Bucket List

 Riding My Bicycle Across The USA:

In 1977 I got my dream bike a Schwinn Varsity "Aqua Blue," for $125.  Schwinn bikes were viewed much differently back in the day, there is actually still a debate as to the true value of the Schwinn Varsity,  probably the most popular bicycle in history as compared to other ten speed bikes back in the 1970's. I have read much of these debates and have come to the conclusion that there is truth to both sides, that is they really were very good bikes but they were also the greatest marketed bikes in history as well. I was riding one day and I saw something absolutely amazing, especially for a 14 year old boy, a Schwinn Paramount, a $600 bike all dresses up with luggage bags parked outside McDonalds. 

I had to know about this bike, it was beautiful black, with a gold cog and chain. The guy came out the door with a his bag of food and a coke. I asked him about the bike and where he was going. He said that he had been riding from way up in northern Wisconsin and heading to Florida. Well to a 14 year old boy living in Wheeling Illinois He might as well have been Han Solo flying the Millennium Falcon. From that day on I new that I wanted to get me one of those bikes and ride across the country.  

I went to college my first time back in the mid 1990's down in Carbondale Illinois at SIU. Carbondale happens to be on one of the trails from the west coast to the east coast for bike touring, and over the summer months I got to learn quite a bit, as biking teams stopped to rest and get their bikes worked on at one of the bike shops in town. But, unknowingly, I was still years away from my adventure. But, The day has arrived!!!!

Example of the rig I am going to use!!!

But, now the day has arrived!!! I have set the time, budget, date, training program, and the rout. I will be taking the Trans American Rout to ride my bike across the United States. I have chosen this rout for a few reasons, first, out of the six most traveled routs this one crosses the greatest differences in environmental terrain and the greatest differences in people. By this I mean from large forests and mountains to deserts, and flat farm land, and most importantly the from West to East and from North to South. This will give me the widest variety of people and their lifestyles, religions and politics, as I intend to travel with a portable podcast set-up and a theme with a sign on the back of my bike trailer "Don't Worry Be Happy."  Second, this rout will go directly through Carbondale, in Southern Illinois, where I can visit old friends and get my bike tuned up at the bike shop there just like all those bike travelers that I got to visit with when they past through years ago. And lastly, the rout ends in Yorktown Virginia, where I served in the Navy for a year on board the USS Yorktown. The date/ duration will be May 27 to July 4.