DAY 119 | Russia | How To Move The Stars | A bicycle ride around the world

How To Move The Stars is the day by day retelling of a bicycle ride around the world. Start from the beginning to get the whole story. My adventure was a modern day epic, a solo, self-supported bicycle ride spanning 38,000 miles across six continents. There were moments I barely survived, and times I cried tears of joy, but mostly, this is a story about the thousands of people I met along the way. I moved through their cultures, and dramatic landscapes. I ate their food and slept on their land. I was constantly arriving to the open arms of strangers who were excited to help me achieve a feat that few could imagine. I did this for years, immersing myself in the world and meeting the people who live here. The story I returned with is a snapshot of humanity, captured in a lived experience. Thank you for joining me on my journey.Purchase Jacob's art inspired by his bicycle tour, including the world's most beautiful Ant Farm. ⁠www.AntLife.space⁠Join Jacob on a bicycle tour! He leads week-long bicycle tours in Colorado during the summer. Sign up here, ⁠www.MountainHighBicycleTours.com⁠.Contact me at [e-mail] me on Buy Me A Coffee www.buymeacoffee.com/HowToMoveTheStars#bicycletouring #travelblogger #bikepacking #adventure #narrated #series #bicycle #bicycleculture

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
June 12th, 2013 Playing guitar for sheep.
I crossed another 50 miles of farm fields today.
The flat terrain persisted with only a single hill to the north
that slowly passed then disappeared behind me throughout
the day. I noticed that the wheat fields
had grown taller compared to when I started this journey.

(00:21):
This means that I'm now entertaining myself by watching
the grass grow. As I pedaled, the sun beat down
in the temperature edge towards 100°.
I stopped at a gas station for ice cream and to fill my water.
I've started carrying extra plastic bottles for these hot
days and I filled them all in the sink.
A mile down the road, I noticed that the water tasted like a

(00:43):
pond. Upon further inspection, the
water is the same hazy brown color as the water in the canal
is next to the gas station is also next to the canal.
I dumped all my bottles and sat by the water and used my filter
to refill them again. After I finished pumping, I
stayed in the shade to wait out the midday heat.

(01:04):
I got out my guitar and as I wasstrumming, a shepherd came by
with his sheep and cows. He took a seat in the grass
facing me and I told him about my journey as best I could,
pointing to where I was coming from and where I was going.
He smiled when I played guitar for him.
I liked his company, but the work of a shepherd never lets
him be still for long. After a few minutes, the animals

(01:27):
moved on and he was obliged to follow.
Rising to his feet, he waved goodbye then walked away.
I watched as he and his flock slowly moved into the distance.
The day never did cool off and this evening I laid in my
hammock for an hour before I stopped sweating.
I passed the time looking out atthe farm fields and listening to

(01:49):
the birds in the trees. Now a small animal was wandering
in the nearby brush, I'm guessing a porcupine more than
any other animal. I've seen a lot of dead
porcupines on the road, so theremust be living ones around here
too. I'm not worried, I've got my
hammock high off the ground tonight.