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One Month
March 15, 2013. Today means one more month to prepare myself physically, emotionally and financially for the ride of a lifetime. You can consider these my before pictures:
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Where’s the Fiddler?
Like most of my dreams in the past two years, the violin took somewhat of a backseat. I went from four hour practice days to two or three weeks without even touching it. So, how’s fiddling across the...
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Bicycle Touring: My Food Plan
I started putting my food plan together last week. I’ll be honest. I didn’t know how much goes into cycling and nutrition. Food can make or break your ride, slowing you down or pumping fuel through...
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Bicycle Touring: My Dog Fiji
I am not that cruel! A few people have asked if I was going to make Fiji run the whole way while attached to the Springer America. Of course not! Fiji’s poor legs would fall off, and that’s if...
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Good News Overload!
Just a few days ago, I moped and lamented, “Mom, there’s only 2 1/2 weeks left, and we don’t even have the basics yet.” “Jasmine, it’s going to work out. Things always work out,” she replied. My mom...
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Goodbye, Car. Hello, Bicycle.
I left my car in front of the bank. Voluntary surrender letter and keys dropped in the overnight box, the feeling was bittersweet. It was my first, and most likely, last car. Last Summer, at age 23, I...
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Bicycle Touring Pro Scholarship 2013
I am a finalist for the Bicycle Touring Pro Scholarship! Even more pressing, they announce final winners in two days–April 12, 2013. BicycleTouringPro.com owner, Darren Alff, created the website to...
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Going Away Cake from MLERF!
The Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation bid me farewell yesterday with an awesome cake. Check it out:
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Leaving…Two Days
I hate when things don’t go according to plan. My trip was delayed 9 days, due to a plethora problems. We’re hitting the road on Wednesday. I guess this is a test of my patience. On the road, I’ll...
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Fiji Gets In Trailer with “Place” Command
Success!! No, really this time. It’s been a grueling two weeks. Fiji’s training was delayed due to her surgery to remove a tumor. When we finally started working on trailer training, it didn’t go...
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Day 1 Part 1 — Lots of Bad
A crying day…. That’s one of them days where you just got to pull off to the side of the road, stop thinking and cry the worries away. For the past three months, the magnitude of my adventure and the...
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Day 1 Part 2
Fiji, my mom and I stayed with Paul Kimmel, a chemistry professor at Rutgers University. He also plays piano quite well. We practiced a couple of songs together. My violin strings were wonky, and my...
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Day 1 Part 3
“Hi, my name is Jasmine. I’m cycling across the country with my doggy, Fiji, and we’re looking for a place to camp out tonight. Could we stay on the church’s property?” As I handed her my flyer, she...
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What Did You Just Put On My Forehead?
I’m skipping a few days and retelling one event. I’ll give you a more detailed report soon. We were about a mile into town. The heat and humidity crackled on my skin, producing eczema rash patches...
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Angelic Pennsylvanians, Demonic Hills
I always had a place to sleep in Pennsylvania. That says so much about the people. Perfect strangers willing to house a crazy girl who set off across the country with her dog–now, that’s what I’m...
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The C & O Trail — Be Warned!
There are three types of people who set out on a cross country trip by cycle. 1. The sane, sensible person who works hard for a number of years, saves up and embarks on either a supported or...
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Rain Kills Toddlers
Day One on the Great Allegany Passage! We climbed our first mountain. Out of the 22 mile uphill delight, we could only do 16 for the day. Rain poured, and Frostburg truly was frosty. Even though we...
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Dog Attack!
Steady, gradual incline. My knee started to ache around mile 14. Stopped at a Baptist Church to rest. I was talking to my mom on the phone when a dog came out of nowhere. Fiji’s fur stood on her back,...
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Knee Update
About a week ago, my knee started to ache. It worsened. My first host in Columbus, OH ran a massage clinic and offered me a free session. The massage therapist injury knew about sports injury. She told...
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