CURRENT MISSION

Cycle across the US, from Washington DC to Southern California

ABOUT ME

I grew up in a rural area of the northeastern United States. I moved to Maryland during high school. I began traveling solo internationally when I was 19, visiting Eastern Europe and the Balkans for three months. That experience really wet my appetite for travel. Since then I have spent several years abroad.

Unfortunately, I never really took the time to explore and appreciate what the US has to offer. I'm rectifying the situation now though by experiencing the US from the seat of a bicycle.

PHILOSOPHY

CS suggests I fill this field by answering the question, "Why do you live your life?" That seems to be more a question of biology than philosophy...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted several surfers in the past--from Colombia, Korea, and Sweden--but as of July 13th, 2013 I have not had the pleasure of being hosted. That will change soon, hopefully!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

See "How I participate"

Interests

SCUBA Diving, Cycling, Bicycle Maintenance, Backpacking/Hiking, Camping, Swimming, Composting, News/Current Events, Politics, Photography, Personal Finance...

When I settle down, I plan on taking up gardening and ceramics...and woodworking, if I'm not too busy.

• photography
• gardening
• politics
• news
• traveling
• pottery
• woodworking
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• scuba diving
• swimming
• biology

Music, Movies, and Books

A few of my favorites...

Movies:
Apocalypse Now!, The Big Lebowski, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation

Music:
My taste in music used to be limited to classic rock, but I have since become more open to more contemporary offerings. I recently acquired a very eclectic 50+ GB trove of tunes that I'm still exploring. I'm still not very fond of rap/hip-hop, though (with a very few exceptions).

Books:
I used to read quite a bit of Vonnegut. Clash of Civilizations by Huntington was a pretty good read...as was The Elusive Quest for Growth by Easterly...aaaaand Calvin and Hobbs?

Teach, Learn, Share

After building a few bicycles from the frame up, I think I'm a reasonably competent bicycle mechanic.

I learned Spanish through a combination of coursework and travel, and although I don't speak it with the same fluency that I once did, I still have a decent grasp of the language.

My family had a few beehives when I was younger, so I'm familiar with honeybees and beekeeping.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States