That desert.

So yeah, I've been bad about updating this. I've had to keep a very watchful eye on my phone battery each day, and I haven't really had a good time to sit down and think til now. Things have happened since my last post. We crossed over into Oklahoma a few days ago and we weren't too pleased with the terrain, wind and heat. We rode a good 30 miles against 20mph winds while going uphill before we stopped for the first time in OK. After eating a massive lunch, we set back out for Guymon. After about 20 minutes of riding into what felt like a blow dryer set on high, we ended up taking a break. We decided that we were going to try and hitch-hike our way up to Guymon. After about an hour and a half of no luck, we managed to get someone to stop. We ended up getting a ride from a pastor on his way to Guymon with his seven Thai/Burmese girls. That was easily the best car ride of my life. He was nice enough to drop is off at a camp site close to the road as well, so I'm really glad he came across us. The next day we headed into Texas, which I was stoked about. We were greeted by an all day uphill ride that eventually turned into a nightmare of wind, sand and heat. We made it to Dalhart with minutes to spare before the town got hit by a small dust storm. Also, Weston and I walked through a dust-devil. NOT COOL. After staying at a motel in Dalhart for two days and getting a lot of rest, we set out for New Mexico last night. We decided to try riding at night to avoid the wind that has been beating us down daily. It was a little frightening at first, but we quickly adjusted and blew through the 70 mile ride and arrived at dawn. We're currently sitting at a campsite in Logan, NM just kind of chillin'. We're planning on heading out around 8pm tonight to avoid wind and heat. I'll make a real effort to post here more often in the coming days. We're in the desert now, so there will be plenty of pictures floating around. I actually have waaaay more than this, but Google+ sucks. Cheers!

Kansas has wind.

Hola, it's been a minute since my phone has had a charge. A few things have happened since we left Sedalia. First, we headed out to Linn county in Kansas and stayed on a lake for a day. Of course, this was after having to carry all of our gear and bikes across waist deep water due to a broken bridge. Spending the day relaxing after a grueling 95 miles was pretty great. We ended up getting some bad weather though, so that night was pretty horrifying. Luckily it paused just long enough for us to pack up in the morning and head out. We were holed up in a diner for about an hour waiting for the monsoon to subside. We managed to outrun the storm and get back out into the sun after about 30 minutes, and we've been dry since. We headed to Pamona State Park that day, but had to make a quick pit-stop in Clinton for some food and possible bike maintenance. We found food, but no repair shop. Got to camp that night, charged phones just a little and hit the sack. Then today happened. We headed out for Marion this morning and quickly discovered that the wind had picked up. We hit Osage City and decided to re-think the day. We chose a shorter destination and headed for Emporia, which was 30 miles away. I can't even describe the horror that we had to endure to get there. 30mph winds and rolling hills don't mix when you're on bikes. We made it though. We headed to the bike shop, grabbed some Chinese food and then got a hotel. Tomorrow we're headed to McPhereson, and I'm pretty stoked. I'll hopefully have more pictures next time to post. Can't take many photos with a dead phone. Cheers.

Day one.

I apologize for the lack of attractiveness with this post. It's from my phone. Just going to give a quick recap of our day. We ended up leaving Columbia around 10am, and we completely demolished the 75 mile trip to Sedalia. We made it here about an hour and a half early and were able to find a campground with showers! We're heading out tomorrow to Kansas, which I'm not *too* excited about, but I guess I can't complain. I'll update tomorrow night with new pictures and hopefully a better description of our day. Since we've been here before, there's not much to say.

We rode bikes and stuff.

Okay, I know it's been waaaaaay too long since I've updated this. For a long time there was nothing to post about, and then when there *was* stuff to post about I didn't want to do it without pictures. Here's a sort of quick update about what's happened since my last post.

First, I managed to get a hold of a bike for our trip. My uncle Andrew was cool enough to let me borrow his bike so that I could avoid paying $1,000 for one. I've ended up putting panniers, new pedals, a new saddle, and some water bottle holders on it. I still need to put some new tires on it, but overall it's a pretty great bike, and I'm excited to take it all the way to California. Andrew, if you read this, thank you so much. I'd also like to thank everyone who's been generous enough to help me get geared up for this trip. I probably wouldn't be able to go without you guys. <3

Second, after getting a bike and riding for a few weeks, Weston and I decided to do sort of a test ride down to Sedalia, which is around 70 miles away. We were able to get a feel for what the Katy Trail is like, as well as what it's like to ride longer distances. I can't speak for Weston, but the first day destroyed me. I was ready to die about 30 miles into it.  The second day was much better though. We ended up plowing through it in about the same amount of time, but we managed our breaks much better on that day. We made it home with some sore asses, but at least we didn't die. There was some awesome stuff along the way to see, and I'm glad we went.

Overall, I'm even more pumped for our trip now. Riding to Sedalia was a pretty awesome experience, and I can't wait to visit places that I've never visited before. Weston managed to get a handful of pictures from this weekend, since I wasn't really able to. I'll have an actual camera with me next time, so expect a lot more. I'll post a link below where you can see all the pictures Weston took over two days.

Sedalia Trip Pictures!



 -Michael

I'm still alive.

It's been a minute since I've been able to post. I had a house move sprung on me a few days ago, so I've been dealing with that and haven't actually gotten internet hooked up to give some good updates. I'll do a quick one via my phone that will have to be a big paragraph. A few things have happened since I last posted. First and most important, I moved across town. I'm now literally 3 minutes of walking from The Arc. I've hit the gym every day since we've moved, and I'm really enjoying it! Second, I sold one of my most cherished possessions; my computer. I figured I need all the money I can get for my bike and supplies, so why not? Third, and I'm really excited about this one, I've picked out a bike! It's a bit pricey with a tag at $1300, but I'm in love with it. Hopefully I'll be able to make that purchase with my tax refund. That's all for now. I'll have the internet back on soon and I'll be able to post more frequently and Kerp this updated. As a side note, if anyone is looking for a gym partner, let me know! I enjoy going anyway, but having someone to go with is always great.

...is this real life?

It's been about a week since I've gamed.
I've gotta say, it feelsgoodman.
I've still got the urge to play, but I have other things I can do to take my mind off of it. Although now I just spend every waking hour thinking and working on getting everything in order for my trip to California.

I'm finding that the excitement for this trip has put me into this constant state of happiness. I don't see myself coming down from this excitement high until I set foot back in Missouri with Weston. I'm hoping that I can make a bike trip out to the east coast a few weeks after our return though. I'd really like to head to Florida. There's a lot of neat stuff to see down there, and I'd really like to experience it all from a different perspective.

In other news, I'm planning on participating in a bike-ride to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis! My friend Brooke told me about it and I was instantly hooked on the idea. The ride isn't until September though, so I've got a little bit of time to knock out still.

Severing the ties

Today is going to be a big day for me. It might sound like it's not, but it is.

Today is the day that I delete everything and say goodbye to online gaming. 

I've quit two or three times in the past, and it didn't last long, so I'm making sure I won't go back this time. I don't want the temptation to be there ever again. I have to say that it's a little bittersweet though. I've literally poured my heart and soul into that game. Throwing it all away feels almost liberating, but at the same time it feels weird to destroy it. I've just finished deleting all but one last link to my online gaming. I've promised a good friend that I'd help him out tonight in game, but at ten o' clock, my final character gets the axe. 

I'm not regretting it so far. Tonight I will officially break the chains of this addiction, and it's up to me to keep them off.

Edit: I also forgot to mention, I have a partner who's riding with me to California. WESTON AND MICHAEL AGAINST THE WORLD.