ONE BIG CO-OP

A cooperative (also co-operative; often referred to as a co-op or coop) is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit.^[1] Cooperatives are defined by the International Co-operative Alliance's Statement on the Co-operative Identity as autonomous associations of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprises.^[2] A cooperative may also be defined as a business owned and controlled equally by the people who use its services or who work at it.

That is what I love about Austin. A lot of great ideas going on and people getting together to make something bigger and better. This is what big business should comprise of, not all that big Corporate crap that is running to ruin this great country founded on freedom. They take away that freedom of being able to own your own business. But here in Austin, the little blue dot in a huge red state, they want to have their own thing. There are a lot of great ideas in this city and people are getting together to make something bigger and better for their community.

On Saturday was the Yellow Bike Project grand reopeing. Brooks and I headed up that way, I had the Trike loaded up with some t-shirts to sell, but no pup. The days here are already getting close to the 90º mark, and that big black dog can't take it. I feel bad not to be able to take my best friend with me everywhere, and it doesn't really show the whole picture of what this journey is about with him not with me. But we have been spending nights running around, although I can't take him on any of the Social Rides because he just freaks out with all the bikes around. We are working on that. When we got to YBP new shop on Weberville Rd. there was a mass of people and bikes. I pulled up and started chating with the folks around. I went inside to check out the stuff. The whole idea behind YBP is great. You have to volunteer about 12 hours at the shop helping others, cleaning up bikes, parts, and the shop. Once you have your hours you can build two bikes. The first is a Yellow Bike. Now these yellow bikes are destined for greatness. All the materials used to make Yellow Bikes are all used parts. They are taking bikes that are destined for the landfill and recycling them into Yellow Bikes slowing waste and giving back to the comunity. A Yellow bike is painted bright yellow and left around the city. The hope is to flood the streets with them and so if you need to run to the store or to a meeting you can grab an always unlocked Yellow Bike and leave it for the next person. And the second bike you build is for you. And they will teach you how to do all of it, then you get to teach others. Co-op.

I have met so many people here so far. I have talked about Brian with Spokiz, he is helping me while I help him. He had made "I ❤ ATX" t-shirts. He sold a lot but still has a couple boxes left and he is in Cali on biz, so I have been loading them up in the trike and pedaling around to all the functions that take place all the time here in this hyper-active city, trying to sell them. We are both making money and we are getting our ideas out there together. I also am also now a rep for his Sunglasses, Spokiz (spoke eyes). These are great sunglasses and I advise all of you to go to his website and order yours today. www.teamspokiz.com

There is another great idea out here called Flash Bak, these are the best personal safety system out there. It's the brightest LED lighting system that I have seen and you can clip it onto anything. It's good for anyone who shares the road with cars not just cyclist. The great thing about them is its hard to look past. I remember a couple times when I have been driving at night and you barely see the small flashing light that is on a seat post. Driving at night you tend to get tunnel vision and look past it. But these lights are so bright and flash at different beats that you can't miss them.

I am enjoying my time here. I hope to be able to stay till Oct. before taking off west. I am going to have to get a jobby job soon to be able to pay for things. It has already started to hit the 100º mark and we are only in mid May! Cooper is sick of staying in all day but he is adjusting. If you live in Austin and know of some work to be done send me a text or email please, I can and will pretty do anything at this time.

Till next time

Love and Licks

Sean and Cooper

I'M SO SORRY MOBILE......

....but Austin has taken the #1 position. I have only been here for a week, but the idea of living that this city has is great. The people are so cool and laid back; everyone has a hello to throw our way and good vibes to put out. This city is full of bikers, dogs, pretty ladies, and cool dudes. The bar and restaurant scene down here is huge. People believe in the whole "Mom and Pop" idea: totally against corporate America for the most part.

On Monday we ran around to get some stuff done. I had to go to Ozone Bike Dept. to pick up the external hard drive that Bob and Lori had picked up for me. I also needed to get the plates that connected my new Keen Commuter sandals to my SPD pedals. We stopped by Home Slice to get some pizza. I am a pizza junkie, and I miss the convenience of getting a slice at George's before hitting the streets of NYC. We sat down at a table and ordered a large pie. They claim to be a NY-style pizzeria, and they came close. But the pizza needed to be just a bit bigger to get that one-of-a-kind slice size. Granted, you could fold it in half like a taco, but it just wasn't the same. Afterward we went out to the mall to go to the Apple store to have some questions answered about my aging PowerBook G4. On our arrival I learned that I needed to make an appointment to see a Genius. So we headed back to the house to chill out.

Brian and Chris had emailed me on Friday before I arrived and let us know we were welcome to stay with them. They have a spare bedroom and bathroom for us. When we arrived on Sunday, Brian told me of his friend Bill who was moving out of Austin to go to the New York / Connecticut area in a month's time. Now, Bill had had his replacement move into his place a month early while he rode out the last month at his place. Well, it seems the replacement had some issues with Bill, and even tried to fight him a couple of times. Bill isn't that kind of guy. He is really laid back and chill. Anyway, he didn't want to spend his last month in this great city in an environment like that, so he asked Brian and Chris if he could stay with them. They, being nice people, said sure, but told him he would have to take the couch until we left. He was fine with that, and happy just to get out of the situation he was in. So on Monday, Bill was coming in with some of his things. I felt bad because we had the room and Bill had given them money for his share of a month's rent, and here we were staying for free. I had planned on staying for only a week, but the more I thought of everything that I needed to get ready for the desert, I realized that I would probably be here for a couple of weeks. I felt bad. I decided that if another offer came around to stay somewhere, then I would take it to be fair to Bill, Brian, and Chris.

So on Monday night, the four of us hit the town. We went downtown to The Jackalope for all-night Happy Hour. Then we went over to Lovejoy's in hopes of getting in on free pool table night, but the chalkboard was filled with names of hustlers and sharks, so we just drank. We had a blast, and met loads of people.

There are a couple of them I want to share with ya:

First we met this couple on the streets going from one bar to the next, selling drawings. Their character is Stitchlip. Its a cat drawn in a very interesting cartoon style. They have T-shirts, hats, stickers, posters, and even dog shirts! Check out their work and story at http://www.zazzle.com/stitchlip

Another dude I sat and talked with was Shannon with 3rd Millennium Chess. It's pretty cool—he has taken a chessboard and made it into a cylinder so you have to play from both sides. It is going to change the game of chess for the better. I wish I knew how to play, because it would have been interesting to sit with him and get down. You can check it out and order yours today at www.3mchess.com

On Tuesday we all woke up a little slow. We got some breakfast burritos and sat around relaxing. Coop gets rested a lot faster than I do. When we stop I don't want to do much of anything that is going to involve my legs. I don't even like walking around. But he was a little keyed up, so I took him over to the field and had him chase some tennis balls. Within ten minutes his tongue was hanging to the ground in a heavy pant. How is this dog going to make it in the desert? How does any dog or animal make it in the desert? It gets hot down here—last summer they had over a hundred days that were over a 100ºF! By my calculations it will take us about two more months to get to southern California. That's two months of no air conditioning. Granted there is shade, but sometimes Coop can't cool down all the way unless we are inside with some AC or if it's night out. I really need to figure this all out. So Tuesday was pretty unproductive other than uploading all the pics that I had from Mobile to Austin.

On Wednesday it was calling for rain which was good for us. The clouds gave us a shade from the sun. I needed to go and check out some stuff around town and just see what this city is made of. We made our way down Congress St. heading towards downtown area over the lake. We hit the ped bridge and spotted a group of cyclist on the bridge. I stopped to see what was going down and talk to these guys about what I was doing. I met Brian from Spokiz Eye Wear. These things are great. 'The 1Uhnighed is the first ever, truly hinge-less sunglass in the WORLD! That is right you are seeing the sunglass REVOLUTION in action. This model is the first ever introduced by TEAM Spokiz and is great for us big headed people. You know us with wide heads that get the pressure headaches and annoying rubbing behind the ears from NORMAL sunglass. Thanks to SpokiZ you are now free to move without worry or headaches or slipping sunglasses ever again!!!' These things are so light and have no pressure points you forget your wearing them. They are great with everything. No more slipping off and dropping to the ground or water. Check out the website and order yours today. Tell them that Sean and Cooper sent ya!!

http://www.teamspokiz.com

After that we rolled over the bridge and cruised around downtown, man there are some gnarly hills here. I stopped by REI and exchanged my tent and pants. I wanted to upgrade on the tent and pick up some more stuff but was unable to do so because I'm broke!! I went outside and met Dave and Yoni, Dave owns a pedicab company here in Austin and Yoni works with him. We chatted about people to get into contact with and Yoni is interested in doing a article and photo shoot on us. After that I went over to Mellow Johnny's. This is Lance Armstrongs bike shop. It has a nice Cafe, workout room, fitting room, showers, lots of gear and bikes. Its a great shop if you have a shitload of money, but for me it wasn't my kinda shop. As I pedaled away from the high end shop I turned the corner and smelled some good food. It was a taco shop and I had a couple bucks so I decided to get a taco. As I pulled up Brian Spokiz came out and said he wanted to buy me lunch. I went in and ordered and sat down with most of the guys I had met earlier on the bridge. I sat across from Brooks Goldsmith he is a web designer here in Austin. www.brooksgoldsmith.com He also has a rental property that he rents out for the non stop festivals that take place in this super active town. He asked me where I was staying and I told him of the situation I was in. He asked if I wanted to stay at the house. It is a fully furnished 3 br house with a fenced in backyard and a garage. I said that I couldn't afford it and he told me we could stay free of charge. "Holy crap that is great" I had been worried about the living situation at Brian and Chris's house with Bill sleeping on the couch and paying his share of rent. I called Brian and ran it by him, I was worried I would offend them. He understood and was cool with it. After lunch Brooks and I cruised by the house to check it out and to get the keys. What a nice place. I left the trike there and Chris came and picked me and Coop up on her way home from work. When we got home I packed up our stuff and I washed the sheets that Cooper had slobbered all over. That night Brian, Chris and I went to the Alamo Ritz movie theater to see Master Pancake Theater showing Bloodsport. Its the same principal as Mystery Science Theater. But they show movies that you know, its live, and there is lots of swearing. My kinda place. I shot beer out my nose a couple times and my face hurt from laughing so much. Afterwards we went to Jackalopes to met up with some friends of theirs.

The next day Brian and I loaded up all of our gear and headed over to the new crib. I got settled in and and unpacked. That night there was a huge group social ride around Austin. I decided to take the pup and trike to it and show these people how we do things. We met up with the 200+ riders around sunset and got to it. I wasn't prepared for the hills. I didn't eat enough that day so my legs got gassed right away we fell behind and I was having a hell of a time keeping Coop calm. Coop and I spend 99% of our time on the road by ourselves. So when we ride with other cyclist he freaks out. He wants to be the pack leader so when he is on the ground he is pulling so hard to get going that he wears himself out right away, but will keep going. He would run himself into the ground if I let him. I put him up in the back and all he does is shift from side to side in the back whimpering and whining to get out and back on the road. Image riding a bike with a 70 child behind you and they are throwing their body weight from side to side. Every movement he makes I feel. We pulled up the the half way spot and rested for less than 5 min before they got back on the road. I decided that that was enough. I was exhausted and Cooper was freaking out. I went home and passed out.

The next day Brooks hooked me up with one of his bikes and we went for a ride. We ran into Randell and he had heard about us being in town. He also commented on the fact that we didn't finish the ride the night before. I guess people where taking shit on me about not understanding my gears. Screw you. I understand my gears and think that the fact that I have pedaled 3,5oo miles is enough to say I have some experience. Anyone that thinks what I am doing is easy or thinks that I am doing something wrong, please come and show me how to do it, and then you will see what I do everyday. ASSHOLES!! OK sorry just needed to get that out there. We cruised around for the day checking out this and that. That night Brian and I went over to the SOAP house. SOAP stands for South Austin People. They make homemade organic soaps and lotions. They have the same philosophy as Dr. Bronners. Keep it natural, keep it organic and keep it clean. They hooked me up with some samples, and a plate of BBQ brisket. After that I headed over to G&S lounge to meet up with Brian and Chris for some beers. I had also gotten into contact with an old high school friend that has lived in Austin for 8 yrs now. Rachel and I swam, went to school, and church together. I hadn't really talked to her since graduation and was excited on seeing her again. She was already there when we arrived and I gave her a big hug and we all went outside to drink and talk. Rachel and I fell right back into. We used to hang out all the time back in the day and we were really close the last couple of years of HS. I missed her bluntness and no nonsense ways. We hung out there for a couple and then we all headed over to Bender. We continued our conversations about Cedar Falls. It was cool hanging out with people from my hometown. This is the first time I have stayed somewhere that has transplants from CF. It was good for Chris too, she doesn't have a lot of girlfriends down here in Austin so Rachel and her hit it off. After we shut down the bar, Rachel came back to the house to meet Cooper and to talk a little more. I crashed out happy to have the hometown hommies in my corner.

Saturday was a big day. I loaded up Coop and Brooks and I headed downtown to check out this and that. We started off over on South Congress at the Austin Glass Art shop. The weekend had brought in the Hot Rods and Rat Rods. They where parked and cruising up and down Congress. Brian had set up his T-shirts and Spokiz glasses at the little bizarre that was happening next to the glass shop. We hung out there for a min and then got moving across the lake. We went to the farmers market downtown and hung out with the SOAP guys and gals. Right next to that there was a huge Crawfish boil going on but it was $15 to get in and Coop wasn't allowed. Brooks broke out on his own and Coop and I headed up to 45th st to check out the 1st annual Dog Day Afternoon going on in Triangle park. This city is dog friendly big time, and they love active dogs. So Coop was a crowd pleaser there. After watching the wiener dog races we headed back home to eat and rest up. Later that night I took the trike out without Coop I was planning on riding around taking pics of all the hot rods. I met up with Brian over by the Glass shop and we made our way out. People had been tailgating all along the Congress strip watching and driving these classic muscle cars. So when we worked our way into traffic it was pretty hairy, cars where burning out and revving their engines. We decided to get out of that exhaust filled madhouse and head east. Brian took me on some brutal hills. We split up on the way home and I decided to kill myself by finding the hilliest way home and pushed my self to haul up these hills. Main Street has sent me a new Mega Range gear that is going to help me but I haven't gotten a chance to put it on yet. I just turned up the radio and turned off my mind and just kept moving my feet by the time I rolled into the garage I had done 36 miles that day and was soaked with sweat. I took and shower and passed out.

On Sunday I had scored a job taking Fan Photos at the Harlem Globetrotters game. I haven't seen the Globetrotters in like 20 yrs and they are better than ever. They put on one hell of a show. I shot over 1000 pics and got to watch a lot of the game.

I have decided to stay in Austin. I was planning on pushing on next wk and getting to Seattle for the winter. I was going to go there and work for my old boss that has the pet cremation biz in NYC and Seattle. Hibernate, get fat, and save some money. But this town has way more to offer and I would rather deal with the TX heat than a Seattle winter. So when I got home on Sun I looked online for a place to stay and a job to get. Rachel came over to take me out to dinner and while we were hanging out she offered me a room at her place. She has lived by herself for 5 yrs or so and said she wouldn't mind having a roommate for 5 months or so. This will save me a load of money and it will be nice staying with someone I know. We just have to make sure her cat Roma and Cooper are going to get along. So for the next wk or so I will be staying at Brooks place and taking Cooper over there to get to know them. I hope this all works out and I'm sure if I stay positive it will be positive.

I'm not done with this adventure. I am just taking a much needed break to rest and reorganize, this city has a lot of people that support us and want to be apart of this idea of mine so by the time I roll out in the fall we will be bigger and stronger. So stay in touch I will be still posting our goings on.

Till next time

Love and licks from Austin

Sean and Cooper

Pushing to Austin

Okay, this is gonna be quick: detail points only.

We rolled out of the park and got moving. I was rested and determined to make it to Austin in good time. The hills were more of a gradual climb all day, with wind at a minimum. I just used the Texas atlas that I had gotten from Bob Strange and picked out my route every night for the following day. One thing Bob told me to do was hit up Brenham, TX—the home of Blue Bell Creameries. For the past week we have been getting up at 5:30 a.m. every morning to get as many miles done before noon in order to avoid the heat. We got to Blue Bell at about lunchtime and had a picnic, and then I went in to get some ice cream to cool us down. I got rocky road and Cooper got peaches and homemade vanilla. We talked to some folks and rested, and that afternoon we did a couple more hours.

On Friday we were a couple days away from Austin and moving down highway 290 when we got waved down by a couple who wanted to talk. I told them about what we were doing, and explained about all the stuff on the blog. I mentioned I had fallen behind on the photos due to the fact that my external hard drive was on the fritz. Bob and Lori asked how they could get a new one to me. I was shocked that they wanted to buy me a new hard drive. These things aren't cheap: over $100. I told them of a bike shop I was planning on going to in Austin, and they dropped it off there for me. Thanks so much, Bob and Lori Marsh.

On Sunday morning I couldn't sleep at all, so we got on the road very early. We had to do 38 miles that day to make it to Brian's and Chris's place. They are originally from my hometown, and we know some of the same people. When they heard about me coming into Austin, they contacted me to let me know we were welcome to stay with them during our time there. The temperature at six o'clock that morning was 67ºF, and the humidity was 10,000%! I was soaked about ten minutes into the ride. The hills leading into Austin made themselves known, but I was adamant on making it to Austin by early afternoon. Things tried to stop me: flat tires, headwinds, hills, and rain. By noon I had done 33 of the 38 miles, had two flat tires, and was exhausted. I was so excited to get to Brian's and Chris's house, and I thought the last 5 miles would take me just over an hour. . . . Three hours later, I pulled up to the house. Brian came out, and we talked while I unloaded everything and sorted all the laundry we had to do. Then we took Coop out back and gave him a much-needed bath. I showered, and we hung out and caught up with the goings on of mutual friends.

Now I am planning on riding around this great city. I have to go to REI to exchange gear and get some new stuff. I have some gear work to do before I continue on to the hills and desert. I'll post more about Austin while I am here. And also, I am uploading pics while I write.

Till next time,

Love and Licks,

Sean and Coop

So I had skipped this little bit of the trip.

Once I had woken up on the boat launch after getting kicked out of MS. I broke down camp and headed back into that awful state. I had to get pics of the fire department. After snapping a few I retraced my path to LA. Stopping off at the gas station right before the boarder. I got some coffee and a banana. When I stepped out of the store someone asked "what are you doing here?" I looked at him and recognized him from the night before, he was one of the county officials that was present for my deportation from MS. I told him I came back to take some pics. He asked "what for?" And I told him "I'm putting them up on the blog so everyone will know how you have treated me." He looked stunned and said "oh". I replied "next time you might want to think about how you treat strangers that are passing thru" With that said we made our way back into LA. We headed west on 190 and made our way into Slidell, LA. We stopped off and picked up some supplies. It was about 3 in the afternoon and I stopped off at the Police Station to ask if there was a safe spot in town for me to camp. He said not really and told me to keep heading west out of the city and find something out there. Before I pushed on I went across the street to the Fire Department. I have come to realize that the water from the FD is better than most taps in town. I guess they run the water more so it doesn't have that well taste to it. While filling up my water jug I got to talking to one of the Fireman and he told me about the Tammany Trace Bike Trail. It's about 30 miles long and is all car free. Most sections you can't even hear the cars. By the time I reached the Trail Head of the bike super highway, it was getting dark. I found a spot in the bushes out of sight and set up. As I was getting everything put together a guy walked up to say hello. His name was Butch and he lived off the trail. We started chatting and he told me how he wanted to get out and do the same thing. But he was going to support himself my selling nicknacs. The dad from Happy Days has that commercial about junk and stuff in a warehouse that you can sell. So his idea is to pack it up and go to nursing homes and retirement communities and sell his goods to them. Its a good idea and wish him luck. The next day we had rain in the forecast for the afternoon. We had about 12 miles to get to Fontainebleau State Park. Butch met up with us as we were making moves and said he wanted to ride with us to the State Park. As we rode he gave me the history of the area and the trail. We would encounter trail rangers and they all would tell me dogs are not allowed on the trail. This blew my mind that the community would allow such a ridiculous idea, not being able to take your dog on a nature trail. I explained each time what we are doing and how nice it is not to have cars around. And they agreed as long as I kept in up in the back. Once they were out of sight, I would harness Coop and let him walk along side. Its just to nice not to let him enjoy the car free trail. Once we arrived at the State Park, I went inside to see about work for a site. I only had $5 to my name at the time and needed another $10 to camp. The park ranger said he couldn't help, but a couple more miles up the trail in Mandaville there is a place called "The Samaritan Center" he said that they would be able to help me some how. I made my way in and found the building. I went inside and a nice young lady asked "how can I help you?" I explained what I was doing and the predicament I was in and told her I wasn't sure if they could help. She said sure and we sat down to talk about it. After some questions she wrote a check for a one night stay at the park. I was grateful but a little ashamed. I choose to live this way and this place is here to help those who don't have a choice. But I did need a place to camp, a shower and do some laundry. I made my way back to the State Park and got my site. As I made my way into the camp ground it started to rain. I rushed to the site and quickly set up the tent and unloaded what we would need. I wasn't able to really look at the lay of the land and within a hour we where in a small pond. That has been the biggest problem down here is finding a safe, dry spot. As soon as the rain let up I moved the tent up on the asphalt drive and strung out the rainfly with bungee cords, and climbed back in as it started to dump again. At about midnight it stopped and Coop and I climbed out to stretch and eat our super late dinner. The following day some of the campers came by to chat and see what we where all about. Some people donated some money to us and I had just enough for another night at the state park. Everything was soaked and I needed to dry it all out. That afternoon and night Coop and I hung out in the Laundry Room and I tried to work on the blog. But every 15 minutes or so someone would come in and I would chat with them. People would return with treats for Coop and food for me. One of the people who came in was Janet. Her and her friend Alex are pedaling around the south east. They started in Oct in GA and have zigzaged about GA, FL, AL, MS, and LA. on their way into TX. This is their Journal. Check it out. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=RrzKj&doc_id=6113&v=Ak


It was nice to see other travelers. We shared stories and found out we are both big fans of http://www.pathlesspedaled.com/ We are both excited to meet these two. After the chat one of the camp host came in and said dogs aren't allowed in the Laundry room. I explained to the dude we live in a tent and are trying to stay dry and warm for a bit. He wasn't hearing it and booted us out. As we made our way back to the tent Chris and Bill stopped me and invited us in for a glass of wine and some snacks. They both are rubber tramps and meet on the road and met up now and again. They wanted to hear of my adventure and they told me more about Katrina. I went back to the tent with a warm feeling from the wine and friendship and slept like a baby.


The next morning we got up early. Coop really stunk and someone had given us some dog shampoo. So we got into the showers, and cleaned him up. The great thing about most State Parks is they always have a Handicap shower with the shower head on the hose. This makes it really easy to clean him up. After his shower I got cleaned up and we headed back to the tent to pack up. When I stepped out I was approached by the park ranger I had met the first day in the office. He asked why I had Cooper in the shower house. I told him that I can't leave him in the tent because he will tear it up trying to get out, and if I leave him tied up outside he will bark and throw a fit and wake everyone up. He said he didn't care and said that some people had told him I was Panhandling around the campground. I was blown away by this. I don't beg or ask for anything. The nerve of some people. I said whatever and walked away.


I broke down the tent, packed up and got the hell out of there. We got back on the trail and headed west I needed to stop off at the Library and do some typing. On the way into town I stopped to talk to Earl. He works on oil drill platforms as a wielder in the gulf and we got to chatting about tour cycling. After our conversation I went to the Library and started clacking the keys. About 20 minutes later Earl tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to step outside. He had went home and packed up a bunch of canned Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, Salmon, and Sardines. It totaled about 8 lbs. of goods. I was happy for the food but that was a lot of goods. After that we got back on the trail. We met up with a daughter, father ride. I can't remember her name but she is in her senior year at UMass and her dad is Hal. I stopped and talked to them for a second and then they took off down the trail. After a bit we made our way into Abita Springs. The name seemed so familiar to me. As we made our way thru this town I heard someone yell my name. I looked around and saw Hal sitting outside Abita Brewery with his daughter. I said hello and he asked if I wanted a beer. I said sure and we pulled up. This is why I recognized the name I have had this beer in NYC. I sat down and Hal got me a beer. We chatted and talked about all sorts of stuff. After a couple pints, we all got back on the road. Not to far down the line I found a good camping spot and sit up for the night.


The next day we made our way towards Hammond LA. I stopped off at the FD to fill up on water, and chatted with a couple of brave guys. They sent some muffins with me and lots of good lucks. As I got into Hammond a couple asked me to pull over to talk. Richard and Lanee Landry were very excited to meet us. Richard was cyclist back in the day and the two of them have 6 dogs so they were all about us. We talked and they informed me that they are in the movie making biz. They said they would call ahead to Baton Rouge to the news media and let them know I was on my way in. I said thanks for the help and got to getting. That night as I was looking about for my resting stop a red BMW pulled over and stopped me. Shane Mutter, was also a cyclist and wanted to hear my story. We exchange info and he got going on the interstate and we made our way down to road. I found a church a couple miles down the road with a huge yard. I set up and turned on my phone, I had a text from Shane asking where it was I camping, he wanted to stop by in the morning and drop some stuff off to us, and wanted to know if I needed anything else. I feel weird when people ask if I need anything, I don't like asking for anything. He assured me he wanted to help and would get anything I needed. So I asked for a half dozen hookers and a gallon of Jameson. Kidding, I asked for a bag of dog food and that's all we needed. In the morning Shane pulled up and brought us a big bag of dog food, 2 gallons of water and a bunch of travel sized soaps, shampoo, and other personal hygiene products. We talked some more as I packed up and Shane told me how excited he was to meet me. He really digs what we are doing. He took off to work and we made our way towards Baton Rouge.
So thanks to everyone that I met in the LA. Now that have been in AL, MS, and LA. I now see them as AL and LA as legs and MS is where the sun don't shine!

Till next time
Love and Licks
Sean and Cooper.

Being a bum is fun....

....but being broke sucks. I had this whole idea of selling hot dogs for the OK Bicycle Shop, to make some extra cash. Saturday I went to the Shop at noon to get things ready. I went and got the cart out of storage and took it back to the Shop to clean it up and get it stocked. We made a shopping list of things needed to get it up and running to sling wieners. I got out on the streets around 5. I hit the parade route and walked it 1 1/2 times. Now this cart is about a couple hundred pounds loaded and doesn't have the best wheels for easy rolling so I was having to put a lot of work into moving this thing around. I was selling Loaded Dogs for $4 and Soda and Water for a buck. As I walked the route I heard all sorts of things yelled out. "you got hot coco?" I didn't, but would have millions right now if I had. "You got a beer?" Again I didn't, but would have trillions if I had! And my favorite "You expect me to pay $4 just to have to shit in 30 minutes in that nasty porta john?!" My response to her was 'don't get the chili!' Sold! Once the parade passed by the Bike Shop I went inside and got a bite to eat. The tacos there are amazing; the Crispy Fish and Pork are my favorites. I talked to more people about what it is I'm doing. The longer I stay here the harder it is to talk about it. I feel I am losing touch with the adventure and am ready to get going but need to wait it out as planned. I have packages coming for Coop and I for our Birthday on Sat Feb 13. I really can't image spending my 31st anywhere but Mobile now. After warming up, I made my way downtown to sit up in front of the bars. I had been down there earlier around 9 but there was no one out yet because everyone was still at the parade. But now after 11 there were lines for a couple of bars and just overflow on the sidewalks and street. I stopped a couple times on my way to the main intersection on Dauphin St. to sell a couple dogs here and there and chat with people who recognized me from seeing me at the parade or riding around with Coop. As I made my way past a large group, that's when I saw it. There was a double wide version of what I had set up on sidewalk just about where I had planned to stake my claim. This guy and his gal were the dog slinging duo. He stepped down onto the street and asked what the story was. I can't remember his name, and I'm not going to make it up because it was very fitting for this guys character. Anyway this guy starts asking questions 'who you with, how much you selling, why you down here?' But the most important thing was "there is room for only one vendor down here, so just stick to walking the parade." With that said I called back to Headquarters and asked where else downtown would be a good spot to set up. Their response was' back here and put up for the night.' So back I went, unpacked, flipped, wrapped, labeled and put away. I sold 28 hot dogs that day. I didn't even eat one because I didn't want it to cut into my %. At the end of it all, 13 hours after I had gotten down there, I made $30. Money is money and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do something to earn it. But that was hard swallow.


The weather down here has been cold. I was looking at pictures from last year. Most everyone is wearing short sleeves at night and a lot of people wearing shorts. The weather here has been in the mid 40s during the day and getting down to low 30 during the night. Most of the houses and apt buildings don't have the proper insulation and are just old. Right now at 1 pm I'm wearing two layers on the legs and 4 layers on the body with a scarf and stocking cap. I would have gloves on but not good for the typing. When I wake in the morning on the couch I can see my breath.



Sunday brought the Super Bowl. Two weeks ago I had said I was staying here to see the Saints win. And I called it. WHO DAT NATION was loud and proud!! What a game, hardly any penalties and only a couple crucial turnovers. I was invited by Bucky to a house party at Cissie and Kathleens. They had and TV in both main rooms, one in the kitchen where a buffet was set up with all sorts of great tasting food and one outside with the fire pit. I moved from TV to TV taking to everyone and getting there vibe on this historic game. The tension was high and folks were nervous about the Saints winning it all. But I assured them all that they were going to win. Its already been planned and taken care of. Some of them looked at me sideways with questionable eyes and some did believe. But in the end we all believed and there was hugs, kisses, and dancing around getting crumped!! After the party winded down we talked with the hostess about their plans on Tuesday. See win or lose the city of New Orleans was throwing the Saints a parade. A float from every committee was being donated for this parade, something like this has never been done before. They are shutting down the city that day. If you didn't have anything to do with the madness you didn't have to work so pretty much emergency and service industry people had to work everyone else was off. Anyway these gals have been season ticket holders for years now and Bucky has gone to many games with them. So they got a room with a balcony for the parade. Once they won they asked Bucky and I if we would like to go. Bucky and I had made plans to go to a ball that night in Mobile for the Le Shes. I have never been to a ball and Bucky found a place to get a tux for less than $50, which I don't have, but once this proposition came to our ears we called off the ball and decided on the All Saints Parade instead. No one has ever experianced a parade like this in New Orleans so why not be a part of history.And Bucky is pretty sure I will be back again and can attend a ball at that time. Afterward we made our way over to Paddy O'Tooles to check on the Faithful there. We were greeted with shouts of joys, high fives, and hugs all around. We hung out there for a bit Bucky had to jump behind the bar to help out Buddy as he was the only one working this crazed crowd. After a bit and a couple of beers Bucky told me he was taking off due to a early tennis lesson he had the next day. I told him I could find a ride and not to worry. I had been playing pool and darts with Molly and Stephen. I was sure that I could get a ride from them. But it turned out to be Stephens Birthday at the stroke of Midnight so they started to get trashed. I ended up driving them back to her place and we started to play video games. I was cool with the situation, I was on the love seat, Stephen on the couch and Molly sitting on the floor in front of the couch. When all the sudden Stephen jumps up and asked to speak to Molly in the back. I take over on the controls and a few minutes later Molly comes out. I had asked her earlier in the night what their situation was. She informed me that they had dated at one time and it didn't work out but they stayed close friends. I can relate to this considering I am friends with about 85% of all my ex girlfriends. When you spend time with a person for a bit that person becomes your friend, companion, go to guy, and partner in crime. They know things about you your best same sex friends don't even know. So how can you just throw that history and friendship away if you break up. I understand if they hurt you or you hurt them, but for the most part you end up hurting someone because you don't know when its time to quit the relationship. I know I'm not a good boyfriend, but I'm a great friend. Most of my ex girlfriends have said 'your a better boyfriend when your not my boyfriend.' I know when the other isn't happy and that's what I want most, I want them to be happy and most of the time its not with me. So when Molly comes back out I say 'you guys are still together huh.' I wasn't planning on anything happening. I have enjoyed this time of solitude. Its something very new to me and something I need to experience. But at the same time I don't want to be put into awkward situation and that is what this just turned into. She informed me that they are still "kinda" together. My only response 'love is a crazy thing.' She said I could stay there for the night on the couch and they could give me a ride in the morning (even more awkward!!) I said thanks but no thanks and bundled up for the walk home. It was just under 5 miles and the temp that night was in the low 30s. As I walked home during the wee hours of the morning, it made me think back to the days of the late night walks in NYC. There was something always going on in the streets. But here in Mobile it was quite. People asked me the next day weren't you worried. I think about it, and right now nothing really worries me or scares me. I have this kinda unstoppable, invincible, arrogance about me now. I'm very self assured in who I am and what I can handle and I can handle anything right now. It all belongs to me and no one can take that away.

Till next time
Love and licks
Sean and Coop

Why Mobile

As you have read, I have decided to kick around here in Mobile for awhile. The reason being is it just feels right. From the time I rolled into Mobile everything has come into play. And it all started with Bucky Hicks. (He's not as redneck as it sounds!). Bucky is the man in Mobile, pretty much everyone I have met, young and old, knows Bucky. He's a town favourite and just a damn good guy!
I have come to know what Mobile has to offer by way of Bucky. He has taken me to a couple disc golf courses, bars, houses, rides and runs. On Tuesday nights there is an organised run that takes place down by the Mellow Mushroom. Bucky and I decided to join. We took to the wheels due to the fact that I don't run anymore. The last time I ran for fun was the last day I was in the Army! We met the runners in the street and peddled around and talked to them. When we got back to Mellow we parked the Trike and went inside for a couple pints. On the way back to the house we were cruising right along. It was dark out and at the last minute Bucky yelled for me to hang a right. Now I have been on the trip for 4 months, and this was the first time that I had ridden this beast under the influence. I wasn't drunk but I sure wasn't sober! So when he hollered out to turn I cranked on the bars to try to make the tight turn. With no weight in the back this thing took to two wheels and gave me the feeling that it wanted to tip over so I straightened the wheel in an attempt to keep all three on the road. But that lead me straight into the curb. It put a big warp into my tire. Bucky rode up next to me and started to apologise. 'You got nothing to be sorry about Buck its my own damn fault!'. He held up the front while I removed the wheel and slammed it as straight as possible on the street. Then we put it together and took it nice and slow the rest of the way. The next day I called Sun and told them my problem. They stand by their rims and are sending me a complete, bigger, tougher rim. I also got a new chain, bearings, and rear cassette from Main Street. So sometime this week I am going to head over to Spoke N Trail Inc. The owner Brad with the help of his trusted employee Jess are going to help me do some overhauling.
The disc golf courses down here are great. I have only played two so far and I think they have 8 or so. The first one was out at the University Campus. Really nice course but not labelled very well, if Bucky wouldn't of been there I would of been lost. The other course we went to was Municipal Park. Huge wide open course. I think the longest distance from tee to basket was over 600 feet! There was a guy sitting at the first hole waiting for a good game. We had met him a couple days before on the last couple of holes. He has a nice style about him. His name is Kelly and he's 71 years young. He's a retired cop and just spends his day outside throwing the plastic. He jumped up on our arrival and joined us for a round. He shoots from the hip. Just a couple of quick steps and a flick of the wrist and its sails out low and straight. I started calling him 'Cool hand Luke'! After the game we headed over to a organised bike ride. Jess from Spoke N Trail hooked me up with a bike to ride due to the fact I have a wobble in mine. It kinda sucked not having the Trike and dog. But it felt good to be on two wheels and moving fast. It took me a minute to get used to it. I haven't been on bike other than the Trikes this whole trip and 3 wheels is a lot different than 2!! During the ride I chatted with other cyclist mostly Susan. She works for a medical company and is very active, I met her on the Tue night run. She asked if I would be interested in going to a Senior Bowl house party on Saturday and I said sure.
The morning of the Senior Bowl she took me out for breakfast at the 'Tiny Diny'. We met her sister and niece there. This place was good, huge plate sized pancakes and homemade biscuits and gravy! Her sister Mary Stowe and I chatted about the adventure. While Susan and Mary Fran played at the table. Its been nice sitting with all these great people. There are some pretty lonely times on the road and its gonna get even more so once I get into west Texas and beyond. But I will be able to look back on these time of humanity and smile.
After breakfast and goodbyes. Susan gave me a tour. She took me by the Catholic Nunnery. Very old and beautiful church. Susan is somewhat of a history buff so she gave me a nice schooling on the area. After the tour she dropped me off at Kelly's house and we made plans to meet later at the Bowl house party. I got changed and got the ride and pup ready to go. As we were heading downtown to catch a parade, a jeep pulls up and the girl behind the wheel asked if I was the guy Bucky was talking about. I told her I most likely was. She is taking a photo journalism class and asked if she could take some shots of us. I told her sure. Lindsay got some good ones and then I told her I was heading downtown and to the house party if she wanted to join. She said sure. We had missed the parade so we went to the house party. The house was about a block and a half away from the Stadium so there were people everywhere. We pulled up to a lawn full of people and a little yellow lab puppy named Biscuit. We talked to a lot of people and took a ride over to the Stadium to get in on the action of senior bowl. That place was packed. There were people there that had camped for a couple of nights in their RVs. Grills were smoking, music was pumping, and beer a swigging! We talked some more to folks down there and then headed back to the party. I didn't really watch the game so I have no idea of who even won. I took it easy that night and hung out with Kelly.
Kelly has been unemployed for a month or so. She is an Architect drafter. Mobile is big but not really. People down here call it the Smallest big City. So she has been having troubles finding steady work. Even during her hard times she is generous to put us up for the duration of our stay. I have gotten groceries and try to feed her whenever we are home. I am going to be selling hot dogs for the busy wk leading up to fat Tuesday. I plan on paying some of her utilities before we go. If you stay somewhere for 3 wks your a room mate not a house guest! I'm not a mooch or a freeloader, I'm just lucky to have met really nice people.
The next two weeks are going to be filled with riding around and taking in the energy of Mardi Gras. I plan on hitting up some more disc golf courses and getting to know this great city some more. I want to thank everyone that I have met down here in Mobile. You all are great and are making this fine city number one on my list so far. If ya see me around please stop and chat and give Coop some love.

Till next time,
Love and Licks
Sean and Coop