Day 1 in Asheville - Bele Chere

Today we got up early, about 9AM and walked the mile up to downtown Asheville. Mike, Bish, and I started our day at The Green Sage, where I got my first Breve of the trip since Boone, it was, of course delicious, and an excellent way to start this weekend of fun. We then wandered off into the streets, looking at all of the wares the vendors had to sell. We stopped by a dog show, where the dogs jumped off of a platform into a pool of water. It was definitely a cute sight to see one of the younger pups walk up to the edge of the platform and then run back to the stairs, he did this about 3 or so times before the trainer finally incited enough courage in him to dive off the platform. It seemed like he truly loved being in the water once he was in it. It made me miss my Shy.

While Britt and Mike wandered off to their respective interests, I went by and checked out the new Chevy Volt that was on display. I had a good talk with the guy there about the engine/motor of the car. It seems that it only has a motor, but the vehicle is slightly assisted by a gasoline powered turbine. For the most part, the gasoline fueled components of the vehicle just charge the battery. It was interesting because I didn't realize the Volt still relied partially on gasoline, though it does primarily do it's job of traveling a daily commuter distance on one plug in charge.

After that conversation, I focused my attention on the street illusionist right next door. He was amazing, good enough that I called Britt in about halfway through the performance for her to come see. I don't know how he did it, but somehow he was able to fit 2 sets of lemons under his 3-card-monty cups, one set right after the other right before our eyes, but the best part was when he unveiled the cantaloupe under his hat that he had just put on the table a few minutes before. It was so good that we came and saw it a second time later.

Then we met Mischa and Will and wandered off to the music stages. We saw a bluesy band and then walked off to another stage with a group called "Kids These Days" there were probably 10 people in this group, most of which likely in high school. They rocked the house. By this time it was about 7ish and so we went off to see some friends at yet another stage. This group was called "Big Gigantic" a mix of techno and saxophone, they were amazing, probably my favorite group of the entire festival. I ended up seeing an old friend from Boone in the crowd, Selena, so I joined up with her group and we all danced for hours. When night fell, out came the glow sticks, and now the new glow hula-hoops, but the best part was the street performers in the back who came with fire sticks and poi balls. They spun the flaming poi balls and did some completely amazing dances with the, and then of course, the eventual swallowing fire and spitting flames out into the air. By 10ish, we were spent and made our way back to Mischa's house to crash for the night. All in all, well, I just love Bele Chere.

First Stop, Asheville

So I decided to leave Boone on Thursday and bicycle it down to Asheville. My first night, I had planned on camping somewhere around Pineola, NC and taking the rest of the trek down the next day. Sadly, my adventure has started out with a bit of a hiccup. My bicycle made it just about 20 miles out of Boone and then chaos ensued. The derailleur on my bike sheared off and took a few spokes with it. This was a completely unexpected mishap, especially after just having the bike tuned up before the ride. So I walked just about the rest of the way to Pineola - 10 to 15 or so miles until about midnight. Fortunately, I called my friend Mischa from Asheville and, bless her, she came all the way up from the Spartanburg area to pick me up, bicycle and all. We ended up driving back to Boone for the night. Perhaps tomorrow will end up a better day to start the journey. I'll be posting the MyTracks data later on.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the bike, sans pack.

The Journey

40 Million Meters.

Take a step forward, but not just any step. Stretch your legs as far as they can go, I mean wide here, nearly so wide that you risk falling over. Take the biggest step you could ever possibly take. That step is likely about the size a meter. Now take another, and another. Take 10, take 100. Tired yet? Great! Now, here's the hard part, take another 40 Million. Keep moving forward and you'll end up roughly at about the same place where you started, but more importantly, you'll have seen the world. 40 Million Meters.

The average person walks the equivalent of four times around the Earth in their lifetime. Let me repeat that, YOU will walk the equivalent of four times the circumference of the Earth in your lifetime. Sounds crazy doesn't it? It's amazing that our bones and our muscles can support such a journey.  So you get 4 times around the Earth, where do you plan on taking your steps?

As for my steps, this blog will track them on my 40 Million Meter journey - the steps I take, the paths I'll travel, and the experiences I'll share. I call it the 40 Million Meter Dash. Once around the Earth - as I plan on venturing all the way around the globe at least once. And though I won't be walking the entire way...be it by plane, train, automobile, riding, and of course some walking...I guarantee I'll be putting in those 40 Million steps along the way. I'm looking forward to learning new things, seeing cultures in lands far away, loving life and living the adventure. So without further ado, the journey starts now.