The summer of 2004, I pedaled my bicycle across North America. Beginning in Cape Disappointment, Washington, and ending at my parents’ house in Connecticut, I rode about 4,800 miles across 10 US states plus one Canadian province, powered along with caffeine from hundreds of cups of bottomless coffee at the wonderful greasy spoon cafes that line America’s roadways.
I was alone for the first half of the trip. My buddy Nate joined me in North Dakota. I saw two black bears. I had 13 flat tires. I fainted once. I largely dieted on instant oatmeal, peanut butter sandwiches, and dried noodles. At night I camped roadside in my tent, which helped keep costs to just over $800 total for the two-month trip.
Back at college my senior year, I edited all the clips taken on my digital camera into the following iMovie that I called “The Way It Had to Be.” The film was screened at Calvin College and received an honorable mention at the 2005 New London Film Festival.
Part 1: The Idea
Part 2: Washington to North Dakota
Part 3: Minnesota to New York
Part 4: The Sum Total
I also tried making music…
During the summer of 2007, my sister and I wrote, played, recorded, and uploaded onto the Internet a new song every day for an entire summer. We were the Songadaysiblings — have a listen!
