Lockport, NY

Greetings from Lockport, NY!

So sorry for the silence the past couple weeks. It's been a long, fast and damp several days. We started with a two day orientation in Portsmouth, NH on the 19th. After a confusing ride around Portsmouth in the rain we made it to the shore where we lined up and dipped our tires in the Atlantic. Then we took off. The days are now a blur. From the shore we dove straight into the White Mountains, through NH and VT and into the Adirondacks... Some highlights: Surviving some of those massive steep climbs and crazy, curvy descents in Vermont... Swimming in a creek in Rochester, VT. We walked as far upstream as we could against the current and then floated down on our backs watching the sky pass slowly. A nice change of pace from gripping handlebars constant peddling. Crossing through the meadows and countryside of VT was the most peaceful my mind has been in ages... I could live there and be happy, I think.

We took the ferry into NY state eager to be out of the mountains only to find that upstate NY is the most ridiculously hilly place ever. Oh. My. God. So exhausting. But equally rewarding. It's so frustrating climbing up, but when you reach the to and coast down it's just bliss. I love cycling.

When I signed up for this trip I was pumped to have some quality think time - hours and hours to process the past few years in DC, sort through all my thoughts that had been building up and keeping me awake at night this spring, figure out my plan for the next year and the next 5 years etc... But I've discovered that pretty much all I can make time to think about is food, sleep, stretching and taking in the scenery. So basically all I've done is attend to my physical needs and breathe for the past several days...and now whenever I sit down to journal instead of pages of tumultuous confusion/frustration/hefty questions, all I can muster is a few points on what happened that day (extra layer on my pb&honey sandwich, amazing brownies for dessert provided by our lovely hosts, a particularly unique specimen of roadkill...)... I've not been so not-in-conflict in a really long time. I credit the views and the endorphins. Highly recommend a trip like this to anyone in need of a vacation...

Unfortunately, this also means that I may have a hard time coming up with inspiring/meaningful posts for this blog... But I'll do my best.

I'm off now. Going to spread the internet-love. Niagara Falls tomorrow.
Good times.

Until next time,
Julia