Sunday, September 25, 2005

Hello! This is the first blog entry I'm writing as a part of my bicycle pilgrimage for Katrina victims. I will be leaving Atlanta to drive to Murfreesboro (where my brother lives) this afternoon and then I'll be starting the bicycle ride around 7am on Monday morning.

It's been a stressful start, packing, tying up loose ends around Atlanta, and doing clerical work for this fundraiser--but I always stress myself when I'm leaving on any kind a big trip. But the one thing that's helped relax me is that I now have a partner on this ride. Bert Skellie, a long-time friend of mine from Quaker circles, has decided to join me for the week of bicycling. He has done quite a few long-distant rides and is very confident about our ability to do 60-70 miles of riding each day. I'm excited to have him along.

You've probably been thinking about the weather recently. It looks like the bulk of Hurricane Rita will miss us, but we'll probably get some thunderstorms on Monday and possibly on Tuesday. I'll definitely update you on how that goes. Other than that, it looks like we'll have a significant amount of sun for the majority of the ride.

So let me tell you how these updates will work. Each evening, I will call my girlfriend, Dana, and tell her about my day. She will then write a summary of what I've told her and email it to my list. Then, she will post it on this blog. You will receive an update each day of my ride (7 days) and then one update after I've returned to Atlanta--and that is all. If you would like to sign up for the email list, email jonah@friendlypilgrim.com and ask Dana to add you to the list.

Now my panniers (bicycle bags) are packed. I have 4 days of food packed, clothes for riding and clothes for camp in the evening, a hammock (with rainfly), a light-weight sleeping bag, water bottles, etc. The fully-loaded panniers are heavy, but I've carried more weight before on the way back from the Dekalb Farmer's Market, so that gives me confidence. Now all I have to do is get my cat ready for my absence and make sure all my dishes are done and clothes are put away. My mom trained me well as a kid--I don't leave my house completely messy when I go out of town.

This week, you'll hear from me indirectly, through Dana, but I am thinking of you, and want to particularly thank you for supporting this pilgrimage and fundraiser in all the ways you do: monetarily, spiritually, and other tangible and intangible ways. This fundraiser has raised over $4,700 so far, so keep spreading the word while I'm riding. I'll be in touch soon, once I reach Natchez! Until next week.......

In the Light,
Jonah

Monday, September 26, 2005

Dear all,

Day 1 of the bicycle fundraiser went on without a hitch: by 7:15 this morning he and Bert Skellie were biking, thanks to an early-morning drop-off by Jonah's brother, Jesse, who lives in Tennessee.

Jonah reports that the day started off nice and cool, and a little misty. The riding was easy and relaxing this morning, with Bert helping Jonah to set a sustainable pace -- about 14 miles an hour on flat roads and 6 to 8 uphill. Jonah even clocked himself going at 41 miles per hour on one downhill.

The ride got a little more difficult after lunch, in part because Jonah did not eat as much as his body needed. Those of you who know Jonah may remember that while he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail he ate four or five candy bars a day as habit and to give his body the incredible amount of calories his body needed. While I think he is mostly sticking to energy bars this time, he will try tomorrow to eat more continuously to provide his body the nutrients he needs.

Jonah was still energetic enough to enjoy beautiful views, which included 400-foot overlooks over farmland, waterfalls, and old phosphate mines. At one point Jonah and Bert peeked into a limestone cave, and could feel the temperature drop inside.

By 4 p.m, Jonah and Bert had biked 60-plus miles and reached their goal for the day, Merriweather Lewis Campground, near Hohenwald, Tennessee. It rained and misted all day and Jonah rode with his glasses off for a lot of the time because they were covered with water. But by the time they arrived into camp, it was completely dry and the temperature was great.

Tomorrow Jonah and Bert will go about 60 more miles and are planning to stay at Colbert Ferry, a bicyclists-only campsite which may have a swimming hole nearby.

As of today, the bicycle ride has raised more than $5,500, including more than $700 in the last 24 hours. Please continue to spread word of this ride, and pass along these updates and the website, www.friendlypilgrim.com/katrina. If you no longer wish to receive these emails (one a day for the next six days only) please send an email letting us know.

In peace, Dana

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Dear all,

Howdy! Today Bert and I made it 65 miles to Colbert Ferry, Alabama. Right now, Bert is swimming in the Tennessee River, the perfect end to a good day of riding.

The ride today was much easier than it was yesterday, and Bert and I have hypothesized that it was the car ride yesterday, not the biking, that did us in. But today the skies were completely blue and the weather was warm all day. After our first 20 or 30 miles we suddenly hit a patch of fresh pavement which, amazingly, went as far as we did today. It was like riding on butter, and flatter. We could really cruise.

One of the highlights was going on a bridge spanning the Tennessee River. It was about 100 feet up and we had amazing views. Another highlight was climbing to the top of a firetower structure that went up maybe 60 to 80 feet. Bert, it turns out, loves climbing towers. (Supposedly this will not be a big shock to his wife, Karen.)

Everyone we have encountered has been nice, even as they have stared a bit dubiously at my brand-new spandex shorts. I bought them especially for the ride and am not sure if I will be sporting them around Atlanta too much, but they have worked well for this trip.

And now it is nice to be at camp. As I mentioned yesterday this park is for bicyclists only, and Bert and I are the only ones here. We will sit around and read for awhile, eat and probably go to sleep soon after sunset.

The only nervousness I have had today is due to a spoke on by bicycle wheel breaking. It is kind of ridiculous, since Dana and I went searching for extra spokes this past weekend before I left, and I ended up not getting any (thinking the chances of a spoke breaking would be small). But, it turned out as well as it could have. The spoke broke 30 miles into the ride today, and the wheel held up the rest of the way. Hold me in your thoughts tomorrow as I try to make it to Tupelo, Mississippi, where a bike shop is expecting my visit. Moral/pun of the story? A bike problem is not something to be spoken of. Yikes!

Here is the update on my eating habits today: I started off with two tortillas wraps filled with nutella, peanut butter and dried fruit. The rest of the ride I snacked on nutrition bars and the combination kept my energy high.

Well, that is all for now. Thanks again for your continuing support.

In peace, Jonah

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

As of today, the bicycle pilgrimage has raised more than $6,000! Thank you for all your support.

Yesterday Bert and I biked 71 miles, leaving Alabama and reaching Tupelo, Mississippi.

Our campsite, which was only for bicyclists, ended up being a little creepy -- Bert and I were the only ones there and occasionally during the middle of the night we'd hear a car drive up to use the bathroom.

We left early yesterday morning while the weather was still cool and a little foggy. The ride was a little more difficult that yesterdays, but also absolutely beautiful. Bert and I heard a story today that some Chicagoans who'd biked the Trace had nicknamed it the Natchez Trace Boring Way, but I completely dissagree. The two-lane Parkway has taken us past grassy fields, cotton fields, soy fields and pastures with cows and horses grazing. This is an incredible way to really see America.

One of the most fun parts of my day was that every time I biked past cows, they all followed me with their eyes until I was out of view. When Bert was biking well ahead of me, I got to practice my mooing skills, but I think that my spandex stopped the cows from taking me too seriously.

Over a long, slow climb Bert and I reached the Natchez Trace Parkway's highpoint in Alabama about midday. The fog had burned off around us, but we could see it still into the valleys.

Also about midday another spoke on my bicycle broke! This time I wasn't nearly as worried, since my bike had held up just fine the day before when the last spoke had broken. I also knew that, relatively, I had good timing on my side -- we were getting closer and closer to Tupelo, Mississippi, where I knew there was a bike shop.

The least fun part of the day was actually getting into Tupelo, in part because my left knee was aching a little. First, Bert and I stopped at the Visitors' Center just north of town, which also has camping on the premises. We chatted for a little while there, and then headed into the city to get my bike fixed.

Everywhere else, the Parkway is simply a scenic, little-used roadway. But, in Natchez it's a main thoroughfare. This made for five or so unpleasant miles of biking -- lots of cars were really upset that Bert and I were taking up space.

But we got to the bike shop fine, and now I have not only new spokes but a few extra and a "spoke-replacer," a string that can be subsituted for a spoke in an emergency.

After that, Bert and I weren't too keen on biking back through traffic to the Visitors' Center. So, Bert kindly offered to put us both up in a hotel for the night. How great! We got to shower, sleep in beds and I even got to eat a hamburger (my favorite food).

Today we're going another 70 miles or so. As you might have heard, the weather's dropping a lot in the next few days (into the 40s at night) so Bert and I will be bundling up (as much as one can bundle in spandex). Wish us well as our journey continues.

Peace,
Jonah

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Here's the update for day 4 of the bicycle pilgrimage for Katrina victims:

Yesterday Bert and I biked 72 miles. A lot of our ride was through beautiful hardwood forests, and also more pastures. The hilliness has gone down greatly and so today both Bert and I finished feeling entirely energetic, like we could have perhaps gone on another 30 miles. As it was, we ended up making it to our destination by 3p.m.

We also started to see signs of the hurricane today, mostly lots and lots of trees down by the side of the road. I expect the signs will become even more apparent over the next few days as we continue south.

My bike is now in tip-top shape. It turns out, according to the guy at the bike shop, that I couldn't have fixed the spokes if I had wanted; I would have needed a few very large, very specific wrenches that I don't own (and, if I had, wouldn't have fit in my bike bags).

Last night when I talked to Dana, Bert and I had just spent awhile talking to the owner/manager of Red Hills RV Park we were staying at. We told her about our why we were doing the bike ride, and she decided to let us stay for free! It was really a generous gesture from her.

Excited to be in a place with a small grocery store, Bert and I bought canned beans and turnip greens last night and cooked them up with some garlic. Mmm! How nice to have some vegetables! (That's the one disappointment of biking; fruits and veggies weigh too much and take up too much space to take along.)

The weather is turning colder and Bert and I spent a while strategizing about how to best stay warm overnight. I decided not to sleep in my hammock, since being above ground means having cold air blow under and over me. Instead I was planning on curling up on a tarp and bundling up in all my clothes -- spandex, long johns and a fleece. The RV park owner told me that if it got too cold I could also go sleep in the women's bathroom. It seems that the women's bathroom is not only nicer smelling than the men's bathroom at the park, but also has a lock -- which the men's room doesn't. (It also seems that since everyone else has RVs that include bathrooms it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience.) I'll be sure to let you know tomorrow where I ended up sleeping.

I appreciate having Bert with me more and more and more. In the midst of my aching knee (which is a little better, thanks to adjusting the height of my seat, stretching and taking painkillers) and bicycle spoke problems, he's been incredibly strong, kind and fun to be with -- even when we're not climbing towers. I know I could have done this alone, but remember constantly throughout the day how lucky I am he decided to join me.

Thanks for thinking of me! I'll be in touch soon.

Love,
Jonah

Friday, September 30, 2005

Hello all,

Yesterday Bert and I biked 74 miles, ate one free breakfast, found out we were in a newspaper and got interviewed for another newspaper. What a ride!

First I should tell you where I slept the night before. I ended up not needing to lock myself in the women's bathroom at the RV camp. Instead, I slept outside on a piece of plastic wearing socks, long underwear, running shorts, a t-shirt, fleece jacket, a hat and my rain jacket wrapped around my feet. It wasn't bad at all, and I might do that again, especially since the sky has been so clear.

It was still cold when Bert and I woke up, so I started the day biking wearing my long johns and rain jacket to keep warm. Five miles into our ride we climbed a hill that made me pedal hard; after that I was ready to shed my extra layers.

The day warmed up and became gorgeous, but the bicycling wasn't as enjoyable today as it's been. Unlike the incredibly smooth roadways we'd had earlier this week, the road today was rough and jarring -- it took a lot of energy out of me.

We did have lots of excitement that didn't have to do with bicycling. We'd met a group of British motorcylists two separate days earlier (once as they motorcycled down the Parkway and once on their way back up it) and they told Bert and I that we should stop in French Camp, Mississippi.

French Camp is primarily a Christian Academy, so much so that everyone there that we saw had on a shirt with something to do with the school. The houses (about ten of them, other than the school) were historic, from the mid-1800s. Some of you may not know this about me, but I spent a summer in Deerfield, Massachusetts giving tours of historic houses, and this is still an interest of mine.

When Bert and I made it to French Camp rolled into town around 9 a.m. we went into the admissions/information office of the school/town (as I said, not much delineation). We told the volunteers working there about our trip and they got pretty excited for us. The British motorcyclists had told us there was a cafe/bed and breakfast there, and we asked if it was open.

It wasn't, but a volunteer called over to check: "We've got two people raising money for Katrina. Can you raise up some food for them?"

The answer was yes. We wandered over, not expecting much, but a chef cooked up some bacon, eggs, biscuits and enormous cinnamon buns for us -- on the house.

We bicycled on, incredibly full. In another 20 miles we got to Kosciusko, Mississippi, where the Information Center was run by the Chamber of Commerce. We went in, and talked to the volunteer staff just as their shift was changing. A volunteer just coming in said, "Are you the ones doing the fundraising ride?"

"Yep. Did you just hear about us as we were walking in?" I asked.

"No, I just read about it in the newspaper," he said.

And that's how we learned we were in the newspaper. The volunteer went to the store and brought me a copy. The headline was "Cyclist expected to traverse county to support victims." (Check it out online at http://www.thecarthaginian.com on page 17A.)

"You want us to call the local paper and have them come over and take some pictures of you?" the volunteer asked.

"OK," I said.

About 10 minutes later a woman from the The Kosciusko Sun-Herald showed up. She interviewed Bert and I, took some pictures of us, and went on her way.

We started to go on but decided to call the Carthaginian, the newspaper that'd already published a story about us, since maybe they'd want to take pictures. They were indeed interested. Twenty miles later we met up with the associate publisher of the paper, Waid Prather, who took pictures of us and interviewed us.

Finally we made it into camp at about 6pm, so we ended up setting up camp in the dark. At first, we weren't sure if we were in the right place -- when we got here it was almost deserted, though now we have access to electricity, water and a bath house. The only other people here are two motorcyclists and the manager, Jan, who generously let us stay for free when she found out about our trip.

My knee continues to feel fine -- thanks to everyone who's been sending Dana suggestions for my care of it.

Now that we're solidly in Mississippi, the signs of the hurricane are everywhere. Trees are down all over the place, all facing south because the hurricane's wind came in from the northeast here. We've taken lots of pictures that I'll be sure to show everyone after I return.

Everyone we've talked to has had a story about the hurricane. In Mississippi in particular, it's affecting everyone's lives -- not just people on the coast. For instance, Jan (the manager of the campsite we stayed in last night) and a group of her friends are going down south to help clear some of the rivers. All the Presbyterian churches but one were destroyed on coast, so others are helping to rebuild the churches. People at French Camp took in 200 evacuees after the hurricane. As you can imagine, it's still the big, very personal story here in newspapers.

Today things up in air a little bit. We might go 85 miles to Port Gibson and stay in a Bed and Breakfast, or we'll stay at the Rocky Springs campsite -- about 70 miles -- if it's open.

That's all for now. Hope everyone's well!

-Jonah

Saturday, October 1, 2005

Hello y'all-

Yesterday Bert and I biked a new record -- 89 miles!

The day was relatively uneventful besides that. We got up early as always, and were able to enjoy a picturesque cypress swamp in the first 10 miles or so or riding. After that, the Natchez Trace Parkway met up with the Pearl River, which is dammed up into a reservoir. We rode along this for about 10 miles.

And then we started seeing lots and lots of spandex-wearing bicyclists. Up until yesterday, we'd only seen one other person on a bike -- someone heading northbound on the Trace. But it turns out that Saturdays are big days for biking around here. We were, however, still the only ones with bike bags.

An interesting note: One enjoyable aspect of having other bicyclists around is that they'll wave to us. Cars don't generally, and motorcyclists only do if you give a very particular wave -- basically holding out your hand underneath your handlebars. Who knew?

Because of the hurricane, most camping is closed this far south in Mississippi. (Park rangers are still worried about tree limbs falling down on unsuspecting campers.) This created a bit of a quandary for Bert and I. When we got to the Mississippi Craft Center, a rest area/craft demonstration area, we tried to figure out what would be best for us. We ended up making a reservation for the Oak Square Plantation Bed and Breakfast in Port Gibson, Mississippi -- the largest mansion in town! A park ranger did, graciously, offer us the use of his front yard to pitch a tent, but we declined, since we would have needed to go 120 miles to get there.

By then it was about noon, and we kept riding. The Trace through Jackson is relatively new, so while the riding surface is nice and smooth, the scenery was suburban and we had very little shade. Four hours of this wiped us out, and we took every available opportunity to take a break, drink water and sit in shade/air conditioning.

Toward the mid-afternoon we started seeing signs that read "MS150." We figured out shortly that it was shorthand for a 150-kilometer (about 97 mile) bicycle ride raising money for Multiple Sclerosis. This was fun not only because there were now tons of bicyclists (literally, hundreds) but also because one of their support stations gave us bananas, pickles and Gatorade. Yum!

Besides the lack of shade, the other downside to the ride yesterday was that Bert's wallet is somehow missing. Yikes! He's left messages with park rangers and later today, after the ride ends, we'll go back to the area he thinks he left it in with my dad and look around. Wish Bert luck in finding it.

We got into the bed and breakfast around 7pm last night, and today we have only 40 miles to go to make it to Natchez. We're hoping to be there around 1 or 2 p.m. My dad, Ron McDonald, is driving in from Memphis, Tennessee to pick us up there. My dad and I will drop Bert off at the bus station, then drive back to Memphis.

Well, I'm off to have a big breakfast before the last leg of this pilgrimage!

Love,
Jonah

Sunday, October 2, 2005

Howdy! This is the final update from Jonah's Bicycle Pigrimage for Katrina Victims. And, after a week of excellent and interesting ghostwriting by Dana, you are back to having to read Jonah's own writing. I apologize for sending this to you so late after I finished the ride. I'm traveling in Arkansas, visiting family, so I haven't had the email list handy. Hopefully, you didn't take my silence as bad news. Instead, quite the opposite:

I finished the last 40 miles of the 444 mile Natchez Trace Parkway yesterday (Sunday). It took me 472 miles of total riding to complete the full journey. The extra miles are because of small side trips Bert and I made to bicycle repair shops, RV campgrounds, waterfalls, historical markers, small cafes, bathrooms, Indian mounds, shade, visitor centers, etc.

It still hasn't quite sunk into my brain that my body was able to propel itself that far in seven days, but the reality is that I have tight muscles in my legs, a sore rear end, and an amazing bicylist's tan (very defined differences in skin tone between where my spandex was and where my spandex was not).

I also have a very full heart. When I arrived at my parents' home last night after a long day of driving from Natchez to Memphis, I readthe emails that Dana has been telling me about each evening on the phone. Your notes of support and all of the donations received while I was riding were beautiful to read. I felt very connected to friends and family during this trip, and I want to thank you for going on this pilgrimage with me. We have raised quite a bit more than $6,000 now for long-term rebuilding work in communities affected by Katrina, and I heard "thank you" from many people in Mississippi who not only need help rebuilding their lives, but feel the love and support that you are giving them.

I am planning a presentation (with stories, a slide show of pictures, and more information about the AFSC's Katrina work) that I have tentatively scheduled for October 20th in the Common House at East Lake Commons in Decatur (where I live). I will also post photos from my ride on the www.friendlypilgrim.com/katrina website as soon as I arrive home in Decatur. I will send out two more emails to you: one telling you the exact date, time, and location of my presentation, and one announcing the total amount of money raised. I will also announce the total amount raised at the presentation on the 20th.

So, let me tell you about my last day of riding and clear up any errors that Dana made in reporting my life on the road. On Sunday morning, Bert and I woke up at our usual time (6:15) and went for a walk around the historic town of Port Gibson, Mississippi where we were staying. Breakfast was to be served at 8:00, but we had gotten in so late the night before that we hadn't a chance to sight-see, so we woke up early to do so. I love historic homes--and these were mostly from the 1820s-1850s. I am uneasy walking through grandeur that was built on slave labor--especially since we rode through the outskirts of town saw the poverty that so many people still live in today. But it still intrigues me to see the antebellum architecture and try to piece together in my mind how life was lived back then. I hope that in displaying history to tourists, our country can find ways of making it clear that our wealth stems from a slave system of labor. Also, how can we use our history to illuminate the problems of today?

One quirky thing about the town: The most amazing landmark in Port Gibson is at the top of the Presbyterian Church's steeple: a enormous golden hand pointing to the heavens. Evidently, the first minister of that church (Zebulon Butler) was such a hell-fire preacher that they put his famous hand pointing to God on top of their church.

After a breakfast that couldn't be beat--biscuits as fine as I've ever tasted--we got on the road late, at 9:45. But the riding was easy and by the time my Dad caught up with us on the Trace, we had already ridden 20 miles. But before Dad pulled up alongside our bicycles in our call, I received a call on my mobile phone--Dad found Bert's wallet! It must have been the detailed directions I gave him: "Somewhere between miles 65 and 61, perhaps under a big tree in the middle of a grassy area." Dad claims that it was easy to find because there is only one tree in Mississippi. Thankfully, the good luck of this trip prevailed and we were able to overcome this setback.

On Saturday, we saw lots of bicyclists, but none riding the whole Trace. But on Sunday, we met several people doing the whole length of the Parkway. There was a group of four doing the ride with car support. And we also met a man from Chicago on a recumbant bicycle who had ridden all the way from Canada. It was fun to be able to share our experience with others who were doing a similar journey, and it also felt like we had a community of pilgrims.

At about 3:00, we rode past milepost 0 and said goodbye to the Natchez Trace. Bert and I had a wonderful trip together and were both looking forward to being back in our homes. Dad and I dropped Bert off at the Jackson bus station and drove north to Memphis.

Remember how I mentioned that I would point out any errors Dana made? Well, not only is she an excellent writer, but she is a great reporter, too. When I read her accounts of my journey, I felt like she had written things down verbatim. In fact, the blog is probably more interesting than how I told it to her on the phone! The only thing I'm changing is that we rode 89 miles on Saturday, not just 87.

Thanks for going on this journey with me! I've found that this pilgrimage had three components for me: (1) activism; (2) athleticism; and (3) a personal, internal journey. You have been a big part of making this ride and this fundraiser a success. Together, we were able to raise money to help fund long-term recovery work and we raised awareness of the necessity of long-term work through the media and through personal contacts. Obviously, this trip was an athletic feat for Bert and I. If any of you would like to take a long or short bicycle ride with me sometime soon, just tell me--I'd love to try to keep my legs in shape. (And don't worry, I do not ride fast.) And finally, I used this journey to do a lot of thinking about how I want to make my life more of an on-going pilgrimage. I am going to use the skills I've developed about planning an athletic pilgrimage and try to develop structure and ritual for an internal pilgrimage that I can embark on without having to travel 450 miles. How I will do this will be part of the adventure...

I'll email you as soon as I am able to post the photos from my trip on the website. I can't wait to share the images of this trip with you--mainly so you can see how funny I look in my spandex. Talk to you soon!

Love,
Jonah