Monday, August 3, 2009

Going the distance

As mentioned in my previous post, I am working my way across the US with my friend Geoff and we are now in Yellowstone National Park. There really are not words to describe how unbelievable every inch of the park is, so I will not even begin to try. Even pictures cannot capture the captivating and often bizarre formations within the borders of this place. Unfortunately we have only had two days to see it all which means we did almost all of it by car (which does not do it justice). Along the way, I caught myself passing cyclists with a longing in my eye, wishing I could join them as they took in the scenery on two wheels. I had originally hoped to bike across the country this summer but the amount of planning, training, and money required were just too much to mix into my thesis, graduation, conference agenda. Since then I have met a number of people that have managed to get themselves together and make the journey. I happen to meet three such people biking through Yellowstone.


When I stopped these guys, I had a feeling that they would have a story because of all of their gear... little did I know they were on a serious cross country journey for the environment. After passing out tangerines and cookies, Dave, Steve, and Nick (if I remember correctly) told me about their trip. Their goal is to bike from Florida to Washington while sharing their knowledge about the environment and inspiring people to get involved. Over the last two months and 9 days, they have traveled almost 3,000 miles.

When I asked for advice on biking they said "Get a good pair of sunglasses" and "You don't have to pay to camp". As far as gear, they had all the basics of traveling like extra tires, tubes, water and tents but also some extras like a hatchet, machete, and superhero... all obvious necessities when on the open road. Just talking to them makes me want to start training to do some road trips- maybe not across the United States quite yet :-) Check out their blog for the details: http://bikingforbalance.org/

4 comments:

Unknown said...

um, what were the hand combat weapons for?

Dan Kelley said...

Well the hatchet was obviously there to make threatening gestures at inconsiderate motorists and/or cut wood for fires.

Several bike kids who arrived in Charleston last summer used American flags to stave off unfriendly motorists. They said the difference in treatment on the shoulder of the highways of North Carolina was immediately apparent.

Dan Kelley said...

Great post by the way.

Dalen said...

if you ever get serious about planning and doing a cross-country ride, let me know. i would definately love that.

I found a bike to fix and ride! its a 1985 Fuji Road Bike. It was near a dumpster. I may have had two bikes stolen, but it seems that someone is looking out for me.

Dalen