Day 113: Stats Update

So...I've been on this journey now for 3 months and 3 weeks, or, 113 days.

Recently (within the last few weeks), I've been finding that two words have been coming up for me, fairly persistently: Building and Healing.

Perhaps it's venus in retrograde, perhaps it's the ever present rainy fog in the sky, perhaps it's the cold and dreary of winter coming on, begging me to settle in, cozy up and put another log on the fire. Whatever it is, I've been feeling a stronger and stronger urge to stop moving, start healing and begin building.

Let me back up a bit.

I've been on *this* journey for just under 4 months. However, upon further investigation as to why I've been feeling such a strong pull to stop so soon after I've begun, I realized that I've actually been in a transient mindset now for 3-1/2 years. I looked back at all of the traveling/moving I've done in this time, and what I found kind of shocked me. I knew I had a lot going on these last few years, but I didn't realize just how much...

As of 1 June 2007 (the last day at my last full time job in Chicago, before moving to Australia)

I have:
Been in transition/without a place of permanent residence for 3 years, 5 ½ months
Spent no more than 4 consecutive months in any one place
Moved 8 times
Lived on 3 different continents

Taken:
14 intercontinental flights
15 national flights
19 long distance train/bus rides
countless road trips

Traveled to:
72 different cities (at least – these are the one's I can remember...)
23 different states/provinces, (including 4 islands)
5 different countries

And...
Fallen in love exactly 8 times (three places, three people, one child and a cat)

Having now written this all out and absorbed it a little, it's no longer a surprise to me why I'm currently feeling the need to slow down and stabilize my life a bit. Additionally, one of the driving forces of this journey I'm currently undertaking was to discover the viability of more sustainable methods of travel, namely: bicycle and ground bound transit. I've taken an indulgent amount of airplane rides around the world and perhaps was looking for a way to (somehow) counteract the huge amount of guilt I harbor for, what I feel, is an excessively giant footprint I've stomped on the earth in the last 3-1/2 years. Not to mention the amount of personal energy and time spent in adjusting and recovering from the incredible amount of physical stress my body was put under to take them.

That will all probably take some more time for me to fully process...

* * *

...Getting back to *this* trip:

Start Date: Saturday, 24 July, 2010
On the road for: 3 months, 3 weeks

Places visited:
Towns/cities visited thus far: 27
Urban and rural farms/urban gardens visited: 12
Urban housing co-ops visited: 3
Urban food co-ops visited: 5 (all of them awesome)

Miles Traveled:
Approx. no. of total miles traveled thus far: 4985 mi (8023 km)
By Train/Bus: 2115 mi (3404 km)
By Car/Van: 1860 mi (2993 km)
By Ferry: ~85 mi (~137 km)
By Bike: 925 mi (1489 km) (current odo reading)

Bike Stuff:
Carrying weight: approx. 50 lbs gear + 34 lb bike = ~84 lbs total
Avg. speed: 10 mph
Max speed: 36 mph
Longest ride day: 70.8 mi
Days on bike: 11 main riding days (avg. 50 mi per day), approx. 40 small riding days (intercity/commute/errand/day trip - avg. 10 mi per day)
Flat tires: 0

Places/beds I've slept on thus far:
Private forest land - Hammock
Private forest land - Teepee
Hostel dorm room (upper bunk)
Hostel private room (shared)
Various farms (bike tour) - 6 person tent
Various farms (bike tour) - sleeping bag and mat only (outside, under stars)
Private home – bunk bed (lower bunk)
Private home – camping (hammock)
Private home – floor
Private home – big, comfy bed!
Couch surf/share house – couch/floor
Share house – bed/couch
Organic farm music festival – camping (hammock)
Housing co-op – futon mattress
Housing co-op – couch
Crown land (Vancouver Island, BC) - 2 person tent
Hotel (grrrr...only once)
Organic farm cob house – loft bed

Food:

90% of my meals have been local, organic, homemade, communal, plentiful and outrageously delicious.

* * *

To sum up: So far, along my way, I've met countless numbers of amazing people, eaten healthy, nourishing meals almost every day, laughed much, cried much, shared much, slept in many unique and unfamiliar beds, stayed safe, seen and experienced true beauty, ridden my bike until it hurts, connected, loved, cherished, moved, danced, learned and let go.

And now...it's time to build.