Where the !*&*@ is Kerri Martin?

		Where the !#&@ is Kerri Martin?
KERRI'S UP AND LEFT TOWN! Where will she go? What will she do? Will bikeTV survive without her? OK, the last question is just for fun - but really... where the !#&@ is Kerri Martin? Stay tuned to bikeTV and bikeTV.org and find out ...
Friday, June 14, 2002 So, how does that little tradition go for people who are venturing across country with their bike? Before they depart, they stick their front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean. Or is it their back wheel in the Atlantic Ocean? And then when they reach the west coast, their front wheel gets dipped in the Pacific Ocean. Or is it the back wheel in the Pacific Ocean? Or is that if you start on the west coast? Well, on my last day in NYC, I contemplated this thought along the East River Greenway. But, then I thought to myself: "Well, I can't do this because the East River isn't exactly the Atlantic Ocean." And then I thought: "Well, more importantly, Kerri, you' can't do this because you're not exactly biking across the whole country." (I'd be sure to piss off all those bad asses who have biked the whole 3000+ miles.) And then I also remembered: "Kerri, you might not even end up at the Pacific Ocean."
True. All true. But couldn't I at least dip my front wheel in the East River and then I could find at least a little creek or stream near my final destination in which I could dip my back wheel. No? It doesn't work like that..... Screw it then. I'm going to go enjoy my last piece of NY pizza and am going to think up my own tradition for those travellers who plan on crossing the country for the first couple weeks with their bike on top of a friend's car, and then plan on travelling with their bike via train or bus and don't really know where they are going or where they are going to end up..... So, my trip starts on Sunday, June 14th. My first destination: Albany bus station. OK, it doesn't sound too exciting but my first travelling companion, Mike, is coming from Portland, ME so we decided that was a good meeting spot. The second unclimactic aspect of my departure is that my parents are dropping me off there. I know, very uncool. But when you are jobless, anything free is good. Hopefully, they will at least drop me a block away and won't honk, wave or blow kisses as they drive away. From Albany, Mike and I talked about heading north on Sunday afternoon to either Lake George, Lake Placid, or Lake Champlain. Tune in again soon to see which lake was the lucky winner.... See you later NYC.....
Sunday, June 16th - On our way to the Albany bus station, we stopped at a rest stop along the NY State Thruway. I ran into a friend of mine from high school, Rob Kelly, who I hadn't seen in about 6 years or so. I told him about my cross country trip and that our first stop is going to be Burlington, VT. Turns out that is where he lives. So, we head up to Burlington, enjoy an afternoon Guiness while listing to Irish music and then head to Rob's. Our first night on the road and we already have it so easy. If I start hanging out at rest stops throughout this whole trip maybe I'll run into someone I know in each place I'm heading to.... fat chance....
	Monday, June 17th - We checked out Burlington. Rob works at the University of VT. Mike and I took out our bikes and cruised along the Burlington Bikeway. We talked to some people from the local advocacy group Local Motion. I took alot of good footage so hopefully you will be able to check it out on bikeTV soon. It starts raining pretty hard so we decide in the afternoon to head to Montreal. We thought a city will be more fun than camping in the pouring rain. "Your money goes a long way here."....that's what the first Canadian woman we met as we crossed the border said to us. Hmmm, maybe we'll stay a while here....
	Tuesday, June 18th - We bike a rail trail north of Montreal. It's 200km long. (We are sharpening our math skills in Canada by using the metric system and converting currency. So, our unemployed minds aren't going to waste....) We biked part of it. Passed alot of people who were making a 2-3 day adventure of it. They had saddle bags with them and were going to camp or stay at inns along the way. Later, we head down to Ontario. Didn't have any desire to go to Ottawa but we somehow ended up going right through the city. Very beautiful but we didn't stop. Definitely a city I'd like to go back to. We camped in near Smith Falls in a cool lake district south of Ottawa.
	Wednesday, June 19th - We stopped at the Hershey factory in the morning in Smith Falls to stock up on chocolates for the trip. (The bag lasts us less that 24 hours though....). Enjoyed a relaxing day at the lakes in this area and then headed down to Kingston on Lake Ontario. Kingston is a cool waterfront town. We enjoyed a beer on the water. We needed to relax a bit from a very stressful day. Camped that night down near Sandbanks Provincial Park.
	Thursday, June 20th - Headed to Toronto and met up with Rick Conroy (former New Yorker and Time's Up activist). We met him at a cool outdoor pub. Slowly, one by one, many of his friends started showing up (all on bicycles). Rick also seemed to know everyone that passed by. Rick gave us a cool walking, bicycle-related tour of Toronto. He and his friends are all active in ARC(a sort of Time's Up group). We met more people out for Mexican food. Toronto is Canada's largest city but Rick made it seem like a village.
	Friday, June 21st - Woke up for the 7:30 World Cup match of Germany vs. US. Met Rick and his gang at a bakery down the street from his apartment. Everyone there was rooting for Germany or at least "against America." Lots of American jokes about how we are so un-soccer saavy. Oh, those Canadians, they think they are so funny.... I guess it didn't help that I yelled(jokingly) "Come on, touchdown!!" when the US almost scored a goal... Toronto is a very cool city but it was very hot and there were smog alerts so we headed out of town - north towards Georgian Bay. Very beautiful and much cooler(temperature-wise) than Toronto.Saturday, June 22nd - We head north. We have to take a 90 minute ferry ride to get to the northern part of Georgian Bay. We are heading in the direction of Sault-Sainte Marie. The entrance back into the United States. We have 40 Canadian dollars left in our pocket. We head to the casino with half of it put we don't come out winners like we hoped. The rest we spend at the duty free shop on a case of Candian Molsen. We're going to miss Canada.... We head down through Michigan and camp near the Mackinaw Bridge which connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.....
	Sunday, June 23rd - Near our campsite, we head down to a ferry that takes up to Mackinac Island. A 15-minute ferry ride and you end up in heaven. It's a small island with no cars and just millions of bicycles. Tons of cool cruisers and tandems. The ferry brings you to a small town with just fudge, ice cream and candy shops. We did an 8-mile loop around the island and then enjoyed an afternoon cocktail. This place is the epitome of relaxation. We found a plush green field that had tons of Adirondack chairs scattered about. We took our daily afternoon nap there which was then followed by our daily dose of ice cream. We are sad to leave. As we are heading west on Route 2, I see a billboard that says "Visit the World Famous Mystery Spot - next exit." I almost died. A couple years ago when I was in skiing in CO, I met a guy who said he was a ski bum and in the summer he ran a place called the "Mystery Spot" in Michigan. I thought he was kidding me until I saw the billboard. We stopped in and you basically have to pay $6 for a 20-minute tour of a shack that is slanted on a hill and "defies gravity!" Now, I know why this guy can afford to be a ski bum all winter. There are millions of suckers like us who visit this place every year. Maybe I can open another Mystery Spot somewhere in the U.S. Maybe Mackinac Island could use a Mystery Spot.... We stayed on the Wisconsin/Michigan border that night.
	Monday, June 24th - Arrived at Eric's and Julia's in Madison, WI in the afternoon. I knew Eric when we both lived in Frankfurt, Germany. Eric has lived in Madison for the past 12 years and is originally from Northern Wisconsin. He can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the state and its capitol. He will greet you with the Wisconsin Dairy Famer's Handshake and will even sing you the offical Wisconsin song. He gave us an awesome tour of Madison (a very bike-friendly place and rated one of the U.S's most liveable cities.), the university and pointed out almost all of the 20 different apartments he has lived in. We went back to their house and had a little BBQ. Complete with Wisconsin cheese curds(you can tell if they are fresh if they squeak in your mouth), Bratwurst marinated in Old Milwaukee(Wisconsin has a big German-influence) and washed it all down with the local brew. Ended the evening with a fierce game of badmiton and some late-night drinks at the Caribou.
	Tuesday, June 25th - Now all we want to do is make it to Colorado but we first have to make it through Iowa and Nebraska. We drove through Iowa today. Not much to say about it besides it has more trees and is greener than I thought it would be. And it is so freakin' hot! We amused ourselves and one highway rest stop by buying the Country Singles paper for $1. It is all personal ads for the Midwest. We looked through them hoping to set up some sort of double date for that night in Des Moines. Maybe, we can meet some nice locals who can show us around. Most of the people are looking for "cowgirl types" or people who like Country Western music, line-dancing or rodeos. A couple of the ads mentioned that they like bikes but I have suspect they mean the ones with the motors... We ditched the paper and kept heading west. We camped that night somewhere in Nebraska. Not a pleasant spot. Smelled like fertilizer. Forced us to wake up early and hit the road....
	Wednesday, June 26th - We made it through Nebraska and arrived in Boulder in the afternoon. Bike lanes and bike route signs everywhere! Mike used to live here so he knows the place well and still knows people here. It's going to be nice to chill here for a couple days. We go out for burgers, beers and crash later at one of Mike's friend's house.
	Thursday, June 27th- BOULDER, CO Biked up to the town of Ward from Boulder. I wasn't sure if my sea-level lungs or my legs(that are only used to the one hill in Central Park) would make it up the mountains. To make a long, grueling story short......I made it up to Ward and it was worth every ounce of pain. It's difficult to describe Ward. I think it's something you have to experience yourself. How do you find it, you ask? Go straight up into the mountains outside of Boulder, listen for the Jimi Hendrix tunes, pass about 10 run down cars, when you approach a sign that says "Congested Area", you will see a small community there. Stop in the General Store.... you can get anything there from Gatorade and Powerbars to Crystals and tie-dyed t-shirts. Glad I still had energy that night to check out the weekly "Cruiser" ride (left) that leaves from the Sports Garage. What a cool cast of characters on this ride with equally cool bikes. Old cruisers, homemade rickshaws, tall bikes, low-ride Xtracycles, side-by-side tandems. It was like a moving party. We made a pit-stop at the liquor store before heading to a park where there was an all-out BBQ for us. One of the girls broke out her "fire sticks" and gave us a little circus performance. We still rode as it grew dark and everyone turned on their lights and some even had disco balls hanging from their bikes. The ride ended at El Rio Grande for "The Best Margaritas" in town. I don't think I've visited a Mexican joint on this trip that hasn't claimed the same fame.
	Friday, June 28th: BOULDER, CO - The highlight of the day was "breaking in" to Chris and Sandy's house. They already moved to San Francisco but their old house in Boulder is empty and the new tenants haven't moved in yet. Mike and I camped on the floor in their one room that still had carpet in it. We were hoping the neighbors would think we were the new tenants and bring over a nice warm meal or a fruit basket. No such luck.
	Saturday, June 29th - DENVER-BOUND Mike is heading back east. I am heading down to Denver. We part ways at the Boulder bus station. I am on my own now and back to the adventerous world of mass transit. Piece of cake. I throw my bike on the bike racks that they have on all the buses here, throw my bags underneath and am in downtown Denver within 45 minutes.....
	Sunday June 30th - Sunday July 7th: - WYOMING/NORTH DAKOTA camping trip with Gretchen, Matt, Jerry and Mark. I left my bike in Denver and joined these 2 New Yorkers and 2 Chicagoans in their rental jeep(!) for a North Dakota-bound camping trip. We visited the Smokey Mountains of Wyoming, Devil's Tower, Teddy Roosevelt National Park in SD. Hung out one night with the cast from The Medora Musical - a super patriotic, proud-to-be-North Dakotan, Teddy-Roosevelt-worshiping musical out in the middle of nowhere. We spent the 4th of July at Gretchen and Mark's grandmother's house in Valley City, ND. This was a Independence Day never to be forgotten. They treat the holiday like Christmas. Gretchen's grandma decorates herself and the entire house in red, white, and blue. A big box of fireworks with the words "Block Party" is mailed to her grandmother from a fireworks company since she is known for her annual display. On Independence Day Eve, the family sits around as the box is opened and all the fireworks are looked at in awe and anticipation. Then, the entire family goes out in a 3 car caravan visiting all the fireworks stands that are scattered around the city. LIke kids in a candy store. They leave with their arms full and smiling but not before causing quite a stir haggling with the 13-year olds who run the businesses..... The next day lots of the town folks and family flock to Grandma Kathleen's house to watch the spectacle. An accordian player on the porch plays patriotic tunes in the background. The big moment of the night was lighting the 16,000 pack of Black Cat firecrackers. When stretched out on the sidewalk, it covers half the property. Bets are placed on how long it will take to finish. Grandma Kathleen (aka Firecracker Grandma.....a woman with a lot of firecracker experience) comes the closest. 17-something long, noisy minutes..... Sunday July 7th - Saturday, July 13th - MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL It was back to the real world for some of us. Gretchen and Matt flew back to NYC. Jerry and Mark hopped a train back to Chicago. And I decided to stick around to check out the Twin Cities. I found a little slice of heaven in downtown St.Paul called The Sibley Bike Depot. It houses the Minnesota Bike and Pedestrian Alliance and The Yellow Bike Coalition but is also a place where people can go to buy a bike, borrow a bike, fix their bike or just sit around in lounge chairs, drink beers and talk about bikes. Needless to say, I was a magnet to this place and met many cool folks. Saturday, July 13th. BACK TO DENVER. I planned on taking a Greyhound bus from Minnesota to Denver. I realized it would be long (22+ hours) but I was up for the adventure. But when it came down to it, I reconsidered the adventure. I found a cheap last-minute flight on the internet for the same price as the bus trip and about 20 hours shorter.
	Sunday, July 14th - Thursday, Aug 1s - DENVER, CO...Spent a great 2 1/2 weeks in Denver and was glad to be reunited with my bike since I was without it for 2 weeks. My first day back I decide to meet up with the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club for a ride up in the mountains. They are a very cool cycling club who have rides every weekend and on Wednesdays they meet in Wash Park for laps and then go to the Handle Bar and Grill afterwards for drinks and burgers. The Handle Bar is a bicycle themed restaurant and bar. Not to be confused with many of the "Biker Friendly" bars I have passed out here. I learned quickly what "Biker Friendly" meant upon entering one of those joints and being faced with a sea of black leather jackets. I guess I didn't see all the Harleys parked outside. One of the highlights of my stay in CO was the Tour de Fat in Fort Collins: a ballyhoo of bikes and beer(www.newbelgium.com). It's a travelling festival sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company (makers of Fat Tire ale). The owners and all of the employees are cycling enthusiasts. The festival consists of bike rides, band, bicycle games, food and brew. I captured it all on video so hopefully they were be an upcoming bikeTV episode. The best part was sitting on the back of an Xtracycle(www.xtracycle.com) and filming the crowds at the festival and around the cool town of Fort Collins. Another side trip I took was to Colorado Springs via Greyhound. I went on a Thursday and the bus was packed. I later learned that most people were heading to various prisons to visit their loved ones for the weekend. I spent the day visiting a friend from HS who is a cop there. He has a lot of interesting stories. He told me I'm welcome to ride with him anytime he's on patrol. He'll suit me up with a bullet-proof vest and show me how to operate the gun. I know it doesn't have anything to do with bicycles but if I get the opportunity to join him, I'll be sure to bring the video camera and we'll do a special "COPS"-like episode for bikeTV. I am arriving in Seattle on Thursday night and staying with Colleen. We are sailing out to the San Juan Islands for the weekend. Should be fun. Rich is meeting me in Seattle on August 7th and we are going to bike down to Portland, OR. We'll check out a lot of the Bike Summer events (www.bikesummer.org....Come out for it if you can!) and check out the Oregon coast. Rich is leaving on the 19th and I may stay for the rest of August in Portland. Ken and Karen (NYC and bikeTV transplants) are trying to organize a bikeTV marathon showing in Portland at the end of August.