5-Year Journey On January 1, 2014; I ventured out on a journey in an attempt to meet more people, see more places, have more experiences, and capture photos along the way. The journey was set to last 5-years and I called it 5-Year Journey. I would be leaving from New York City and heading out into New York state to see more of the state and meet people who live in New York outside of the city. I was in New York state from January 1 to January 23, 2014. The photos in ‘This New York’ are from that portion of my 5-Year Journey. This is a different look at New York than what I think of when I think of New York. It’s not the big city. While on my 5-year journey I planned to stay with hosts and depend on the kindness and generosity of others. I believe that humanity is still overall a very good thing. I wasn’t sure if people would actaully let me come in and stay with them or not, but I was ready to give it a try and see what happened. This would be the beginning of what would prove to be one crazy, life-changing adventure for me. This would be the beginning of 5-Year Journey.

Brian January 1-8, 2014

Hunt, NY

Brian’s Home in Hunt, NY. It was built in the 1800s and has had a few additions since

then. Brian has a photo of the original owners sitting in front of the house taken from the road where this photos

was taken.

Brian’s mailboxes. I’m still unsure how the mailperson gets mail out there with bad weather like what you see in

the photos, but they manage to do it somehow.

Tractor and chairs in Brian’s side yard. This is not the New York I knew. It reminded me more of growing up in

Oklahoma than anything I would have ever thought of when I think of New York.

Organ piano as you enter Brian’s front room. Brian sells and repairs organ pianos for supplemental income.

Brian’s dining room area complete with wicker baskets. He also makes and stores his own wine here. Not only

does he make his own wine, but he cans fruits and vegetables.

Brian’s kitchen. We made big country breakfasts here. I miss the food so much.

Brian’s breakfast nook area. He has so many antiques and unique items throughout his whole house.

The local post office. Felt like a walk back in time.

The barns. Still very cold!

A shed and a cow shelter.

The field behind Brian’s house in Hunt, NY.

Inside the barn behind Brian’s place in Hunt, NY.

Also inside the barn.

Outside the barn.

This is where the farmers used to milk the cows. It’s not in use now, but interesting to see regardless.

Letchworth State Park. Brian brought me by because he knew it would be a great thing to include in the journey.

He was right. Beautiful!

One of the waterfalls at Letchworth.

Train track going over stream at Letchworth.

I can just imagine how beautiful Letchworth is during the summer months, but this view of it in winter had me in awe. There were very few other people nearby. It was

really cold, but it was worth it. Stunning!

Brian brought me out to visit a friend on the Finger lakes. On the way there I saw this and asked him to stop. It’s a walkway leading out onto the water. At the end of the

walkway was a Christmas tree.

Waterfront at one of the Finger lakes.

Dock with benches near Brian friend, Bruce’s place.

Benchest out on the water of one of the Finger lakes by Brian’s friend, Bruce’s place.

Shafiq

January 8-15, 2014 Buffalo, NY

Luca the Cat, Shafiq’s roommate’s cat begging for food! We made fish tacos that night.

All he wanted was a taste!

One of the highlights of being in Buffalo is being so close to Niagara Falls AND we got to see it iced over. Again, not

many people out because of how cold it is, but really beautiful views!

The park around the falls.

Cute Squirrels! Gotta love em!

Squirrel Posing!

Shafiq was the second host for 5YJ (5-Year Journey) as soon as he agreed to host me, I had this feeling that there would be more people out there that would believe in me and the journey. I was right. Brian took a risk being the first and Shafiq confirmed that there would be more that would be willing to take a chance on me and this crazy

journey. :)

Parkside Candies!!! I can’t say enough good about this place. When you walk in, you walk into a candy shop that

that has been around since 1927. The decor is what I would imagine it being like walking into the store when it first opened. The sponge candy is delicious. Wish I could

have taken more with me for the road. Ha.

Brunch! While I was staying with Shafiq, him and his friends

invited me to brunch. We sat around and talked about the many different ways to prepare eggs and steaks. Good

times.

At the time of seeing this gas station I hadn’t seen any abandoned buildings yet on the journey. Not only was it

abandoned (and for sale), but the inside of the gas station had a restaurant or diner and it still had some of the

original furniture. Makes me kinda wonder what kinds stories this place could tell if it could tell stories.

Shafiq walking on the train tracks. We were headed to see the grain elevators and to have lunch. I need to say this-- at the time of beginning this journey, I had little money and spent it all on the train ticket to get to Brian’s. The people who I have stayed with have covered most all

expenses for me to be able to stay with them and to eat. They did it because they cared about people and because they saw something in me. That speaks volumes. I will be

eternally grateful for their acts of kindness and love towards a complete stranger.

I won’t go as far as to say that everyone talks about the grain elevators, but most everyone talks about having to see the abandoned grain elevators in Buffalo. This is as close as I got to them and they make for a beautiful photo, but I can’t help but think about all the jobs lost when the elevators shut down and what those people ended up having

to go through. It’s sad.

Michael “The Clock Guy”

January 15-17, 2014 Buffalo, NY

Michael’s place was so unique. He had so many clocks all over the place-covering all the walls of his home. It kinda

took me by surprise when I first walked in. Not one of them was set to the same time. Some worked and some didn’t. There were 77 on his living room walls alone. That doesn’t include any of the others on any other wall. Not

that wall clocks are such a bad thing, just unique to have so many. Glad he’s found something that he’s so

passionate about.

These houses in Buffalo were so beautiful, but I don’t understand why someone would want to build houses so

close together when there is so much land in the area.

I was walking in this park and almost slipped and busted my ass because of all the ice on the paths. Not people

friendly at all during the cold, icy winter. Still peaceful tho (probably because no one enters for fear of falling on

their ass.).

I am not a fan of this photo, but figured I’d include it anyway. I should have been standing a few feet to the left

and kneeling down a bit further with the camera positined pointing a little further to the right. I think I was

fearing standing on that icy path and falling on my ass.

Mel January 17-23, 2014

Frewsburg, NY

A church with bar lights?

The decor in some churches has always scared me. It is either too ritzy or too dull and gloomy. I’m either

underdressed or dressed too colorful for the funeral.

The Labyrinth Press Company in Jamestown, NY. The people here were super kind and the ambience was

great. It was everything that I would look for in a “mom & pop” coffee shop. I told one of the girls working there about my journey and she had many questions and

showed so much interest in what I was doing with the journey. It made my day, really. :)

Jamestown is a nearby town to where Mel lives in Frewsburg. Jamestown is the birth place and final resting

spot for Lucille Ball of ‘I Love Lucy’ fame - a show that I, liked so many other people grew up watching (reruns in

my case, but for some people first runs of the show).

There are so many mural in Jamestown with images from ‘I Love Lucy’. This town is so proud of their celebrity (as

they should be) and it shows all ove the place.

I think we call all agree, one of the funniest episodes of ‘I Love Lucy’.

I’m sitting here in a 24-hour Starbucks in Chicago at 420am writing this right now. Looking through these photos and thinking about the stories that each of them holds, it’s amazing to me. As I write this I am 6 1/2 months into this 5-year journey. This thing has become something that I never in my wildest dreams

would have expected it to become and it all started in New York state.

I look back now and think “what the hell was I thinking?” . A number of bad things could have happened, but for some reason they didn’t. I believed in what I was doing with setting out on this journey and was certain that somehow or

another I would make it through. Now, there have been challenges. Lots of challenges, but with challenges come growth. We grow in the experience that a challenge gives us and if we’re lucky we move on to bigger better things.

The most challenging part of the journey has been the transition days where I go from having just gotten to know

people at one stop and then I head into a new stop and have no idea what will happen or who I will meet there. It’s an emotional day for me.

I think that the number one question that I get asked is how I afford to be on this journey and honestly the answer is

“I don’t know”. I don’t have any idea how I have managed to survive this long on little or no money. I don’t know how I managed to make it through my time in New York and I definitely don’t know how I have made it more than 6 months on next to no money, but for some reason or another I always end up being taken care of. There are people out in the world that believe in this journey as much, if not more than I do. When I am down, they lift me up and cheer me on.

That’s been something that I didn’t expect. I honestly didn’t expect people to follow me on the journey at all.

When people would ask where are you getting money, I would usually say “print sales”, but honestly there were not any print sales. I didn’t even have anything set up to sell prints. I also didn’t have anything set up for people to donate online or elsewhere for that matter. So really, I don’t know how I made it through except for the kindness of hosts and

other strangers that have become friends along the way. I would tell people that I was making it through on print sales because I didn’t want any doubt cast on the journey. I had faith that even without money, I would make it through. I’m eternally thankful for everything that the wonderful people who have helped have done to help.

Another question that comes up relatively often is what my family and friends think about this journey and quite

honestly, I don’t know. The people that I considered family from birth into my twenties “disowned” me when I came out as gay in 2008. My family and friends that have come into my life since then struggle with it some, but they

understand why I do what I do regardless of how crazy it may seem. They were there for me when I journeyed out onto the streets of New York in 2012 and they are there for me now.

Finally, I get “Do you plan to go overseas?” a lot. I have never been overseas and I would absolutely love to go

overseas if it ever works out that I can afford to go while on this journey, I will take that opportunity in a heartbeat. I just have to have a way to get overseas first, but yes it is something I want to do.

Thank you.

Follow the journey:

5yearjourney.com

Instagram - @jerjohns Facebook- facebook.com/jerjohns

Twitter- @microjer Tumblr- jerjohns.tumblr.com

Purchase Fine Art Prints: jerjohns.smugmug.com

Visit New York and when you do, see more than New York City. I love New York City as much as anyone else, but there’s so much more to experience.