The Second 1000 kms

The 2nd thousand Kms took us just over 4weeks, from Boston to Birmingham, Alabama.We ferried across to Cape Cod, took a bus out of New York to Washington, and an overnight train from Charlottsville to Birmingham. Amazing friendly hosts made it possible for us to stay handy to all that the cities had to offer, most especially the art museums.
Having biked this way and that through Manhattan I find myself saying, we can do anything. It was only scary for a while. Washington seemed like a little village by comparison, and stuffed full of wonderful treasures in the Smithsonian museums. The Canal path out of Washington was as gentle as the Skyline/ Blue Mountain road was tough going. With a forecast for considerable rain we jumped on the train, to be met in sunny Alabama by Serena and Jim, and whisked away to their lovely home.
Although we always knew we would not ride the whole way from Montreal to New Orleans I think we both secretly hoped we might. Once we acknowledged this we settled down for a more relaxing....

Third thousand Kms...
We pottered south from Birmingham, through rough hunting country, towns remembered for Civil Rights activism, past (and sometimes camping behind)every sort of church and with delightful weather. The bugs were bigger, fire ants and itchy things. We saw a man finishing off a decent sized rattle snake, and the news told us that bears were invading from the north and swimming the Mississippi. Once at the coast we turned right, for New Orleans and were over whelmed by the ongoing catastrophe of hurricane Katrina. Wrecked coastline, homes, businesses and communities. I think everyone we spoke to mentioned Katrina within the first minute of conversation. The oil spill is like another knock back, to an already battered community We helped out at a Habitat for Humanity site for 4 days, good fun and a well run project. New Orleans was easy going and a fun visit, food, music and museums. It was so nice to sit still. at last, on the 48 hour train ride to LA. We had a minute sleeping cupboard, nice food and endless amazing views of the desert,(never let me try to ride anywhere near there please)
We planned this trip that we would meet people, and be able to talk with them. We chose the East side of USA to see historic places,small towns as well as cities and the coast, with the expectation of varied cultures,climates and geography. Any stereotypical views we might have harbored about America and Americans have been well and truly smashed. We have loved it all,expectations surpassed and we are deeply grateful to all those generous folk who made it SO special.