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About BikeAmericas
Marc, however, could not take the time from his career so was unable to commit. I, being an educator, mentioned this trip to my peers and students. Finding a cycling partner was crucial for a solo trip was not something that I wanted to do for a whole year. In the spring of 2000, a high school student that was going to graduate in 2001, offered to fill that seat. It was that motivation that put me in the planning mode. Another key element was giving the trip some meaning other than just another cycle trip. Although a trip like this is far from common, it is definitely not unique, for a handful of people do this each year. After some discussion with some colleagues, I envisioned an educational project that tied subject areas such as social studies, math, technology, physical education, language arts, geography, and others tied this trip. With the assistance of email and the internet, this trip could be brought into the classroom, while the trip is in progress.
Several Schools in the district began planning and a few did some fundraising for the endeavor. GCI of Anchorage Alaska, the district's internet provider, donated $5000 and a website to the team. Aniak Middle School donated $500. Jack Egnaty Sr. School donated $250.00. The school district donated a laptop computer, a GPS, and some walkie talkies. Things were going in the planning phase, when the high school student involved, backed out of the trip. It was then a young man named Brian Dwiggins (age 22) agreed to sign up. Marc also committed to the first 1000 miles of the trip.
Bike Americas took 326 days total, beginning June 15, 2001 and ending May 6, 2002. The total mileage was approximately 15,000. I completed the whole trip. Due to illness, Brian ended on January 25, 2002 in Lima Peru. Marc flew to South America and completed the last 1000 miles of the trip on April 21st, 2001. There is not a day that I do not think about this trip. It was an awesome adventure.
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It
started as a dream that I had since about 1996. The idea was to cycle
from the the northern most road accessible part of North America (Prudhoe Bay,
Alaska) to the southern most road accessible part of South America (Ushuaia,
Tierra Del Fuego). Marc Perry, my friend from high school & college
was going to go as well. We had cycled Europe and California in years
past so tackling a trip like this could be doable. This discussion went on
for a few years.
I first pursued taking a break in
my career. With the assistance of some grants and donations to the project,
about a third of the trip was funded. (My total spending was $12,000 not including donated gear) The School Board approved the
project by granting me a leave of absence. Coming back and having to look
for work was not a stressor I would need to worry about.
During
this adventure, we discovered that the internet and technology was quite the
enhancer for this project. Although the classroom participation was not as
good as expected, people from all over the world discovered our trip and sent
their support. We endured the hardship of 9/11 while we were gone, but
many people from 14 different countries gave their support and kindness in the
aftermath. We made many friends along the way and was cheered on by a
following that we had not imagined. Other schools outside the district and
other countries began to chime in. It was a motivator that kept us going
during days of bad weather, unsanitary conditions, high winds, and stretches of
lonely terrain.