and following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been

Here I am in Bethesda, MD at Katie's house as she drops Daumantas off at the airport for his flight back to London. I wasn't even able to accompany my friend to the airport because there was no space in the car with the bike box crowding the back seats. Oh well, after all we were side by side, or wheel to wheel, for the past 10 weeks as we crossed over 10 states, pedaling, camping, cooking, getting drenched, frozen, exhausted, bruised and scratched, but always celebrating our freedom and determination every step of the way. I can think of few people so reliable and adventurous that could have made our venture possible, and our friendship and respect for each other will remain valuable assets in our lives wherever and whichever way we decide to live them.

Meanwhile, while Daumantas goes back to London to try and rebuild his life and career there, I will stay here for another month, treasuring my time with my fiance after all this separation over the last two years. Nothing else in the world makes me happier and more complete than being with Katie, so I decided to put my friends and career secondary to her, and to do everything possible fighting the forces that are pulling us apart. The green card seems like an almost certain prospect for next year, so perhaps there is light in the end of the tunnel. Till then, I don't have a plan but I am not afraid to embrace the random and hope and persevere. Our cycling adventure of the past two months gives me confidence and makes me believe in myself like never before.

Washington, DC

3,785 miles. That was the final reading on my odometer when we reached our final destination in Bethesda, MD. It's a lot of distance to cover on a bike. But I don't feel tired or relieved that the trip is over. If anything, I wish I could keep going. But good things don't last forever.

I can definitely claim we finished the tour with a bang. Or two bangs, rather. I heard them right behind me as we were descending from the last hill into our campground on Monday night. We were approaching Otter Creek Campground, about 12 miles south of Wrightsville, PA, it was getting dark, we had just stopped for wild raspberries and were beginning to look around for the entrance into the camp. But as we started down the last hill, Mike and Tomas's wheels slipped from under them on the freshly paved asphalt and they crashed, about 2 second apart from each other in the opposite lane. My threaded tires held up better on the sharp turn but Tomas and Mike's bald Bontragers just couldn't maintain the grip on the slippery surface and the wheels blocked at the press of the brakes.

Luckily, there were no oncoming cars at the moment, we didn't hit any sign posts or trees and no one got seriously injured. A bruised ankle and knee, and a smashed helmet was pretty much all the damage. The bikes were mostly fine, save for the bruises on the handlebars and panniers and Mike's busted rear wheel. I am not sure how, but he managed to get the rim so buckled that it was rubbing against the fork. The rear brakes were no longer functioning because of that, so we knew we couldn't use the bike as it was for any much longer. Luckily, the friendly directors at the campground, Lori and Wayne, offered to drive me to the nearest town with a bike shop so I can get the wheel fixed. The guys at the bike shop told me the wheel was damaged beyond repair but they did have a new wheel of the same dimensions. We replaced the wheel, duct-taped our torn bags and got back on the road the next afternoon.

We had just two days of riding left until our final destination in Washington, DC, so we took slowly to let the bruises and the swells ease off a bit. On Tuesday night, we camped in the rain on a lawn behind a firehouse in an small village of Butler since there were no campgrounds in the vicinity. And on Wednesday, we finished the last 70 miles into the city, feeling quite worn out and sticky.

We jumped in the pool (before taking our clothes off), ate and got a lot of sleep, and got up to watch the time trial stage of Tour de France. All that's left to do for me here is pack up my bike and take it to the airport. The time to return to reality is nearing quickly.

Manheim, PA

After a relaxing day in Easton, PA, we are continuing our journey south. We passed some nice tourist towns along Delaware River in New Jersey and entered Pennsylvania. For the last two days, we’ve been riding mostly through farmland, in sunny weather and not much traffic to slow us. We need to keep up the pace also because the campgrounds are very scarce around here. Tomorrow, for example, there will be no campgrounds for us to stay at at all, so we will have to improvise. We’ll try to sneak our tent in on some farm or camp on a church lawn, which should be very easy to find.

All morning today we’ve been going through Amish villages, which is a novelty to me. We saw men working the horse-drawn ploughs, women in long, funny dresses and children, curiously staring at us passing by. It looked like a scene from John Steinbeck’s book I am reading right now. We couldn’t find any coffee shops or even gas stations to take a break from the road for the longest time. The only institutions around seem to be churches and gun clubs, which are plenty indeed. It’s a very interesting lifestyle these people are living here. I kind of wish I understood a little more about it.

From here, we have two and a half days of riding left. By Wednesday afternoon, we will reach Washington DC, where our journey will end. If the weather and the road stays as it is, the last of our miles will surely be enjoyable.

Easton, PA

Five days since we started from Boston and about 350 miles down, we're taking a day off in Easton, PA. We're staying with Tomas's host family from his time at Lafayette, Barbara and Jim. It's a much needed rest break from riding through the hills in the sun and good preparation for our last 5-day stage from here to Washington, DC.

We're spending the day watching Tour de France and catching some Madison points racing between the national teams of Poland and Australia who are meeting here in Easton's own velodrome tonight. Our host Jim Young has coached cyclists all his life and trained Mike Friedman and Bobby Lea, Team USA members at Beijing Olympics 2008, when they were at Penn State. Needless to say, it is a thrill to watch these events with someone with so much knowledge and love for the sport.

Yesterday's was probably the prettiest ride since we started from Boston. The route took us through Worthington State Forest and then other small country roads along Delaware river, over many rolling hills surrounded by lush farmland and the tall peaks of the Appalachians. We have actually picked up the pace and Mike is getting some relief having discovered what had been slowing him down the day before. Apparently, the spring on one of his rear brake pads had come undone and the opposite pad was pressing against the rim. No wonder he was sweating to merely keep a speed of 10 miles per hour.

Tomorrow, we're starting the last week of our trip. We have 300 miles till DC and we'll cover that in four or five days. It is very sad the trip is coming to an end. I could continue doing this for months and months to come.

Millerton, NY

We've been riding for three days now since leaving Boston and it feels absolutely great to be back on the road. We have new company, too - Mike decided to join us for our trip to DC. It's his first tour on a bike and he's working hard to keep up with Tomas and I. He's doing great so far but his job isn't easy as we've been riding through the mountains and we're now also on some time pressure to reach DC in time for my flight home.

We rode straight south from Boston, then turned west and crossed the entire state of Connecticut along its northern border. There was quite a bit of climbing to do but we've been maintaining a somewhat slower pace and taking many breaks. Our aim is to cover 70-80 miles a day for the next week, which will allow us to reach Washington DC on July 22 or 23. The roads are beautiful. We're back in the country, passing lots of cute villages and farms and meeting friendly small-town folk along the way.

The weather is also cooperative again. Not a drop of rain since Boston - knock on wood - and clear skies throughout the day. It has become somewhat cold at night, though. We were expecting it to get warmer as we go south but so far it hasn't been the case. My self-inflating sleeping pad has started leaking air too, which doesn't do much good in keeping me warm at night. In any case, we're not freezing or losing sleep yet, and while it isn't raining, the cold is very tolerable.

In the next couple of days we'll be cutting off a corner of New York state and riding into Pennsylvania. We're planning to reach Easton, PA by Thursday, where we'll spend the night with Tomas's host family from his time at Lafayette College. So long!

Boston, MA

We're in Boston, our last major stop before reaching our final destination, Washington DC. We got here on Wednesday - it took us three days to ride down from Brunswick/Bath, ME, which is around 230 miles north of here. The weather here has been amazing - the sky is spotless and it's actually quite hot walking around during the day. We're staying with our friend Mike at his house in Lexington and have been meeting a lot of old friends from college and from Lithuania. Today, we are starting to prepare for departure. Mike will be joining us for the last segment of our trip to Washington DC, which should take us eleven or twelve days from tomorrow.

The last three days of riding before we reached Boston were interesting, to say the least. Our map guided us through urban roads with quite a bit of traffic and few places of interest for travelers. We rode along the actual coast for a little bit but that only lasted half a day. And there was the rain... It didn't really clear up at all for three days and we got pretty wet riding. Sometimes the rain would stop quickly but most of the time they were prolonged storms and waiting them out was just not an option if you wanted to cover any meaningful distance. So we rode in the rain, getting soaking wet even wearing the rain jackets and long spandex underwear. It certainly is not a fun feeling. Actually, for the first time since we started our trip two months ago, it felt like hard work rather than leisure to me. We were just pressing ahead, riding as fast as we could given the slippery roads, and trying to get into Boston as soon as possible. So that's why the little bit of sun and warmth we are getting this weekend is so refreshing. All I hope for is that it stays that way for a few more days as we resume our trip.

For the next two weeks we will be riding south, crossing Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. We hope that the route takes us a bit further from the cities and through nicer back country roads. We have around 650 miles to cover until DC and should be getting there on July 22 or thereabouts.

Thanks for following and farewell!

Bath, ME

Here we go, we've reached the Atlantic coast. We rode through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, we climbed the tall peaks of the Adirondacks and Green Mountains and, of course, got rained on like there's no tomorrow. We decided to turn around here in Bath, Maine, and head south towards Washington DC tracing the Atlantic coast (follow the light blue line going south from Brunswick).



The highlights of the last couple of days include spending a night at an improvised campsite right in the bushes not far from Long Lake and celebrating July 4th in a wood cabin outside of Bath. The reason we had to "stealth-camp" in the woods was because it was impossible to find anything reasonable without an advance booking on the weekend of July 4. So we just rode into the forest at the end of the day on Thursday and set up camp there. It actually worked out pretty well, even though it rained on us again. But the bigger problem was the swarms of mosquitoes, eating us alive right there and then. We put long clothes and showered in bug spray to no avail. The next day, Tomas counted over 30 bites on one of his ankles.

To much of Jeremy's satisfaction, yesterday we decided to spend the night inside. We rented a small cabin in the woods outside of Bath, ME, and stocked it with beer and food. Tomas made couscous with lamb, which was delicious. We drank the local brew, ate a ton of food and debated very meaningful issues (as always) late into the night. We made deviled eggs for breakfast (Jeremy's recipe) and came to downtown Bath for our day off. The town is bustling with people, there is an antique car show and a parade, and the spirits are high - just as they should be on a July 4 weekend.

Tomorrow, we will be starting our journey south towards Washington, DC, our final destination. On Wednesday or Thursday, Tomas and I will reach Boston and spend a few days there. It will be great to catch up with some good friends we haven't seen since college.

Conway, NH

How relieved we were this morning to see that it stopped raining. For the last two days, as we were passing through New Hampshire, it was raining almost continuously. Yesterday, the rain didn't stop from morning till dusk. We rode from Orford to West Woodstock soaked to the bone, making very few stops to avoid getting colder than we already were. We climbed Mt. Moosilauke in the evening and, after completing just over 50 miles for the day, decided we were too wet, cold and tired to continue. We set up camp outside of West Woodstock, a cozy ski town, that's bustling with tourists even in the summer. There were rivers of rain water flowing right next to our tents, all our stuff, even our sleeping bags got wet instantly. Rain kept falling on us through the night and just ceased in the early hours of the morning.

We climbed Mt. Kancamagus today, our tallest peak yet. It was a long but very gradual climb and didn't cause too much trouble for any of us. Predictably, the weather changed completely as were rolling onto the other side of the mountain. We're actually getting some sunshine now and snatching this rare opportunity to dry out our camping gear.

We're going to travel as far as Bridgton, NH tonight. All campgrounds are fully booked since it is the weekend of July4. So we're just going to go and try to find a spot somewhere along the way. We're entering Maine tonight. New Hampshire struck as a very beautiful, green state. The scenery is so nice every minute of the way that you kind of forget what it's like to be living in a city. We hear that Maine is just as promising, if not better, than the places we've already visited here in New England.

Good times for good times

Over seven weeks, over 2,500 miles, over five books and over 1,000 mosquito bites into the trip, we are more than two thirds of the way done. Only a quick three weeks left.

We'll be heading northeast for the next few days and then make a sharp turn south towards DC. The finality of the trip is slowly descending upon us. The question what's next is creeping into our minds more and more often. Are we going to be the same when we came back? Will we make the choices we would have made if we hadn't taken this break from the real world? I'd like to think we will. One thing I'm sure about is that I am going to do another bigger cycling trip as soon as I can, and cycling around the globe for a year or two is not out of question. I bet that will restrict my career choices quite a bit...

I took this trip because I had nothing better to do, but I wasn't so naive as to think that my life would miraculously sort itself out while tramping around the states. Everything's as much up in the air now as it was before. I reduced the equation to three variables: career, geography and love. After unsuccessfully trying to maintain the first two fixed, I think it's time to stick with the third one, and play it by ear with the other two. We'll see how that will fare, but this green card that fell out of the blue will definitely make things easier.

However, for now I have another year to kill before the permanent residency becomes effective and I can look for jobs in the states. So here I am unable to legally work in the states for another year, unable to commit to a longer term job anywhere else... Maybe I should just cycle around the world right now? Unfortunately, being funemployed and homeless is only a good time as long as the money lasts... Which means - back on the global job market. Any suggestions what's good to do for a year? Any ideas how to legally work in the states without an H-1b?

Rochester, VT

We're in Rochester, Vermont. While we wait for Jeremy to ride back to the town where we slept last night to recover his pants, I am writing a little update.

We took the ferry from Ticonderoga to Vermont yesterday morning and rode into the Green Mountains. After a good 30 miles of rolling hills, we reached Middlebury. The summer language schools are just beginning this week and the college town is bustling with students from all over the country. Different languages are heard everywhere and the whole place feels like a mini metropolis lost in the mountains.

Our job for the afternoon was to climb the Bread Loaf Mountain and find a place to camp. Middlebury Gap, the pass we took to get to the other side of the mountain, is 2000 feet high and definitely the tallest hill we had to do so far on the East Coast. However, the climb is quite gradual, with ledges reminding of a staircase rather than a straight ascent. From bottom to top, the climb is 12 miles long. I didn't find it as hard as some of the hills we did in California but I still got called a masochist when I asked Jeremy how much he enjoyed the climb.

Just as we reached the top, it started raining cats and dogs - typical of New England weather. We spent the night dining, reading and debating politics at the restaurant of the Old Hancock Hotel. We could not find an open campground anywhere in the area so we just camped on the lawn behind the hotel, in pouring rain.

And now, once Jeremy gets back (we hope!) with his pants and credit cards, we will continue east through the mountains. There is another tallish hill to climb for this afternoon. Hopefully, this time it will prove enjoyable for all three of us.