Jan 1-10

During a presentation to a fourth grade class in Atlanta, GA, a student asked me, “Why are you doing this?” I told the students that my bicycle ride through the “lower 48 states” is named “The Hunt for the Jolly Green Ice Machine” and it is an expedition into the heart of America. It is a journey to break the fears and inspire others to live their dreams. It is a journey to prove that the American dream is still alive and that love and compassion is what truly fuels this country. Through a healthy imagination a healthy reality is born. This fourth grade class created a project they named – “Jolly Geography!” – to follow me on my journey with maps, journals and in turn, I am mailing the class brochures, postcards, pictures, information about the weather, physical features, and cool sites to check out on the web. For example, they went on the internet to find out more about the sea turtle hospital in Marathon, FL. The kids also asked, “What do you do for money?” and “Will you get lonely?” Two really good questions! I explained that I worked hard and saved money and also hope for goodwill from friends and people I meet along the way…and yes, loneliness will be a challenge.
In 2006, I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (hence my name “Jolly Green Giant”) from Springer Mountain, GA to Mt. Katahdin, ME. A buddy and I decided to continue forward to hike the International AT through Canada. Incredible! Kids in the 4th and 5th grades at the same elementary school enjoyed my pictures and presentation about the long hike especially after following my progress as another project. There is so much to learn about our country and how to best take care of it.
To start this bicycle journey, I would like to say thank you to my loving mother who without her support and action none of this would be possible. Of course, I thank my other family members and great friends for their support too. My mother, however, deciphers my writing, types my journals, and puts them on my website, www.jollygreenicemachine.com.
December 30, 2008- My trip started off in Atlanta just like it should – with chaos at its best! I awoke to a slight case of “butterflies” in my belly. I had to try to set up my new tarp before I left for Key West. My location was next door in a small hospital yard because I am all about choosing the shortest possible solution. Within five minutes hospital security was out yelling that I could not “camp” there! I explained what I was doing, which was a hard sell, but finally I convinced them and finally went inside to finish packing for the trip to Key West, Florida. One hour before my roommate and I were to leave, he decides to tell me he could not take me – that is right, ONE HOUR, before we are to leave. Maybe his girlfriend and her dog had something to do with it! I was stunned, but I stayed calm. Staying calm paid off because my good friend, Whitney, (to whom I owe so much), stepped up and agreed to drive me to Key West! I was afraid because she would have to drive back to Atlanta alone. She insisted and as all things do work out, her friend, JJ, called and wanted to travel with us. My worries were squashed about her traveling back to Atlanta alone. Things really work out for the best!
On the way to Miami, we found a room via the computer and we were set. The ride was long, but with these two beautiful women, it would be hard not to have fun. It was about 1am and the hotel was a funny, cheap, mock-up of Rome (spelled the correct Italian way – Roma), and we loved it. All is well!
December 31, 2008 -We woke up, packed up to head for Key West. As we were leaving, I found my bike had a flat tire – mind you, I had not even started riding yet and my skills as a bike mechanic are not that great. I had to be positive and my rationalization was that people drive cars everyday and do not know a thing about them and seem to survive, so I know I will be fine. I fixed the wheel with success and feel all the stars are aligning perfectly for me to start this ride. We get to Key West and as soon as I walk into a hotel fifty miles back has a room which will get us back by 9pm for New Years Eve in Key West (the rooms in Key West were way over my budget). As the sun sets, the moon appears as a smiling face and I know deep down no matter how scared I am this trip is what I am meant to do. The Key West New Year’s celebration is crazy and fun and I thank the police for being so understanding. They sat back, kept everyone safe, and enjoyed the New Year fun. Whitney, JJ, and I find a good spot for the ball drop. It got a little crazy where both women were in my arms as the crowd pushed and pleaded with each other to stop pushing. Humans always amaze me when alcohol is mixed into the equation, but we made it out! I actually did have a lady forget she was smoking a cigarette and put it out on my face. A small price to pay for such fun! After the “ball drop”, the crowd loosened its grip and we were finally able to breathe. I think the whole island was happy about this and my “girls” went to work and met some guys. One of the guys, Mike, happened to be from Buford, GA and after a short conversation; I landed a place to stay the next night.
January 1, 2009 -We got up about 10am to drive back to Key West, FL We stopped for lunch and then to say “farewell”. I was very nervous and remember feeling very “detached”. It was overwhelming on the inside, but on the outside I was trying to be tough. The girls and I headed to the Southernmost Point in Key West at 2pm, took some pictures, said goodbye, and all there was to do was LEAVE on US-1. At this point, I realized how thankful I was to leave from this point with only two friends to say goodbye to instead of more. I am not sure I would have made it where I am today, if so. As I rode away on my bicycle, I was choked up, scared of the unknown, and overwhelmed. I have to admit I even tried to cry to release some of the pressure, but tears would not come. After 4 hours instead of 1, I finally made it to Big Pine Key laughing. I was successful so far, and I realized how wrong I was about my timing and in the power of wind and its slowing ability! I met Mike, Bobby, and Ray in a Winn-Dixie parking lot and they took me in. These were some great guys and we laughed a lot over dinner, plus Bobby’s father made a killer smoked Kingfish dip.
January 2, 2009 - I was up the next morning at 7am and headed out on my bicycle. I was fortunate to get to see some Key Deer eating some food on my way – they look like funny mini-deer and that made me smile. I said “good morning” to Mother Nature, who would be taking care of me through this long unknown journey. I was traveling over a bridge and looking at the fishermen when suddenly I was hooked by one. It was pretty funny and I yelled “nice catch”, took the hook out, then moved on. I passed the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, FL and decided this would be a good place to start the “Jolly Geography” project. I went in and told the staff my story – they let me in free to video the dolphins and I learned a lot. Nervousness was still in my belly, so I had to keep riding. I just felt like if I didn’t continue to ride I was going to fail. That night I stopped on a highway island outside of Key Largo at 5:45 pm and set up my first campsite which turned out really well.
January 3, 2009 - The next day I headed out at 7:30am planning to go as far as I could go. I met a really nice shop owner who had just biked California in October who wished me luck. At that moment I realized that it’s the people I meet that will get me through the day. The belief they have in me is my life force. I kept trucking along US-1 into Miami arriving about noon. I saw a woman selling watermelons so I stopped. She started a conversation with me and called me Papi – that hooked me and we ate watermelon together. My next stop was a bike shop where a really nice girl, Anne, sent me luck too. I pushed to go further and by that evening about 7:30pm I was at the Fort Lauderdale airport about to go camp in the bushes when I remember my friend’s brother lived in Hollywood, FL. Leebo answered and thankfully left a key for me to come in and shower. They made it home about 11pm and we laughed the night away. Aside from my “butt rash”, I was good to go.
January 4, 2009 – I got up early, cleaned up, and left about 6:15 am. It was a beautiful warm morning. I knew this day would be eventful. I wasn’t sure how until I heard the pop! I had broken a spoke in my back wheel for some reason. I was in Palm Beach about 12:30 pm and for the first time I calmed down, laughed, and finally realized I was actually on my journey. I was content with that. This was mentally a very important step for without peace I would have nothing. I like to say that if you “act like water you will get to where you need to go”. The spoke breaking was the release I needed to truly feel this saying. Within 10 minutes I saw a fellow cyclist and asked him if he knew where I could find a bike shop. Luckily, there was one a half mile away, so I popped in and met Mike of Cycle Science. After some friendly conversation he fixed my bike for free and he also noticed my brakes were rubbing. That was one reason I was riding slower that I thought I should be. It was great! After that stop I was off and broke my first 100 mile day. I stopped in Fort Pierce, FL and had the best night sleep out in the woods yet. My only issue was my “butt rash”. My mother looked it up on the internet and the next day I was much better with a new regime of Neosporin, rubbing alcohol, and “airing out”!
January 5, 2009 – I was really flying today and stopped at Harvey’s Orchard and drank a quart of the best O.J. I have ever tasted. I biked much further today than I thought and by nightfall was in the middle of Orlando. There was no place to camp, so I had to bite the bullet and get a hotel room. This was a blessing, though, because this is where I realized I needed to slow down and use the power of my friends. I started looking for places to stay. My step-brother, Taylor Pinson, who by the end of this trip I will owe a lot, got me hooked up with one of his friends in his hometown of Leesburg, FL.
January 6, 2009 – Today I had a nice short ride into Leesburg. The temperature was mild. I met Taylor’s best friend, Tee, Mary, and his beautiful kids. They were so kind and great hosts. Tee is a great fisherman and artist. He gave me a tour of Leesburg and shared many stories.
January 7, 2009 – Mother Nature felt it was time to end the sugar-coated trip today and teach me some new lessons of the road. First, I was pelted by a rain storm and then spent the rest of the day headed into extreme wind. I somehow made it to Fanning Spring where the Suwanee River is and set up camp. The temperature dropped and I was freezing. I also knew I had a huge day tomorrow to make it into Tallahassee where I was set up (again by Taylor) to stay with his cousin, John Roberts and his family. This was a true test of will power and I made it but almost broke.
January 8, 2009 – I left Fanning Spring at 4:30 am to temperatures under 30 degrees. My feet felt frozen and the wind was still strong. I also had another broken spoke. To be honest, all I wanted was for a truck to hit me off the road so I would have an excuse to be driven in. As I was about to freeze to death I stopped at a McDonald’s and a lady named Elizabeth truly helped me. She would never know how much, but her sweetness alone kept me going. Still I was so cold and soon stopped at a pecan hut where I bought some honey. Even though I never got his name his free bag of pecans also helped raise my spirits and soon enough I was warm and in Tallahassee (678 miles). The last thing that made me truly believe in what I was doing was a homeless man I met named Motor Mouth. I told him I was attempting to bike all 48 states and he gave me a firm stern look that I will never forget and said “No, you are not me. You are different and you are going to bike all 48 states!” He was right and I am going to be different and make a mark in the world. From there I was taken to meet John Roberts who took me in with such kindness. I met his wife, Dawn, and their amazing family. Their daughter is an awesome artist and their son is a ball of energy. They fed me more than I could ever eat and my energy was refilled. In all the excitement I stayed up until 2am playing the wii and slept like a rock. I woke up the next day hearing the answering machine yelling my name. It was John and he had set up a tour for me at the State Capitol with his wife. I still had to go fix my spoke, so I had a nice chat with the cleaning lady and was off to the bike shop. The person that gave me directions sent me the wrong way and I broke a second spoke soon after. I asked directions again and finally made it to Joe’s Bike Shop where John met me. Since I was so slow getting up half the day had passed and he was nice enough to let me stay another night. I could then relax, take my bags off the bike, and enjoy my day at the Capitol. This was one of the coolest days yet. I was lucky to have a private tour of the state archives and held the original Florida Constitution, the first deed ever recorded in Florida, and the original document of succession from the Union. Then I got a 2 hour tour of the museum with Bonnie (the sweetest lady ever) and then hung out with some great guys who own the Fat Sandwich shop which really was great and let me tell you the BEST potato salad ever. These guys cracked me up! I had to ride to the post office because I had so much information to mail to my mom’s class. I went to bed a little earlier because I needed to leave the next day.
January 10, 2009 – John made me an awesome breakfast and turned on the news channel. A huge storm was coming, so I decided to make it to Panama City today (853.7 miles logged). I was to stay with this really nice lady, Sunny Sasha, so I pedaled by biggest day yet of 150 plus miles. It was crazy because by the time I got in it was dark and rainy, which is not safe so no one out there should ever do this. It was cool coming in at night, however, because the Panama City Bridge was beautiful with this blue base that really moved me. Sunny gave me a bed and bought me dinner. I thanked her for her hospitality. She was so sweet. I woke up about 9am and left to go to a condo at The Summit that my grandma owns and where I am writing this entry. I am feeling good now and promise all you out these that I am in this for the long haul. Again, it is everybody that keeps me going and I love you all. It is the people I meet that makes this trip what it is and without them I have nothing. I cannot wait to see what comes up next. Please keep up – I want my trip to be your trip and through my crazy adventure, I hope to put a spark in everyone to live their dreams too because its our dreams that make our reality. I look forward to writing again!