About

THE BASICS of the trip

This trip started as an idea from my brother, Cory.

We were on a cross-Michigan bicycle trip with a youth group. My brother, having cycled with the group across the Canadian Rockies, was a veteran, at least in my eyes, in cycle-touring. Me, being a fourteen year-old child, did my best to keep up. In the middle of the corn and bean fields in the palm of Michigan my brother floated an idea out to me: "We should bike across the country."

I assumed it was just an idea and nothing more. I was cycling across a state and that was hard enough, why would I try to add more miles?

The next year we were fortunate enough to be able to bike along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. There, I was struck with the same sense of adventure that my brother must have picked up somewhere in the Canadian Rockies. It turns out, there's a lot of cool stuff in the world. Maybe cycling across the country wasn't so crazy. It was on this trip where I believe the idea of a cross-country bicycle trip became cemented in my head. I knew that my brother, the one responsible for this ridiculous idea, would be the right person to do it with.

Unfortunately, during my freshman year of college, Cory committed suicide. It, undoubtedly, left a large impact on me as I sat in the fetal position of a stairwell of my campus trying to hide from the reality that I had just experienced. I spent the next few weeks repairing my tattered mental state to try and fix things. I wasn’t sure what at the time, but I came to figure out what that was. I spent the next four years of my college experience trying to live like my brother among the woods and waters while also carefully guiding freshmen through their first year of college. I was introduce to an adventurous, robust, and active life that I dove head first into. My remaining time at college revolved around these principles as I created and ran different outdoor, and health and fitness programs around campus. My love for the outdoors quickly grew into an addiction.

This addiction followed me to Colorado where I attempted to get a Master's Degree. Unfortunately, I found myself locked in archives or my office as I sloughed through the despondent world of academics. Studies eclipsed my life to the point that I constantly found myself wistfully looking out to the horizon wishing I could be anywhere else. Many days, while I should have been reading or discussing about events that happened long before I existed, I was found miles away from my homework climbing cliff sides or cycling through mountain roads. When I did force myself to return to my studies, I was often scribbling in a notebook about National Parks I wanted to see and random gear I could never afford. At the time, I thought I was just codifying my own laziness and procrastination; In reality, I was planning some sort of trip.

The trip started off as a personal journey with Cory to some National Parks out West. Then it turned into following the TransAm trail across the heart of America. It quickly morphed into the six month, altruistic, 11,000 mile, adventure (that I have completed 45% as of this writing).

So I'm cycling around the country in honor of my brother; but, I also hope to raise awareness about mental health issues, especially in teenagers and young-adults. I specifically want to iterate how being active and outside, whether it's a city park or a National Forest, can help one's mental health. Even a leisurely bike ride around the block for twenty minutes can do wonders for our health. That's all my trip is after all, an eccentric ride around a very big block.

About josh

Despite my wishes, I don't spend every waking moment on Kona riding around the World.

In the past I mainly moved tools, equipment, and materials from one area of the work site to the other. I believe my official job title was "Labor." Considering my unfinished Master's Degree was in Labor History, I'd say it was a good fit. Currently, I work for L.L. Bean as a Program Lead for their Outdoor Discovery School in New England.

When I'm not happily teaching others about the great outdoors, I can be found in my favorite room in the house: the outside. Beyond cycling and camping, I spend my time in the outdoors fishing, hunting, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, or picking up trash.

When I'm not outside drinking in the fresh air, I also help run a mental health non-profit organization. The organization is in honor of Cory to increase awareness about mental health issues and raise money for various local mental health institutions. Through a lot of work and shaking hands, I managed to work with my Alma Mater to help raise $32,000 for our foundation through a week-long fundraising effort. Since that fundraiser, we have been helping local mental health institutions, public schools, and other mental-health related groups get the funds they need to complete programs and infrastructure for mental-health related projects.

Outside of my work-life, I lead a very private life and that’s all that needs to be said about that.