Meditation

I'm leaving Jekyll Island tomorrow morning for a 10-day meditation starting that evening, so you won't be hearing from me for a while. The weather has been great for me on the island giving me a nice relaxing stay. The bugs have been pretty awful at times however. I made a video compilation of the video footage I've accumulate so far. My videography skills could use some work, but it gives you an idea of some of the beautiful places I've been riding through. Talk to you in a couple of weeks!

Bicycle from Tyler Wheatcraft on Vimeo.

Georgia, Day 29 - 34

Day 29 - Tuesday, November 5th
I ended up staying at a bicycle hostel last night that was pretty awesome! It was newly renovated and since I was the only one staying there had the whole place to myself. Got a shower, did laundry, and, since the owner also does catering, ate a bunch of leftover tasty food. I got up and out early this morning headed for a warmshower in Vidalia, GA(home of the onion). Cruised through a few small towns and a lot of farm land. Covered the 72

miles to Vidalia by 2pm. Chilled out at a cafe for a while and refueled a bit. Met up with my warmshower host for the night, who, as it turns out, has ridden over 100,000 miles on his bicycle! Got some great insight about cycling and my route options in Georgia.

Day 30 - Wednesday, November 6th
Got an early start today, not knowing exactly my destination. I was 60 miles from Jesup where my

meditation is, but I was making too good of time and would be seven days early. Since there are no campgrounds in Jesup, but there are some on the coast, which was another 60 miles past Jesup, I was considering trying to make it to the coast. I made it to Jesup around 1:30pm and decided Jekyll Island Campground on the coast of Gerogia was my destination for the night. I had never ridden that far before and new it would be a struggle; and it was. I pedaled the rest of the day,

only stopping for minimal breaks to refuel, and got to the coastal town of Brunswick as the sun was setting. It was another 15 miles to the island, in the dark, and fatigue was starting to set in. Finally made it after a grueling last few miles for a total of 123.2 miles for the day! My first century(bicycle lingo for 100 miles in a day)!

Day 31 - Thursday, November 7th
My body was so amped up from the mileage and

caffeine last night that I barely got any sleep. I ended up reading a cycling magazine off and on most of the night. I've decided to stay on this island for all seven days to give my body a break and wait for my meditation. Biked around the island and laid around most of the day. My body is feeling pretty exhausted from all the riding. Got a nice nap on the beach.

Day 32 - Friday, November 8th

Feeling much better today after a good nights sleep. Went for a long walk, stretched out a bit, and did some more exploring of the island. There's a collection of old mansions that have been pretty cool to check out.

Day 33 - Saturday, November 9th
Did some more exploring and stretching. Walked down driftwood beach where all the driftwood in the area seems to gravitate. Pretty cool to see! A

family of dolphins came pretty close to shore which was a pleasure to watch for a while. They were pretty evasive, but I finally got a photograph.

Day 34 - Sunday, November 10th
Went for a bike ride down the beach this morning. Did some yoga on the beach, and then some reading. Cruised around the island for a while, then chilled out and did some reading and watched youtube the rest of the day.

Out of The Mountains! Day 20 - 28

I've finally finished the Blue Ridge Mountains!! 48,000ft of climbing was a huge challenge, but the climbs led to some pretty amazing views and descents. I'm now rolling through Georgia in the very last remnants of the foothills enjoying the speed of more level ground. I haven't posted in a long time so I'll try to catch you guys up for the most part.

By the way, you can now subscribe by email on the right side to get an email whenever I make a post.

Day 20
I camped out last night at a campground not far from Blowing Rock that turned out to be very crowded. My neighbor invited me to his fire with his two little girls where we made chai tea and smores. It was a lot of fun! I was 2 days out from Asheville with Mount Mitchell(6600ft) in between us, so I knew there was a lot of climbing to come. Did a lot of climbing and camped out about 10 miles from the peak.

Day 21

Woke up ready to climb, and climb I did. Mount Mitchell was a five mile detour from the parkway and when I reached it it was overcast. Everyone coming down said it was so foggy that you couldn't see anything, so I decided not to make the climb to the top for a view of some fog. It was all downhill into Asheville and the cruise down was more enticing. The 4,000ft descent into Asheville was an awesomely long and fast ride. Those long descents are always and adrenaline rush! I got

into town, found a place to stay from warmshowers, and decided to take a day off to check out Asheville. The couple I was staying with, Jerud and Ching, made some great dinner while I took a nice shower and did laundry. Felt very refreshed after all that!

Day 22
Today was my explore Asheville day. My number one priority was to get a new rear wheelset, which

I found by 9am for only 40 bucks, leaving me the rest of the day to see this great city. I rode the historic bike route around the whole city, which gave me a pretty good overview of the city as a whole. I really enjoyed that and even came across a tumbleweed tiny home, which I think would be really cool to build one day. I got some delicious fish tacos at White Duck Taco and walked around the Arts District for a while. Met a lot of nice people and enjoyed everything about the town. Got

dinner with Jerud and Ching at a food truck, which was a first, and went to UNCA to see a documentary about a blind mountain bike rider.

day 23
Rode out in the morning with Jerud. I broke off on Blue Ridge Parkway and he headed for work. It was all climbing today, starting at 2,200ft going all the way up to the highest point of the parkway at 6053ft. Took a lot of energy to climb, but at the

end of the day I was only one day out from the end of the parkway. Camped out at a little overlook.

Day 24
Did some climbing this morning, then it was all downhill to the finish in the Cherokee. Cherokee was a Native American Reserve; it was a decent little town. Continued on to Sylva where I had a warmshower lined up. A guy named Ron let me

stay at his classic bike shop. It was cool to see all those bikes and he gave me a great deal on some waterproof panniers(bicycle bags). Got some mexican food with his family and chilled out the rest of the night.

Day 25
Cruised on down to the town of Clayton and camped out behind a Home Depot. Nothing too

eventful today.

Day 26
I'm still in the Great Smoky Mountains, but it's finally starting to flatten out as I make my way more Southeast. Covered 80 miles today, my highest mileage day so far, to reach the town of Athens where I found an awesome guy on warmshowers who had down some extensive touring himself. He made me some great food and then we went to a bar for some live bluegrass music. Enjoyed the music and people of the town. There's a big bicycle community there so I fit right in.

Day 27
Brett, the guy I stayed with, hooked me up with a big breakfast and gave me an old riding jersey and some gloves to make things more comfortable. One of my favorite places to stay so far. I headed out South and soon came across some guys getting ready for a group ride who I ended up talking to for a while and getting advice on my route. About 15 miles into riding my left pedal started to lock up which made riding quite a challenge. I searched for the closest bike shop and rerouted in that direction, which was slightly more West than I wanted to go. There happened to be a warmshower in the town who I contacted and got a prompt reply. Luckily my pedal worked for the most part, but did continue to lock up from time to time. Made it to the warmshower around 5, which was a beautiful home on Lake Sinclair. They were a really nice intelligent couple with two cool dogs. Appreciated the place to stay as well as the good conversation.

Day 28
Enjoyed my stay on the lake and even got some fresh eggs from their chickens for breakfast! Headed down to local bike shop where they discovered that one of the bearings in my pedal had been crushed. They swapped out the bearing and got me all fixed up. I'm sitting in a coffee shop in town now(Milledgville, GA) finishing this blog, then I'm heading for Dublin to camp out for the night. I'm gonna try to update this blog more often now that I'm out of the mountains so I don't get so far behind. I'm still having a great time out here and should make it to Jesup where my meditation is in a few days.

The Blue Ridge Mountains, Day 13 -19

I'm currently biking along the Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville, NC and they are kicking my my butt. I'm seeing some amazing views though and really challenging myself.

Day 13
I left Waynesboro, VA after a full days rest with my legs feeling much fresher than when I arrived. After staying in a hotel, my mind and body was feels relaxed, at ease and ready to take on the mountains. Some decent climbs today, but nothing too strenuous. Found a nice hidden place along the parkway to camp for the night.

Day 14

Woke up early and was at it again. Rode down into the valley of the James River(elevation 649ft) then immediately climbed back up Apple Orchard Mountain(elevation 3950ft) over the course of ~7 miles. One of the longest most difficult climbs so far! Made it about 60 miles through the mountains to a campground called Peaks of Otter.

Day 15

Got up at the crack of dawn headed for Roanoke, VA. I made it to Roanoke around two and sat down on the sidewalk at a random outlet to charge my phone and eat some grub. It turned out I was sitting outside an Optometrist's office and when he came out for a smoke we ended up talking for about an hour and a half. He lived about 30 miles down along the parkway in the town of Floyd and invited me to stop by for a burger the next day. I told him I'd see him tomorrow and continued on

for another 15 miles before finding a place to camp out.

Day 16
John the Optometrist ended up offering me a ride to Floyd in the morning after a cold rainy night. I accepted and ended up spending a most of the day with John and his black lab Maggie. He offered me a much needed warm shower, which I accepted. I then helped him with some yard work

while he smoked a turkey breast and some burgers. He was an intelligent guy and very interesting person to talk with. He didn't go to school until he was in his 40s and drove home the importance of education. He was also into HAM radio which was cool to see. He very generously gave me some food for the road and a place to camp for the night at a friends country store along the parkway.

Day 17
I set out with the goal of making it to the Doughton Park Campground, which was 65 miles away. I passed the Blue Ridge Music Center, which happened to be having live music going at the time, so listened for a bit while I warmed up inside. I biked hard all day and made it to the campground as the sun was starting to set. It was on top of Bluff Mountain and snow was starting to fall when I biked in. I knew I was in for a cold night.

Day 18
I woke up surrounded by snow, not wanting to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag. I knew I had to get moving, which would in turn warm me up, but Imust not have warmed me up much since I soon discovered the awkward sensation of biking with numb feet. I knew if I stopped it would only get worse, so I had to keep moving. There was a town along the parkway about 55 miles away. It was supposed to get down to 22 degrees the next

night so a hotel room sounded almost necessary at that point. Riding was not very enjoyable throughout the day and when I was 5 miles from the town I broke a spoke in my rear tire. I was still able to ride, but the tire was way out of balance. I found a hotel to warm up and called it a night.

Day 19
Feeling warm and clean again I headed down to the local bike shop. They weren't able to replace the broken spoke, but they did re-balance the tire. In reality I should get a new rear wheelset, but they didn't have a replacement for me. The tire as it is should get me to Asheville where I can get the parts I need. I'm planning a very light riding day today to recover a bit and get ready for Mount Mitchell in couple days. Blowing rock has been a really nice town to stay, I really like the vibe of it.

Days 6-12

Well guys, I'm still alive and pushing South. It's been a while since I've had a chance to update so I've got a lot of catching up to do. I'm currently in Waynesboro, Virginia considering my route options.

Day 6
I was about 62 miles to Cumberland, Maryland, where I had a warm place to stay for night, so I got an early start and started cruising. I passed through some really nice small towns along the trail. The first forty miles were uphill and the last twenty were downhill into Cumberland. At the peak was the Eastern Continental Divide where all water East of that point goes to the Atlantic Ocean and West goes to the Gulf of Mexico. As I started

my descent it started to rain and continued for most of the twenty miles. There were a few long tunnels that I took some breaks in, but the warm house and shower kept me going. The shower felt great. Had dinner, and walked around the town with my host. Turned out to be a nice little town.

Day 7
Got a late start today. After taking a look around my hosts small farm and looking at maps trying to

plan my route, I was on my way South. Biked up and down some of the steepest mountains yet, which was pretty brutal. Biked until the sun started to set. I saw a nice looking farm, so walked down the driveway and asked if I could pitch a tent in their back yard. They said sure and ended up serving me dinner and being a very nice couple.

Day 8
The farmers wife gave me a few apples for the

road and I was off for the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. I made it to the foot of the mountain before dark and stopped at a coffee shop to recharge my electronics(and myself). Sadly, they didn't have wifi though. I biked a couple miles up the mountain and camped out.

Day 9
The first hundred miles of the mountain range are through Shenendoah National Park and since the

government shutdown was in effect, it was closed. A ranger pointed me towards an alternative route through George Washington State Park which turned out to be pretty beautiful as well. It went through the valley, but then I had to climb a mountain for about an hour to get out of it. I turned the last corner at the top to an AMAZING view that made it completely worth it. On my way down the other side of the mountain I was plagued with tire issues again. I took me about two hours to sort it

all out, and luckily the nearest town had a bike shop to get some much needed gear. Camped out behind a flea market tonight. Luckily I didn't get fleas.

Day 10
Didn't sleep very well, but woke up to this great sunrise over the mountains. Feeling kind of lazy today. It rained off and on most of the morning, and I was feeling kind of lazy so took a pretty long

break. I got word that the government shutdown was over and the mountain was back open, so I grabbed some food and coffee in town and headed up the mountain. The coffee did the trick and I ended up climbing over 2,400ft to camp out atop Loft Mountain at an elevation of 3,340ft.

Day 11
Well, sleeping on top of a mountain officially sucks. It was incredibly windy all night and

freezing cold in the morning. The campground had showers which again felt great! It's amazing how good a warm shower feels sometimes! I biked up and down through the mountains for about 30 miles to The Rockfish Gap, where Skyline Drive meets Blue Ridge Parkway. This Gap is where Waynesboro is located. I decided after 11 days of riding I needed a rest day, so I got a hotel room and am taking a day off.

Day 12
Today is my rest day. Man, day 12, it feels like I've been gone for way longer than twelve days! Taking it easy today before heading back up into the mountains.

Heading into the mountains

I'm finding it to be a challenge to find wifi, so this is a limited post from my cell phone. I thought I'd let everyone know that I'm starting skyline drive tomorrow through Shenandoah followed by blue ridge parkway into Ashville, NC. It's all mountains, so I will have limited cell service and wifi. They are national parks, so they may be closed due to the government shutdown. We'll see how it turns out. Things are going great though and I will do a better update as soon as I can.

And I'm Off! Days 1-5

Day 1
I didn't manage to leave until around 4pm Tuesday afternoon, but even with the late start, still managed to get 30 miles in. I found a nice wooded area along the road, and set up camp. The combination of being too close to the road and coyotes howling in every direction left me with very little sleep. I now know that there's really no need to worry about coyotes, but at the time every noise I heard through the night was perceived as a pack of coyotes circling for the kill.

Day 2

I managed to make it through the night alive, and was on the road by 9. Rode through some nice small towns and a lot of farm country. Not a whole lot to see in mid-East Ohio really. The sun was starting to set so I was looking for a place to camp for the night, when I came across a nice woman named Jen on an atv. We got to talking and it turned out she was a Presbyterian Minister who owned a 200 acre farm. I ended up pitching a tent in her back yard by some flowers which was a much more pleasant place to sleep. Covered 55 miles today.

Day 3
Woke up around 7, had some oatmeal and coffee with Jen and was off. Jen was a joy to talk to, she runs the farm on her own now that her husband died and her two daughters went off to college. I was only 5 miles from the Pennsylvania border, so I crossed that and headed toward Pittsburgh. It was a pleasant ride, but as I neared Pittsburgh my back tire started to feel funny and soon after it popped. It turns out since I didn't get new tires, the old tires disintegrated and were essentially useless. The nearest bike shop was in the city about 5 miles away so I started pushing. The sun was again setting, I was again unsure where I was gonna sleep, when two blocks from the bike shop a guy from warmshowers(a website that gives cyclists a place to sleep) saw me and asked me if I need help. I decided to stay with him. He was hosting another cyclist and was very generous to the both of us. He made us chicken stir fry for dinner and then drove us around the city to see the views. Covered 60 miles today and was happy to find a place to sleep.

Day 4
Got a slow start today. Had breakfast and chatted about cycling, then headed to rei to get a solar power charger for my cell phone. From there I got on the Great Allegheny Passage which runs from Pittsburgh to DC. Had tire problems again, but made it about 40 miles to a nice campsite. Met three couples in their 20s from Pittsburgh who I ended up talking to into the evening. Really enjoyed that, then got to bed.

Day 5
Had breakfast with the group from last night. My right Achilles tendon isn't feeling so good this morning. It seems my seat was slightly too high, so adjusted it and rode out. This trail runs alongside the Yougiogheny River, which made for some very scenic riding today. Overall feeling a little sore, but still managed 50 miles. Planning on camping at a campground tonight that is closed due to the government shutdown.