The adventure

 New adventures: So rolling south east from Kansas City, Missouri to the Ozarks then will turn east and connect with the Trans America Trail and follow it to Yorktown, Virginia (with a few side adventures). Then plan to roll north using multiple routes which parallel Revolutionary Routes from the American Revolution to Newport, RI and then catch a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts where I will be working on a farm and dairy as a field hand and cheese maker for the summer. At least that’s the basic plan. I won’t be posting too much but will periodically and will share some videos. 

But I will be writing about this entire endeavor and interweaving the cycling expedition and farm experience with history and sharing my thoughts on the present, past and future and maybe offering some solutions on how humanity can get along and treat the planet well so we will survive.

And I will tell stories along the way as well that won’t be so ‘deep’ but still interesting.

You can find the videos at wholeearthguide.blogspot.com

Doing this on a tight budget $14/day, cooking my food, won’t pay to camp, so will rely on the kindness of strangers so should be interesting, will use the traveling cyclists hosting service Warmshowers periodically for a shower and laundry. Excited to send dispatches sharing my adventures with all of you. I will be true to my writing and won’t sugar coat anything. 

If you like my writing and stories and want to support my journalistic endeavors there is link on the site or just reach out. A cup of coffee and a sandwich will help with the budget. But only if you find value in my voice or words.  

I want to find America again, that’s where the history comes in, sort of a reverse expansion to find our roots from our past start here in KC where Lewis and Clark started in the Frontier for the Western expansion, I will be heading back East sharing their stories, Civil War stories, 

and reminding us about why the American Revolution happened while I roll over trail and share stories of those who came before and are here now and my thoughts on our future. 

Here are some images of

My basic route. I leave KC on Friday morning…April Fools day:)

Hope you follow, and feel free to invite your friends and family. I will share my gear list in the next few days.

Thanks to Robert Thompson, Natalie, Aimee, Lauralyn, and Justin M Short BA for your generous support as well.

Bill Poindexter

Helping those in need

As I get ready to leave Kansas City next Friday I am having some very interesting experiences meeting people and I don’t know maybe it’s a sense of urgency on my part to engage with many people. I see a lot of suffering in the world and God knows I’ve had my own experience of suffering. Anyway I met these two gentlemen and here’s a little story I wrote about them that I’d like you to read.

What really matters; today.

This morning, this Sunday morning- today, I stopped at HJ‘s community center to have a coffee, and as I was leaving I saw two homeless men pushing their cart heading north on the trolley trail. I had come across these two men about two months ago on the trolley trail and had given them some food and they seem very kind. Omi, kind of a white Irish looking guy with red hair and the second guy is Chris a black man from California. They are a couple and they’ve been on the road for two years and have traveled through 30 states. Both are well educated and for various reasons, all physical, have chosen a nomadic lifestyle. Winter is a particularly rough time for the homeless and because this couple is a biracial gay couple they have been ridiculed and attacked many times physically, mentally and spiritually. Today they shared some of their experiences with me and Aimee. And although they’ve had some strong trials -their attitudes towards life are remarkable. Just one week ago they were sleeping in a field that they did not know was private property and the police came and took all their possessions threw them in a dumpster put them in a paddy wagon took them to the police station and then let them loose because they didn’t have any room in the jail to put them in. These two men are very strong Christians they believe in the Bible literally and even their Bible was taken away from them last week by the police and thrown away. They harbor no ill will they’re just trying to live and have the ability to roam free. They’re very kind they’re both on disability and they sell walking sticks that they make themselves from fallen limbs from trees. Today they’re going to be in front of the Panera in Brookside it’s off 63rd St. just one block east of 63rd and Brookside Boulevard. I am giving them two sleeping bags and a backpack. I gave them some food this morning and I made them breakfast at HJ’s community center and gave them two pairs of socks, two thermoses that somebody gave me and two rain jackets that I was going to use for my trip but they needed more than me and I gave them a Bible. I’m going to encourage all of you to take a chance and go down there and meet Chris and Omi. Chris a is shy but Omi likes to  talk. And they need to know that humanity is alive and well in our crazy world. Maybe you might buy a Walking-stick from them. If you do meet them I’m interested in hearing about your experience.

They could use two bikes and a trailer as well. FYI. 

What matters most for these two is a warm place to sleep, food, shelter and warm clothing, personal freedom.

What matters the most

 What matters most (or what’s really important in life.)

Here is a story, short story.

Two days ago I was bicycling to a food bank in prairie village, kansas. I was crossing the state line at 59th and state-line rd from Missouri into Kansas when I noticed a black man standing on the road looking at his phone acting confused. I asked him if he was ok. He said, “I am just trying to get home.” He said. He had a sad face, 30s, scruffy beard-streaks of gray and eyes were clouded and looked scared.

I asked him where he lives and he told me a general location so I gave him directions. “Are you going to be ok friend?” I asked.

He looked up at me with a welling of pain and said, “I just miss my mom, I miss her so much.” And a large tear streamed down his face. I told him I understood and that all will be fine. Life is hard, and death is part of life. I shared I too had lost parents and a sister, and knew is pain. He tilted his head towards me and looked me square in the eyes then showed a slight smile, and thanked me. “I am just so sad.” He said, “I know you can see it on my face.” 

And he was right, I could-clearly. 

He asked me if life was going to get better and what I do to feel good. I told him I walk and bicycle and appreciate nature. He told me he has a bicycle, no air in the tires, but he would fix that and start riding too. 

I smiled and asked again if he was going to be okay. He said yes. I started to roll away and he yelled back to me “what’s your name sir?”

I rode back to him and and looked him in the eyes, “I’m Bill- what’s yours?”

“My name is Leon.” He said smiling. 

“It’s nice to me you Leon.”

“Thank you for helping me.” He said sincerely.

He walked over to me as though wanting to give me a hug, but just put a hand on my shoulder and I reciprocated. There was a moment of silence, time stood still, hard to explain. 

I made sure he knew how to get to his home and we exchanged a few more words, he thanked me. I rode on. 

In that moment, Leon just needed to know he was acknowledged, he needed compassion, no judgment, doesn’t matter what religion, creed, color, class, no, just one man to another, one human crossing the web of life. What’s really important?

Maybe just just saying “hey” making eye contact and giving a smile.

My love of sleeping on dirt

https://rumble.com/vwrk00-bikepacking-in-national-forest.html