I'm Tired

May 21st (Day 12): From Wolcott, Indiana.

Well, I'm 25 miles from time travelling (A.K.A. crossing the Indiana-Illinois border into the Central Time Zone. It's on an off drizzling and wind from the NorthWest at about 10 miles per hour and about 50 degrees, maybe cooler.

Recap of the last few days.
Ohio is behind me. After I left Cleveland and the home of the wonderful Sean McCafferty mentioned in my last post, I biked south from Cleveland to get onto a back country highway to cross the state (rt 224). I was planning on picking my tent up in the small town of Sullivan ohio, where it was mailed to the post office. I got into town, 70 miles into the day, at 3:30. Post office closed at 1:30. I was not going to mess around without a tent, so I spent the night. 70 miles in the day is my shortest biking day (not including the day I took completely off in Aurora).

The following day I got my tent, and had a late start, leaving town around 9:15 (After a good hardy breakfast of multigrain hot cereal with flax, chia, peanut butter, honey, and granola) and I rode slowly into the head wind. I meandered my way through 100 miles or so of farm land, flat as flat gets, but windy as windy gets to the town of Ottawa.

That night I fabricated plans to try and get to a home to stay at for thursday night not far from Peoria Illinois. Foolishly thinking that I could bike that far (I misread the map somehow and figured it would take two 110-120 days (big days the biggest so far).

The next day I woke early, with 120 miles planned for the day. I cruised through town, the wind was mild and the temps were in the high 30's (COLD on a bike especially when you forgot your glove and need to put socks on your hands).

I hit Indiana at 10:45, 45 miles gone already. by 11:30, 52 miles down. by 2:30, 80 miles. By 3, I biked 5 miles the wrong direction, by 3:30, biked 5 miles back (90 miles).
90 miles into my day I hit US rt 24 TRUCKER ROUTE. I have seen thousands of semis pass me since then. I biked about 50 miles on 24 yesterday to get past the city of Logansport.

As of now I have about 100 miles between me and the home I can stay at in El Paso, IL.
I'll probably bike an other 60 today and do the rest tomorrow. because I'm tired.

I'll leave you with that.

I'm tired.

Lake Erie and all of its flatness.

From East Aurora (outside Buffalo) to Mayfield Heights (Cleveland) 200 miles in 2 days.
My first back to back century rides. ~650 miles deep.
Tomorrow I finally pick up a tent.

The ride through New York was so difficult, I was having a hard time thinking that this ride was going to actually be feasible. But, yesterday, I hit the shores of my first great lake sighting, Lake Erie, and that all changed. I did 50 miles before 12:30 yesterday, and slowly meandered my way down the Grape vine filled coast of western New York to the Pennsylvania border to the sketchy city of Erie Pennsylvania. covering 100 miles. by 6:30.

Today I woke up to sounds of cars and the airport (which I slept 100 yards from) in a small patch of woods that can hardly be called woods. Nonetheless, I was safe for the night, out of sight of the passerbyers. I woke early, had a cup of my cold brewed coffee from my nalgene, 2 cliff bars, and got out of there. I stopped for breakfast at a bagel shop in the first town in Ohio (after a quick photo shoot with the border sign). I walk in ask for a coffee, and 2 bagels and a lady slips between me and the register and hands the cashier the money for my breakfast and has me come sit down with her and her 2 friends (the women were all in their 40's and 50's). Ladies out for breakfast plus 1, I give them the shpeel and they quickly give me the best directions to avoid an unnecessarily long detour around a downed bridge.

Later in the day, while taking cover from a passing thunderstorm, I walked into a old gas station where I bought a candy bar and had an other miracle worker buy me a coffee while waiting out the storm.

And now, I am in the hope of one of the most generous people I've met. Treated to a shower and shrimp, and a full dinner, this once was stranger has already left me at their home while they ran some errands. This man, Sean, who is a friend, of a friend of a friend, Has already instilled more trust in me than most instill to their best friends.

There are good people everywhere. But for some reason, they pop out when the hills tuckaway into the back ground.

And as the saying goes that I leave with all those I visit, Cheers to our paths crossing again in the future.

First "zero day".

Hey all, again from East Aurora, NY.
The lovely family supporting me here offered me to stay an extra day in their home on their farm, I couldn't turn them down. Anyways, there 4 and 5 year old girls are the sweetest kids around and it's fantastic to be connecting with people after the lonely time on the bike.

Talked to a couple folks at the local bike shop and it looks like my ride along Lake Erie tomorrow, is beautiful and flat (after the last few days of biking those 2 things actually mean the same thing).

In 2 days I'll be in Cleveland 180+miles from here so two 90 mile days from here.

The family here, Amy, (Beth Pecoraro's sister) and her husband and kids are just wonderful people, feeding me, giving me a place to sleep, a place to shower, and my laundry is even clean! And at that I've got a second night here. There truly are amazing people wherever you go, so long as you go there with good intentions.

My rest day today was much needed after all of the large hills, my body feels good and I feel ready for the next leg of the trip. Through areas of the country I've never been close to.

Route 20 in New York, the route I've taken across the state from the Saratoga Springs area, is rich in history. It began as a native american trail, there are historical signs in just about every town stating its significance as an old indian town, or as a colonial town. After Europeans came to the area, it eventually became paved and then became the original Thru-way for the state, connecting Albany and Buffalo. And now the Interstate takes its place and rt 20 is left as a slightly lesser traveled town running right through the history of the indian trail, magnificent stuff.

Well, it's time for bed. I'll see more computers and you'll see more of my writing and progress. Pictures to come soon.

Happy trails, With much love, and slightly less sore legs,

-Lance Parker

Cruising into the Great Lakes

The Night of the fifth day... From East Aurora, just outside of Buffalo, NY. ~460 miles down.
Today was another big day. Yesterday I decided to not go to my planned place to sleep, and instead packed away a few more miles passing through Auburn and Sleeping in a small town called Waterloo, where I also enjoyed some fine tasting sweet potato fries at Connie's Diner. It saved my 40 miles in total, not going to the house I had lined up, I got to sleep out by a river with ducks flying by, and I got further.

The change of plans set me ahead of schedule and now I'm at Buffalo in 5 days instead of the anticipated 6. I'm feeling it though, The hills are no joke around here.

Today was magnificent, cold morning, had Coffee at Connie's Diner at 6:30 and rolled out around 7.
once I got through the rest of the finger lakes region, the hills came back. Big,  relentless hills through the farm lands of New York. The burns are stacking up, I suppose I need to use more sunscreen, and use it earlier in the day.

In 5 days, I've biked 460 miles. Something that far surpasses what I've done with biking in the past.

It's lonely though,. that's the hardest part. Besides for the wonderful people I meet periodically, I'm on my bike, all day, alone, in the sun, working (or in the rain and the wind). I'm seeing all the places everyone driving through misses though, and well the pros outweigh the cons, or else I wouldn't be here.

From the Finger Lakes!

Greetings!
From the beautiful town of Skaneateles, New York.

If you think riding in Vermont is hard, bike west on NY Rt 20! Up, and down, up and down, up and down, that's my new mantra. not to mention the 20 mph headwind that's kicking my butt. I'm here in the library taking a break.

The first 2 days were hot, and excellent. I got a flat and broke my speedometer. Geoffrey joined me for probably almost 180 miles, and now I've gone that by myself. I'm in the thick of it, that's for sure.

Yesterday was my longest ride ever, reaching somewhere between 105 and 110 miles. I spent last night at the home of Ross Morgan's father, Sewell. Excellent guy, 95 years old and he made me dinner and breakfast, and gave my a bed to sleep in.

Today, when I left Sewell's home, it was 40 degrees, raining, and there was a steady 20 mph headwind with gusts probably reaching 25, maybe greater. It goes without saying that my morning was one of the hardest morning's I've ever had. I'm glad it's not raining anymore, but I do need to get back on the road.

Well take care everyone, I'll leave you with the last thing Geoff told me before we parted ways:

"Remember why you're doing this: For the freedom!"

Grand Teton Independent Study 3 credits

Lance Parker

Summer 2015

3xx SS/NS Independent Study

Advisor: Dick Smyth

A Particular Taste for the Tetons:

Ecology and human use history of northwestern Wyoming

A narrative description of the project, including: study plan, detailed weekly schedule, learning objectives, and supporting activities

           

            Schedule:

Tentatively: June 26^th – July 16^th (~3 weeks)

In and around Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks (i.e. northwestern Wyoming)

A study of the ecology and human use history of northwestern Wyoming:     

These last 3 credits will round out my Senior Capstone experience with more depth and breadth, digging into the social sciences of history and current land use, and the natural sciences of how one can learn about a place, and what is there.

Shortly after my 100 mile race in the Big Horn Mountains of north-central Wyoming (June 19^th and 20^th), I will continue across the state into northwestern Wyoming, the Tetons, and Yellowstone. This will be my place of grounding after a long stretch of moving from place to place. I will take the two and a half to three weeks following arriving in the Tetons, to study the area. With the help and guidance of locals, and accessible knowledge from libraries, the Teton Science School, and the National Park Service, I will delve deeply into what it is that is drawing me to this place: A beautiful landscape.

Week 1: First thing’s first, acquire resources. Purchase / rent from local library, guide books to learning the place (Yellowstone/ Tetons Field guides to plants, animals and rock) (Tetons Climbing Guidebook). Conversations with the Teton Science School may lead to the exact resources I should be using. Make connections with those that I can make connections with: Sterling Alum, TSS faculty/ employees (i.e. people as resources).

Find the local gathering areas and begin letting people know what I am doing.

Ramble. Ramble. Ramble. Hike, bike, run, and climb, to new places every day. Bring field guides and turn into a curious wanderer. Identify trees, flowers, and other plant species, make not of any likeness to eastern species (eastern / western analogues). Field Journal everyday making note of new species found, animal sightings, weather, and any other notable experiences. Begin a journal for human use practices. How many people are hiking, how many people are climbing? Running? Swimming, paddling, etc…?

Week 2: Continue these practices. Begin formalizing the experience. Connect with the Teton Science School, or those who are willing to help (National Park Service). Shadow some TSS programs. Meet Vincent W. (Sterling Alum ’11). Interview groups that are climbing the Grand Teton, following some contextualization of the place with historical documentaries, shadowing, etc… create dialogue with those that are perpetuating the climbing culture of the Tetons. Find a relevant book to read through the remainder of my time in the Tetons. Finish it with a comparison paper between the author’s experiences and mine.

Week 3: Through field journals, exploring, formal learning from locals and local organizations, research, and interviews with people who are experiencing the land, I will tie my experience in the place up with some reflecting. Through the practice of running and meditation, I will find a place of particular beauty (a place that encapsulates the greater area), and rest there. Reflecting on what makes this area unique and reflect on my learning objectives for my time here. At the end of my time in the Tetons, I will write a final reflective paper on my experiences exploring this particular set of essential questions and my progress through these objectives.

Learning objectives:

-To discover varieties of flora and fauna of the area.

-To explore the working ecosystem of the area.

-To delve deeply into what the people of the area are doing to interact with the natural world and landscapes.

-To question and search for answers to the area’s geology.

-To learn of the rich human history of the area.

-To learn about the story of the National Parks designations of northwestern Wyoming.

-To learn of the water shed(s)

            Guiding Questions:

-What makes this place national park worthy?

-What are the plant species of the area, what are the animal species of the area, how do they interact?

-What, geologically, has happened to this place?

-What are people doing here?

-What about this place is calling to me?

-What is the water doing in this place? Where is it going (continental divide)?

Resources to be used

I am in contact with the Teton Science School (TSS) with the intention to familiarize myself with people of the area and

-Interviews of climbers, hikers, and tourists

-Interviews of TSS students or employees

-Field work with field guides to: species identification (plants and animals), geology, climbing guides.

-Local libraries

-Coffee shops, gear stores, and the locals that inhabit them

-The National Park Service, their guides, brochures, and in house information.

-Spending three weeks there, I will get ample time to explore multiple areas and gain a sense of how some of the larger systems are working together.

Specific products of the study

           

-       2-3 weeks of field journaling (notes on species observed, land features, places visited, people met, etc… Journal that evolves around essential questions and learning objectives.

-       Species lists. A full list of all of the species identified over the 2-3 weeks of the course: one for animals, one for plants.

-       Documented interviews. (who, what, where, why, how?)

-       Final synthesis paper that draws from learning objectives and essential questions.

-       Comparison paper: reflective analysis of relevant book.

-       Reflections specifically on my experience with the TSS or National Park Service

-    Map depicting places visited.

Method of evaluation and assessment

Criteria for each piece, is based on full credit. After not meeting this criteria, a lower grade will be assigned accompanied with a narrative from the advisor addressing what was not met and what the resulting grade is.

            30% Field Journals

            Regularity in journals; 15+ formalized field journal entries that summarize an entire day. Includes drawings, species observed, weather, cloud cover, places visited, etc… Entries should be neat, if not beautifully done. The 15 pieces should flow together in a way that is beautiful to look at, tells a reader of what I have done and also tells the reader of what the place is like.

30% Culmination of Field journals & Final Synthesis

            A polished document, whether hand written or not, should include the following: An introduction of the place (Tetons / Yellowstone / both), biome, water, humidity, landscape, animals, and plants. Full species lists, one of animals, one of plants (to whatever capacity I can, these will be separated out by family, genus and species to organize them). The finishing of this document will be a formalized synthesis on the essential questions and learning objectives for the course. This paper will effectively tie together, the journal entries with my whole completed experience in attempt to conclude the experience.

           

10% Interview documentation

Gain knowledge from others. While on jaunts, or in coffee shops, I should be making any attempt possible to be learning from those people who are in the area. Ask about what they are doing and why they are there. Take notes on any and all interactions with people who know about the area. Many of these notes will first appear in a 3x5 pocket notebook and will be translated into a neater document nearing the end of the trip. Each piece should have a short reflection on the importance of the interaction.

10% Reflective analysis on chosen relevant book

In attempt to contextualize my experience, I will upon arriving in the Tetons area, purchase or rent a book that is relevant to the experience that I am going to have. Whether it be a climber’s story, a naturalist’s story or an academic book suggested to me by the Teton Science School, it should in same way, shape, or form have impact on my experience in the area. The write up on this book should include a synapsis of what the book was about, and relate the book directly to my experience.

                        

            20% Handmade map of the area with places visited, marked.

I will create a map (as large as necessary) in order utilize a different learning style in order to add more depth to my experience. This map will also be a way for me to translate to others what I have done and where I have gone. It will be 2 dimensional in order to send it to my advisor. It will include all major regions and areas that I have visited and learned about. It should act as a guide for someone to do what I have done. It will also be a reference for my final people, in order for the reader to gain a better understanding of my time in the Tetons.

           

Plan for keeping the advisor informed of progress

Phone, Email, snail mail

Description of how the Independent Study fits into an overall degree plan

As I am planning for my summer, there is one piece of study that will complete the season as an interdisciplinary semester. This gap is being filled by this study: a social science and natural science piece that ties loose ends together and gives me the opportunity to delve very deeply into one designated area. The fact of the matter though, is that there is this beautiful place that I will be going through and I want to stop there to learn about this place. As an outdoor educator and student in such learning, I understand and recognize the value of empowering students. To be able to embrace the desire to learn of a place, by going there, moving through it and learning about it, I am empowering myself, both as a student and as an educator. 

Thank you!

To everyone who has helped, and to everyone who will help me along the way.

In less than 7 days, I will be leaving on my bicycle. All of my loved ones are in my thoughts. But know that I am going to find good places on my way.