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Archive for the ‘Journal Entry’ Category

A New Bloginning

The trip is over. The summer is reaching its twilight. And yet the world spins, and life spins along with it. The chess pieces are moving; momentous events are afoot that may define the coming months and years as critical to the fate of humanity and the planet. And yet, the small joys of home, [...]

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Day 23

July 25
Today was the final episode of my 2008 bicycle Tour de Wisconsin. It began with packing up camp and heading back out on State Highway 35 around seven A.M. I rode north through gray morning fog with a light breeze at my back and very few cars passing. I had forty-nine miles to cover, [...]

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Day 22

July 24
There is an old saying that no man (sic) is an island. There are times, though, when I feel like an island with a bottom, a boat adrift in the sea of life. These are my alone times, when I wonder where the people are in whom I can confide and seek solace. I [...]

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Day 21

July 25
There is nothing better than getting to know a group of truly excellent people. This is what I have found, here in the midst of rural Wisconsin. In the day and a half I have been at Anathoth Farm, I already feel a part of the group, and it will be a little sad [...]

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Day 20

July 22
This has been a truly splendid bike trip so far. I feel like one of the best things about it is the way the timing of everything has fallen into place perfectly–from spending July 4th in Ashland, to arriving in Madison for the art fair, and now to this last part of the trip. [...]

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Day 19

July 21
Today was a mixed day of farm work and gluttonous relaxation. It was my first day of not biking since Ashland, but boy did I make the most of it.
I woke up in time to see a pink sunrise over the Land School. Deciding to get in an early hike in case I chose [...]

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Day 18

July 20
My bicycle travels have finally brought me back into familiar territory. I am now on the final stage of my trip, and I can feel home approaching. But I get the sense that I have a few adventures yet to experience before I get there.
I got out of Menomonie later than I had intended. [...]

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Day 17

July 19
In Menomonie:
“The lake turns really green and smelly this time of year.”
“There must be a lot of nitrates coming into it.”
“Yeah, from a couple turkey farms upstream.”
“That explains it. You’d think they could do something better with such great fertilizer than let it kill the lake.”
“Actually, there’s quite a bit of outrage about it [...]

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Day 16

July 18
Motorboats whiz by in front of my campsite, disturbing the serenity of this Mississippi backwater. So much of our fossil fuel consumption is harmful and unnecessary–although promoted by an economic system that glorifies and relies upon increasing levels of personal consumption. Is it a conscious choice people make, to consume unnecessarily? Or can individuals [...]

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Day 15

I am trying to convince the mosquitoes that I am not a juicy meal. They are persistently, willfully (inasmuch as a mosquito can be willful) ignorant of this point of view. Or perhaps it’s me who is ignorant. Just because we humans consider ourselves at the top of the food chain does not mean we [...]

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