You're Doing What?!

Understandably, you might have a lot of questions about what exactly it is we're doing.  It has been kind of a journey even getting to this point, and we haven't even left for the trip yet!

Earlier this year, Chris confessed to me that he had always dreamed of riding his bicycle across America, and told me that the Lilly Foundation offered a Creative Teaching Fellowship that might make it possible.  It took me a little while to even wrap my mind around it (it was not something that would ever occur to me!), but I realized immediately that if this was something he wanted to do, there was no reason not to pursue it.  So, he put a lot of work into writing a strong application, including contacting educators in related fields along the route to get the ball rolling on being able to meet them along the way.  Even though this is a highly competitive grant that many teachers apply for repeatedly without success, I knew that with the passion and preparation he brought to his proposal he had a strong chance.

A few months later, he received a letter in the mail from the Lilly Foundation, and I ripped it open so I could prepare him for whatever the answer might be.  I stopped at the first word, "CONGRATULATIONS!" and flipped out.  I barely managed to wait the few hours until he got home to tell him since I wanted him to see the letter for himself.  We were excited, nervous, and the planning began immediately.

With the scope of a trip like this, we knew that we were either doing it together, or not at all.  Having a little guy who changes so much every day, we weren't willing to consider one of us missing out on 8 weeks with him.  In addition, we knew that Chris' odds of finishing the trip on time would be higher if he didn't have to carry camping and all other sorts of gear with him the whole ride.  (Yes, people do that and it is awesome!  But they also have to deal with a lot of hardships that can make it tough to keep a good pace, which was not an option for us since we need to be back at a specific time).  So, a support vehicle for us to take made a lot of sense.  Of course, there were a lot of doubts and reasons not to.  Ultimately though, none of them could come close to the thrill of doing something like this.  We were all in!

So, we have purchased an RV and will be taking off in less than 2 weeks.  We have been busy outfitting it for the trip, Chris has been busy training, and I have been busy trying to get things in order at work for the leave of absence I am taking.  It has been stressful, to be honest, but we know that there will be a payoff.

Our journey begins in Virginia and ends in Oregon.  You can see the route here:

TransAmerican Bicycle Route on Google Maps

Chris chose this specific route because it was established as a safe route for bicyclists, created in 1976 for the Bikecentennial.  Hundreds of bicyclists do it every year, it is all back roads and the people who live and work along the route are accustomed to cyclists.  There are a few other established routes as well, but for the time of year he is riding, this was the most viable climate- and distance-wise.

More to come as we get closer to embarkation!