Philadelphia

It’s been a good time in Philadelphia hanging with Eleanor and sorting myself out.

I’m kind of at a loose end at the moment with no job. But I’ve been making myself useful doing some home improvements.

It’s good that Eleanor already has a network of people. I like her friends, but I’m feeling I need my own friends. A sense of independence.

The Phillies won the World Series. That was cool and I enjoyed the celebration on Broad. I’m a poser fan.

I missed the parade because I drove to Boston for Halloween. I posted my ride on craigslist rideshare and brought four passengers, full car. And two bikes. They paid for all the gas and the tolls. Cool.

It was good to see Jeremy, Jessica, Ezra, Courtney, and Kenny in Boston. But I had no interest in meeting anyone at the parties and bars we went to. What am I going to do with a friend in Boston? Two Bens became friends with the group and came over the last night. The small Ben was in a slump. He stumbled giving an example of a homeless person sign as “I will eat for food.” He was called out on it but instead of laughing it off, he tried to cover it. “Yeah, I’ve seen that.” The room fell silent. Then on the departure, he hugged Jessica and said “It was nice meeting you.” “What? We met a few nights ago.” “I mean, it’s nice meeting you again.” Again, covering it, not laughing it off. Bad move. Shitty.

I posted for a rideshare back to Philly, but I had a stop in Connecticut to record an interview for my dad. One person emailed me to say they didn’t need a ride, just something delivered to Philly. So I called up. This guy wanted me to buy two cases of Trader Joe’s two-buck-chuck wine and deliver it to Philly. I asked how much he’d give me. It would cost $48 and he’d give me $60. $12 service for fronting all the money. Not thanks dude.

Packing List

Here’s what I’m bringing with me on my trip:

• MEI Internal Frame Pack ($40 craigslist)
• Sleeping Bag: mummy-style synthetic ($10 craigslist)
• Compression Sack: for the sleeping bag ($25 Sea-to-Summit)
• Poncho/Tarp: rain gear/ground mat/rain shelter (thanks Travis)
• Nylon rope: rain shelter/rope is useful ($2.50 Lowes)
• Books: Native Son, 100 Years of Solitude, A Walk in the Woods ($11 Half.com)
• Hip Pouch: attaches to my belt, holds stuff (hand-crafted, thanks Jessica)
• T-Shirts (2): Apocalypse Briggs, and some Pocket Tee
• Day Pack: Jansport (since Freshman year High School)
• Small Towel: high absorbency ($10 REI)
• Compression Sack: for clothes ($20 REI)
• Toiletries
• Collared Shirts (3): wear two of them to sub as a sweater
• Jeans (1)
• Wristwatch: motion-powered
• Passport: with hand-crafted personalized cover (thanks Jessica)
• Flash drive: 512 MB, unload photos onto it
• Digital camera
• USB cable: for digital camera
• Glasses
• Pen
• Headlamp: for reading, for darkness (found it)
• Cambodian head wrap: multi-purpose, great ($1 Cambodia)
• Belt
• Shorts (2): cutoff park shorts
• Swim trunks
• Underwear (6)
• Socks (5)
• Shoes: Asics ($45 DSW)
• Travel Book: Lonely Planet’s Eastern Europe ($15 Amazon)

We’re leaving for Paris tomorrow.  We’re flying from Newark, NJ, so we have to take a train and then a bus to get to the airport.

Out of Atlanta

I left Atlanta at 9:30am yesterday, June 19. It was emotional, so I had Jessica take some photos to document it. And she put the best ones together in this great collage.

I packed up my Saturn and everything fit with room to see out the windows. I loaded the roof rack and bike rack; I wanted as many accessories on my car as possible. The rear of my car was pretty low to the ground carrying all my grandfather’s tools. The photo at the bottom shows how I like being totally naked on long drives.

I hypermiled all the way to Philly. I stayed between 55 and 60 mph since at higher speeds you lose fuel efficiency. I also coasted going down hills. I didn’t pass anyone the whole trip! One truck honked at me, and later, someone flashed their high-beams. I think most people understood that I’d be slow though, since I was bearing a load. My favorite time was when I caught a bus with its hazard lights on, going about 55, and I drafted it for a good while.

I stopped at about 10pm. I pulled into a rest area about 75 miles south of Washington DC. I slept in the car until about 4am, and then drove the rest of the way to Phildelphila. I got in at about 8am. I made it within 24 hours; 800 miles in about 15 hours. I got around 38 miles per gallon, which was pretty good with the load I was carrying.

I’m in Philadelphia now, exhausted from the trip, and excited for Thursday when I fly to Paris.