Monday, July 16, 2012

-10: The wings of desire

I am gonna tell it straight, the greatest fear is not that the lights will go out. The greatest fear, the paralyzing, chilling thought about all this is not being able to be independent, of mind and body, and therefore be impaired in the realization of my dreams. The brave Christopher Reeves wrote a book about his ordeal entitled Still Me, I love that title. My focus is not on being healthy, my focus is on being.
This is as personal as it gets, I will not go into details of my physical conditions. If I make it to Vancouver, or even halfway, you’ll know I am fine, if I quit it means I am not that healthy. I am still battling some aches and pains but the bike and the mind will take care of that. The rest of this blog will be a travelogue, a collection of immediate tales and thoughts from my cross-country bike trip. Immediate: in the sense that my writings will come your way straight from the oven on the very same day that I buzz along America’s roads. It is going to be mainly spontaneous prose, an undisturbed flow from my mind, almost a stream of consciousness-type of communication. They will be somewhat incoherent so please bear with me. Kerouac once said, I have nothing to offer except my own confusion. My confusion will spawn musings about cities, roads, colors, anecdotes, nature and mysteries from the American pie! The route is simple: North West, hit the Big Lakes and then straight to the Pacific. What is it like to travel by bike? Much depends on the physical condition and much depends on the weather. It can be exhausting, exhilarating, heart-rendering, empowering, tedious, joyous. The constant wind that pummels your skin and the immediacy of the landscape with its colors and smells and noises make cycling a compelling experience. The desire to see all those mysterious dots on the map is bursting to the brim of my curiosity. If the motivation is there, it is up to the wings of desire to take me far on this journey. Ten days left before I take my bicycle from Washington DC to the Pacific coast. The training has gone okay but, for obvious reasons, I did not train as much as I would have liked. I only had three full weeks of cycling. The longest shakedown ride has been 80 miles. Add 30 miles to that and 35 times over every day on the trot and Vancouver might just be in sight. This trip requires guesswork and improvisation, experimentation and substitution, and, above all imagination to deal with failure and uncertainty in a creative way. What else can we do?


15 comments:

  1. Journeys are both symbolic and real - in that they bring attention to the fact that every step is a small part of a voyage, and each voyage comes together to build a life. I am happy to have met you briefly in the Galapagos -I see now that we are both small stepping stones on each others' paths. Thank you for sharing your trek with the world, but most of all thank you for doing it at all. Cancer does not mean we are dead. It certainly adds a scary, uncertain layer, but there is still so much to appreciate - this is the lesson I see in your trip. Everyone can interpret it in a way that in meaningful to them. Although it might make us feel out of control, I see cancer as a way to finally be bold.

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  2. tu sei assolutamente tu. e questo é una grande speranza. M

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  3. grazie M, con le tue bellissime parole hai parlato anche per me.

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  4. Luigi,

    I cycled the length of Japan last year to raise money for tsunami victims. I think going on this journey will not make you weaker. I think it will push your body to fight on. If others have survived, maybe so can you. The mind is as important as the body. This challenge will test it. But you can make it. Believe in yourself. Never give up.

    I live in Arlington. I can give you some pointers if you've never done a trip like this. fabioluigibarbieri@gmail.com

    Contact local news channels and magazines. I guarantee they will do a piece on your story and boost your funding.

    BUONA FORTUNA!! DONT LET THE WIND, THE MOUNTAINS, THE RAIN, OR THE CANCER HOLD YOU BACK!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, here's some quick pointers for keeping a traveling blog if you've never done one before:

      -use blogger-droid app for phone, just make sure post is completely uploaded or it will be lost when turned off.
      -turn on Google Latitude and its history recording option so that you will have an exact location of your traveling path every time your phone is on.
      -if you are using your phone for pictures and videos, make sure it has enough SD card space, not to say that the quality is at max
      -update donation amount occasionally. people will be pushed to donate the more people donate.

      Hope this helped a little. Ciao!
      Check mine is you need ideas.
      www.pedalforjapan.com

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  5. Get on Twitter! It will be easier for many to follow you, and easier for you to post short updates during the day.

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  6. Luigi, give me a call later this week with your updated ETA into Cumberland. We'd like to meet up with you, welcome you to our town, and take care of your needs before sending you across the mountains.
    Rick Bartlett
    Western Maryland Wheelmen
    301-707-5699

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    1. Hi Rick,
      Thank you so much for the kind offer. I will give you a call. I should be in Cumberland on Friday evening.
      Best!
      Luigi

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  7. My partner 2 years ago was cancer diagnosed and his bike was his closer and helpful friend before and after surgery. His quick recover was mainly backed by his bike trips! I wish you the same, good luck
    Anna Maria

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  8. If traversing Butler County, let us know we can give you an escort.
    rsielski@butlercp.com

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  9. luigi, living to help other poeople to don't give up is the best living


    Esther from Italy

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  10. Meno 10: Le ali del desiderio
    Lo dico chiaro e tondo, la paura più grande non è che la luce si spenga: questo prima o poi deve succedere. La paura più grande, il pensiero agghiacciante che mi paralizza quando penso a quello che mi sta succedendo è perdere l’indipendenza, mentale o fisica, e quindi non essere in grado di realizzare i miei sogni. Il coraggioso Christopher Reeve scrisse un libro sulla sua difficile esperienza intitolato Ancora io: mi piace molto questo titolo. Io sono concentrato non sull’essere in salute, sono concentrato sull’essere.
    Non entrerò in dettagli sulle mie condizioni fisiche, è una faccenda troppo personale.
    Se riesco ad arrivare a Vancouver, o anche solo a metà strada, saprete che sto bene; se mollo significherà che non sono poi così in forma. Più o meno. Sto ancora combattendo con qualche fastidio e doloretto ma la bici e la testa se ne occuperanno.
    Ora basta, il resto di questo blog sarà un diario di viaggio, una serie di storie e riflessioni immediate dalla mia traversata in bici del Paese. Immediate nel senso che i miei scritti vi verranno sfornati caldi caldi ogni sera, dopo che il giorno me ne sarò andato in giro per le strade d’America. Sarà una prosa spontanea, un flusso indisturbato di pensieri. Magari sarà un po’ incoerente quindi, per favore, abbiate pazienza. Kerouac una volta disse: non ho niente altro da offrire che la mia stessa confusione.
    Dunque la mia confusione produrrà riflessioni sulle città, le strade, i colori, gli aneddoti, la natura e i misteri dell’American Pie! L’itinerario è chiaro: puntare a Nord-Ovest, arrivare ai Grandi Laghi e poi diritto fino al Pacifico.
    Viaggiare in bicicletta può essere massacrante: il corpo è impegnato a pedalare e il cervello sempre collegato perché la concentrazione dev’essere massima per evitare i pericoli. La libertà che si sente quando si è sul sellino è suprema: il vento che schiaffeggia la pelle e la sensazione di essere proprio dentro il paesaggio con i suoi colori, gli odori, i suoni, tutto ciò rende la bici un’esperienza irresistibile.
    La voglia di andare a vedere cosa c'è dentro tutti quei misteriosi puntini sulla mappa c’è, adesso sta alle ali del desiderio portarmi lontano in questo viaggio.
    Ancora dieci giorni e partirò da Washington verso il Pacifico. L’allenamento è andato bene ma non mi sono allenato tanto quanto avrei voluto, per ovvie ragioni. Ho avuto solo tre settimane piene a disposizione. La corsa di prova più lunga è stata di 130 km. Aggiungiamocene 50, poi moltiplichiamo per 35 che sono i giorni che ho, senza interruzione e Vancouver potrebbe essere in vista.
    Questo viaggio richiede capacità di immaginazione, improvvisazione, sperimentazione, cambiamento e richiede anche di fare i conti con fallimenti e incertezze in maniera creativa. La vita non è lo stesso?

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  11. Mi ero staccato per qualche giorno dal tuo blog perché non ho internet a casa. Mi sono mancati i tuoi pensieri profondi, le metafore del viaggio, di questo viaggio dal sapore atavico ma intriso si scoperte, personali, collettive, spirituali e geniali. Bello riconnettersi e trovare quello stream od consciuosness che ti/ ci accompagna. Un abbraccio forte!

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  12. Ciao Luigi sono Cremonese Massimiliano vivo in Italia a Lodi e stiamo seguendo la tua impresa,il tuo viaggio trasmette molte emozioni positive che insegnano a non fermarsi mai!!!!Ti siamo vicini buon proseguimento !!!!

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