For nearly a decade we have been dreaming about biking across the United States. This idea began when we met a group with Adventure Cycling bicycling across America, when we were crossing Lake Michigan on the S.S. Badger. About Two years ago when we did RAGBRAI, we realized that we could actually fulfill this dream.
We were at Campus Cycle (a local bike store that has immensely helped us to prepare for our trip) one day around 2 years ago discussing our idea when a family friend of ours, and my high school physics teacher, revealed he also shared this dream. Our adventure would have 3 members, Bill Jenkins, Dave Henneghan (my dad), and Patrick Henneghan (me).
We fly from Saint Paul, MN, to Seattle, WA on June 7th. From there we plan to follow the Northern Border of the United States across WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, WI, MI, Ontario, NY, VT, NH, and ME. We will roughly follow the Northern Tier Route described by Adventure Cycling (http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/northerntier.cfm), but will create our own route through MN and WI. We will be traveling unsupported, will be carrying all our own gear (for cooking, sleeping, riding, etc.). We will be camping in tents most nights, except when we have friends who generously offer their basement floors to sleep on. The trip (4500 Miles) should take around 2 months, averaging around 75 miles a day.
Cancer profoundly changes many lives, both of those who struggle to fight it, and those who love people battling cancer. Many of my family members have struggled with cancer, including my mom. We believe that the Livestrong Foundation is one of the foremost organizations in the fight against cancer. On our bike ride we will be raising money for the Livestrong Foundation. If you would like to donate money to fight cancer, we encourage you to visit
http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots/cycleusaforhope.
So the adventure begins
--Patrick Henneghan
