If I ever write a book about this adventure, I'm using the above phrase coined by Gautier for the title, because it sums up our travels fairly well. The more I plunge into the center of this country on my bike, the more cropland I fly past, the more train tracks I pass over and tractor-trailer trucks I see, the more I understand how this country functions. We are keeping a record of all the corn and soy seed companies we have noticed, because it seems that for any large-scale farmer buying hybrid or GM seed varieties, they must advertise so by placing a company sign next to the field. In the past two days, this is what we have seen:
DeKalb
corn and soy
Pioneer Johnston, IA
corn and soy, sporting the catchy phrase "technology that yields." http://www.pioneer.com/web/site/portal/ (DuPont company)
straight from the website:
"Pioneer is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics to farmers worldwide. We seek to increase customer productivity, profitability and develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Innovative and customer-focused, Pioneer is a leader in the agriculture industry and upholds the highest standards."
Also provides hybrid varieties for alfalfa, canola, sorghum, sunflower, and wheat. Pioneer estimates "that over 80% of our genetics eventually find their way into livestock rations," meaning that these crops are intended for animal feed, not human food.
Golden Harvest corn and soy, with the phrase "take control"
AgriGold corn and soy
Sunrise
Beck Atlanta, IN
corn and soy
LG
DoMark (not sure if this sign was for soybean or for a fungicidal spray) "Don't just fight rust. Domesticate it."
Dairyland Seed corn and soy
Croplan Genetics corn and soy
Great Lakes Seed
DK
Associated with many of these seed company signs were signs advertising a particular herbicide or pesticide as well. I wonder if the farmers are required to display these signs, or if the company simply asks them to do so? Free advertising for the company. The interesting thing is, I know that DuPont and Monsanto are the 2 largest seed sellers in the nation, and we have not yet seen a single sign advertising the two companies. However, we have seen signs advertising "Round-Up Ready" seeds, which is patented by Monsanto. I am on a search for more information concerning these seed companies, including who owns what, how much a farmer must pay for these seeds, the situation concerning advertising these seed brands, etc. What blows my mind is how few options there are for farmers. So few seed companies provide all of the seeds these farmers are allowed to grow. And they do not even have the ability to save seeds from these crops, since they are hybrids and do not pass on the desired traits pumped into them my agribusiness geneticists.
Ah-yai-yai. We passed through a town yesterday called "Independence" Ohio. Is the U.S. truly independent, when we rely on few companies for our food production and foreign countries for the fuel which powers our economy? To me, independence is the ability to provide for myself all that I need to live (food, water, shelter, safety, physical and mental health) by myself. It is not the ability to own a gun or to buy a car at age 16 so that we can drive ourselves all across the country. According to my definition, very few people in this nation can truly call themselves Independent.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Day 16, meet 1,000 miles!
Woohoo! I just had to stop and take a photo when my bike's computer reached a total of 1,000 miles biked on this trip. Unbelievable. I cannot believe that at 20 years old, I am biking across the country. I feel so much older in my experiences. Yet, I still feel like a child, sponge-for-brain, soaking up everything I see and hear along the way.
For all of you faithful readers (I'm not sure if there are any, yet), here is a breakdown of our trip so far:
Day Miles
1 65
2 58.6--crossed into New York!
3 58
4 92.5
5 92
6 0
7 0
8 78
9 81
10 70 bike (30 car, flat tire; needed a lift to nearest bike shop)--crossed into Penn!
11 78--crossed into Ohio!
12 0
13 71
14 77.5
15 93.5--phew, we did this in the flats of Ohio and Indiana, but it was ALL headwind!
16 68
Tonight we are staying at another warm shower's contact in Wabash, Indiana. This is only my second day in this state, but the friendliness of the people in the Mid-west continues to surprise and delight me. This morning, a woman driving a mini-van took her time to pass me so that she could yell a greeting and wave nice a big from her open window: "Good luck! Be safe!" The distraction almost ran me off the road, of course, but nice nonetheless.
Since Gautier and I left Cleveland, it has been all corn and soybean fields all day. Flat, flat, flat riding, which is very nice, but the wind can be killer. It blows in all directions except from behind. Yesterday was frustrating, because we were trying to make it to a free bike shelter in Monroeville, Indiana, which was 93 miles from our starting point in Bowling Green, Ohio. We made it, but only after about 7.5 hours of biking. What my legs put out at 16mph momentum, the wind pushes back to 10 or 9 mph. A rider I met in New York said that she would rather climb hills all day than deal with the headwinds of the mid-West. Now I know what she meant, and I rather agree. But, yesterday was a "windy day," according to the locals of Monroeville. And, oh, what a sweet little town! Bordering Ohio, this little town of about 1,300 people gave us so much. Since the town is on the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier Route, it sees many cyclists from all over the nation and world. As a way to welcome these cyclists, they offer their community building as a free biker's shelter, with a kitchen, cots, warm shower, and facilities for free laundry. Gautier and I met Warren, who opened the doors for us, at 7:30pm, and we wandered right into the town's Lyon's club pot-luck dinner meeting. Starved, Gautier and I lingered around, with unsuccessful attempts to mop up the drool collecting at the corner of our mouths. As the meeting came to an and, Gautier just about pushed me into a corner to get to the spread of food when one man said we could fill our plates to "help them all take less home." Boy, did we help them. Heaps of potato and pasta salad, fresh little cherry tomatoes from some one's garden, baked beans, sloppy joe's for Gautier, and as many desserts as we could fit onto 3 heaping plates. All the cookies and brownies we smuggled from yesterday pretty much fed us all day today. The taste buds on my tongue have burned off from so much sugar. I need a hearty, healthy dinner tonight, even if I will be the one cooking it!
While we stuffed our faces in the community center, we were surrounded by the Lyons' club members, who were very curious to hear our story. Warren and another town official lingered for a while, and we chatted about how the town has changed since it's formation in 1855. Warren, retired in 1990, worked in a car factory outside of town. We saw a Japanese-0wned factory on our ride into town which manufactures car parts like windshield wipers and automatic window motors, and Warren told us of another factory in town. It seems that if you aren't a large farm owner, your only other option for work is at the factory. Many of the older men I tried to talk with continued to lean in their ear, muttering an "eh?" as if they were hard of hearing from years of working around heavy machinery.
We learned how farming has turned large-scale in this region of the country. Warren commented that in the 50s and 60s, a family could make a good living on 80 to 100 acres of farm land, growing everything one needed. The younger town official grew up on a similar farm, growing beef cattle, but left that life at a young age for cars and drag racing. Although he has seen all of the U.S. through his career, he commented that looking back, life on the farm was good. Warren got excited when we mentioned that we want to be self-sufficient farmers, growing everything that we need. He said that "now-a-days, to make it out here, you need to own at least 1,500 acres to farm." 1,500 acres! Wow! Farm auctions are very common in the area, where larger farms buy out the land owned by smaller farmers who just could not make it. The land appreciation is rising so quickly in this area that it is a smart investment move to buy so much farm land, if one can afford it. At a recent farm auction, land went for about $6,000 per acre! But, with all of this land, there is no food self-sufficiency in this little town where everyone knows everyone else's name. We passed two farm stands selling seasonal fruits and veggies (zucchini, sweet peppers, tomatoes, musk melon, pumpkins, squash), but all other farm land is dedicated to growing soy and corn. Most of this is sold for either grain or oil. As Warren worked in a car factory, he knew much about car mechanics, and we talked about ethanol production with all of the corn. Apparently, they are also producing a fuel with soybean oil. An alternative to petroleum fuel, but how will we feed so many people if all of our cropland is used to fuel our cars? I'd rather eat a balanced meal and ride my bike than have a car.
For all of you faithful readers (I'm not sure if there are any, yet), here is a breakdown of our trip so far:
Day Miles
1 65
2 58.6--crossed into New York!
3 58
4 92.5
5 92
6 0
7 0
8 78
9 81
10 70 bike (30 car, flat tire; needed a lift to nearest bike shop)--crossed into Penn!
11 78--crossed into Ohio!
12 0
13 71
14 77.5
15 93.5--phew, we did this in the flats of Ohio and Indiana, but it was ALL headwind!
16 68
Tonight we are staying at another warm shower's contact in Wabash, Indiana. This is only my second day in this state, but the friendliness of the people in the Mid-west continues to surprise and delight me. This morning, a woman driving a mini-van took her time to pass me so that she could yell a greeting and wave nice a big from her open window: "Good luck! Be safe!" The distraction almost ran me off the road, of course, but nice nonetheless.
Since Gautier and I left Cleveland, it has been all corn and soybean fields all day. Flat, flat, flat riding, which is very nice, but the wind can be killer. It blows in all directions except from behind. Yesterday was frustrating, because we were trying to make it to a free bike shelter in Monroeville, Indiana, which was 93 miles from our starting point in Bowling Green, Ohio. We made it, but only after about 7.5 hours of biking. What my legs put out at 16mph momentum, the wind pushes back to 10 or 9 mph. A rider I met in New York said that she would rather climb hills all day than deal with the headwinds of the mid-West. Now I know what she meant, and I rather agree. But, yesterday was a "windy day," according to the locals of Monroeville. And, oh, what a sweet little town! Bordering Ohio, this little town of about 1,300 people gave us so much. Since the town is on the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier Route, it sees many cyclists from all over the nation and world. As a way to welcome these cyclists, they offer their community building as a free biker's shelter, with a kitchen, cots, warm shower, and facilities for free laundry. Gautier and I met Warren, who opened the doors for us, at 7:30pm, and we wandered right into the town's Lyon's club pot-luck dinner meeting. Starved, Gautier and I lingered around, with unsuccessful attempts to mop up the drool collecting at the corner of our mouths. As the meeting came to an and, Gautier just about pushed me into a corner to get to the spread of food when one man said we could fill our plates to "help them all take less home." Boy, did we help them. Heaps of potato and pasta salad, fresh little cherry tomatoes from some one's garden, baked beans, sloppy joe's for Gautier, and as many desserts as we could fit onto 3 heaping plates. All the cookies and brownies we smuggled from yesterday pretty much fed us all day today. The taste buds on my tongue have burned off from so much sugar. I need a hearty, healthy dinner tonight, even if I will be the one cooking it!
While we stuffed our faces in the community center, we were surrounded by the Lyons' club members, who were very curious to hear our story. Warren and another town official lingered for a while, and we chatted about how the town has changed since it's formation in 1855. Warren, retired in 1990, worked in a car factory outside of town. We saw a Japanese-0wned factory on our ride into town which manufactures car parts like windshield wipers and automatic window motors, and Warren told us of another factory in town. It seems that if you aren't a large farm owner, your only other option for work is at the factory. Many of the older men I tried to talk with continued to lean in their ear, muttering an "eh?" as if they were hard of hearing from years of working around heavy machinery.
We learned how farming has turned large-scale in this region of the country. Warren commented that in the 50s and 60s, a family could make a good living on 80 to 100 acres of farm land, growing everything one needed. The younger town official grew up on a similar farm, growing beef cattle, but left that life at a young age for cars and drag racing. Although he has seen all of the U.S. through his career, he commented that looking back, life on the farm was good. Warren got excited when we mentioned that we want to be self-sufficient farmers, growing everything that we need. He said that "now-a-days, to make it out here, you need to own at least 1,500 acres to farm." 1,500 acres! Wow! Farm auctions are very common in the area, where larger farms buy out the land owned by smaller farmers who just could not make it. The land appreciation is rising so quickly in this area that it is a smart investment move to buy so much farm land, if one can afford it. At a recent farm auction, land went for about $6,000 per acre! But, with all of this land, there is no food self-sufficiency in this little town where everyone knows everyone else's name. We passed two farm stands selling seasonal fruits and veggies (zucchini, sweet peppers, tomatoes, musk melon, pumpkins, squash), but all other farm land is dedicated to growing soy and corn. Most of this is sold for either grain or oil. As Warren worked in a car factory, he knew much about car mechanics, and we talked about ethanol production with all of the corn. Apparently, they are also producing a fuel with soybean oil. An alternative to petroleum fuel, but how will we feed so many people if all of our cropland is used to fuel our cars? I'd rather eat a balanced meal and ride my bike than have a car.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Via Campesina link
Check out the trailer for a tv documentary shown on the public Basque television (ETB). Hopefully the full show will be available soon. This got me thinking about what can be done in this country to help the peasant organizations across the world fighting for food sovereignty. After all, the food choices made in this country so much affect people ability to grow their own food across the world......what can we do in this country? Start growing our own food! Become less depending on imported staples, so that others can worry about feeding themselves instead of fighting back against huge agrobusiness!
Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AZ3LdWMCUA
Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AZ3LdWMCUA
A bit on the Ecovillage at Ithaca
I want to say more on our experience at the ecovillage, especially after the previous, what I consider rather depressing, weblog entry.
The ecovillage was so beautifully inviting that we decided to stay one more day. We toured the city on Sunday, visiting our good friend from India, Megan. The city, as I mentioned before, is proud of it's 'progressive' nature. Ithaca College and Cornell University have just pledged to work towards carbon neutrality, for instance, and there is a great farmer's market in the city multiple days a week. However, while dining at a little Mexican joint we read an article in a local paper talking about a youth media group working to expose the social disparities that still occur within the city. It mentioned how the term 'sustainability' is often only associated with the ecovillage, and not much else is being done within the city to help people with food, clothes, shelter, and water. However, I think it is great that such dialogue occurs in this city, especially coming from the youth.
So, a bit on the ecovillage. It is a community of about 160, mostly adults with about 20 children under 16. Many are home-schooled, and some attend local public and private schools. There are two neighborhoods within the community. The buildings remind me of the the Hampshire College Mods, but with more garden space. There is also a great community building where 3 communal dinners are held per week. Attendance depends on who is cooking, but it ranges from 30 to 70 community members. Some community members work at home, either through consulting, online work, or local pracitice (medical, therapeutic, etc). Many professors live in the ecovillage, and commute to the city on bikes. There is a car share program at the ecovillage, which was recently developed. It is a non-profit organization operated by students and staff of the business department at Ithaca College, and serves not only the ecovillage, but local students and residents. For the price of a membership fee, one can rent a car for an hourly rate (which covers the cost of maintenance, insurance, and gas). Cars can be picked up at convenient places across the city. The city also has a decend public transportation system. It is necessary, though, because Ithaca was built on steep hills, and it is quite a walk up the 2.5 mile hill from the valley which contains the main city to the Ecovillage or two educational institutions situated on the surrounding hills. I would not want to bike that every day.
Gautier and I were welcomed into the home of one community member, Heather, on Saturday night for a delicious dinner. We were also lucky enough to be present on the weekend of the annual "Weed and Feed" event at the Farm. Basically, all the CSA members help weed for a few hours at the farm and enjoy a pasta feast, complete with pesto from basil in the garden, garden-grown steamed veggies, and watermelon. Mmmm-mmmm-mmm! What fun to see so many people of all ages enjoying the fields and the food.
We left on Tuesday morning with a gift of fresh apples from the farm (Thank you, Todd!) and continued through rolling hills to Little Valley, New York that night. It was tough to leave the ecovillage; it already felt like home to me. But, this entire country feels like home.
The ecovillage was so beautifully inviting that we decided to stay one more day. We toured the city on Sunday, visiting our good friend from India, Megan. The city, as I mentioned before, is proud of it's 'progressive' nature. Ithaca College and Cornell University have just pledged to work towards carbon neutrality, for instance, and there is a great farmer's market in the city multiple days a week. However, while dining at a little Mexican joint we read an article in a local paper talking about a youth media group working to expose the social disparities that still occur within the city. It mentioned how the term 'sustainability' is often only associated with the ecovillage, and not much else is being done within the city to help people with food, clothes, shelter, and water. However, I think it is great that such dialogue occurs in this city, especially coming from the youth.
So, a bit on the ecovillage. It is a community of about 160, mostly adults with about 20 children under 16. Many are home-schooled, and some attend local public and private schools. There are two neighborhoods within the community. The buildings remind me of the the Hampshire College Mods, but with more garden space. There is also a great community building where 3 communal dinners are held per week. Attendance depends on who is cooking, but it ranges from 30 to 70 community members. Some community members work at home, either through consulting, online work, or local pracitice (medical, therapeutic, etc). Many professors live in the ecovillage, and commute to the city on bikes. There is a car share program at the ecovillage, which was recently developed. It is a non-profit organization operated by students and staff of the business department at Ithaca College, and serves not only the ecovillage, but local students and residents. For the price of a membership fee, one can rent a car for an hourly rate (which covers the cost of maintenance, insurance, and gas). Cars can be picked up at convenient places across the city. The city also has a decend public transportation system. It is necessary, though, because Ithaca was built on steep hills, and it is quite a walk up the 2.5 mile hill from the valley which contains the main city to the Ecovillage or two educational institutions situated on the surrounding hills. I would not want to bike that every day.
Gautier and I were welcomed into the home of one community member, Heather, on Saturday night for a delicious dinner. We were also lucky enough to be present on the weekend of the annual "Weed and Feed" event at the Farm. Basically, all the CSA members help weed for a few hours at the farm and enjoy a pasta feast, complete with pesto from basil in the garden, garden-grown steamed veggies, and watermelon. Mmmm-mmmm-mmm! What fun to see so many people of all ages enjoying the fields and the food.
We left on Tuesday morning with a gift of fresh apples from the farm (Thank you, Todd!) and continued through rolling hills to Little Valley, New York that night. It was tough to leave the ecovillage; it already felt like home to me. But, this entire country feels like home.
Day 13
I am forever grateful for the many road angels we have stumbled across along the road. I am writing from the computer of another Warm Showers contact, Mike, who lives in Mentor Ohio. We left the Ithaca Ecovillage on Tuesday morning, and after a week of many miles, we decided to take a day of rest in this home to regroup and rest our weary muscles. Literally as we rode up to Mike's driveway last night, it began to pour. This was the first rain we have seen in 13 days! Everyone I've spoken with in New York and Pennsylvania have commented on how dry the end of the summer has been, but I'm glad we have not yet had to deal with any wet roads. In fact, it has been hotter than expected. Wednesday reached 85 degrees at 2:30pm, and as we pulled into Erie, PA at 7pm Thursday evening, it was still 89 degrees! The entire left side of my body is much darker than my right. Gautier says it "looks like someone has spread Nutella" all over my shoulder. I have decided to title this Thursday as the day of Revenge of Emily's bicycle. I had a total of 4 flats in one day. The first occurred not 6 miles from camp, and we destroyed the connection between the tube and valve stem of my only 2 spare tubes while furiously attempting to inflate them. We were 30 miles from the nearest bike shop located in Jackson, NY (incidentally, the hometown of Lucille Ball), and by 11am, it appeared that we would have to spend another night in Little Valley, NY. But, after a few minutes of 'thumbing it', a sweet woman named Dawn picked us up in her truck and drove us to the bike shop. She rescued a similar couple of bicyclists earlier in the summer.
We spoke a lot about the Amish farmers in the area, and noticed a Cargill tower on the side of the freeway. After talking with Dawn about the local agriculture, we learned that Cargill purchased the plant from Agway 5-8 years prior (no doubt during a large shopping spree of many other seed and agricultural companies). Most of upstate New York consisted of corn field after corn field. There must be more cows in upstate NY as there are people in New York City. I can only imagine how much people food could be produced if this land were not dedicated to pasture and cropland to raise dairy cows. Do we really need to drink so much milk? I saw a sign on a barn which pictured several happy calves telling me to "drink more milk!" Yet, are these calves really happy that we drink what their mothers make for them? I love cheese, and it is difficult for me to give it up from my diet, but even I must admit that it disagrees with my digestive system. Are humans truly meant to drink the milk of another animal, especially after our nursing years? So much agriculture in Vermont and New York depends on the dairy industry, but much of this is subsidized by the government, anyway. However, it will take much change for farmers who have grown up raising cows to switch to vegetables.
It has been difficult for me to stick to the journaling along the trip. I am so tired after 75 miles of biking that all I want to do at the end of the day is set up the tent, cook dinner, and pass out. It has also been tough to stop and interview folks at restaurants and grocery stores. First of all, we are always on a tight schedule, with the intent to quickly run into a store, grab any necessary supplies, and jump back on the bike to make it to our evening's destination. Secondly, the more I see of the country, the more I realize that simply talking to people will not change much. So what if I talk to people in front of a super Wal-Mart and preach about rising fuel prices, higher food cost, the dangers of GMO and highly processed foods, and how it is affecting our global economic and environmental health? After a long day of biking, it is easier to run into the first store we see, buy the first brand of bread (it is sooooo difficult to find even a whole grain bread variety without high fructose corn syrup!), and just eat. Likewise, with sprawling suburbs designed to be navigated by motorized vehicles, it is easier and cheaper for the average U.S. citizen to drive to the nearest super market, whether it be Wal-Mart or Shaw's, and purchase all that one needs in one location. Our entire society has been built around such a fossil-fuel powered economy, and I do not see much changing before oil prices rise to a ridiculous amount or before oil reserves disappear completely.
In fact, we passed through an entire county in upstate NY plastered with pro-Wal-Mart development signs. I have a hard time imagining why anyone would like to see such a store in town, but Gautier reminded me that I am not from this area, and how could I know how people perceive what Wal-Mart will do for their economy. But, do these people really know, either? We have passed so many abandoned mall and plaza lots, with debris-filled parking lots and depressed, empty store windows. After speaking with Mike, who grew up in the home in which he currently lives, I have a better understanding of suburban sprawl. Unlike many people who moved out of Cleveland to towns like Mentor (according to Mike, much of the movement occurred in the 60s when many white people moved out of the city to avoid the increasing African American population), Mike has watched suburbia build up around him. He hates it, describing the town as spoiled by commercialization. The only reason he remains is because it is an easy commute to his job in the city. Plans to build a new Super Wal-Mart, despite the protests of town citizens, will most likely go through because the town is too weak monetarily to fight back a lawsuit from the corporation. How can any small town fight back? Are we doomed to live in sprawling suburbs where there is nothing to do but shop, go to the movies, or go out to eat? I certainly hope not.
There is some hope yet, I think. Despite the acres and acres of grape (which go to Welches', if not to the few local wineries), corn, and soybean fields we have witnessed in the miles across Pennsylvania and Ohio, there have been plentiful roadside veggies stands where one can purchase a yellow squash and zucchini (on the honor system, mind you) for 50 cents. I spoke with a few folks at a roadside produce stand, who at least had some conception of how tastier fresh vegetables can be. One woman was not too concerned about food security, citing the year-round availability of produce grown in tropical countries which can be easily shipped to this country. Another pair of shoppers who moved from Russia 12 years ago appreciated the local produce in the summer, reminiscent of the days when they grew their own, but also mentioned Wal-Mart as a common source of inexpensive food.
After visiting the Ithaca Ecovillage, where their 10 acre CSA farm feeds 1000 people during the growing season, I was full of hope. But, Ithaca is a "progressive" city. (I place progressive in quotations because I am learning that it is an extremely relative term....what really IS progressive? What IS sustainable? A grad student studying the ecovillage, Prudance, made a good point that one can only judge an action to be progressive by looking in the past. One can never know if one is acting progressively in the present.) However, such food production is possible because 160 people have designed their entire living space around the idea of purchasing local products and supporting the local economy. It is much more difficult to infiltrate a town like Mentor with farms and farmer's markets when Wal-Mart already has plans to take over, and where it is easier and safer to drive in a car than to walk or bike. So, as we prepare to bike out of Ohio and into Indiana and Illinois, I hope I do not become completely depressed by the miles of GMO corn fields we are bound to see. I question what one person can do. Is it enough to talk to people? Should I simply set up a sustainable homestead and hope that others will eventually see the light, or should I rabble-rouse until I loose my voice? I hope to find more answers along the way. There are many more miles to go......
Until next time,
Emily and Gautier
We spoke a lot about the Amish farmers in the area, and noticed a Cargill tower on the side of the freeway. After talking with Dawn about the local agriculture, we learned that Cargill purchased the plant from Agway 5-8 years prior (no doubt during a large shopping spree of many other seed and agricultural companies). Most of upstate New York consisted of corn field after corn field. There must be more cows in upstate NY as there are people in New York City. I can only imagine how much people food could be produced if this land were not dedicated to pasture and cropland to raise dairy cows. Do we really need to drink so much milk? I saw a sign on a barn which pictured several happy calves telling me to "drink more milk!" Yet, are these calves really happy that we drink what their mothers make for them? I love cheese, and it is difficult for me to give it up from my diet, but even I must admit that it disagrees with my digestive system. Are humans truly meant to drink the milk of another animal, especially after our nursing years? So much agriculture in Vermont and New York depends on the dairy industry, but much of this is subsidized by the government, anyway. However, it will take much change for farmers who have grown up raising cows to switch to vegetables.
It has been difficult for me to stick to the journaling along the trip. I am so tired after 75 miles of biking that all I want to do at the end of the day is set up the tent, cook dinner, and pass out. It has also been tough to stop and interview folks at restaurants and grocery stores. First of all, we are always on a tight schedule, with the intent to quickly run into a store, grab any necessary supplies, and jump back on the bike to make it to our evening's destination. Secondly, the more I see of the country, the more I realize that simply talking to people will not change much. So what if I talk to people in front of a super Wal-Mart and preach about rising fuel prices, higher food cost, the dangers of GMO and highly processed foods, and how it is affecting our global economic and environmental health? After a long day of biking, it is easier to run into the first store we see, buy the first brand of bread (it is sooooo difficult to find even a whole grain bread variety without high fructose corn syrup!), and just eat. Likewise, with sprawling suburbs designed to be navigated by motorized vehicles, it is easier and cheaper for the average U.S. citizen to drive to the nearest super market, whether it be Wal-Mart or Shaw's, and purchase all that one needs in one location. Our entire society has been built around such a fossil-fuel powered economy, and I do not see much changing before oil prices rise to a ridiculous amount or before oil reserves disappear completely.
In fact, we passed through an entire county in upstate NY plastered with pro-Wal-Mart development signs. I have a hard time imagining why anyone would like to see such a store in town, but Gautier reminded me that I am not from this area, and how could I know how people perceive what Wal-Mart will do for their economy. But, do these people really know, either? We have passed so many abandoned mall and plaza lots, with debris-filled parking lots and depressed, empty store windows. After speaking with Mike, who grew up in the home in which he currently lives, I have a better understanding of suburban sprawl. Unlike many people who moved out of Cleveland to towns like Mentor (according to Mike, much of the movement occurred in the 60s when many white people moved out of the city to avoid the increasing African American population), Mike has watched suburbia build up around him. He hates it, describing the town as spoiled by commercialization. The only reason he remains is because it is an easy commute to his job in the city. Plans to build a new Super Wal-Mart, despite the protests of town citizens, will most likely go through because the town is too weak monetarily to fight back a lawsuit from the corporation. How can any small town fight back? Are we doomed to live in sprawling suburbs where there is nothing to do but shop, go to the movies, or go out to eat? I certainly hope not.
There is some hope yet, I think. Despite the acres and acres of grape (which go to Welches', if not to the few local wineries), corn, and soybean fields we have witnessed in the miles across Pennsylvania and Ohio, there have been plentiful roadside veggies stands where one can purchase a yellow squash and zucchini (on the honor system, mind you) for 50 cents. I spoke with a few folks at a roadside produce stand, who at least had some conception of how tastier fresh vegetables can be. One woman was not too concerned about food security, citing the year-round availability of produce grown in tropical countries which can be easily shipped to this country. Another pair of shoppers who moved from Russia 12 years ago appreciated the local produce in the summer, reminiscent of the days when they grew their own, but also mentioned Wal-Mart as a common source of inexpensive food.
After visiting the Ithaca Ecovillage, where their 10 acre CSA farm feeds 1000 people during the growing season, I was full of hope. But, Ithaca is a "progressive" city. (I place progressive in quotations because I am learning that it is an extremely relative term....what really IS progressive? What IS sustainable? A grad student studying the ecovillage, Prudance, made a good point that one can only judge an action to be progressive by looking in the past. One can never know if one is acting progressively in the present.) However, such food production is possible because 160 people have designed their entire living space around the idea of purchasing local products and supporting the local economy. It is much more difficult to infiltrate a town like Mentor with farms and farmer's markets when Wal-Mart already has plans to take over, and where it is easier and safer to drive in a car than to walk or bike. So, as we prepare to bike out of Ohio and into Indiana and Illinois, I hope I do not become completely depressed by the miles of GMO corn fields we are bound to see. I question what one person can do. Is it enough to talk to people? Should I simply set up a sustainable homestead and hope that others will eventually see the light, or should I rabble-rouse until I loose my voice? I hope to find more answers along the way. There are many more miles to go......
Until next time,
Emily and Gautier
Sunday, September 2, 2007
The first 5 days...
Phew! Greetings from the Ecovillage at Ithaca! After 5 days, we rode in last evening to this wonderful ecological community of about 160 people. It was a slow start for me, but my body is adjusting to 6+ hours on the bike much more quickly than I expected. We biked 65 miles on day 1, making it to the top of Breadloaf Mountain, near Middlebury Vermont. We were about to pitch our tent in the woods on the mountain when we ran into a group of Middlebury students who invited us to camp down the hill on the Breadloaf Campus. They also fed us a buffet dinner of veggie burgers and lots of cookies. Mmmmm, it was so nice to not have to cook after the first day. I was beat.
The second morning, we met Gautier's father in downtown Middlebury for a quick breakfast and then continued over rolling farmland to Shoreham Vermont, where we crossed Lake Champlain on a small ferry. Day 2 was a hot one, and I just about died on a relentless climb out of Ticonderoga. We completed 58.6 miles and camped out in the woods in Middle of No-Where upstate NY. The lentils, rice, and rehydrated veggie dinner I cooked never tasted better. We were a bit afraid of bears that night, but nothing bothered us.
Day 3, as Gautier's father warned us, was the most difficult. Our muscles were sore and we were still in the Adirondacks, so there were hills to contend with. After another 58 miles, we settled down early at a camp ground on Raquette Lake. This day, we passed a buffalo farm, and I was even tempted to try some meat, if the store had been open for business. In the evening, we cooked over a fire to save some stove fuel, and each enjoyed a hot shower. Ah, I felt like a new person after that shower, with the heat loosening up my tightening muscles.
On day four, we made it out of Adirondack park, and I let out a holler as I looked out over the horizon to see nothing but flat hill tops, and no more steep peaks. We kicked it up a notch and biked 92.5 miles this day, ending near Oneida and camping out on someone's lawn. We wanted to make it all the way to Cazenovia, New York, to a warm showers (www.warmshowers.com) contact, but we were still 25 miles from Cazenovia when I knew my muscles could handle no more. So, we met up with Jeff and Sandy, the warm showers folks, in the late morning on day five. Jeff showed us around town, including Chitenango Falls, Lake Cazenovia, and a quaint Amish farm located on one of the many back roads beyond Cazenovia. We followed route 13 into Ithaca, and enjoyed the steep descent into town, but not the just-as-steep climb back up the other side of the valley to the ecovillage. We saw many dairy farms and corn, soy, and alfalfa fields yesterday. I noticed that many farms had signs next to the fields, advertising the type of corn or alfalfa growing. Both crops were owned by a company called DeKalb, and I found it quite interesting that one company owns both crops. I wonder if the farmers who own these farms pay more for the seeds each year than they receive for selling their milk. During all these miles, I saw only one organic dairy farm, complete with fields labeled with "do not spray" signs, but I wonder how effective such an organic farm is amongst the many Round-Up Ready corn fields. With all the pesticides sprayed on the round-up ready corn and alfalfa, how can the organic farmer guarantee that his milk is in fact clean?
Today Gautier and I get to enjoy a day of rest, touring the ecovillage and getting more food supplies in downtown. I am so ready for the rest and the opportunity to stretch my legs. We met Liz and Jared this morning, who welcomed us into their home and cooked us a huge breakfast of blueberry pancakes. Mmmm. Topped with Vermont maple syrup, it reminded me of home and the pancake breakfast my dad cooked for us on Tuesday morning, the date of our departure. Liz actually grew up in the town next to my home town, attended school at Hampshire college (right next door to Mt. Holyoke and UMass), and helped to found what is now Living Routes. To top it off, Jared knows the farm manager at Evergreen State! What luck. It has been an enjoyable morning talking with Liz and Jared about the organization of the ecovillage. Jared believes that we may be putting ourselves in danger by attempting to cross the Rockies so late in the year, but as our Adventure Cycling route follows the Amtrack route, we can always hop a train to Seattle when it gets super cold.
Well, I would love to write every detail possible, but there is so much to take in today, and I need to do some laundry! Until the next internet connection,
lots of love,
Emily and Gautier
The second morning, we met Gautier's father in downtown Middlebury for a quick breakfast and then continued over rolling farmland to Shoreham Vermont, where we crossed Lake Champlain on a small ferry. Day 2 was a hot one, and I just about died on a relentless climb out of Ticonderoga. We completed 58.6 miles and camped out in the woods in Middle of No-Where upstate NY. The lentils, rice, and rehydrated veggie dinner I cooked never tasted better. We were a bit afraid of bears that night, but nothing bothered us.
Day 3, as Gautier's father warned us, was the most difficult. Our muscles were sore and we were still in the Adirondacks, so there were hills to contend with. After another 58 miles, we settled down early at a camp ground on Raquette Lake. This day, we passed a buffalo farm, and I was even tempted to try some meat, if the store had been open for business. In the evening, we cooked over a fire to save some stove fuel, and each enjoyed a hot shower. Ah, I felt like a new person after that shower, with the heat loosening up my tightening muscles.
On day four, we made it out of Adirondack park, and I let out a holler as I looked out over the horizon to see nothing but flat hill tops, and no more steep peaks. We kicked it up a notch and biked 92.5 miles this day, ending near Oneida and camping out on someone's lawn. We wanted to make it all the way to Cazenovia, New York, to a warm showers (www.warmshowers.com) contact, but we were still 25 miles from Cazenovia when I knew my muscles could handle no more. So, we met up with Jeff and Sandy, the warm showers folks, in the late morning on day five. Jeff showed us around town, including Chitenango Falls, Lake Cazenovia, and a quaint Amish farm located on one of the many back roads beyond Cazenovia. We followed route 13 into Ithaca, and enjoyed the steep descent into town, but not the just-as-steep climb back up the other side of the valley to the ecovillage. We saw many dairy farms and corn, soy, and alfalfa fields yesterday. I noticed that many farms had signs next to the fields, advertising the type of corn or alfalfa growing. Both crops were owned by a company called DeKalb, and I found it quite interesting that one company owns both crops. I wonder if the farmers who own these farms pay more for the seeds each year than they receive for selling their milk. During all these miles, I saw only one organic dairy farm, complete with fields labeled with "do not spray" signs, but I wonder how effective such an organic farm is amongst the many Round-Up Ready corn fields. With all the pesticides sprayed on the round-up ready corn and alfalfa, how can the organic farmer guarantee that his milk is in fact clean?
Today Gautier and I get to enjoy a day of rest, touring the ecovillage and getting more food supplies in downtown. I am so ready for the rest and the opportunity to stretch my legs. We met Liz and Jared this morning, who welcomed us into their home and cooked us a huge breakfast of blueberry pancakes. Mmmm. Topped with Vermont maple syrup, it reminded me of home and the pancake breakfast my dad cooked for us on Tuesday morning, the date of our departure. Liz actually grew up in the town next to my home town, attended school at Hampshire college (right next door to Mt. Holyoke and UMass), and helped to found what is now Living Routes. To top it off, Jared knows the farm manager at Evergreen State! What luck. It has been an enjoyable morning talking with Liz and Jared about the organization of the ecovillage. Jared believes that we may be putting ourselves in danger by attempting to cross the Rockies so late in the year, but as our Adventure Cycling route follows the Amtrack route, we can always hop a train to Seattle when it gets super cold.
Well, I would love to write every detail possible, but there is so much to take in today, and I need to do some laundry! Until the next internet connection,
lots of love,
Emily and Gautier
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