Sunday, October 20, 2013
Vermont at last!
After a few days in the Amherst, MA area, I set off again northward today! Lots to recount from my time there, but I just wanted to check in before getting some sleep now. 55+ miles today in spite of a long late start, and now I'm in Brattleboro, VT staying with the super fantastic inventors of circus yoga! More details on the previous week to come!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
One Week In!!
Goodbye New York, hello Massachusetts! I'm sitting in the Pittsfield, MA public library, belly full and muscles tired. One week into the trip, with 5 of those on the bike. I think that math works out ....
Because I'm at a library, no pictures for this entry, but they'll be coming.
Sometimes I start to feel really confident about my ability to make my home anywhere I am - pitch a tent and sleep peacefully every night. And some mornings I wake up to find that I spent the night in a nest of poison ivy. Like this morning! With daylight waning yesterday, I was just heading out of Hudson, NY, and thought I'd try "Fish and Game Rd" as a possible place to find a campsite. No public land, but there looked to be some stretches of forest. Near the end of it, I found a nice big patch of woods, and (when no one was driving by) I dove into the thicket with my bike and packs. Pushing through honeysuckle and rose bushes, I got to a beautiful little clearing under a humble cedar, and began unpacking. As I got settled in to sleep, i was treated to the songs of first one then two barred owls in stereo, for a good 20 minutes!! The only thing I had to worry about here, 40 yards off the road, was early-morning hunters stumbling across me. The thicket was dense enough to indicate that no one had been in there in at least a couple years. Slept great, then woke up noticing some 3-leafed yellow mittens. And then every other form of poison ivy ... definitely walked around in it barefoot, had all of my gear rolling around in it, etc ... so we'll see soon enough if i'm still immune!
So, to back up a bit .... I left Ithaca last Tuesday, October 8th. Some garlic planted, the gardens in decent shape, and handed off to a capable zen student for a time. Didn't get out the door in time to make my planned trip into Ithaca, so I just left straight from Danby. Got about 45 miles to the northeast, passing through stereotypical central new york landscape ... cows, corn, silos, barns, perfect autumn colors, hawks, even a blue heron that flew right across the road behind me to a creek. As it got late, and I realized that I was in fact quite tired from my longest ride in 3 years .. i checked out the map i had printed out. I was right in the middle of many patches of state forest land, with only a climb out of the valley to get me there. Climbing out of the valley is of course no small thing at the end of the day, and I even walked the steepest part as I watched the sun setting. But state forest is such comfortably welcoming land, the peace of mind is worth a little extra effort. A quiet and still night, to bed early and up with the sun. Which means a solid 10+ hours of sleep this time of year! Makes up the difference for what would be a less-than-restful sleep with only 1" of foam padding against the ground. First night was in the mid-30s, but plenty warm in my tent cocoon and sleeping bag.
Second day much of the same, 45-50 northeast through Georgetown area and Madison to get to Clinton. I reckon I had a lot of profound thoughts in the course of the ride. In fact I know i had a lot of profound thoughts in the course of that ride, but darned if i can remember them now!! Usually I'm good about keeping a journal on the road, but things were still pretty busy. I got into my hometown of Clinton, closed my long-dormant bank account, and cycled around the school for nostalgic purposes. Then I ran into Kathy Thompson who said she was "excited about tonight," meaning for the house concert that I thought was for sure the next day! I was so sure it was the next day, that I had invited some of my most anticipated guests to come on Thursday, not Wednesday. But my parents (who were hosting the concert), had invited most people for Wednesday, so I decided to forgo a trip to the neighbors' new goats, and head straight home to get ready to perform! That's the beauty of house concerts, though, it's so informal that it feels pretty fine to just play in whatever state your in. And after a second day of biking (and singing on the bike), I was in good shape to share music anyway! There would just have to be a double-header, with a second performance on Thursday.
It's so nice to perform in peoples' homes, and a notch higher to perform in the home you grew up in - not to mention on the piano you grew up playing, and for people who watched you grow up. A notable guest was my piano teacher from age 5-17, Kathy Austin. If I spend more than a moment thinking about it, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for this woman who, through her patience, kindness, talent, creativity, and flexibility, gave more to me musically than any other individual. To learn from someone once a week for 12 years is a marvelous gift, and I'd be nothing of the musician I am without her. And now I'm getting tears on the library desk. So, anyway, nice to perform with Mrs Austin there, and to catch up with her a little.
After performing the CD release show in Ithaca in what resembles (if it isn't actually) a huge masonic temple room (CSMA), singing in a living room was a big change. I found I had to completely scale down my voice, and approach the performance with much more listening and calmness. No set list, but I got to sing also to my little niece Morgan, who I met for the first time that day!! Made sure to play enough piano to show Mrs Austin that I had made progress, enough banjo for everyone that had never heard me play, and also enough of the songs that my Mom likes.
Spent much of Thursday learning and notating the songs I would play at the wedding on Saturday. Then got a new iPhone. Oh dear ... i thought it would never happen! Then a second concert at the house. Fewer people but just as fun. Even had my sister listening live through skype, which was funny.
Packed up and hit the road early Friday, to be able to meet my brother Sean for a ride to the wedding. This was mostly along the Erie canal trail, after going through the city of Utica. I was last on the canal trail on the second-to-last day of my trip 3 years ago, and many of the spots seemed amazingly familiar! It's nice how flat it is, although the crushed gravel parts require a bit more muscle to get through than is ideal. It makes the paved climbs seem easy, actually! So, through the convenience of cellular devices, I met up with Sean a few miles before Amsterdam (about a 60-mile day). We continued on down to High Falls, NY in the Hudson valley, near where the wedding of his friend Matt Gale would be. I set up camp in the woods, and went to the wedding site for a late night rehearsal with the bride's brother on electric bass. Giant wedding tent full of boisterously playful Gale grandchildren (Matt is the youngest of 10 children, and the Gales lived across the street from where we grew up).
The wedding was held at a lovely orchard and organic vegetable farm with pristine upstate fall aesthetics. I played a few songs without then with bass before the ceremony, and finally "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes to open the ceremony with the groom's arrival. Which was delayed .. for about an entire repetition of the tune! But we made it work. Then "I'm Sticking With You" by the Velvet Underground as the flower girls entered, and "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor as the bridesmaids and bride entered. We were outside between gardens and under a large tree, by the way. Midway through the ceremony, the sun came out to perfectly anoint the marrying couple. Two beautiful readings, vows, etc, then "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall and Oates as a recessional, and "Man on Fire" by Edward Sharpe +co. as the whole wedding crew gathered for a picture. More wedding things happened which I won't take the time to expand on here .... I only have 9 minutes left!!! Anyway, thank you to Matt and Serena for letting me take part in the ceremony and celebrations!
Sunday I spent a minute to do some yoga by the creek in High Falls, and hit the local food co-op, where I met a very sweet family who lives part-time there and in the city and likes planting native edibles. The guy was a former? bicycle cop, and had this rad bike seat that supports both sides of your butt instead of a single piece to straddle. A brilliant idea!
Made it almost to Woodstock, stopped at a Tibet-supporting thrift store, and camped along Ontearo lake on a steep rocky hill! Went into Woodstock, which was pretty fun - it was a monday holiday, so there was a flea market going on and lots of people. Nice cafes, and a top-notch bike shop where they gave me green tea! Friendly people are the best, and there were tons of them in this particular town. Also met a guy at a Tibetan store (tibet is a theme 'round here) who is a musician and suggested that I play in Hudson which is the up-and-coming new music scene! He offered to sell some of my CDs after I had gifted him one.
3 minutes to go!
Um .... biked from Woodstock to ... oh, Catskill and Hudson NY - stopped into the place where I may play in the future, had a hard pear cider (and a tall glass of water!), and that brings us full circle to the poison-ivy location. This narrative has very little of my metaphorical and philosophical musings, but now I feel up-to-date, more or less. Met a nice Scottish couple on vacation here in Pittsfield, and ate Gluten-Free delights. Okay, 30 seconds. Gotta go! See ya out there! amherst tomorrow!!!
<3 travis
Because I'm at a library, no pictures for this entry, but they'll be coming.
Sometimes I start to feel really confident about my ability to make my home anywhere I am - pitch a tent and sleep peacefully every night. And some mornings I wake up to find that I spent the night in a nest of poison ivy. Like this morning! With daylight waning yesterday, I was just heading out of Hudson, NY, and thought I'd try "Fish and Game Rd" as a possible place to find a campsite. No public land, but there looked to be some stretches of forest. Near the end of it, I found a nice big patch of woods, and (when no one was driving by) I dove into the thicket with my bike and packs. Pushing through honeysuckle and rose bushes, I got to a beautiful little clearing under a humble cedar, and began unpacking. As I got settled in to sleep, i was treated to the songs of first one then two barred owls in stereo, for a good 20 minutes!! The only thing I had to worry about here, 40 yards off the road, was early-morning hunters stumbling across me. The thicket was dense enough to indicate that no one had been in there in at least a couple years. Slept great, then woke up noticing some 3-leafed yellow mittens. And then every other form of poison ivy ... definitely walked around in it barefoot, had all of my gear rolling around in it, etc ... so we'll see soon enough if i'm still immune!
So, to back up a bit .... I left Ithaca last Tuesday, October 8th. Some garlic planted, the gardens in decent shape, and handed off to a capable zen student for a time. Didn't get out the door in time to make my planned trip into Ithaca, so I just left straight from Danby. Got about 45 miles to the northeast, passing through stereotypical central new york landscape ... cows, corn, silos, barns, perfect autumn colors, hawks, even a blue heron that flew right across the road behind me to a creek. As it got late, and I realized that I was in fact quite tired from my longest ride in 3 years .. i checked out the map i had printed out. I was right in the middle of many patches of state forest land, with only a climb out of the valley to get me there. Climbing out of the valley is of course no small thing at the end of the day, and I even walked the steepest part as I watched the sun setting. But state forest is such comfortably welcoming land, the peace of mind is worth a little extra effort. A quiet and still night, to bed early and up with the sun. Which means a solid 10+ hours of sleep this time of year! Makes up the difference for what would be a less-than-restful sleep with only 1" of foam padding against the ground. First night was in the mid-30s, but plenty warm in my tent cocoon and sleeping bag.
Second day much of the same, 45-50 northeast through Georgetown area and Madison to get to Clinton. I reckon I had a lot of profound thoughts in the course of the ride. In fact I know i had a lot of profound thoughts in the course of that ride, but darned if i can remember them now!! Usually I'm good about keeping a journal on the road, but things were still pretty busy. I got into my hometown of Clinton, closed my long-dormant bank account, and cycled around the school for nostalgic purposes. Then I ran into Kathy Thompson who said she was "excited about tonight," meaning for the house concert that I thought was for sure the next day! I was so sure it was the next day, that I had invited some of my most anticipated guests to come on Thursday, not Wednesday. But my parents (who were hosting the concert), had invited most people for Wednesday, so I decided to forgo a trip to the neighbors' new goats, and head straight home to get ready to perform! That's the beauty of house concerts, though, it's so informal that it feels pretty fine to just play in whatever state your in. And after a second day of biking (and singing on the bike), I was in good shape to share music anyway! There would just have to be a double-header, with a second performance on Thursday.
It's so nice to perform in peoples' homes, and a notch higher to perform in the home you grew up in - not to mention on the piano you grew up playing, and for people who watched you grow up. A notable guest was my piano teacher from age 5-17, Kathy Austin. If I spend more than a moment thinking about it, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for this woman who, through her patience, kindness, talent, creativity, and flexibility, gave more to me musically than any other individual. To learn from someone once a week for 12 years is a marvelous gift, and I'd be nothing of the musician I am without her. And now I'm getting tears on the library desk. So, anyway, nice to perform with Mrs Austin there, and to catch up with her a little.
After performing the CD release show in Ithaca in what resembles (if it isn't actually) a huge masonic temple room (CSMA), singing in a living room was a big change. I found I had to completely scale down my voice, and approach the performance with much more listening and calmness. No set list, but I got to sing also to my little niece Morgan, who I met for the first time that day!! Made sure to play enough piano to show Mrs Austin that I had made progress, enough banjo for everyone that had never heard me play, and also enough of the songs that my Mom likes.
Spent much of Thursday learning and notating the songs I would play at the wedding on Saturday. Then got a new iPhone. Oh dear ... i thought it would never happen! Then a second concert at the house. Fewer people but just as fun. Even had my sister listening live through skype, which was funny.
Packed up and hit the road early Friday, to be able to meet my brother Sean for a ride to the wedding. This was mostly along the Erie canal trail, after going through the city of Utica. I was last on the canal trail on the second-to-last day of my trip 3 years ago, and many of the spots seemed amazingly familiar! It's nice how flat it is, although the crushed gravel parts require a bit more muscle to get through than is ideal. It makes the paved climbs seem easy, actually! So, through the convenience of cellular devices, I met up with Sean a few miles before Amsterdam (about a 60-mile day). We continued on down to High Falls, NY in the Hudson valley, near where the wedding of his friend Matt Gale would be. I set up camp in the woods, and went to the wedding site for a late night rehearsal with the bride's brother on electric bass. Giant wedding tent full of boisterously playful Gale grandchildren (Matt is the youngest of 10 children, and the Gales lived across the street from where we grew up).
The wedding was held at a lovely orchard and organic vegetable farm with pristine upstate fall aesthetics. I played a few songs without then with bass before the ceremony, and finally "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes to open the ceremony with the groom's arrival. Which was delayed .. for about an entire repetition of the tune! But we made it work. Then "I'm Sticking With You" by the Velvet Underground as the flower girls entered, and "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor as the bridesmaids and bride entered. We were outside between gardens and under a large tree, by the way. Midway through the ceremony, the sun came out to perfectly anoint the marrying couple. Two beautiful readings, vows, etc, then "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall and Oates as a recessional, and "Man on Fire" by Edward Sharpe +co. as the whole wedding crew gathered for a picture. More wedding things happened which I won't take the time to expand on here .... I only have 9 minutes left!!! Anyway, thank you to Matt and Serena for letting me take part in the ceremony and celebrations!
Sunday I spent a minute to do some yoga by the creek in High Falls, and hit the local food co-op, where I met a very sweet family who lives part-time there and in the city and likes planting native edibles. The guy was a former? bicycle cop, and had this rad bike seat that supports both sides of your butt instead of a single piece to straddle. A brilliant idea!
Made it almost to Woodstock, stopped at a Tibet-supporting thrift store, and camped along Ontearo lake on a steep rocky hill! Went into Woodstock, which was pretty fun - it was a monday holiday, so there was a flea market going on and lots of people. Nice cafes, and a top-notch bike shop where they gave me green tea! Friendly people are the best, and there were tons of them in this particular town. Also met a guy at a Tibetan store (tibet is a theme 'round here) who is a musician and suggested that I play in Hudson which is the up-and-coming new music scene! He offered to sell some of my CDs after I had gifted him one.
3 minutes to go!
Um .... biked from Woodstock to ... oh, Catskill and Hudson NY - stopped into the place where I may play in the future, had a hard pear cider (and a tall glass of water!), and that brings us full circle to the poison-ivy location. This narrative has very little of my metaphorical and philosophical musings, but now I feel up-to-date, more or less. Met a nice Scottish couple on vacation here in Pittsfield, and ate Gluten-Free delights. Okay, 30 seconds. Gotta go! See ya out there! amherst tomorrow!!!
<3 travis
Monday, October 14, 2013
Woodstock quick update
Hi! I'm in Woodstock, ny - it's been a whirlwind week so far, with 4 days on the bike, 2 house concerts, 1 wedding performance and celebration, and magnificent fall biking/camping weather! I haven't had a chance to post a full blog yet, but it's coming. One bit of news is that I just got my first smart phone, and I'm figuring out how to let that improve the quality of my experience on the road. At least I could post this! I'll check in soon, headed to Amherst, MA now. Peace,
-t
-t
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Day 1: Into the Sunrise
puppy saying goodbye
My bags are a little heavier than i'd like (35# +), and the banjo is a tad awkward on top, but I think it's going to be a fine arrangement. I have much more wisdom about pacing and pedaling technique than I did when I left 3 years ago, so this should be a great return to the cycling rhythm.
Oh, and my new CD is live to purchase online (for downloading or hard copies):
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/travisknapp3
See you out there!
<3 travis
Saturday, September 21, 2013
- Online Album Preview -
Here is where I'll be adding clips from the album until the release on October 3rd:
https://travisknapp.bandcamp.com/album/bright-new-way-preview
https://travisknapp.bandcamp.com/album/bright-new-way-preview
Saturday, September 14, 2013
The Pedaling Permaculture Pianist rides again!!
I'm getting back on my horse (2010 Fuji Touring) this fall for what is looking like it will be a fabulous tour! Ithaca to Vermont to Georgia (and beyond?!)!
October 3rd is the unofficial beginning, when I perform a CD Release concert in Ithaca - 7:30pm Thursday at CSMA. "Bright New Way" is my first full-length album, and I'm extremely excited to share it with everyone! 11 brand new recordings of original music that are mostly me layering vocals, piano, guitar, hand percussion, keyboard, and banjo.
The trip will then proceed to Clinton, NY (Oct. 10th) where I can release the new album in my hometown and hand it to my parents in person! Then on to play for a wedding in Newpaltz on Oct. 12th - and on the way there, hopefully a visit to see my brother's new baby, Morgan :)
From Newpaltz, I'll be working my way up through Amherst, MA to visit Sirius Ecovillage. And then through the Green Mountains to Burlington and Montpelier, VT. Besides the addition of playing concerts on this trip, I'll also be using Amtrak from time to time! Excited to see how it plays out - but I'm planning on catching a train from VT down to Maryland or so, and heading through the Appalachian mountains ... ultimately to Georgia.
Started playing the banjo a couple months ago, and I'm very much in love with it! So instead of hauling a piano around, or even an acoustic guitar, I've got a short and light banjo that's going to be hanging out on top of my panniers for the whole trip.
Back to work putting the finishing touches on the album, planning the release concert, arranging the trip, and writing press releases! While trying to wrap up the gardening season early here at Body Mind Restoration Retreats ..!
October 3rd is the unofficial beginning, when I perform a CD Release concert in Ithaca - 7:30pm Thursday at CSMA. "Bright New Way" is my first full-length album, and I'm extremely excited to share it with everyone! 11 brand new recordings of original music that are mostly me layering vocals, piano, guitar, hand percussion, keyboard, and banjo.
The trip will then proceed to Clinton, NY (Oct. 10th) where I can release the new album in my hometown and hand it to my parents in person! Then on to play for a wedding in Newpaltz on Oct. 12th - and on the way there, hopefully a visit to see my brother's new baby, Morgan :)
From Newpaltz, I'll be working my way up through Amherst, MA to visit Sirius Ecovillage. And then through the Green Mountains to Burlington and Montpelier, VT. Besides the addition of playing concerts on this trip, I'll also be using Amtrak from time to time! Excited to see how it plays out - but I'm planning on catching a train from VT down to Maryland or so, and heading through the Appalachian mountains ... ultimately to Georgia.
Started playing the banjo a couple months ago, and I'm very much in love with it! So instead of hauling a piano around, or even an acoustic guitar, I've got a short and light banjo that's going to be hanging out on top of my panniers for the whole trip.
Back to work putting the finishing touches on the album, planning the release concert, arranging the trip, and writing press releases! While trying to wrap up the gardening season early here at Body Mind Restoration Retreats ..!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Ramp Harvest!!
It's that time of year, when Ramps (also known as Wild Leeks) begin to carpet the forest floor with their brilliantly green, pungent, ephemeral beauty. This post is dedicated to my views on sustainably and joyfully harvesting these spring treats.
Ramps are are a broad-leafed allium, with a mineral-rich onion/garlic taste, one of the first green things to come up in the spring. They prefer the leaf litter of deciduous forests. Once it starts getting shady from the leafing out of the trees, the ramp leaves yellow and die - yielding energy to flower and seed production.The bulb portion gets a lot of attention as a wild substitute for leeks - but also like leeks, the tops are too often ignored :-( Turns out they are delicious and versatile :-) You can use them in soups, sautees, garnishes ... anything you would use onions, garlic, or leeks for ... fresh or dried, raw or cooked. I HARVEST ONLY THE LEAVES now, because of what I've learned about the life cycles of ramps - it takes a number of years for the plants to grow from seed to maturity.
So typical harvesting sustainability rules suggest to only take from large patches, and no more than 1/6th of the plants or so … but even that seems too much. Never harvest a flower stalk if you can help it. Last year I harvested only the aerial portion of the plant - the two donkey-ear-like leaves. This year I realized that it would be very certainly the best option to just take one leaf from any one plant. This leaves some photosynthesizing capabilities for feeding the perennial bulb, ensuring a perennial harvest.
Another thing to be aware of as you harvest is that other fragile spring ephemerals are coming up - such as Blue Cohosh (look closely in the picture at the top of the page) and Trillium (pictured to the right). Step with intention. Not as fragile, but quite edible, is the cuter-than-heck and ubiquitous Trout Leaf (pictured below).
Now, having completed a thoroughly satisfying walk in the woods, and having gathered all the leaves you'll want or need for the day or for the year, be sure to give thanks in whatever way that feels right to you. It's great to be thankful and appreciative with every leaf you pick, and also good to acknowledge the larger habitat that has supported the abundance of this delicious gift.
Back at home, I would recommend drying the ramps. Making pesto is also a favorite preservation method. Harvesting only one leaf makes the processing very easy - no dirt involved, no parts to clip off. I basically just tossed the ramp leaves (5 gallons of them) onto trays and put them in the dehydrator on a low temperature until they're completely dry and crumbly.
Be sure to store in a cool place in an air-tight container. 5 gallons of fresh leaves yielded 5 quarts of dried and partially-crumbled leaves to store.
That's the whole story for today .... Happy Spring!! And remember, harvest with sustainability and regeneration in mind. Otherwise, the seemingly mild-mannered ramps will slowly impale you like they did this maple leaf.
- Travis
P.S. check out the seeds of the future generation of wild leeks!
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