Trip Log – Day 260 – Toms River NJ to Cape May, NJ

Posted on July 25, 2016 by paulefallon

To Cape MayJuly 22, 2016 – Sun, 95 degrees

Miles Today: 104

Miles to Date: 13,448

States to Date: 34

Some days you just have to pedal. After so much nostalgia and lots to ruminate upon, I looked forward to the fifth century of my adventure, pedaling through the Jersey Pines to historic Cape May. Five miles outside of Toms River, I entered the Pinelands, a land of scrub pine and package stores. I was never far from either the rest of the day.

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Mishaps are an essential part of a long cycling day. When I missed a turn and wound up on a dirt road, GPS showed the highway I wanted was only two or three miles beyond. I thought I could handle that. Unfortunately, dirt roads in South Jersey aren’t dirt. They’re sand. In a few spots I had to push Tom through the soft white stuff.

imagesWith the thermometer flirting with 100 and a steady wind in my face, I drank over 300 ounces of water, Powerade and lemonade along the way. Twice, I stopped at Wawa, New Jersey’s preeminent convenience store, to camel up. They are the nicest quick road stops anywhere. The fresh made subs, ordered via computer, are better than anyone could expect at a convenience chain.

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Along the way I had several stretches of excellent cycling. Ocean County 537 south to Tuckerton has smooth pavement and wide shoulders. Cape May County 661 is short but memorable; the trees create a full canopy over the road. My last twenty miles, along Highway 47 on the west side of Cape May, is a real treat. Besides being a good surface, the unspoiled area has many beautiful historic buildings, small farms and produce stands that offer the goodness of The Garden State to anyone willing to stop.

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Profile Response: Rick Demers, School Chef, Danbury CT

Posted on July 25, 2016 by paulefallon

HWWLT Logo on yellowWhat’s a guy supposed to do when he’s been cooking since age 15, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, runs the kitchen at a swank Greenwich CT country club where he meets and marries a knockout Rumanian who proclaims: “I want to be am American,” once they have two young boys and a townhouse in Danbury CT and the late night cooking, drinking party life no longer suits? If you’re Rick Demers, you chuck it all to become a lunch chef in a private school. “I make half the money I did, but I love it.”

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Rick works for Flick Hospitality Group, who contracts the food service for The Wooster School in Danbury. Flick provides a wide range of services to many different clients. Wooster invests in Platinum service: organic or locally sourced food served on china plates with flatware. “Whole food comes in the back door and real food gets put on the table.”

Rick’s son, who attends the Danbury Public Schools, gets a carton of mile, pre-packaged fruit and a reheated entree in his Styrofoam lunch carton. Next year, Rick hopes both his sons will attend Wooster School. Not just for the lunches, for the phenomenal community he witnesses there.

imagesOver a superb dinner of fresh asparagus and corn, braised chicken, grilled steak and local beer, we discuss Michael Pollen, the value of organics, and how more people can access quality food. “Ever since The Food Network, everything changed. The resources for truly good food did not used to be here. Fast-forward thirty years and New York is a food mecca. The chef used to be a guy in the back; the manager was the star. Now that’s flipped.

imgres-1“People ask me my specialty. Realistically, I can cook anything. Right now I am doing lots of curing and smoking, which are technically challenging. I also do home brewing. We have a brew club at school with staff and parents who are making good beer.”

 

How will we live tomorrow?

Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 1.43.20 PM“Smarter and smaller.”

 

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Trip Log – Day 259 – Toms River NJ

Posted on July 24, 2016 by paulefallon

To Toms RiverJuly 21, 2016 – Sun, 85 degrees

Miles Today: 19

Miles to Date: 13,344

States to Date: 34

Thomas Wolfe wrote, You Can’t Go Home Again. He was wrong. You can return. Just be prepared for home to be so much smaller than memory insists. It took me half and hour, max, to roll through the precinct of my youth, the house, neighborhood, school, and church that stretched so wide to a young boy on his first bicycle. My family moved to Toms River when I was a year old. We lived on a street of cookie cutter houses within cycling distance of everything a child might want. By the time we moved to Oklahoma, when I was sixteen in 1971, the town had tripled in size. Today, houses on quarter acre lots crawl out in every direction. The streets I inhabited are now quaintly referred to as ‘The Village’. It is remarkably the same.

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The subsequent owners of our house have followed in my father’s ‘tinkering’ tradition. It is the most distinct on our indistinct block.

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Bishop Memorial Library, the first building I ever sketched, is still the most gracious structure downtown. I used to crouch in the stacks and savor Dr. Seuss, who was banned from my Catholic home.

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I puffed my one and only cigarette in the ally behind the movie theater, which has been turned into a mini-mall.

IMG_7060I have only one friend still living in Toms River, though Gus is much more than a friend. I spent the afternoon and evening with Gus and his wife, Robin, his children and grandchildren. His daughter Maggie is my only godchild. Seeing her after too many years gone was a reunion of the spirit.

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Responses: How will we live tomorrow?

Posted on July 24, 2016 by paulefallon

How will we live tomorrow?

“I have been influenced by Valerie. I was 36 when we got married. I was the kid in the wonder years. Valerie is my best friend. I have a lot of optimism about the future. People are good. I like the Native American concept of working and providing. You can be happy with the bear essentials. We have to have a reconciliation of the wealth disparity. If we have to be coerced to giving to the poor – to be a socialist state–that will be to our downfall.”

Dave Hudson, faculty spouse, College Station, TX

How will we live tomorrow?

“Honestly, I want beer and hot wings.”

Ben, panhandler with dog & bike, New Orleans, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“For the next four years I will live as I do now. Then I will change.”

Daisy, counting down to retirement, New Orleans, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“Am I allowed to rephrase the question?”

Sally Shushan, US Magistrate Judge, New Orleans, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“Based on my experience, I hope we’ll be more tolerant of differences. We are going to move toward love and peace.”

Ari Ramos, cross-country runner, Pearlington, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“Share love.”

Nate, cycling west, Ocean Springs, MS

How will we live tomorrow?

“You have to do whatever makes you happy.”

Adam Colorado native, Ocean Springs, MS

How will we live tomorrow?

“Things will get better when we replace this Congress. They think they’re hurting Obama with their actions, but they’re hurting this country.”

Gene Broussard, homeowner, Jeanerette, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“As a journalist, I stay open to whatever comes next.”

Max Anderson, filmmaker, Austin, TX

How will we live tomorrow?

“My children give me hope because they’ve grown up so well, and my grandchildren give me hope. My son is in the Marine Corps; he defends our country. My son-in-law is a police officer. I am very blessed.”

Randy, songwriter, Austin, TX

How will we live tomorrow?

“My son, my work here is done.

All we have left is love.”

Danny, singer songwriter, Austin, TX

How will we live tomorrow?

“I hope it will be less car centric.”

Helen, member of Woodlands bike coalition, The Woodlands, TX

How will we live tomorrow? 

“We, not just me? Hopefully, in peace as one.”

Ashley, Homeowner via Habitat for Humanity, New Orleans, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“I am more long-term. I am thankful and come here every day to a place I helped to build.”

Kim, Habitat for Humanity future homeowner, New Orleans, LA

How will we live tomorrow?

“Given that we are in Louisiana, with our petroleum-based economy, we are chained to oil. We ought to get into alternatives, but that won’t happen with gas at a $1.50 a gallon.”

Dann Cahoon, Iron Man Competitor, New Orleans, LA

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Trip Log – Day 258 – Red Bank, NJ to Toms River NJ

Posted on July 23, 2016 by paulefallon

To Toms RiverJuly 20, 2016 – Sun, 80 degrees

Miles Today: 51

Miles to Date: 13,325

States to Date: 34

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Screen Shot 2016-07-21 at 7.25.37 AMSorry Cape Cod, sorry Miami, sorry Port Christian, sorry Malibu. The most beautiful beaches in the world are along the Jersey Shore. Over one hundred miles of pristine sand bar that include areas of natural preservation, fabulous mansions, and honky tonk boardwalks. I rode south along Ocean Blvd and Route 35 on a perfect beach day of crisp sunshine and steady breeze with the intoxicating scent of the salty sea, overburdened every so often by the smell of greasy fries and deep-fried Oreos. Forty-five years ago I moved away from this strip of sand where I was raised. I am surprised how little these places have changed, how familiar they still feel.

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Mansions that rival the Hamptons line Ocean Blvd in Deal.

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As a child, the Convention Center in Asbury Park was the swankiest place I’d ever seen. In 1965 we drove 25 miles to see the opening of The Sound of Music at the elegant Paramount Theater. Asbury Park nosedived just as Bruce Springsteen made it famous. By the 1990s it was a collection of halfway houses, going down, down, down. But as the locals relate, ‘the gays moved in,’ and saved the place. It’s not exactly South Beach, but it has an upbeat charm.

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Immediately south, Ocean Grove was founded as a Methodist Chautauqua-style camp with a massive revival hall. People still vacation in the rows of tents and small houses with grand porches.

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There is miniature golf, of course, and newer houses that still harken back to porch tradition.

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When I arrived at Mantoloking, I began to see the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Along the ten miles to Seaside, bulldozers replenish beach sand, construction crews rebuild mega-houses, and house-lifting companies raise salvaged structures.

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Several people told me the boardwalk at Seaside Heights wasn’t what it had been, but I found it exactly as I remembered, a titillating concoction of suntan lotion and cigarettes, sweet taffy and sausage with onions. I had a frozen custard cone from Kohr’s, creamier than any frozen treat on earth.

Screen Shot 2016-07-21 at 7.30.09 AMMy hometown, Toms River, is famous for three things: the environmental/chemical damage that Ciba-Geigy inflicted, the epicenter of Hurricane Sandy, and Little League. I grew up in the abandoned gravel pits that the town deeded to Little League to create baseball fields for tiny boys. We spent hours trying to coax infield grass from the sandy earth. My father was a coach; I got hit by more balls than I caught. After two years, one hit, and dozens of errors, I retired to scorekeeping and running the concession stand. I proved talented at both tasks. I scored our way the Toms River’s first state championship and made enough money selling Twizzlers to buy my first guitar.

IMG_7030In 1998, Toms River won the Little League World Championship. Today, those snarly gravel pits contain seven beautiful baseball fields and a clubhouse that includes indoor batting and pitching stalls. I watched a practice in session. The coaches are so patient. The boys, and now girls, are so small. But in their minds, they are all major-league stars.

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Trip Log – Day 257 – New York, NY to Red Bank, NJ

Posted on July 22, 2016 by paulefallon

NYC ro Red BankJuly 19, 2016 – Sun, 80 degrees

Miles Today: 21

Miles to Date: 13,274

States to Date: 34

 IMG_6943My Irish bard, host and tour guide was flat out when I slipped out of his apartment after 8:00 a.m. As a rule, New Yorkers are not early risers. I stopped at a Chinatown bakery for one of my favorite breakfasts: an assortment of buns. Then I rolled towards the Battery to see the new Calatrava Path Station. Perhaps it’s not fair to judge the winged sculpture that sits atop a station whose entrances seem as ordinary as any before it is fully complete, but did New York really need a bigger version of what Milwaukee already has? It is gigantic and it is graceful, but it is also arbitrary. It will make for dramatic photos among the angular crowd.

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The ferry to New Jersey is a delight. I was pleased that it churned up the East River for another stop at 34th street, so I got to see the Brooklyn Bridge and Frank Gehry’s apartment tower, which required a custom window washing machine to clean 84 floors of curved glass. New York is the epicenter of one vein of architecture I detest: random forms of technical wizardry. Just because we can do something – technically – doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea – humanly.

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No matter. Within half an hour I was on the beach! Hooray for Sandy Hook National Park and the fabulous Jersey Shore. The beaches are so pristine.

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Along Sea Bright, a huge stone wall separates the beach from the rest of the barrier island. I’m not sure how much it helps in a storm. Seems to me the water will come in from the marsh and bay on the other side. But people have built their private decks up on the top of the wall just the same.

IMG_6967The next three days will be ripe in nostalgia for me as I head to Toms River, where I grew up. First bit of memory: I got stuck at one of New Jersey’s raised bridge. They are quirky as ever. Two people in yellow safety vests scamper across the roadway and close gates by hand before raising the dual cantilevers that allow a pleasure fishing boat to motor up the Shrewsbury River while dozens of cars sit in the stifling heat.

I pedaled through the tony boroughs of Rumson and Fair Haven, singing Springsteen songs (he long ago left Asbury Park for these greener pastures). I’m hungering for some Glory Days.

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Trip Log – Day 256 – New York, NY

Posted on July 21, 2016 by paulefallon

Poughkeepsie to NYCJuly 18, 2016 – Sun, 90 degrees

Miles Today: 11

Miles to Date: 13,253

States to Date: 33

New York City is packed with people, even in summer. People are polite, if not exactly friendly, but we develop a veneer here, quickly, to give each other space in a place where space is scarce. I don’t approach many people with my question. It seems intrusive.

Still, there is much to glean by rolling through the city at my pace. New York may well be the most diverse place on earth. All ages and identities appear to coexist with more ease than I’ve witnessed elsewhere. The extremes of rich and poor are great, but less glaring than say, San Francisco.

IMG_6926I think about The Green Metropolis, in which David Owen postulates that Manhattan is the most energy efficient place in the United States. That may be true on a per capita consumption basis, but it really doesn’t translate to a sustainable model we should emulate. Yes, New York is efficient because it’s so dense and there are so few cars. But the density pushes human limits and disconnects us from, rather than links us to, the natural world. When you consider all the external energy it takes to make New York work – including major portions of New Jersey and Connecticut – the argument is not convincing.

I spent a leisurely morning in a deli, eating the world’s best bagel and the largest black and white ever. Then I rode over to Riverside Church and had a conversation with Michael Neuss of Orpheus Orchestra, a chamber orchestra that has developed a collective process in which all forty members participate in selection and interpretation. They have no conductor. It is a fascinating example of truly participatory democracy in action.

IMG_6928I got stuck in a torrential downpour along the Hudson River bike path, but fortunately part of it is under the raised West Side Highway, so I just waited it out with other cyclists and then pedaled on to the sunshine, among them a fresh graduate of The Actor’s Studio on the way to his second rehearsal of a new play. Now that guy was excited!

 

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I went by many of the new buildings near the High Line. Am I the only one who thinks the new Whitney is the 21st century version of brute force over elegance just as the original was in the 20th century? I find an unsettling correlation between the new metal monster and its concrete cousin.

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And since when did Jersey City have a skyline?

imgresWhen I reached my host’s in the Lower East Side I was treated to a night in a true tenement – a five floor walk-up with a WC closet and a bathtub in the kitchen. Patrick took me on a two-hour evening walk through his neighborhood. The streets pulsed on the summer’s night breeze.

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Profile Response: Maura Hallisey, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT

Posted on July 21, 2016 by paulefallon

HWWLT Logo on yellow

“There is more done with pens than swords” – Harriet Beecher Stowe

“You are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Women are the architects of society.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe

IMG_6826I am a Harriet Beecher Stowe kind of guy. I think its cool that this 4’-11” woman, unelected to any office, unbeholden to any corporation, wrote a book that bent the arc of history. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling volume in the 1800’s, after The Bible. It was serialized in 1851-52 in Washington D.C.’s National Era, and then published all over the world. Harriet wasn’t able to manage her brand as well as, say, Martha Stewart. She never made a dime off the Uncle Tom tchotchkes that proliferated in nineteenth century America and our contemporary image of a ‘yessir’ Uncle Tom cozying up to white folk is quite the opposite of the books’ title character. But the book made her world-renowned and rather wealthy. The novel swayed our sensibilities of an institution whose time had passed.

images copyHarriet Beecher Stowe lived the last twenty-three years of her life in Hartford’s Nook Farm neighborhood, a literary enclave where Mark Twain was her neighbor. When she died in 1896 her house went through several sales before her grand niece, Katharine Seymour Day, purchased it in 1920 with the intent of restoration. The Stowe Day Research Center dates from the 1940’s, but the house didn’t open to the public until the 1960’s. Even now, it’s not a typical house museum. The focus is less on artifacts, more on ideas. One person, one book, can effect change.

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Maura Hallisey, program coordinator, speaks in the present tense, as if Harriet Beecher Stowe would join the conversation at any moment. “I think it’s important to make our work relevant. The present tense makes it more real. “

How will we live tomorrow?

IMG_6825“I don’t know. Is that an acceptable answer? Will technology and social media have a negative impact? We are in a difficult period of national discomfort. Out of turmoil come new ways of being.

“We want justice now. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in 1852. It takes time to influence society. It was more than a decade before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.”

 

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Trip Log – Day 255 – New York, NY

Posted on July 20, 2016 by paulefallon

Poughkeepsie to NYCJuly 17, 2016 – Sun, 90 degrees

Miles Today: 22

Miles to Date: 13,242

States to Date: 33

 In celebration of the initiatives that Mayor Michael Bloomberg did to encourage cycling in New York City, I rode the entire length of Broadway, from Washington Heights to Union Square, and photographed a slice of city life on a hot Sunday afternoon. Even without cars, Times Square is still claustrophobically dense.

Afterward, I pedaled through the Bowery, investigating sites that William Helmreich, a fellow adventurer at a slower pace and author of The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City, told me about when I asked him how will we live tomorrow.

I wrapped up Sunday afternoon in Central Park before proceeding to my evening’s host in Harlem.

A photo essay of my trek along Broadway:

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Profile Response: Maralis Martinez, Willimantic, CT

Posted on July 20, 2016 by paulefallon

HWWLT Logo on yellowWe gauge our place in the world not just by where we are, but also by where we came from.

Maralis Martinez was born in Puerto Rico but spent most of her youth in New Britain, CT, living with a single mom in public housing. Maralis graduated high school but could not afford college. She worked various jobs, met her husband, went to community college, and obtained a four-year degree. Today, Maralis is a medical technologist at the local hospital where she works second shift three days a week and every other weekend to maximize the amount of time she and husband David (who has a traditional work schedule) can spend with their three-year old Laura. “We are the people who leave our families on Mother’s Day and holidays to take care of other’s family. But I love my work. I never thought I would be where I am.”

Screen Shot 2016-07-18 at 1.01.42 PMMaralis sees parallels between her life and her mother’s, between Laura and her own childhood. “My mother had her first child at age fifteen. Underage marriages were part of Puerto Rican culture. My sister had her first child at eighteen. I had my first child at thirty-one. There is a huge difference in what you can do for your child. I took maternity leave. We have a house without cockroaches or lead paint, a house I could afford to keep if anything happens to David.

“I believe in educating women and girls. If my mother had been educated, she would have had more opportunities; I would have had more opportunities.”

How will we live tomorrow?

IMG_6811“That’s a scary thought with everything going on in the country, with the politics. You hope it will get better. For some it does, for some it doesn’t.”

 

 

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