LifeTimeline
Trash Freeway
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FEB 05
An idea is born
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JUN 27
Heading from NYC to Virginia Beach by bus
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JUL 27
Pre-trip Treasures
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JUL 28
The First Day
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JUL 29
Virginia
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AUG 13
Pit stop in Bristol, Tennessee!
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AUG 17
Kentucky
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SEP 01
Illinois
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SEP 02
Meeting Mike
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SEP 15
Missouri
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SEP 21
Kansas
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SEP 23
Colorado
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OCT 01
New Mexico
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OCT 10
Arizona
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OCT 15
California
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OCT 24
The Finish Line
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An idea is born
New York, New York
We knew we wanted to do something crazy, we just didn't know what. Buy a one way ticket to India? Road trip? Backpack through Europe? All exciting ideas, but none were THE idea. One night at dinner, a friend was talking about a cross-country bike trip he took before starting college, and I guess you could say we knew right then and there that we'd be biking across America.
We met the next day to figure out how'd we pull this off.
Many, many discussions later, we landed on trying to go on a trash-free bike trip, investigating issues of food waste and trash in America. It was an topic we had little knowledge about, and figured that'd be the best category to tackle. All that was left to do was fundraising and planning! (Easier said than done). We recruited Naomi's friend and actual cyclist, Rane, to join us on our adventure. We got in touch with hundreds of people, gave presentations, built a website with a friend, and figured out what we needed to buy and what our route would be. We even made a logo!
Oh, and we decided it might be a good idea to get on our bikes.
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Just arrived in Virginia Beach!
Heading from NYC to Virginia Beach by bus
Virginia Beach, Virginia
After an eight hour bus ride from NYC to VA, we have finally arrived in Virginia Beach—our first stop on the Trash Freeway! We got off the bus stiff-legged and sleepy, hardly believing that we're starting the tour so soon. Jack, Naomi's friend's dad, met us at the Wesleyan Commons strip mall in a big, white pick-up truck—just what we needed to hold all of our things: Jaime's boxed up bike & assortment of backpacks; Naomi's duffel bag suitcase; a ukulele named Banana in a bright yellow, faux-velvet case (it's as attractive as it sounds). It's hard to imagine carrying all of this on our bikes, but we intend to do it! For the next few days, we'll be packing and prepping before the big trip!
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All of this fruit was thrown away at Trader Joe's
Pre-trip Treasures
Virginia Beach, Virginia
We went into TJ’s to buy some food for our first bike ride. Only after making our purchase did we remember to check the dumpster. You'll see in the picture all of the food we found.
When we opened the dumpster, we were absolutely shocked to see all this fresh produce just tossed away. You might be wondering whether the fruit was expired. The only date that had passed was the “Packed By” date, which doesn’t warrant the food being thrown away. Later that day, we learned that there’s a major shortage of food in the Virginia food banks. Just imagine if groceries donated this food before it hit the dumpsters. When you look at what was in just one dumpster, it’s hard to find a reason why there should be a food shortage at all.
When we returned to the house we were staying at, we laid all our findings out in the front yard. Neighbors came by and were also shocked at what they saw. We talked with them about what they thought upon learning that this food was thrown away. The general reaction was frustration that there are so many hungry families who need this food, but it’s ending up in the trash.
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...and we're off!
The First Day
Norfolk, Virginia
Our very first day on the road! While Rane was an experienced cyclist, Naomi and Jaime hadn't biked very much at all -- we thought biked from 102nd to 10th in NYC was training enough!
For our first day, we biked 20 miles! Looking back, that 20 miles seems like nothing. But we were huffing and puffing the whole way to Norfolk, VA.
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Virginia
Virginia, Virginia
Our first state of the journey was by far the toughest. Naomi and I had never biked more than 15 miles, collectively. Add that reality on top of high heat, humidity, and the great hills of Appalachia, you could say we were in way over our heads.
Virginia was also surprisingly long -- it took us about a month to get through this great state. There were a couple bumps in the road -- Rane got a concussion after going on a joy ride! -- but we made it out alive. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, as well as some friends along the way (Naomi and Rane's high school science teacher who moved to VA, and a college friend's family) we were able to sleep soundly and safely.
Once we got through Virginia, we couldn't believe how long we still had to go...
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Rane plays the saxophone for our hosts in Tennessee!
Pit stop in Bristol, Tennessee!
Bristol, Tennessee
There's a town call Bristol that's split between Virginia and Tennessee. Being the adventurers we were, we thought it'd be fun to add another state to our list. We ended up staying with a host from Warm Showers, and spending a second night with a grocery store manager and his family!
One highlight from Bristol was when we ran into a man we had talked to back in Virginia, when we were on a ferry. He came up to us while we were sitting in a café in Bristol, and explained who he was and how he'd been following our trip since we met him! It's a small world, huh?
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Kentucky
Kentucky
We were excited for Kentucky. We thought maybe it'd be flat. (We were wrong). But we powered through, met some friendly folk along the way and even took our first tumble.
Many people had told us to watch out for the dogs in Kentucky. We're happy to report that we were only chased a couple times by a pack of tiny dogs!
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Illinois
Illinois
Illinois was a short but sweet, sweet respite from the hills. We spent a flat couple of days riding, and eventually hit the thousand mile mark! We celebrated by eating out at a vegetarian restaurant. It was the most delicious meal we had had in a while. Let's just say that on the road, we had been eating a lot of beans from the can, grape nuts, and bread. The best part? A new friend, who had a pet cockatiel, picked up the tab. We can't make this stuff up!
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Meeting Mike
Missouri
About ten miles in to our first day in Missouri, we were sitting outside “Our Place,” a convenience store, when we saw a cyclist across the street. We waved and at first he didn’t see us; we just figured he was on a mission. But then, he did a double take, and he pulled into the gas station to meet us. His name is Mike, and started biking in Northern Indiana, where he’s from. Over the next three years, he’ll be “biking through 5 continents to see the world, learning about what people are doing to power their lives in a clean, sustainable manner along the way,” according to his website. He sat down with us outside and not only did we all spend some time getting to know each other, but he was also so enthusiastic about our trash-free lifestyle! So nice to meet another cyclist with a sustainable mission.
When we realized we were all planning to ride about the same distance that day, we figured we'd bike together and spend the night as a new group of four. We were planning to go to Al’s Place, a bike hostel in Farmington, MO. We warned him that we weren't the speediest of bikers, but without a second thought, he told us he was just happy to have company. So just like that, we all took off together. Little did we know that it would be one of the most physically demanding (and fun) days yet...and that Mike would be joining us for another three weeks!
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Missouri
Missouri
Just when we thought the hills might be over, we encountered the Ozarks! Missouri was a challenge, but it had its rewards -- we swam in some beautiful bodies of water, especially the Johnson Shut-ins. We met a couple of starving dogs along the way, too; we wanted to take them with us, but realized that was a little impractical. Luckily, we found them a home!
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Kansas
Kansas
Kansas was flat. Finally! But it also came with heavy headwinds and not much to look at. Kansas really tested our mental strength; luckily, we met some welcoming families and friends along the way.
Here's a song we wrote one, well, boring day in Kansas:
I was riding through Kansas
1-2-3,
All the winds were blowing on me
I was riding through Kansas
Really slooooow
So I go, go, go.
[Chorus] Kansas, you're really flat
But you have winds,
That hold us back.
Kansas, hills you lack
The sky is blue,
And that's a fact.
I was riding through Kansas
4-5-6
I am itchy but there are no ticks
I was riding through Kansas
Through the coooorn
Where my love was born.
[Chorus]
[Bridge] Soy, corn, milo
It's all around
It's in the ground
We're westward bound...
We love Kansas!
Ba-dum, ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum..
[Chorus]
I was riding through Kansas
7-8-9
Singing and laughing and having a great time
I was was riding through Kansas
All day looooong,
So I wrote this song!
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Colorado
Colorado
When we first crossed into Colorado, we weren't greeted by the Rockies. In fact, for most of our way in, it looked a lot like Kansas! Finally, though, as we approached Pueblo, CO, we saw mountains in the distance. This was another "how did we get here?!" moment. On our way to Pueblo, we were taking a break at a gas station, refilling our water bottles, when a truck driver asked if we could drive his pickup truck to the new construction site, while he and his team followed behind in a fleet of trucks. Looking back, a more discerning pair might have said no. But we were all about the adventure, and after a brief discussion, agreed to help them out. We arrived safe and sound in Pueblo, CO, where we stayed the night. Then, Naomi's aunt and uncle picked us up and we took a little vacation to Breckenridge! Hiking and relaxing, it almost felt like the end of our journey. Alas, we still had New Mexico, Arizona and California to get through!
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New Mexico
New Mexico
Biking through New Mexico was like biking through a whole new country. We couldn't believe that New Mexico, Kansas, and Virginia all existed under the same flag! We loved exploring New Mexico's rich culture and architecture and meeting people of all backgrounds. We both have family in Albuquerque, so it was nice to spend some time with familiar faces. And, as luck would have it, we arrived just in time for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!
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Arizona
Arizona
We stayed in churches and homes in Holbrook and Winslow before reaching Flagstaff. We spent a lot of time in Flagstaff with a family from a local temple. Because of some stormy weather, we couldn't hit the roads for a couple days. We still can't believe they let us stay with them for over a week! Complete strangers!
From Flagstaff, we took a bus trip to the Grand Canyon, which was absolutely breathtaking and an adventure in its own right. From Flagstaff, we headed to Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and then....California!
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California
California
We only spent three nights in California before reaching the coast -- 29 Palms, Redlands, and Pasadena! The excitement of finishing was beyond fathomable, and we spent a lot of time during those last rides reflecting on what a journey it had been. Heck, we still can't believe that our legs and our bicycles brought us from coast to coast.
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