That family of five that set off last summer from Kentucky on a five-seater bicycle has hit the Pacific Coast. Now they're heading north to their Alaskan destination.
The Harrison family had pedaled nearly 4,000 miles to San Diego. They still have 3,000 miles to go before reaching Fairbanks.
To recap, Bill Harrison and his wife Amarins are traveling with their three girls, Cheyenne, 6, Jasmine, 4, and Robin, 3. They're riding a five-person yellow tandem and carrying their gear in a trailer. You can follow their adventures at Pedouin.com.
Theirs is quite an inspiring story for anyone preparing for a long bike trip.
Hardships
I'm glad they've made it as far as they have, and it's good they're heading through an area with a lot of good bike shops. The family has had its share of mechanical breakdowns.
One of the latest was along an uninhabited stretch near Bouse, Arizona. Their rear wheel locked up when the chain got caught between the hub and the sprocket. Writing in their blog at Pedouin.com:
“How is it possible that everything can go so smoothly in the morning and be totally locked up by afternoon. We are just dumbfounded. It doesn't make any sense to us. We will have to milk it to town.”
And later, when the mechanic in town can't fix the problem:
“If it hadn't been for the joy and experience the journey brings to us and others, we would've quit a long time ago. The biggest wear on us right now is the cost of fixing the bicycle over and over and over again.”
In spite of the hardships, they pedal on. Some days 19 miles, others 40 miles. The parents always are mindful not to burn out the girls, and they give them plenty of attention and fun activities off the bike.
Camping
The family on the yellow tandem grabs a lot of attention from passersby, who often offer food and lodging to the family. Still there are plenty of nights they camp out, such as the night near Salome, Arizona, where they pulled off into the desert plains to set up their tent.
Let's hope their troubles are over as they head north along the coast. As they write on their blog:
“The bicycle is ready for travel again. And so are we. We enjoy being on the road. It is the problems that sometimes wear us thin. Once solved they become a distant memory, they make us stronger to continue our path.”
If you want to help support their travels, you can donate at PayPal.
Also, check out stories at the Newport Beach (CA) Daily Pilot and Fox News 8.
Recent Comments