I completed my journey on June 25th, with 18 days of riding covering 1325 miles. Sorry for the delayed post, but I was busy and wanted to get a map made to include. I did not go direct from Peoria to Ft. Myers, as there was the forementioned break in TN, and I actually met Jeff and Jenny north of Gainesville on their way home. Since Peoria to Ft. Myers direct is 1280, I actually accomplished more than the distance I initially thought I'd be covering, though I zig zagged all over and did not restrict myself to the quickest route. [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from Wetumpka, AL, which is just outside of Montgomery. I decided to take a day off to rest a pained knee, do some laundry, and relax. I neglected to take any photos at Phish or Bonnaroo and only a dozen or so on the road, but I attached a few anyhow. Bonnaroo was loads of fun, and it was nice to be surrounded by people, drink beer, and not ride a bike for a change. We managed to get my bike into the festival even though they aren't allowed because the police gave us a full search (looking for drugs [View Full Entry]

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So my next leg was another four days of riding, but only ~275 miles this time. Elaine got me prepared by taking me to an art/wine fair the night before I left, and I has happy to oblige her. Southern IL and and KY have been nice and hilly, and forest took over what in most of IL was endless cornfields. I also got on to the Trans Am (a popular cross country route with many cyclists going coast to coast) so I ran into many other folks traveling by bike, though most were travelling west. I spent some time on [View Full Entry]

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My last entry left ended with hopes for a bike journey. This is the first entry (hopefully followed by a few more) of the fruit of those desires. The month of May was spent acquiring the necessary gear (bike, panniers, etc.) and getting in road ready shape. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't be able to get the wheels rolling quick enough to go from absolutely nothing to ready for a bike tour in 1 month, but with some help from family, friends, and strangers I was able to to hit the ground running (or pedaling rather). The weather man [View Full Entry]

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After over 24 hours hopping planes and my most painless U.S. border crossing, I made it home to Peoria a couple of days ago. I could have stayed longer, but I'm just as happy to be home. It was quite an interesting feeling to get accustomed to a constant state of flux, that is except for wearing the same 3 sets of clothes all the time, and it's nice to know I'll have the same bed for the next month. My last week in Bangkok was mostly spent learning traditional Thai massage. I'm confident that I graduated at the top of [View Full Entry]

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About a month has passed since I wrote last, and I have very little to report. Therefore, this will be more of a brief update than a blog on any topic... After meditation, I spent 2 days in Jakarta with some folks I'd met at Dhamma Java. All lived there except for the only other westerner to finish the course, and she was based in Ubud on Bali. She had made a pretty good case for the place, so I got a plane ticket to Bali and ended up spending 10+ days in Ubud. It was a very relaxing place, with [View Full Entry]

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Since my first attempt at learning some type of meditation failed, I jumped at the chance to take a 10-day Vipassana course in Java. This wasn't the most likely place, as Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. However, the course was not secular, and there seemed to be a variety of religions represented (I was shocked to learn that Indonesians must choose one of five religions that is than printed on their ID card, and atheist is not an option). Anyhow, I had a light dinner after checking-in, and then the actual course began. The first part of [View Full Entry]

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From Malaysia, I crossed into Indonesia (Tawau > Nunukan > Tarakan) and caught a plane to Balikpapan > Manado, a city in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. I was going to meet someone I'd been talking with through couchsurfing (for those of you who do not know, it is worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit...and also something I had done several times in Canada and had a good experience with). David, who is my age and also has a marine science background, had already told me that he would be going to Siau to start work [View Full Entry]

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NOTE: I know it has been over a month since my last entry, but when last I wanted to write the internet became elusive, and then I spent the last 18 days on an island with no internet at all. I'm going to have 2 separate entries, and I've added pictures to the last few entries that previously had none, so check it out. Overall, Borneo was a bit of a let down. Normally, I refrain from forming any expectation or am just plain ignorant, but it is hard not to imagine adventure and wild things when you hear "Borneo." It [View Full Entry]

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The first week of the new year was mostly uneventful. Vietnam's weather teetered from overcast to rainy, temperatures got cooler with every move north, and I got complacent doing all the touristy things. I went from Mui Ne > Nha Trang > Danang/Hoi An > Hue, travelling mostly by bus, but a little by train (though not always the most comfortable there were some incredible sights along the way). Met some nice people, ate good food, and even had some clothes tailor made, but it was becoming too easy and not what I was looking for over here. Then I took [View Full Entry]

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