It should be fairly evident (even from my limited posts, not to mention to anyone who has talked to me on the phone or seen me in person, or taken a look at my Flickr account) that I completed my transcontinental bike-trip and visited my friends in both NYC and Boston. What should be less obvious, but still attainable, is that I returned to Redmond. (My dad left a car in Vermont at my Aunt and Uncle’s place and flew back for my cousin’s wedding. I drove this car, with my and my dad’s gear back in five days on the fumes of my trip budget.) I missed Megan and felt a little bit uninspired by the prospect of starting out in NYC (expensive, too many Yankees fans).

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It has been a while since I updated my blog.  Better late than never.

I’m probably going to spin-off the williamgerdes.com and monkeychart.com into separate websites.  Read more »

Owen being fed by Alexa last night at Alexa and Kelly’s place in Maplewood, New Jersey.

In a classic missed photo opportunity, I got several Owen pictures, and one Owen/Alexa picture, but completely failed to take any Kelly, or Lynn Curren pictures. Read more »

Danielle, George, and William at Sloan-Kettering

I’m now in NYC, not by bike. The bike was ditched in the mothballed milkroom of my uncle’s dairy in Vermont. The bulk of my gear stowed in the closet of a guest bedroom at my aunt and uncle’s house. I arrived in West Halifax (where my aunt and uncle live) on Saturday.

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Meep:

To Ahna “Kreegs” MacDonald and Roberta “Squeaky” Maize, Okanagon Level contributors to this trek.  They have kept me in bananas and carrots.  They have sustained me with their goodwill, light-hearts, and generosity.  The Okanagon  does not begin to describe the valleys through which Squeaks and Kreegs have carried me.  They are vast canyons of erosion beneath my wings.  They are the fruit orchards of my tented dreams.  They are the undocumented workers who keep my legs churning at 8 to 12 mph over any terrain. Read more »

Have been dodging rainstorms of various sizes for the past few days…from great big menacing storms to wee pocket-sized storms. Allegedly this rain is receding and sunny, colder weather is in store through Monday. I hope this is true as I make the push from here, through Bangor, and out to the coast of Maine. When, if, I get there, I’ll make a decision as to whether to continue north to Quody Head or just directly circle back to my Aunt and Uncles’ place in southern Vermont.

Weather will probably be the determining factor. Read more »

…from Port Kent, New York to Burlington, Vermont.  My bike is in the shop getting a new chain and cassette (these things stretch, wear), and a new right/rear shifter (unbelievably my bar end shifter began to emit pieces of metal a couple days ago.  It still works, but why?  I don’t know and don’t dare let it linger missing these bits.) Read more »

Native Guides Don and Karen Ryan in Saskatoon

These two native guides, Don and Karen Ryan, cheerfully broke from their morning coffee to guide me first to a local tourist information centre (where the employee cheerfully advised me on the lack of nearby camping options) and then to a local bike shop (where I got a new chain, cassette, and tires). Read more »

Luella and Diana, generous purchasers of breakfast, in Walford, Ontario

These adorable women, Luella and Diana, unexpectedly bought me a most delicious breakfast in Walford, Ontario. Read more »

• Miles: In excess of 3,368 (didn’t count at least one day, plus various “about town” mileage)
• Days: 52
• Free Beers: 2
• Flats: 7 (3 front, 4 rear)
• Broken Spokes: 0
• Bugs Consciously Swallowed: 7
• Bugs Unconsciously Swallowed: Unknown
• Dragonflies to Face: 3
• Dragonflies in Mouth: 0
• Forest Wives: 0
• Literal Headaches of Any Type (Migraine or otherwise):  0
• Speed over which clouds of small black flies can no longer effectively swarm your head: 11.7 mph