Back in Maine, Moving forward with plans

After some gentle prodding from our friend and FoodCycle supporter John, we have decided to explain where FoodCycle stands at the moment and what plans we have moving forward.

After a meeting last week with Scott Smith (School Nutrition Director for Brunswick and MSAD 75 Schools) we established delivery dates and quantities for seasonal and organic produce from Six River Farm (Bowdoinham, Maine).  The farmers at Six River, Nate and Gabrielle, have been friends since we began to promote our intention of creating access to sustainable foods in schools, and from the outset they have wanted to help.  This week we will be pick up over 500 pounds of organic produce and we’ve set dates for pick up in December and January.

As the food begins to make its way on to local school lunch trays we will be working with classroom teachers to introduce the new and colorful (and not to mention delicious!) foods that they will now have access to.  The better we can encourage kitchen staff to prepare these foods in creative and informative ways the more success we anticipate having in changing how students envision lunch.

Though we have not raised our goal of $10,000 we have been successful in mobilizing a strong base of community support-and national coverage from our cross country bike ride-as well as over $8,000!  We’ll be working to provide an additional income to the farmers of Six River of over $3,200 this fall from the produce that we purchase.  Working with local farmers to establish additional sources of income that directly support local foods in schools is likely an area where FoodCycle will concentrate its efforts moving forward.

Pictures of our first fall pick up coming soon!

4,419 MILES. WE MADE IT.

After 107 days on the road and 83 days biking we dipped our tires in Tomales Bay, California!  More photos, facts and fun stories to come.

Update from the Road # 11 (Carson City, NV)

All that separates us now from the California’s Central Valley and its rugged northern coast is the summit of Carson Pass. At 8,573′ it represents the last significant climb of our bike trip, a final challenge of the many we have faced.  We will have to earn our few days our leisure with friends and we are happy to embrace this truth.

With Colorado, Utah and Nevada (nearly) behind us we’re feeling strong and motivated.  These past two weeks we have moved our bodies and our bikes over 1,000 miles and tens of thousands of vertical feet through the beautiful and treacherous desert southwest.  Our path intersected in this time with supported riders from Bike the US for MS.  For several days we traveled alongside these wonderful folks and accepted their generosity with a sense of  humility that can only be learned through spending nearly 100 days on the road.  Relying on the compassion and giving nature of people has been a hallmark of this journey and it has vaulted my perspective of the goodness of my fellow Americans in a way that is best described as pleasantly surprised.  It’s easy to see now why so many take such pride in this country, it’s vast natural beauty is unparalleled anywhere on this earth-we have been privy to this fact each day over the course of the last 3 months.  Yet I wonder how many Americans have formulated this opinion, of America’s “superiority,” from an experience as personal, introspective and painstakingly meticulous as what we have encountered.  I maintain my belief that those who claim the most pride for this country and understanding of what makes it unique and great actually know the least about it.

They should get out of their cars, turn off their tv’s and go for a bike ride.

Update from the Road #10 “Over the Great Divide” (Gunnison, CO)

After a few days spent amongst friends in CO Springs and in Salida we set off to tackle the highest point on the entire ride.  Beginning in the early morning fog we rode from our new friend Matthew Cohen’s home toward Monarch Pass.  From 22 miles we gradually climbed, switching back and forth up the rolling terrain of Highway 50.  The weather was clear and brisk to start, while the sun moved in warming our backs and offering a gentle push through the thin mountain air.  After 3 hours of hard work we had crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass, now officially in the Western United States, we took a few moments to reflect from 11,313 feet.  This elevation represents our highest point on the route, though countless miles of rolling hills and steep climbs still await in western parts of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and the Sierra Nevada Range of California. For now though, we’re happy with our accomplishment and eager to press on, moving forward toward experiences still unknown.

We have a few new webisodes completed and will be working to have them viewable on our website at www.foodcycleus.com – Stay tuned.

In Memoriam

Stephen Norwick

1943-2012

Update from the Road #9 (Osage City, KS)

First, and most importantly, we’d like acknowledge Steve Norwick and his family and keep them both in our thoughts and close to our hearts.  Professor Norwick, an educator of nearly 40 years,  a member of the Environmental Studies Faculty at Sonoma State and an avid bicyclist was the victim of a hit and run while riding his bike to meet friends for breakfast in Penngrove, CA on the morning of June 8, 2012.  He has been in a coma since the accident.  Out of respect for Mr. Norwick we have decided to dedicate the rest of FoodCycle’s cross-country ride to him, in the hope that he and his family make it through this very difficult time.

We’ve been getting up early these past few weeks to try to beat the heat.  After an 86 mile day in near 100 degree heat we took the advice of our host Brian in Quincy, IL who bluntly stated  “Are you stupid?  This is the Mississippi River Valley and it’s June.  It gets hot at 10am, heats up till 3 and then bakes from 4-7.”  A little tough love never hurt I suppose.  Though by now we are well away from the Mississippi, we’ve taken his words to heart, waking most mornings by 5am with the intent of moving by 6am.  The early days have made for the indescribable beauty and solitude that comes with an empty road in the early morning.  We now try, though not always successfully, to be off of our bikes by 2pm and in a shaded or air-conditioned locale, if we’re afforded such an opportunity.

We’re just beginning our push through Kansas now, after a handful of days spent off the bike and exploring Lawrence, Kansas, or as I like to think of it: Berkeley of the Midwest.  Missouri proved to be far more than either Leah or I expected, lush and intact-with rolling hills that awoke our slumbering legs apparently lacking endurance after over 1,000 miles of flat terrain.

From here we’ll continue on towards the Colorado line, then the climbing begins-as will some visits with dear friends and schools in the area.  We’ve traveled over 2,300 miles and seen 11 states, in the next 2,000 miles we’ll be in just 4 more states, the scale and depth of what still awaits has not fully sunk in yet.

We’re working with our editor to have new footage uploaded on our website soon to fill in the large gaps in our documentation of this trip, when it’s available you can view it at http://www.foodcycleus.com.

Update from the road #8 (A call to action)

Hello friends and family,

Greetings from Henry, Illinois.  Leah and I are both well on our way
across the country by bicycle, meeting many wonderful people and
experiencing the vastness of this land and the many communities that
define it.  We have been shown so much warmth and hospitality by
strangers that identify with our ambition or support our cause to help
fund sustainable nutrition in schools through FoodCycle.  It had been
a bit paradoxical, both surprising and utterly predictable because,
really, people are good and gravitate toward inspiration-this, as I am
beginning to see, transcends many of the barriers we construct to
separate ourselves from one another.

Many of you have already generously supported FoodCycle and our goal
to raise $10,000 in 2012 to fund a year’s worth of sustainable foods
for Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary in Brunswick, Maine.  Some of you
may not have a clue what FoodCycle is, don’t feel bad.  Here’s the
gist:

By acting as financiers for farm to school collaborations we can pay local
farmers to grow product specifically for schools in their communities.
These foods are then donated to the school district, cleaned, prepped
and implemented into the school lunch menu.  Our pilot school this
year will serve over 600 public school students in grades 2-5.
Another, some might say “large”, component of the project is the
cross-country bicycle ride Leah and I are currently undertaking.
Along our route we are documenting school nutritional reform already
underway in communities across the US.  From the footage we’ll be
creating a series of episodes that can be viewed on our website
www.foodcycleus.com and will be featured with Hand Picked Nation at
http://handpickednation.com/meet/foodcycle.

To date we have raised over $6,000!  This is an amazing accomplishment
and again much of our success is thanks to you and people like you.
With over 60% of our goal met we are pushing to complete our fund
raising drive by the beginning of the 2012-13 school year.

How can you help?  Contribute!  Offer advice, encouragement,
inspiration, wisdom, tell us a joke, and if you can give monetarily.
Visit  http://foodcycleus.com/contact-us/contribute/ to donate to
“foods for schools” or to help “support the riders” on their 4,500
mile journey.  PLEASE distribute this email to any and every person
that you believe can support our goal to provide sustainable school
nutrition for our public school children

With gratitude,

Adam

Update from the road #7 (Vermilion, OH)

Anyone who says anything bad about Cleveland, Ohio has never been to it.  I should know, I used to be one of those people.  But seriously, who knew?  Like many US cities built on the back of an Industry now in decline and shipped overseas, Cleveland struggles with poverty and blighted buildings, a lack of jobs and eroding infrastructures.  It is under populated and thousands of buildings and commercial lots sit unoccupied, weathering into decay as the seasons pass.  This to any outsider, would seem reason enough to label it-as many have-as an undersireable place to live or do business.

Yet something profoundly interesting is happening in Cleveland, a revolution of sorts is unfurling as we speak.  Those run down lots and blighted properties are slowly being transformed by a generation of young and motivated urban farmers.  While in Cleveland we were able to tour one of the many farms doing work to not merely transform the aesthetic of Cleveland, but to also provide a reliable source of local and organic foods to many communities living in a veritable food desert.

The neighborhood of Ohio City, though still struggling with issues of underemployment , poverty and drug abuse, is now home to the largest contiguous urban farm in the United States.  Members of the community have joined en mass to volunteer their services during harvest and to protect this community resource from those with less admirable intentions.

Cleveland is also a burgeoning foodie destination and these farms serve a critical link in providing locally sourced produce to area restuarants.  Unlike larger metropolitan areas with a reputation for fine restaurants such as Boston, New York and Chicago in Cleveland you can’t get away with charging $35 for an entrée, the economy here won’t sustain it and that’s just fine by Clevelanders.  One gets the distinct impression that those that live in Cleveland are happy to reside in a city that is so undervalued-because ultimately it would seem the joke is on everyone who never sees the city with their own eyes.

Update from the road #6 (Mentor, Ohio)

As we sit in the home of our new friends Jeremy and Kim (and their two beautiful daughters) we are incredibly grateful for the generosity of those that have embraced our ride and our mission.  A HUGE and vital form of support has been the online hosting network specifically aimed at touring cyclists, Warm Showers.  This resource has, and will continue to, provide not only a warm shower and places to stay but also an ability to share thoughts and ideas, philosophies and a common passion for traveling by bike in car culture.

Tomorrow we head for Cleveland and will be hosted by an individual with ties to the local foods movement there.  We’ll likely spend two nights in the greater Cleveland area, then continue west along lake Erie on the way toward Chicago.

Update from the road # 5 (Pulaski, NY)

Our fifth update finds us drying our gear in room 105 of the Pulaski Travel Lodge, we slogged 42 miles here today in a pouring rain. We’ll try a different approach tonight, an update by numbers:

Days on the road- 17
Zero(mile) days- 5
Distance traveled- 510 miles
States seen- 4
Longest day- 76.5 miles
Total time riding(time spent actually pedaling)- 45h 5m 11s
Longest day (time…)- 6h 21m 36s
Nights camped- 3(can you believe how many friends we have with spare rooms?)
Rivers/lakes drank from- 3
# of free eggs received- 1 dozen
# of men we’ve seen walking aimlessly with a loaded shotgun- 1
Mountain ranges biked through- 3
# of littered banana peels- 18
# of painted lady butterflies on side of the road- thousands
# of cyclists we have seen- 2 ( a sweet Dutch couple)
# of showers taken (Leah & Adam combined)- 13