Ethan And The Purple Crayon

My name is Ethan and this is where I blog about my various adventures. Last summer I rode my bicycle across the USA, this summer l am paddling my row boat twenty three hundred miles down the length of the Mississippi River (Lake Itasca MN to the Gulf of Mexico LA) Check out my stuff and feel free to email me.

[ethanconnor]

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. ~ R. Frost #photos

[ethanconnor]

This is the exact route of my bike trip across the USA. It was just over 3800 miles total. Each star represents a place that i slept for the night. I want to thank everybody that supported me and all the people that followed along every day. I'm not sure what to do with myself right now. I have to finish up the summer and go back to school but i have a lot if ideas for my next big adventure. This has been a blast! Thank you everybody that supported me and everyone that followed along. Trip of a lifetime! #xcountry #photos #fasulochiropractic #propelbikes #krebcycle #voltaicsystems #flyracing @flyracingusa @voltaicsystems @fasulochiropractic @kreb_cycle @propelbikes (at Suffolk County, New York)

[ethanconnor]

Day 67 & 68

The last two days of my journey.. I woke up in New Milford CT. My host Tom road out with me. I followed his lead all the way to Newtown CT. He showed me the neighborhood and gave me some pointers for the road to Bridgeport. After i said my goodbyes and separated from him i followed an old rail trail for a majority of the distance and then got in line to buy a ferry ticket when i arrived in Bridgeport. It felt funny getting on the boat. I actually worked for the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry when i was a teenager and never stepped foot on any of the ferries. My job was keeping the terminal clean on the Port Jeff side. I just emptied garbages and swept the parking lot. there was never any need for me onboard anyway. So i pushed my bike into the elevator and rode up to the passenger deck. It was nice. I bought a fruit cup from the cafeteria and ate it while the boat headed for the high seas. The ride was only going to be an hour and fifteen minutes so i made sure to hangout on the top deck for a while but also leave myself enough time to take a cat nap in the passenger chairs. The day was set to be an easy one. Thirty five miles to the ferry and then fifteen miles to Patchogue from Port Jeff. I was considering riding straight to Montauk but i had two broken spokes and decided to just take a short day and finish strong in the morning. After the boat docked i rolled off onto dry land and pedaled my way up and out of Port Jeff. It was a two hour ride to my house in Patchogue. I took it easy. I stopped for ice cream and bullshitted with anyone worth bullshitting. By 3:30 i was walking in the front door of my house. Nobody was home except my dogs. Molly was so excited to see me. She wagged her tail so hard she fell over and then pissed on the floor. My other dog Luke is kinda old and blind so he just growled at me. He's never been very friendly. After a while everyone got home from work and i started telling stories. I've done so much in the last two months that it hasn't all come back to me yet but i'm glad i wrote it down. I went to bed early so i could be ready for todays finishing ride to Montauk point. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. When i woke up this morning and it was raining like crazy. Bad weather doesn't discourage me at this point in the journey though. I've been through some wild shit. So i ate bagels with Amanda and then jumped on my bike. My broken spokes had me worried so the first thing i did was ride over to Kreb Cycle in bellport. They are the go-to bike shop around here for reliable and affordable service. Chris the owner put some spokes in my wheel and trued the rim. It was immaculate. I told him some riding stories and he shook my hand for completing the journey. By 11:30 my bike was in great shape and i was counting down the miles to Montauk point. It was just another sixty five. And it was an easy sixty five. For the most part it was flat terrain and because i left all of my bags back home i was riding faster than ever. I plugged in my headphones and powered through the rain storm eastbound. By time i got to the Hamptons the sun was coming out. I stopped at a deli and ate a couple more bagels. One of the best parts about this trip has been that i can eat anything i want and as much of it as i could handle. I'll miss that. My good friend Luke Sozio called me and said he'd drive out to Montauk and pick me up after i got there. As i was passing into Ammagansett i saw his car stuck in traffic. I rolled up and said hi. It was great to see him after such a long journey. I held onto the car and skitched while chatting with him for a couple miles in traffic. After a while i let go and kept riding. The east end of Long Island has some farms but nothing in comparison to the western part of the country. I just pedaled and pedaled. I had a stiff headwind but it didnt slow me down too much. By 4pm i was passing through the town of montauk and mounting my final assault on the hills while approaching the lighthouse. I shook the cramps out if my stiff leggs and powered my way into the thick of it. After 3800+ miles i wasn't about to finish like a pussy so i screamed my way up the hills and towards the finish line. It was a euphoric feeling to see the Atlantic ocean in the distance along with the Montauk Lighthouse punctuating the skyline. I pulled up to the lighthouse fence and caught my breath. The rush of accomplishment came over me and i looked around for a minute. I just sat down in the moment and enjoyed it. After a while Luke appeared. I got him to take my picture and then we headed back into town for a pizza. This trip has been wild. It's still too soon to process everything and i feel bad that i didnt have enough time to write down all the little details. I plan on compiling all of my photos/journal entries int a little book. Right now i'm back home and i'm pacing back and forth. I dont know what to do now. I think i'll be pedaling in my sleep tonight. The clean sheets and air conditioning will take a while to get used to. I guess i should just take a few days to unwind. I'd really like to race the TransAm next year. I need some sleep

[ethanconnor]

Bumped into this guy while riding through a traffic jam in the Hamptons. He's giving me a ride home from Montauk. #photos #xcountry (at Montauk End Of The World)

[ethanconnor]

Finished!!!!! Feeling accomplished. Made it to Montauk! #xcountry #photos

[ethanconnor]

Made it to Patchogue! I've got a couple broken spokes that need repair so i'm going to finish in Montauk tomorrow afternoon. Right now i'm going to play fetch with Molly because she is looking chubby and could use some exercise. #photos #xcountry (at Patchogue, New York)

[ethanconnor]

Day 66

Debating on stopping for the night in patchogue tomorrow or just crushing it from the port jeff ferry all the way out to Montauk. I'm in New Milford Connecticut tonight. I blasted my way from Albany to here in one day. It was a hundred miles total. I'm feeling like a bad dude because of it. I climbed tons of rolling hills today. It really wiped me out. I was worried i wouldn't hit my mark today. When it comes to riding a century i'm confident, but a century across the Appellation mountain range is another story. There was a tremendous sense of security in knowing i was landing at a Warmshowers host tonight. Sometimes all i need is a little peace of mind and i can work wonders with it. So i ended up staying with Tom O'Brian and his family. His son Jake rode out ten miles to meet me and then guideded me to the house. Warm greetings like that go a long way after being on the road for one hundred miles. They live in a really nice older house. It reminded me of my house back home. The earlier style architecture and wooden construction. I was given a nice spot to sleep on the third floor. I'm here right now basking in the cross breeze between windows. We all enjoyed some very delicious home made pizza for dinner. We talked about biking and the different experiences we've all had touring. Tom and Jake are in the process of planning a coast to coast trip for next year. I did my best to share all my tricks of the trade with them. We even talked about riding the NYC century together in September. I'm pretty tired right now and struggling to keep my eyes open so i want to tell you about tomorrow before i pass out.. I'll ride to the Bridgeport ferry in the morning. It's only 35 miles from here. Then i'll ride the boat across. I will make up my mind on the boat about what to do after that. New Milford is a really nice town by the way. Being exhausted makes me dyslexic. I apologize if i've written anything backwards or if i've littered the blog post with repetition. Tomorrow i hit long island!!!

[ethanconnor]

Its windy up here. I'm crossing towards Long Island now. #fasulochiropractic #xcountry #photos (at Long Island Sound, On The Ferry)

[ethanconnor]

Getting kinda tired now... I'm on the ferry to long island. I cant decide if i should just ride to patchogue and hit Montauk tomorrow. Or if i should just blast out there this afternoon. I heard its gonna rain tomorrow. #xcountry #photos (at Bridgeport - Port Jefferson Ferry)

[ethanconnor]

Tom rode with me all the way to New Town CT this morning. Great guy! #xcountry #photos (at Brigeport)

[ethanconnor]

Tom and his wife. They pit me up last night in CT. I had a great time! #xcountry #photos # (at Bridgeport, Connecticut)

[ethanconnor]

Feeling beat. Just finished riding one hundred miles from Albany to New Milford CT. Long day of climbing through the Adirondack rollers. They say suffering builds character? All its done for me is build calluses on my pucker. Tomorrow i hit Long Island. Then i head towards Montauk. #xcountry #photos (at New Milford, Connecticut)

[ethanconnor]

If i had a nickel for every turkey vulture i've caught eating roadkill.. #photos #xcountry #turkeyvultures (at Kent, Connecticut)

[ethanconnor]

Thirty seven rounds! Back when men were men. #1853 #boxing #xcountry #photos #NYhistory

[ethanconnor]

Day 65

Today was my last day off before i finish the trip. Its been a great time exploring Albany with Brian and Amanda. I'm recharged and ready to end my journey in Montauk this Friday. I'm starting off the final leg strong, tomorrow i'll go one hundred miles south into New Milford Connecticut. I lined up a warmshowers connect to stay with. I'm also leaving fifteen pounds of gear with Amanda so i think i'm going to make excellent time. I'm getting back in the zone. Tomorrow i'll scarf down a complimentary breakfast and be on the road hauling by 7:30. Today was a lot of fun. We explored another big abandoned warehouse and ate some delicious Chinese food in town. For the most part i laid around and slept. It was a leisurely day. My blog seems like its loosing steam. As i look back at it i think its getting dull and repetitive. My pen is running out of ink..maybe i'm just delusional. The end is in clear sight. What do i do after that? I've got a long day tomorrow.

[ethanconnor]

Back in the open spaces of Upstate NY #xcountry #photos (at Hillsdale , New York)

[ethanconnor]

My last view of the Hudson River #photos #xcountry #hudson (at Hudson River)