CURRENT MISSION

Taking a year (give or take) to wander America. Scheduling important meetings with tall tales and taller people.

ABOUT ME

I have had many adventures, heard many stories, and crashed on many couches, but the most relevant information for right now is this: I am planning to bicycle across North America. It will be my second long biking trip and the first of over 1,000 miles. I am looking for couches to crash on along the way.

PHILOSOPHY

I don't know what it will be in 5 years, but for the short term I believe in the pursuit of glory and adventure.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm not sure exactly what this means. How do I participate in life? I guess by being sure to give back when I can, and by reciprocating the kindness that I receive from strangers. I'm not afraid of work, and am always happy to do chores in exchange for a place to stay. Once I'm settled in one place for awhile, my couch, in turn, will always be open to travelers.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've done a lot of couchsurfs and homestays, mostly with friends, family of friends, or people who I've met in other ways. I have stayed in apartments, houses, and even tents in the backyard, and have stayed with people of all different ages, ethnicities, orientations, etc. However, I am yet to make many arrangements via this site. I'm going to be biking through a lot of towns this summer where I have very few contacts, so I've decided this is probably a good tool.

Interests

I am a writer, a songwriter, a guitarist, and a drawer of maps of strange, imaginary lands. I enjoy meeting different kinds of people and exchanging ideas, experiences, and stories with them. I have very strong political feelings, but I'm far more interested in listening to other people's opinions than sharing my own (unless I'm asked, of course). I love American geography, history, music, and folk culture. I'm trying to learn and see as much of it as I can.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• music
• cycling
• baseball
• cartography
• geography
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a fan of all types of American folk and roots music: delta blues, bluegrass, old time, dixieland jazz, gospel, Wester Swing, classic country, labor songs, circus music, and anything else that is weird and old. I also like some more mainstream things: classic rock, funk and soul, R&B, et cetera. Most of the music I like is at least 30 years old. That's not a good or a bad thing, it's just the way it is.

I tend to go for classic novels over contemporary fiction, though I'll read just about anything that looks interesting. Recent books I have read include Our Mother's House by Julian Gloag, 1984 by George Orwell (for the second time), Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende, Floodlines by Jordan Flaherty, Intern Nation by Ross Perling, a collection of essays by Jane Jacobs, Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie and Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck.

I'm not really much of a movie person. I'm happy to watch one every once in a while, but in general I'd rather live my own life than indulge in a contrived version of somebody else's. Which isn't to say I'm opposed to movies on principle, it's just that they're not really my thing. I will watch documentaries, however.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have pushed through long, lonely hours on the highway at night, spent equally lonely days biking long distances through forgotten countryside, been stranded, lost, had to find my way based solely on the position of the sun. So far I've traveled in 5 different countries and 36 American states, saturating my life with the stories of people, towns, events and situations that I wouldn't be able to describe in a simple paragraph even if I wanted to. I prefer to spread my stories spontaneously, to scatter them on the wind.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know way too much useless information, most of it related to American labor history, music history, local geography and/or baseball and am always willing to share. I also have a ton of songs and stories floating around in my head. As far as practical knowledge, I have much experience in the art of busking and in the art of figuring out where the hell I am, which way I need to go, and how I can get there, which it seems not many people can do without a computer these days.

Countries I’ve Visited

United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States