Mission Statement

My dad with four kids just before whale watching, San Juan Islands

My mission is to engage in active citizenship by slowly crossing the United States by bicycle, speaking with a diverse range of fellow Americans to better understand the current state of many of our small towns, cities and the countryside since the attacks of September 11th almost 10 years ago. Additionally, I want to take the opportunity to raise funds for a wonderful organization that gets locally appropriate bicycles to young kids in African villages. Therefore this lengthy ride is in part a personal project to get to know my own nation while spreading the efficacy of bicycles globally.

This past September 11, 2010 I read an article in the local Saratoga Springs, NY newspaper, The Saratogian, that inspired this project. The father of an old friend of mine who runs the local Saratoga bank climbed all 46 high peaks in the beautiful Adirondacks of Upstate NY and dedicated his final ascent to become a “46-er” to my father and his own cousin, Patrick Dunn who were both killed on September 11, 2001. My dad on the 89th floor of the WTC, his cousin in the Pentagon as a U.S. Naval Commander. Ray O’Conor reminded me how important it is to actively remember those we love who are no longer with us. Thanks, Ray.