an early shot from spirited away
dayton, oh → columbus, oh
today started slow, in the best way possible. we tried to give ourselves some more rest and woke up at 8am, after watching spirited away in our host’s basement theater until midnight.
i’d never seen spirited away before — it was phenomenal. i think i’m often turned away from movies and tv if i can’t understand the dialogue, but some of my teammates are rapidly changing that perspective; earlier, we watched kiki’s delivery service, which was also rich, entertaining, and funny.
moments before the rain
our departure from jamie’s house was also delayed because it started raining really hard. joel and sophia have become the resident weather-people because, when we encounter inclement weather, they immediately begin consulting radar footage and projections to create alternate plans. in this case they were unanimous — we just needed to wait ten minutes, and then we could leave.
the wet trail, during the first leg of biking (featuring no-hands biking and my excessively padded handlebars)
once the rain stopped, we set off for the first leg: riding just after the rain can be a very wet experience because the back wheel kicks water upwards and, without bike fenders, the water lands on your back, making for some very unhappy, soaked, spokes.
about halfway into the first leg, we encountered a “road closed” sign along with directions for a detour.
it seems that riding on a bike has changed my relationship with these signs: i’ve come to see them more as a suggestion than an edict. so, when i saw the sign, i thought nothing of it, rode around it in the grass, and kept biking on the trail. sophia, aja, and timothy, on the other hand, decided to obey the detour instruction, and took the long way around.
about 100 yards after the road closure, i got to the other side of the detour. it was a bit tricky to get onto the path; i almost had to jump over a concrete barrier in the middle of a road (i found an easier way around it, though).
at the first stop — a coffee shop — katherine and sophia found a candle cabinet that included candles with such descriptive titles as “summer night” (what does that even smell like?) and “lick me all over” (dear god, if that has a smell, i never want to experience it).
it also got me thinking about what i would title a candle if i made one; or what scents from this trip i would want to capture if i could — definitely not the smell of manure (i’ve smelt enough of that for a lifetime).
as the trail continued, i started to notice lots of chalk art:
ok, it’s a bit cheugy.
but! i have a special affinity for chalk messages: at stanford, i like to go on long walks, and i often find that children leave adorable notes on the pavement.
one time, i found a puzzle hunt: i saw a multiple-choice question on the ground (e.g. “which country has the largest soccer stadium?”) and depending on your answer you were supposed to go in a different direction (e.g. go left if you think it’s the us, right if you think it’s north korea, etc.). i never solved the final puzzle, but it led me to this fantastically cool place near campus.
we pulled up to the rest stop after that leg, which was at a kroger’s. ok, well, first it was at a diner (which was closed); then, timothy and katherine moved it to a pizza place (which was a small shop that they didn’t want to impose on); so, then, it was a mcdonalds (which had a password for their restrooms — boo!); and, finally, it was a strip mall with a kroger’s.
inexplicably, i found this store in the strip mall:
i have quite a few qualms with this establishment’s marketing strategy:
the title — beds ‘n’ stuff — is tremendously vague
the subtitle — waterbeds ‘n’ stuff — is a strange clarification of the title (why not just call the store waterbeds ‘n’ stuff?)
their interpretation of “stuff” seems quite broad
what is a cardboard cutout of kamela harris and joe biden doing in the window? i don’t know
the store seems lovely, though — or as timothy said — “that’s kinda based”.
we got to our host’s house around dinner time, and they prepared us some delicious watermelon, spaghetti, and garlic bread (a classic spokes dinner) along with chips and homemade salsa.
we’ve gotten good at settling into places quickly, and moving out quickly the next day (which was hard for me at first). these folks have a swing for their niece below their deck and a bonfire — both of which we enjoyed thoroughly:
after dinner, a few of us settled by the bonfire, and talked about summer camp, how to design spaces for intimacy, the dance teams on campus, what percentage of the internet is porn (and how you measure “percent of the internet” — traffic, storage, websites?), and whether we’re “used to” this lifestyle yet (a threshold that everyone interpreted differently).
it’s nice to be able to talk so easily with my teammates — and to have a cornucopia of inside jokes that we can effortlessly weave into conversation (try mentioning a “meat eraser” to anyone and they’re guaranteed to cringe or burst out laughing).
with 11 days left, i’m finally getting used to this.
87.05mi, 6:04:27 moving time
—parth
If Parth could invent a Culver's flavor, what would be in it?
earl grey tea, raspberries, and honey
Can one get a DWI when riding a bike?
yes
(not speaking from personal experience, i promise)
Thank you for answering the questions. Have a blessed day!
you’re welcome! you too!
Who among the Spokes holds the record for the fastest tire (or tube change)? How much time did it take?
we don’t usually time it, but one time that i did, it took me 8.5 minutes (which is pretty fast). on a later occasion, it took me an hour — take from that what you will.
What is one thing you are looking forward to after Spokes end their journey?
biking
ok, sorry — i’m looking forward to sleeping in the same bed for multiple nights
How easy is it to pick where to eat — have y’all had issues w/ dietary restrictions or things like that?
we joke that if someone had a peanut allergy, they wouldn’t survive this trip (we eat a lot of peanuts)…
when we buy groceries, we try to keep dietary restrictions in mind — for example, we don’t have dairy milk, just almond milk. we have quite a few vegetarians, which can be important when we pick a restaurant for dinner (though that hasn’t ever been a huge issue to my knowledge).
we often eat with hosts — and those meals can be a bit trickier. usually, though, hosts ask about our dietary restrictions before we get there
How often do you get to do laundry?
usually every day or every other day; the longest stretch without laundry was 3 days