New Photos

Hello!

New photos have been added on your right under: across USA part.2
If you click on the photos, you'll be able to see them bigger.

By the way, a lot of new videos have been added on youtube,
keywords: inspired wanders
channel: chenapans vagabonds

Peace

Seb

New Mexico!

Hello!!!!

Such a beautiful travel...

So After San Angelo, my road went still west, trough Midland where I was hosted by Tom, I met him a bit after Austin during my lunch time, he was coming back home and he invited me to come to see him and his family in Midland.

Little by little, the horizon gets full of oil drill, the smell is sometime really inconvenient, and the panels with written: poison gas are pretty common at the entries of the ranches.

This really the desert nothing grows higher than 2 feet, it gives an impression of nowhere.

From Midland, I join Eunice, my first step into the land of enchantment, New Mexico, first impression, lot of littering, Eunice isn't really the best part of New Mexico, it's an oil city, nothing to attract tourism here.
But I'm happy, I'm in a New state, it's always nice to change.

This night searching for a place to pitch my tent, I'm received by to very nice persons who invite me to eat the biggest steak I've ever eaten and let me pitch my tent behind their trailer.

The next day give me my first big impression of what a desert can be when it lets it fire expend, I've to ride with a temperature of 103F degres,
and I'm surprise how much my body is able to get used to it environment.
I support very good this extreme temperature, my water don't, it gets very warm, but as my body is warm, it matches very good.
I learn to drink really a lot of water, I learn not to spend any strength for no reason, I learn that my body is able of adaptation anywhere...

A day before, I had a phone call, Steve and Gail, two persons who welcomed me in Gay Hill, right before Austin, and who I met at a grocery store, decide to come to join me on my trip for a few days, they love riding bikes, and they have a week of holidays.

I arrive in Carlsbad, I meet Joey and Bianca, who decide to let me sleep on their couch, two very nice young perons, around my age.
I meet Sophie and Consuela, two retired women, their energy and their love for life lead us into long and interesting discussion, we so much enjoy sharing together that Sophie make me meet almost all her family on the afternoon.

Steve and Gail come to join me in Carlsbad,
we go exploring the Carlsbad caverns nat. park, then Steve wear his tighty short and come riding with me to Roswell, this is a really hot and windy day,
but the wind loves us today, he pushes us on the right way.
At a certain point, we put the bikes in the car and finish the last 20 miles with the AC.

Steve and Gail are in the fifties, they live in Houston and work in oil companies.
Every weekend, they go on their country house, riding their bikes, chilling out.
Their house is on a bicycle trail, that goes from Florida to California, they are used to invite bikers to rest in their house, have a drink, sharing.

This couple really is amazing, they are still young and full of energy, and their thought are sometime closer to revolutionaries, I enjoy being around them.

The next day, we drive to Ruidoso, and from the mountain, everyone goes his own way, I become a lonely bike rider, and they go back to their oil work.
I want to thank them for everything, they gave me a hotel room for the two days we were together, they feed me most of the time, Steve rided with me, we laught a lot, we shared, I want to thank them for opening their heart like they did to the stranger I was at the first time...

After a night in Carizozo, I end up in Corona, bad weather day, it's raining, and when I hit Corona, the altitude, around 6700 feet, makes the degres go down to the 40's, oooohhhh, big changement, in three days, I drop from the 100's to the 40's.
I meet a wonderful family who invite me to eat, let me use their shower, and provide me some food for the next day.

From Ruidoso, the surrounding land became wonderful, between yellow deserts, green mountains, red dirt, Antelopes, bunnies, rattle snakes, beautiful sunsets, this land makes riding become a constant pleasure, when admiring takes all my thoughts aways, contemplation becomes being.

The night, I end up in Moriarty, small town, right on the historic route 66.
I meet LaShandra and Jessica, and Jessica's kids Joshua and Mercedes, they let me pitch my tent on their yard.
Jessica cooked me a dinner, and I want to thank them also a lot, because they are both very funny and nice people, it's pretty uncommon for two girls to welcome a traveler like me, so I want to say that these two women gave me a lot of trust, and I thank them a lot for that.

The next day, direstion Madrid, this little village right before Santa Fe, that became a ghost town at the of the 1950's, and was adopted by a community of hippies and artists in the middle 1970's,
this village is full of colors, full of life, full of sharing, people walk..., lots of artists, and a lot of free spirit people,
we can feel the ambiance of a community...

The next day, direction Santa Fe, a few days before, through the website:
www.couchsurfing.com , I contacted Trevor, who live in town, and is able to provide a couch for the travelers like I am, so I knew that this night I didn't have to find a place to sleep, good point.

On my road I see some Yurts on my left, traditional houses of the people in Mongolia, after hesiting, I decide to go speaking with the people who live there, I would like to know more about these houses.
This is how I met Jessica, she helps the owner of the house, and she is currently creating her own path.
She is one of these people who sometime seems like you knew them before meeting them.

So I end up in Trevor house, very nice guy, he's in a massage school, 32 years old, he has lived in Antartica (see the video: Trevor... on youtube, key words:inspired wanders) where he worked on the fueling, at the same time, another couchsurfer, David, is hosted by Trevor, David is riding his motorcycle across the country, he left his job in a bank and decided to be as free as the wind (see video:David... on youtube account).

Santa Fe really is a wonderful city, with it own ambiance, lots of arts, typical houses, latin vibe, surrounded by high mountains,
people say that Santa Fe is located in a very special place, where energies of the earth would join and create this very creative ambiance...

So here I am,
still having a wonderful trip,
still trusting completely in life,
living the moment,
no regrets for the past,
no fear for tomorrow.

Thanks for the one who makes me live this marvelous experience...

Harmony
Silence
Love

Seb

Growing like the nature

I arrived in this city of 100 000 people,
which is for me a big city, without having heard about it at all,
San Angelo, I didn't even know it existed.

But I don't know why, the name inspired me.

The persons who welcomed me in Melvin, Tx, just 60 miles before San Angelo knew somebody in San Angelo, so I wasn't really riding to the unknown.

On my road, about 10 miles before arriving in town, I got passed buy a truck that immediately stopped on the shoulder after passing me.
A guy goes out of the truck and ask me if I need a place to stay for the night,
that's nice, he doesn't know me and he directly ask me if I need a place to stay, this guy must know what it means to be alone on the road.
I could feel, and read in his eyes that he wasn't a bad guy at all just somebody who wanted to help and share stories and knowledge at the same time, his name is Paul.

Right before that, I got caught in a bad storm that obliged to stop for a while, and by the same way to lose time,
so he offered me to bring me to the house of Laurie, my nice hostess of the night and put the bike and the trailer in the truck.
Ok, let's ride some horse power....

Laurie, the friend of my nice host of Melvin,Tx, welcomed me in her house,
she lives in a nice area of San Angelo, and she welcomed me like a prince.

The next day I decided to go to see Paul,
we had time to speak during the car ride, and he explained that with four other people he lives in a small community by the lake, they have six houses, a garden, and a very nice message to share.

Paul has lived all around America, and lived a lot of different life in one, like it's common nowadays.
Now he decided to settle down in San Angelo, first of all because his daughter lives here, her name is Kalee, she's 9 years old and she's already an amazing girl, and then he decided to create this community.
Their purpose is to live from raw food that have been cultivated organically and with love,
I'm happy to see that some people care about the quality of what they eat.
They have their own garden, some pecan trees, and an access to the lake to get some fresh fishes.
For everything else, they have Austin, kind of holly place for healthy eaters, at 200 miles.

They try to create a connection with people all around the world who tries to get into raw food.
They also create raw chocolate that I have to admit, are really wonderful.

These guy try to live a conscious and healthy life, they choose to live the way that seems for them the closer to what we really deeply need,
and what I like is that they don't do it hided from other people or angry against anyone,
they try to spread the message that we don't have to live the way our society wants us to live,
they live without television,
they communicate with a lot of people, they are open to everyone.
They think we can help the world to improve!

I spent two days with them, eating only healthy and good food,
and I can say that the energy that it provided me was phenomenal.
I would like to stay longer with these guys and learn more from them,
but at the same time I really wanna be in Alaska by the summer,
so i have to leave tomorrow and go back to hit the road.
But I know for sure that I'm gonna be back in there,
living and growing.

They are located close to knickerbocker rd,
if you wanna go meet them,
if you wanna share with them,
learn another way of seeing nutrition and living.
They wanna spread the message, so ya'll welcome to come hang out with them,
living with them for a while or for a long term.
Contact me if you want I can give you Paul's contact
or go directly to www.livingjem.com.

They are actually doing a chocolate party on all the weekend of the 31st of may 2008.
Ya'll are welcome!

I did some videos that I'm gonna put on the youtube account, check it out, key words: inspired wanders

I think we can't change the world, but we can give him some solutions...

Freedom
Harmony
Love

Everything goes well

Bonjour!

I wanna tell that I love Texas!
Ok, I have to admit that it's hot, and the weather is sometimes completely crazy.
But excepted that, it's wonderful.

Passed Austin, I was in the hill country, beautiful, that remind me the country of south France, a lot of oak trees, very green, lots of beautiful flowers and of course very hilly.

My legs are getting more and more used to climb,
hope so, because this is the easy part,
the Rocky mountains are waiting for me.

First day I arrive in Spicewood, tiny village between Austin and Llano,
I arrive for worship time in the church of Christ, that's where I meet Daniel, the pastor and his wife Rachel, they invite me to have dinner and even offer me a comfortable bed.

Yesterday I arrived in valley spring, and was welcomed by Lory and Alan,
I just knocked at their door to ask where the pastors of the two little churches live, thay told me that the pastors are in holiday right and invited me to pitch my tent in their yard.

The land is getting drier and drier, the horizon is getting more and more flat, I see less and less trees, less and less flowers, more and more cactus.
I'm lucky, this is blooming season for the cactus, their sunny colors give me joy.

Today was very hot, and then, in the afternoon, some big dark clouds appeared far in front of me.
I ha to fill up my bottle so I went to knock at a door on the side of the road, I was welcomed by Debbie who told me that a tornado warning was set up for this area, and it's coming over us!
Debbie and her husband Ronnie offered me hospitality, tonight I ate some good hot dogs chili, and I'll sleep in a very comfortable bed, I'm like a traveling prince!

Thank to all my helpers!

Freedom

Seb

Austin, Tx

Hello y'all!

Wonderful week in this liberal Texas city.
I heard so much about Austin before coming in,
a very young city, with a lot of live music, and an alternative way of living, based on a responsible, conscious, durable way of living.
I had to see all that by my own eyes, of course.

I arrived past Sunday,
Aubin and Anthony, a friend from France, joined me Monday, after 29 hours of driving.
We were welcomed by Garret and Ian, then by Neel, some friend of Zein, an activist that I met in New Orleans.

I have to admit that Austin is a very interesting city,
first of all, it's one of the only liberal city in Texas,
the university is huge, around 50 000 students in the University of Texas in Austin.

Good points:
a lot of healthy food store,
a lot of co-op stores,
independent stores,
lots of place where you can just hang-out and speak about changing the world.
Many people group their strength together to create something different.

But something is missing,...

I could just feel that it's hard when you're so used to the traditional American way of living, to suddenly, live in a way where materialism is not the most important.

Bad point:
This city is not very bike friendly,
some few bike path, but you can feel that cars don't really want you on the road, and are not that much used to you.
Car still seems to be the one, the only way of moving.
I have to admit that the bus network is better than in New Orleans for example.

But for me, a city where people don't just live inside of their rolling houses (cars)
is a city where people try to open themselves to the surrounding ones.

I would you to check this new video called Texas Freedom Network that I've put on youtube, keywords: inspired wanders,
Garret is one of the member of this association who works for the separation of church and state.

I'm leaving in a few minutes,
going back to hit the road.

Thank to everybody who helped me in Austin,
especially Ian, Garrett, Joel and Neel.

Hope this city will keep going further in an opening, creative, durable way.

I'll take the direction of San Angelo, and the I don't know if I'll go through Odessa or Big Spring to go to Carlsbad, if you know these road please let me know.

Freedom.
Inspiration.

Seb

New Photos

Some new photos are available on your right.

Have a nice journey.

Freedom

Seb

Hello Texas

Good bye Louisiana!

I had a wonderful time in this diverse state,
learning about the injustice in New Orleans,
and about the love of music,
learning about the cajun history and, and the present of these cousins.
Learning about the Chitimacha indians, who are so inspirative about the way they live.
Seeing all this incredible nature of south Louisiana.
Thanks to everybody who helped me in Louisiana.
Hope to see you again.

I'm now in the big state.
First impression, cars make an incredibly loud noise here.
The accent changed also directly after the border.
Weather is perfect for me actually, from the 70's to the 80's
but cloudy and some small rain sometime.

I'm going to be in Austin sunday or monday I think,
Aubin and a friend from France are going to join me there,
we'll spend some days together,
and I'll hit the road again.

I'm actually in Cleveland, Tx,
a bit over Houston,
and tonight I may be in Conroe.

I'm actually surounded by huge forests,
and the shoulder of the road is a huge animal cemetery.

If you know New Mexico, and have some idea about the more beautiful roads to take.
Please let me know.

Freedom.

Seb