meet gerry!

meet our support van driver, gerry! hell of a dude. check out gerry's section of the MU330 website: http://www.mu330.com/gerry.html
also check out the "gerry's polaroid moments" section on the MU330 website: http://www.mu330.com/gpm.html
fuck, just go to the MU website: www.mu330.com



hey gerry, eric and i miss you, you sonuvabitch!

love,
shawn

it's over

so it is. i contemplated rolling my bike into the ocean, but i didn't because, well, that'd be wasteful and i still have a lot of riding to do. i really didn't feel like i should bring it back here. now it's going to sit in my house for the next 4 months because weather in NY is awesome.

bear vs shark was fuckin sick. the crowd was amped. the band was amped. i was amped. eric was amped. i started a clap at the start of catamaran because i rule. shit, when they played that song the crowd was so amped i thought the room was going to explode. especially at the start, and then into the first chorus. it was glorious. i think the setlist went something like this, but after iron bug it sorta gets lost because i dont remember the order:

5, 6 kids
ma jolie
iron bug
entrance of the elected
don't tell the horses the stables on fire
catamaran
we were sad but now we're rebuilding
seven stop hold restart
busses/no busses

honestly, it was the best bvs show i've been to, and i've been to a few bvs shows. i've been to a few bvs shows i thought were the best shows i've ever seen, but this one topped them all. it really ended the tour perfectly. on the way home we found out the bus didnt go all the way back to the stop we needed. so we had to get off like 6 or 7 miles from matt's house. rough. we got an expensive cab, but the driver was rad, so it was all good. we got in and took showers and then basically crashed out. the good news is that we got to see joel one more time before we left. we all went to this fatty-bo-batty burrito place that i cant remember the name of. it rocked. then kristen and i said goodbye to eric, matt, joel, and shaela. we rode to dana point, which is about 50 miles from seal beach. kristen rocked that day, and couldve kept going if we werent running our of sunlight.

kristen and i sat in front of the ocean for an hour or so the last nite we were in cally. it was hard to grasp that i wouldn't be able to look to my right everyday and see it crashing onto the sand. even now it doesn't really seem as though i'm gone. but unfortunately i am. our last nite in california was spent watching the ocean and drinking beringer wine. good times. the last ride day was rainy. the only rainy day i've seen in california since i'd been there. we only made it to cardiff (25 miles from san diego) before we realized we wouldnt have enough time to get to san diego and get boxes for our bikes before the bike shops closed (it was sunday). so we went to a local shop and got some boxes, disassembled our bikes and took the bus to the airport. 5 hours later we were at the airport. eric flew on delta airways the nite before and called to tell me they charged him $100 to put his bike on the plane. kristen and i were worried about that, but since fedex isnt open on sundays, we had no choice. it was actually a good thing fedex wasnt open, because kristen and i went to the airport and talked to this rad guy named brad who was working the check in counter. kristen showed him her reciept from her previous flight that got her bike on the plane for $80, so we were hoping to save ourselves $20. he looked at the reciept and asked if she had paid for her bike round trip. of course she hadn't. he simply said, "let me see if i can get you a better rate." he taped up our boxes, checked us in and then said, "don't worry about the charge for the bikes." BOOM! free! woo! luck city, USA. so it was 8:30pm and we had to wait. we kept hoping we'd get bumped from our flight so we could get a free flight anywhere in the US. the opportunity came and they needed 2 people to be bumped. they were offering a free flight and 400 delta dollars. kristen and i were ready to give up our seats, but there was this woman who beat us to the counter and was contemplating for five minutes. i just kept saying to the guy, "hey, we're willing. right here." he ignored me, allowed the stupid woman to make a phone call, and so she took one of the available bumps. fucker. so we got on our plane and flew to atlanta and then to syracuse. damn.

i've finally got some photos to show you mothers. i dont know if i'll update this blog anymore. im not an online journaling type, but you never know. you never, ever know! the trip was beyond incredible. the west coast is where it's at. the east coast.....blah. leave the east if you get the chance.

washington-oregon-california. do it!

shawn


i miss this


three people inside a hollowed out redwood


jesus saves!

i could watch you from a distance, observation tower!

i will be watching bear vs shark tonite, but not from an observation tower. hell, not even from the front row. i'm gonna be up in their fuckin guts makin it happen. we almost didnt get into the show. it's sold out, but our good buddy matt hooked us up since his band (rx bandits) plays at this venue a lot and he know people and it
s basically their home. rad! so we're taking a bus over to anahiem to catch the boys. im excited. it's a perfect end to the trip really. ive done nothing but ride my bike to sweat, so itll be good to put some effort into something else. im curious and nervous to see how the crowd reacts. honestly, it doenst matter how they react because im one of 2 people who can say i rode 4,000+ miles over 3 days on a bus and 1,600+ miles over a month and a half on a bicycle to be there. so they can go fuck a horse's nostril if they think theyre shitting on my good time. eat it, bitches!

kristen is here and has stuck it out over 3 days and 100 miles of riding. go krissy! eric leaves tomorrow from LAX, but kristen and myself must ride back to san diego to catch our plane home on sunday. hard to believe i'll be back in new york's filthy clutches soon. bummer in a way, but my bank statement says i really need to stop spending money. oh well, debt for good times is worth it, if you know what im tryin to say here.

we may get to see joel tonite. he's doing merch for the awesome band finch, and they're playing tonite in LA, so they may come back to seal beach and have a couple fuckin brews. let's hope so. joel's a good shit, and i'd like to see him once more before i leave because it seems as tho finch wont be coming thru new york this tour, or at least the north east part. theyll be in NYC, but that place is overrated, overcrowded and overpriced. screw that place. and i also dont have any money to travel there, so im shit outta luck there. for the record, finch sucks.

well, it's time to stop typing. i'll type again before i leave this rad state. until then, keep your pants on or your legs closed you crazy fucks!

shawn

A New Home In Point Loma

Let me share a story about Cat.

The other night Nate (a hostel employee) invites a group of us to hang out at his apartment for the evening and drink some brews. As the night wears on and the alcohol keeps being forcible dumped down our throats, some goat decides it would be a great idea to bust out some boxing gloves. Why? Because why the f*ck not. The first match, which took place in the front yard surrounded by chain link fence, was between blitzkrieg Martin (straight from the hills of Germany) and Nate, the Hostile Hostel (American born and breed). What a match it was. Blows were landed, egos were bruised, World War Two was revisited with fists of flying fury, buildings crumbled as the two tanks thundered down quiet suburban streets. But in the wake both sides emerged victorious and the bottle of yagger was sipped by all.

So what the hell does this have to do with Cat?

Don't be so damned impatient the story continues.

After both fighters picked themselves up off the ground, surrounded by the cloud of dust and dirt created from this epic battle a new contender emerged from the crowd, KC. He taunted the onlookers for a worthy competitor but it appeared as if no one was daring enough to fight this titan from Detroit. Then a lone warrior, a car mechanic from Boston cleared a path through the spectators and strapped on the red gloves.

Her name is Cat.

There was no bell, no referees to keep order, the streets erupted in a chaotic howling as the pavement melted. What followed was a carnage so intense the animals fled to high ground, women wept into their pillows and the stars fell from the sky.

Where were the police? Surely the neighbors must have called by now?

The police would have been no good. Bullets and tear gas were useless. This was anarchy.

The battle raged for what seemed like hours. The house was painted red with the blood of opened cheek bones. The teeth of those two wild pitbulls gnawed and gnashed and shined like razors under a pacific moon. The war drew others. Onlookers poured in from closed bars and through back alleys. I can on imagine what rushed through their blurry heads as they stumbled upon these two vicious beasts.

It ended, as all things do, when the two fighters, exhausted, walked from the ring arms slung limp around each others shoulders. They staggered back inside the house where their wounds were disinfected with beer and fire and friendships were solidified in the depths of their fractured bones.

I know what you readers, the few that exist, are thinking. You think that I am exaggerating, embellishing this tale of everyday madness. But I tell you that no amount embellishment could capture what I witnessed that night. No lie could help you comprehend the chaotic scenes that were created.

And besides, if you don't believe me, I have pictures.

eric

update madness!!

indeed it has been. woo. not really too much to report. kristen arrives in about 7 hours. that's exciting. in the mean time, i get to use the free internet at the library next to the hostel, then go watch the new york rangers take on the new jersey devils. rivalry central. should be an awesome game. they're playing in jersey, so we're in their house, and there's nothing better than bitch slapping the devils in front of their hometown fans. not that that has happened much in the past 7 or 8 years, but whatevs.

forget hockey. most of you reading this could care less about the sport. we're going drinking later tonite. bonfire on the beach. hey! it's becky's last nite in town, so we're partying it up. she's going to boston for a week or so and staying in a hostel, then she's going back to birmingham, england. she's rad. we'll have some pics up on here of some of these folks soon, as we've finally found computers with USB hookups. booya! so you can put faces with the folks we've been mentioning on here. hell yea.

yesterday we got eric's bike fixed, but had to walk a long distance. i think we did about 6 or 7 miles on foot yesterday, which sucked. riding is so much easier. not to mention faster. and not to mention more fun. later in the evening we went to KC's apartment, watched some hockey games and the yankees game (baseball eats an ass, especially after you've been flipping between 2 or 3 hockey games), ordered some pizza and then hit a bar. i didnt drink. i wasnt feeling too well. then we went back to the hostel around midnight and met this chill named kat. we chatted with her for a good 2 hours or more, then called it a nite. pretty decent day, but i was so in tired that i couldnt really enjoy it. it shouldve been more relaxing than it was, but that was only because i wanted to go to sleep on KC's comfy-ass couch the whole time but couldnt because, well, i was a guest there and that's rude to go to someone else's house to take a nap because you're a big smelly sleepyhead. boom!

eric's buying a plane ticket and getting frustrated. poor guy. computers frustrate him, but eric, my boy, the more you learn about computers, the more you have to know and the more you just dont understand. be strong, young cub! computers suck, but you do not! funny how im typing to eric on our blog when i could just look at him and say this. oh well, it's more entertaining this way. hopefully tonite will be a blast. fire on the beach sounds in rad, especially with the ocean hissing in front of you all nite. hooray for fires at the beach!

well, ive got like 20 mins left before the library staff can boot me off. ive got an hour time limit. better than 15mins for $1. i'm getting excited to come home to the fall and wear my sweaters and skateboard thru the leaves. hooray for falling leaves! im also getting excited to come home and see all you buddies. especially my now-technologically advanced friends, greg and missy. how's that apple G5 or whatever? let's put our hands together for greg and missy taking the digital leap into ever advancing computer generation. hey hey! id also like to award jenn chapman with the "most persistant poster" award. she's been pretty consistent when it comes to leaving comments and checking this filthy beast. so take your hands off your genitals (sp?) for a moment and put 'em together for jenn. hey now! woo!

well, it's been fun. i'll post again tomorrow sometime. there will be pics too! oh, im spoiling you s.

eskimo smooches,
shawn

Hey Charles Bronson Get Out Your Hand Cannon

We've been in San Diego a few days now and it's been amazing. We've pretty much just been hanging around the hostel and going downtown at night. It's been fun. We met a kid named KC that works here and he's been cool enough to show us around the area and take us to all the really cheap bars. The only shitty thing that's happened since we've been here is that some jack ass kicked in the back gear shifter on my bike the other night. There was absolutely no reason for this. They didn't try to steal anything they just wanted to wreck someone's bike. Way to go. Anyway it only cost about 60 bucks to fix so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But that night was still one of the best we've had on the trip. Me, Shawn, KC and Becki got wasted then went back to his apartment and watched Death Wish 3 with Charles Bronson. I'm going to go out on a ledge here and say it was the best movie I've seen in a long time. Brilliant. Oscar deserving performances by the entire cast. I've never looked forward to comming home so much simply so I can buy all those movies and watch them back to back. I'm serious. There great. Go to Best Buy and pick 'em up.

Eric

another update. so quick? yea.

yesterday on our way here we stopped at a state park/beach to make sure we were on the right path to san diego. while airing up my tire, a guy named steve came up and asked where we were going and where we came from. we chatted, told him about plea for peace, and then he asked if we were doing any online journaling. so we gave him our URL and bam! he came over and left us a comment. here is his URL: http://undereating.blogspot.com/
it's centered around his weight loss and it's a nicely kept blog, so check it out if you've got some time. sorry i couldnt leave you a comment on your blog, steve. this computer won't let me for some strange reason.

last nite we went out and had some fuckin brews. $2 brews all nite at these two bars. eric and i looked like shit playing pool last nite. we were defeated by oppenents not worthy of a victory. but that happens when you drink a bit. we met this guy who works at the hostel named casey, and we went out together and drank it up. his girlfriend becky came along. good times. many laughs. we went to this rad burrito joint where i got a shredded beef burrito. $3.50 for this massive rolled piece of heavly tasteyness. mmmm. then we went to casey's apartment, watched some deathwish 3, drank some more, and then decided to call it a nite. as we were leaving casey's apartment, eric realized his bike wasnt working right. we took a look at it and part of the gear shifting mechanism (or the whole thing, really) was busted off and was hanging. interesting. there's no reason anyone should have done that. maybe it was some drunk motherfucker being a douche tits. maybe not. who knows? eric's pretty bummed. i dont think the part is going to be much more than $25, but i can't be sure. i bet labor is where he'll get hit the hardest. but im no bike guru, so i could be wrong. so today we're going to be looking for a bike shop (or a cyclery as they're frequently called out here). the kicker to this whole thing is that eric has the part he needs at home. he actually had it when we came out here because it was in his bike box, but we were like "ah, why would you need that?" so he sent it home because it's a fairly hefty chunk o' metal. fuck! ah, well, now it's down to getting it fixed i suppose. shit.

in other news, the rangers lost 4-3 in overtime. oh well, we got a point for not getting beat in regulation. from what ive been reading the rangers don't look so bad. awesome.

ok, i must go. my time is running out. it happens. i'll update again at some point, let you all know how eric's bike is, and key you in to any other fantastic stories. be well, mothers.

sack slaps,
shawn

There's An Aussi Under Me

Rolled into San Diego today for a few nights stay at a hostel. Couldn't be happier. Me and Shawn have reached our southern most destination and the only way to go is back up. Unless of course Mexico becomes to tempting. Tonight however we got the scoop on some cheap ass bars in a shady part of town so these two boys are grabbin' the bikes and going drinking! Should be fun. Kristin comes out in a few days which is exciting. It's cool that we're going to get to ride with someone else we know from home. I don't know why that's so great it just is. I guess it will be nice to see another familiar face. Not really too much to talk about tonight. I only got 15 minutes on this thing and it costs a buck. Maybe if you're lucky and I have an extra dollar at the end of the night, I'll hop on this baby and leave you tikes some incoherent rambling later on.

Okay that's enough for you,
Eric

san, san san, san diegoooooooooooooo!

boom! we're calling from san di-fuckin-ego! we woke up this morn to find out you cant sleep in a bike n' hike campground for more than 1 nite. apparently you need to leave the premesis for 48 hours until you can return and camp again. so we sucked it up and rode to san diego today, a nice 24 mile trek, but it was cake, aside from our heavy packs and loaded bike racks. fuck em. kristen is in for some serious shit when she gets here and heads north. there was consistent hill action, and with a pack thats not easy. and she hasnt rode her bike in a while. but she'll get thru it. she's tough. believe me, i know her well, and soon she'll be smashing mountains down with the round rubber hammers. kick ass! well, im off. i paid $1 for 15 mins and i gotta check hockey scores. the rangers won the season opener 5-3 against the flyers. suck on that philly. you can keep your precious cheese steaks, you fucks. ha! im in a good mood. im going drinking tonite and kristen's coming soon. booya! you all should come out too. bring bikes. WE RIDE TO FIGHT!

love,
shawn

wake up! grab your things!

tour wrapped up today. we rose around 7:45am, and the entire place was quiet. none of us were really saying anything to each other. it was the feeling that we knew that there werent any more miles to be trekked together. it was the feeling that we wouldnt wake up on the ground, wrapped in our sleeping bags, smelling like b.o. and god knows what else, and still find it to be a kind of paradise. i dont care how dirty i was, or how hard the ground was, or how cold the mornings were- the past 4 weeks with these people has been nothing short of wonderful. it fucking sucked saying goodbye. first to joel, who i've become good friends with, then to tent mahal master, brett, with whom i was also friends. it was easier to watch them walk away and disappear behind the trees to the car because i knew i could look around and see the others still standing around, or packing up. it was me pretending things weren't really ending. but as things started to be destructed- tents, the canopy, the garbage from the ground- i began to absorb it all. we packed everything up and we stood there trying to smile and act like shit was cool. but it was all very uncool. how do you say, "see ya later" to 5 people who've been instrumental to the way you've lived your life for the past 4 weeks? you can't. you can hardly talk without weeping, so you keep your sentences and your glances short. there's not really enough time to tell them how awesome everything was, and how fucking fortunate you are to have met them, and how they made being away from home so easy. i watched the van pull out of the campsite, leaving eric and myself standing there, left in silence and both clearly bothered and upset. i went out to the front gate to ask the lady there about hike and bike campgrounds for later that evening, but it was mostly so i could have some time alone to deal with the situation in my own way. as i rode to the front gate i could see the van waiting to make a left out of the lot. i hung back in fear that they might see me and that it would cause me to lose my shit. just as they started to pull into the road, i rolled forward to watch them exit. the windows on the van are tinted, so i couldnt see in, but i waved one last time, not sure if i wanted to be seen or not. the van slowly disappeared away, and that was it. i'd seen that van drive away from me countless times in the past 4 weeks, but this time i knew it wouldnt be waiting for me 20 miles up the road, pb&j sandwiches waiting to be eaten. what a brutal feeling.

despite the tough morning, we had a great last couple nights here. we stayed in Cardiff-By-The-Bay for 2 days. the first nite everyone got a little happy. i drank 1.5 liters of wine, listened to the boys play some of the highlight songs from tour, and laughed. simply put, i laughed. it's such a simple thing, but it's amazing how it never gets dull. the nite ended in typical shawn fashion with me puking and then sleeping on my ground pad in the dirt with my sleeping bag. nifty. the morning after was brutal. i had a wineover, which is one of the worst types of hangovers. i basically moped around all day, puked a few times, then passed out for a few more hours. unfortunately we all got sorta separated all day. eric, brett and i shot some twenty-five-cent pool at this rad bar that eric and i will likely go back to before we leave cardiff. the bartender was totally rad, gave us free soda and eric a free beer, and then she opened the side of the pool table so we could have free pool. woo! then we wandered back to the camp, where people had already passed out, with exception of gerry, matt, joel and pete. gerry and pete went to bed, and only the residents of tent mahal were left standing (or sitting in front of the fire). tent mahal residents were: eric, brett, joel, matt and myself. tent mahal is the tent that brett brought the first nite of tour, and slept in alone with his luggage and his bike. it's an 8 person tent that when looked at, is hard to belive is not a permanent structure. one nite joel called it tent mahal and the name stuck. so there's the story behind that, because i know ive made some references to tent mahal in previous posts without explaining a goddamned thing.

what else? hmmmm.... eric and i are out here for another 9 days or something. kristen will be arriving on saturday evening, so that's exciting. i dont think it's fair for her, because she's missed all the good times and the great people. but we'll have good times. we're likely going to be riding 20 mile days. we need to take it fuckin easy. i mean, we only did 1,462 total miles in a month, so what's a few more? we're definitely looking forward to kicking back and riding short mileage. i've got no money left. that's always nice. the bank statement says $66. wooo! looks like shawn's going to be in debt. booya! fuck it. it's just paper. i've made some awesome friends and seen some awesome shit that's worth far more than the dollar bill.

well, i guess i should check some other things online while im here. here's a list of the plea for peace tour riders for everyone who cares (and also for my terrible memory) folks with an (x) by their name only rode part of the tour:

mike park
dan potthast
matt embree
joel
pete battallion
brett anderson
blake jenssen
sam
gerry (our support van driver and nicest guy in the world)
eric marlowe
shawn walker
steve choi (x)
monica (x)
jenny choi
randy (x)
bernie (x)
ted (x)
derrick (x)

hopefully i didnt forget anyone. it seems as though i got everyone on there. so, i guess we'll keep updating this until we get back. i miss everyone and though im not ready to come home yet, im glad i can come home to some rad people. to the plea for peace riders: get it and do it! i miss you mothers already. the following is a song by dan potthast that i'd like to exit with. so long and i'll see you all soon.

bear hugs,
shawn

I’ve Set Sail

It’s soon but I’ve set sail again the wind feels right this time the waves are small but they rock my boat just enough it’s soon but I’ve set sail again I’ve put my trust in the constellations the pinholes of hope that steer my boat I’ve put my heart in the hands of the man in the moon it’s soon but I’ve set sail again And if you get seasick I’ll drop anchor and hold you close and if you get sunstroke I’ll let you sit in the hull of my boat it’s soon but I’ve set sail again the moon feels right this time it’s big and it’s bright and it’s in line with the stars it’s soon but I’ve set sail again

On Our Own Again

It's a sad day in Cardiff By the Sea. The last of our friends set off for home leaving Shawn and I to fend for ourselves once again. It was pretty terrible waving to the red van one last time but I know that I will see them all soon. In a few days we're going to be heading back up to Seal Beach where we'll be staying with Matt and his family. Joel is flying back up to Oregon today and will leave for tour immediately selling merchandise for the worlds greatest band, Finch. Actually Finch is horrific and it's sad that such shitty music like theirs still exists in the world. But that's not the point. The point is that while Joel is on tour he will be coming through NY and I'm sure me and Shawn will be able to spend some quality time with him drinking cheap beer, playing pool, and just kicking each others asses. Dan Potthast will also be on tour either solo or with his band MU330, so hopefully he'll be heading through the empire state as well.
In other news I've been getting hooked up with a ton of free shit lately. Just last night me, Shawn and Brett went for pizza and when I ordered a slice the girl working the counter said she was going to give me two for the price of one because the slices were so small. But they weren't small, they were HUGE. Let me tell you people were envious and I was happy. Later on at the pub the bar tender graciously hooked me up with a free pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Not to mention that the pool table we were schoolin' fools on kept on breaking so the same bar tender came over and unlocked the box so we could play free games the rest of the night. THEN AFTER THAT SHE GAVE US FREE FU*KING POPCORN. Well the popcorn was free for everybody but that's not the damn point. IT WAS FREE! I WAS HUNGRY! AND SHE BROUGHT IT OVER TO US!
You might be asking yourselves back home "Eric, how can I get hooked up with free shit?" well there's only one explanation for this generosity... Facial hair. You kids want free stuff? Grow a freakin' beard. If you don't want to do that, live your lives like chumps and keep your wallets open because you'll be paying for everything you lay your greedy little eyes on.
Okay enough of that. In a few days we're headed down to San Diego where we're going to pick up Kristin at the airport and go to the zoo. Should be fun. After it's back up the coast and then this tired, broken old boy is jumping on a plane home, spending some quality time in my own freaking bed and hanging out with the lovely Norene. Don't get me wrong, I'm sad just thinking about leaving but it will be good to get home.

I have another abrasion on my eye. Right side this time.
I broke my little toe but don't worry I have pictures.

Eric