ramona, CA: Mon April 1: 90 miles
63. Ramona, CA to San Diego, CA: Tues April 2: 40 miles
64. San Diego, CA to San Clemente, CA: Fri April 5: 65 miles 65. San Clemente, CA to Los Angeles, CA: Sat April 6: 80 miles 66. Los Angeles, CA to Ventura, CA: Tues April 9: 80 miles
67. Ventura, CA to Santa Barbara, CA: Wed April 10: 35 miles

68. Santa Barbara, CA to Santa Maria, CA: Thurs April 11: 80 miles (4,260 total)
69. Santa Maria, CA to Morrow Bay, CA: Fri April 12: 60 miles
70. Morrow Bay, CA to Big Sur, CA: Sat April 13: 95 miles
71. Big Sur, CA to Carmel, CA: Sun April 14: 25 miles
72. Carmel, CA to Mount Hermon, CA: Mon April 16: 75 miles
(4,345-4,515 total)
73. Option Adventure 2: San Francisco v. Yosemite NP 
Wed. Apr. 17- Thurs. Apr 25, 2013

Mount Hermon, CA to Mountain View, CA: Wed April 17: 40 miles	Or to San Jose (with intent to Yosemite NP): Wed April 17: 35 miles
b. Mountain View, CA to Half Moon Bay, CA: Fri April 19: 30 miles	Or San Jose, CA to Modesto, CA: Thurs April 18: 95 miles
c. Half Moon Bay, CA to San Francisco, CA: Sat April 20: 35 miles	Or Modesto, CA to Yosemite NP, CA: Sat April 20: 85 miles
d. San Francisco, CA to Berkeley, CA: Tues April 23: 15 miles	Or Yosemite NP, CA to San Andreas, CA: Tues April 23: 70 miles
e. Berkeley, CA to Napa, CA:  Thurs April 25: 45 miles  (4,260-4,680 total possible miles ridden)	Or San Andreas, CA to Sacramento, CA: Wed April 24: 60 miles
f. Sacramento, CA to Napa, CA:  Thurs April 25: 70 miles:  (4510- 4,930 total possible miles ridden)  (250 miles difference)  (Total difference in miles ridden: 670)

74. Napa, CA to Santa Rosa, CA: Sat April 27: 40 miles
75. Santa Rosa, CA to Mendocino, CA: Mon April 29: 95 miles
76. Mendocino, CA to Garberville, CA: Tues April 30: 80 miles
77. Garberville, CA to Eureka, CA: Wed May 1: 75 miles
78. Eureka, CA to Redwood National Park, CA: Thurs May 2: 45 miles 
79. Redwood National Park, CA to Crescent City, CA: Fri May 3: 50 miles
80. Crescent City, CA to Brookings, OR: Sat May 4: 30 miles
81. Brookings, OR to Gold Beach, OR: Sun May 5: 30 miles
82. Gold Beach, OR to Bandon, OR: Mon May 6: 55 miles
83. Bandon, OR to Reedsport, OR: Tues May 7: 55 miles
84. Reedsport, OR to Eugene, OR: Wed May 8: 85 miles
85. Eugene, OR to Salem, OR: Fri May 10: 75 miles
86. Salem, OR to Portland, OR: Sat May 11: 60 miles
87. Portland, OR to Tillamook, OR: Tues May 14: 80 miles
88. Tillamook, OR to Astoria, OR: Wed May 15: 65 miles
89. Astoria, OR to South Bend, WA: Thurs May 18: 45 miles
90. South Bend, WA to Olympic National Forest, WA: Fri May 17: 85 miles
(5,310-5,980 total)
91.Option Adventure 3: Olympic National Park v. CityWeek Seattle: 
Sat May 18-Thurs May 23, 2013

a. Olympic National Forest, WA to Seattle, WA: Sat May 18-Thurs May 23, 2013: (CityWeek:Seattle ): 85 miles: City Week: (5,395- 6,065 total miles!)	a. Or, Olympic National Forest, WA to Forks, WA: Sun. May 19: 110 miles
(180 miles difference between options) (850 miles difference between total mileage able to be cycled)	b. Forks, WA to Olympic National Park, WA: Tues. May 21: 65 miles
	c. Olympic National Park,

WA to Seattle, WA: Thursday May 23, 2013: 90 miles (5575-6,245 total!)

92. Seattle, WA: Fri May 24: 0 Miles—The ride is complete, the record is broken!
--Final debriefings, finishing up last assignments, preparing for final Celebration!
--Riders start flying home: Hang out
--Sunday: All Riders must have flown home by end of day; Continue to hang out and not ride a bike!

• •

-Quick Facts-

• Approximately 5,395-6,245 miles ridden 
• Expedition lasts 142 days
• Approximately 94-99 days of riding
• Approximately 38-43 days of rest/non-riding

• Riding through 11-12 US States (includes unmarked possibility of Georgia)
• Avg. Mileage per day: 57 -64
• Approximately 1 million total calories burned
• Unlimited potential for growth Approximately 2,000 pages to read
• Approximately 20-30 lectures to attend
• Unending exploration, growth, community 
Hundreds of new places, things and landscapes to see Thousands of people to meet, network with and help out.

Joyful Holiday

  It has been an awesome time being home so far.  I have seen grandparents, parents, the brother, and sisters, my nephew, aunt, uncle, cousins, and all of my favorite Canadians and South Africans..even friends from around the neighborhood.  Food and drinks have been abundant.  Thankful to be able to spend time with family and friends at ease and with more than enough love to go around.  It has been quite enjoyable telling you all about the trip to come.  This is how I plan to keep you posted so stay tuned.  I know I still have a few rounds to make to see some friends but with time. 

   I have roughly 8 days.  My plane to Panama City, Florida leaves at 9:30 AM Thursday January 3rd.  From there I will meet Monica, a member of the team I will be riding.  Her mom will drive us to Jacksonville where we meet our new family for the next 5/6 months.

  I wanted to say thank you to all my amazing clients back in Austin for being supportive of my decision about the trip and giving me nothing but encouragement!  Also thank you for all your generous donations (tips!) They will definitely help me on a daily basis along the way!  To the AUSTINDEEP TEAM I will miss you ladies so much!  You have been an amazing family to me for the past 10 months in Austin.  I have learned from and with each and every one of you.  I am sure I will be back one day.  Jess, Thank you for believing in me and being passionate about what we do.  You are quite a beautiful inspiration.  I will see you guys in a few weeks when we pass through in Austin.

Stay tuned

1ove :)

P.S.  I will find the Lester tattoo inspiration, not to worry Uncle John

G

  

Wind

I was talking with a good client of mine, Thomas, about the ride in January.  He had so many questions like most do!  Being a cyclist himself, he had some questions that made me think myself...but he also had some great encouragement!
I told him I was probably most intimidated by the wind and the cold wind.

He said he used to hate the wind himself.
Then he realized it is just another challenge.
It is not bad, it just is what it is.
And then, when it is on your side, you are flying (down the road)!
So all in all, I took this as easing my fear of the windy days, and appreciating the calm days even more.
It will slow you down, but so what..it is a part of the journey.
Embrace it for what it is, don't hate it for what your frustration thinks it is.

      

*Art appreciation 

"Japanese artist Tomoko Sioyasu's work is based on nature and echoes organic shapes and rhythms, mimicking water, wind, and cells.  Using the traditional art of paper-cutting, the sculptures are transformed using utility knives and soldering irons, forming delicate tapestries that defy imagination."

29 Days

I have begun the process on getting ready for the 5,500+ mile bike ride.
Making list after list after list...after list.  
Checking off things I need to do to detach from my societal standpoint, to be physically prepared, to have the knowledge of keeping my bike and camp in good shape along the way.
It is amazing how much goes into  detaching from such a "comfortable" life.
I have been experiencing more headaches and nausea than usual.
I suspect way too much coffee, lack of water, and sitting in front of the computer for hours.
A gentle yoga class and extra amounts of water helped yesterday.
I am sure I am a bit nervous as well.  It is a pretty intense change up.
The excitement and need for a deeper understanding and truer happiness definitely outweigh and
overcome the discomfort.
The reading is rather difficult, but rewarding.  Cicero is brilliant.
Looking forward to putting a dent in the 383 pages...and having some discussions in the near future.
Excited to get back to the bike shop on Wednesday to get an appropriate fitting and some gear.
More Yoga
More Reading
More Riding
lather, rinse, repeat.

Call me Crazy...

Hello fellow friends and family!  I would like to proudly advise you I have decided to embark on a journey across the states for the next 5+ months of my life with 8 or 9 other companions....on our bicycles!  
I know, it gets better. :)
Why am I doing this?---Why not...?
Starting in Jacksonville, Florida on January 6th we make our way to Texas, to California and then North to Seattle, Washington.  
How did I find this?  My dear friend Sara Pratt I work with at AustinDEEP, here in Austin, Texas stumbled upon a link ---> http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp1138415.jsp
Without any question she told me to "investigate"!
After a few days of avoiding it, I finally opened it up one night to see what it was.  Immediately after reading a brief description of this event I was emailing Matt (the organizer/master mind behind this crazy idea)!  
Now, here is the thing...we are not only riding across the country for weeks and weeks.  
During this ride, Matt has planned and organized quite an amazing agenda which I have copied down below as to share with you what this adventure entails.   

1. Working on service projects, speaking engagements, youth seminars, and local fundraisers with different communities we encounter throughout the ride.

2. The Young and Wild Curriculum
--has as its chief purpose to enlighten and empower its participants in a way that produces change in the worlds to which they’ll return. Given the unique state that the curriculum will be studied within, a unique approach will be implemented. 
The YP has developed 5 core areas of study: Religion, Leadership, Economics/Business, Literature and Rhetoric. The 5 areas will systematically be studied over the course of five months. All areas will be studied for approximately 4 weeks. Local teachers will teach 1-2 lessons once per week, usually on the weekends. Small group discussions will be promoted throughout the day-to-day, but especially through small group meetings held at least once per week."

3. Local Not-For-Profit Organizations
The YP will partner with local non-profits in order to help them raise funds for a specific project they are working to complete. The expedition will make available to them: several basic fundraising event and methodology templates, consultation, publicity and volunteer man-power. Examples include Just Dig It, a youth-led NPO based in Central California that raises money for wells in Ghana; Restavec Freedom Alliance is an NPO also based in Central California that works with Haitians to restore their country since the earthquake; and Beautiful Response, an NPO in Central California that supports a school in Uganda. There are also myriad local causes we will work with local non-profits to accomplish, like the New Orleans-based Community Gardens or Urban Agriculture. 

4. The Communities of Zambrano and Tegucigalpa, Honduras
The YP has officially partnered with Honduran NGO Case De Luz (House of Light) in order to accomplish the building of their newest children’s center in Tegucigalpa. In the short term, The YP will use its Young and Wild Expedition to raise funds for the building and to recruit Work and Service Teams to travel to Honduras to help build the building. Case De Luz works to feed, educate, and care for children aged 0-11 in the Tegucigalpa and Zambrano areas of Honduras. The new children’s center would allow the company to increase the amount of children it services from approximately 20 to approximately 75. That’s 55 more children in the Tegucigalpa area that get to eat 2 hot meals each day (an uncommon instance in most young Honduran lives) while they receive qualified intellectual instruction and personal care by educated Honduran women. 

5.  Personal Growth
Learning how to live on a very minimal budget ($5 a day).  Camping, and riding in extreme conditions.  Problem solving and bike maintenance.  At the end of this 6K miles I have a feeling my American consumerism ways will be shaken.  


Now here is where I ask for your help.
I am gathering gear and the money that will help me survive the next few months.  Through working at AustinDEEP and generous help from my parents (that have always been supportive through the years, Thank you dearly mom and pop) I am hoping to be able to live semi-comfortably with security.  

This is the beginning of my fundraising for Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  
I have 35 days.  I am setting a goal of $1,500, for now.
If you or anyone you may know would like to donate to the cause I would greatly appreciate the help.
Also, even if you cannot donate, I would LOVE for you to follow me on my journey through this blog, pictures, video, and facebook where I will keep you guys up to date on how everything is going!
If you would like to donate please contact me and we will figure out the best/easiest/safest way for you to contribute.
www.theyp.org
you can go directly to that site to find out more about who I am riding with 
and donate there as well!

Thank you dearly for taking the time guys :)
35 days and counting.
Cheers!
Georgie