In June 2010 I started my Journey here is were I am going and what it's all about.

The Americas- I will pedal the length of the Americas from “Tip to Tail”.  My trip starts in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in June of 2010. After AK, I head into Canada, through the Yukon, down to Banff.  Here, I pick up The Great Divide Mtn Bike Route, (depending on my arrival time, I might head west and down through central Washington, Oregon  and Nevada) which will take me through The United States and into Mexico.  I continue through Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay.  My “Tip to Tail” ride of the Americas section will be completed in Ushuaia, Argentina.  Next, bike to Buenos Aires , Sao Paulo Brazil on to Rio, catch a freighter or plane to Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa- Once in South Africa, I will head along the deserts (by road) of Namibia, east through Botswana and Zambia, then turn north through Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.  In Port Said, Egypt I will take a ferry to Turkey, or if all looks less hectic in the middle east I will bike through Israel then and over to Turkey from there.

After Africa- From Egypt, I ferry over to Turkey, and then continue onward through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria,  Poland, Germany, Belarus then into Russia.  Here I will follow the Trans Siberian Highway to Kazakhstan back to Russia then into Mongolia traverse the Gobi desert to Ulaanbaatar across the steppe into china and enter Beijing.  From Beijing, my  travels will take me into central China, Singapore, Hong Kong North Vietnam back to China to Tibet, through Nepal, to India, down to Bombay, and back up through Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, before going back into Thailand to head down to Singapore… (At this point my world travel route will be complete, but who knows what the future will hold for me?)

Alternative Plans- World events and political unrest could change my plans in mid ride.  If affairs look bad in specific parts of the world, I will travel the route in a direction that best suits the safety need, For example, I could start in Singapore and make my way up and over the Asiatic areas, into Africa, then over to South America, up through Central America, and finish in Prudhoe Bay.  I'm  not afraid to travel in countries that are less than desirable.  It is just a simple fact of life that as things get bad and the struggle to survive becomes more desperate, even regular people will turn to extremes to survive.  I can’t blame them.  America is partially responsible for the fact that many parts of the world are in a less than desirable state.  “This is this because that is that.” –Thich Nhat Hahn  I feel it is prudent to exercise caution if the economic situation does not improve.      

What is Beyond The Great Divide About?

        I Have a desire to see other countries, and cultures.  I want to act instead of wonder. Put into action my thoughts, dreams and desires. Do what most wont; leave the world behind to find the real world. In doing so I will see the world with my own eyes, fill my mind with what I observe rather than accept what I am told to believe. Interacting with different/unfamiliar cultures on a deeper level, learning about each as much as time allows is a huge part of the journey.  Encountering the natural wonders the sights, sounds, smells, and uniqueness that is Earth, will also be paramount, not to mention awesome! (I want to see as much original and natural beauty as possible, before human harm destroys anymore )  In so many ways, My travels will enrich and affect my perspectives,  decisions, and the rest of  life  This journey is truly an adventure of a lifetime.

What is my Motivation:

Go Beyond the Great Divide see the world through your own eyes, not judging people but instead as my good friend Saori said “learning people”. What Saori meant was, if I really want to know people then I need to "learn" about them, what this means to me is getting to know the people I come in contact with but also learning their culture, faith, political beliefs ... as much as each individual will allow me to, only in this way can I "learn" about people and places. It’s hard to understand something if you don’t take the time to learn about it,  especially true with different cultures. This website is a learning tool for those who long to learn from an open minded point of view. It will be full of real people places and events.

Why: Did you know the average European has between 4 to 6 weeks of vacation a year. Back across the pond Americans have about 2 weeks, while Europe is traveling around the globe looking for a real vacation, Americans stay closer to home. In the many travel books I have read an underlying theme is Americans getting a bad wrap from our European friends, simply because they tend to believe we all think alike, so the policies of our government  are what we all believe. The myth is only reinforced because there are so few of us traveling about to debunk it. We tend to stay within our “safe” borders, we live in a bubble not knowing what is truly happening in the world , most of America is pre-occupied with gaining and holding on to the American dream , money, power, status…we let the elected officials tell us what is and what isn’t happening in a world so intertwined with our lives, yet we fail to see what is the truth because we are afraid to get out of our comfort zone and experience the world as it is real, raw and beautiful.

The Great Divide in my mind is the Cultural, Social, Economic, and Personal boundaries we have with anyone who is not like us. If we are to truly understand what is beyond our T.V.  it is imperative we exit our comfort zones. So I say forget the idea “The American dream”, lets have a new dream one were we explore and share cultures in an effort to gain a truer understanding of the world we live in. instead of hanging on to our anchors of life, seriously how long do people think we are on this planet anyway, remember the old adage “you can’t take it with you when you die” man could anything be more true? Well maybe “death and taxes”. So why the need to horde all the possessions and live in a bubble. Are we really a free country if we are given all the freedoms, yet we fail to use them? How can we judge what is happening in other parts of the world if we have not been there to see for ourselves , yes the risk in doing so can be great and sometimes even deadly, but the rewards for doing so far out weigh the risks.  JFK said “The great risks and benefits of a plan of action, far out weigh the risks and benefits of non action and comfortable indifference…” I am sure it was more eloquently spoken than written but those few words have haunted my mind since I first read them  for a speech class a couple of years back. JFK's words were for me the revisiting of a dream I had a long time ago about ridding a bike from tip to tail of the Americas. I had meant to do it long ago but I like most I was afraid of the risks , What are some of the risks;  leaving a job, not having the money to start/finish, , getting robbed, held hostage or even killed. And I am sure there are plenty more  I have been like most living in “comfortable indifference” my own little zone of tranquility and bliss , not to hard of a job. What are the benefits; a lot of the benefits one gets from a trip like this are personal in nature, I hope to grow as a person , expand my knowledge of a world in my back yard, learn a new language, make life long friends ,  most importantly build a better understanding of the cultures and people of the countries we will pass thru on our route south, most benefits will need to be experienced for understanding, when the time comes I will.

In order for me to begin a trip of this magnitude I had to go through a transformation of mind. Deepak Chopra said in his book (The seven ways to spiritual enlightenment) that if we let go of things in our life and let them become transient we will accumulate more than we ever could of whilst holding on to them, he was of course talking about money. I am not a spiritual person and hold little stock in self help books or finding my inner self, but I did like what he wrote so I took it a bit farther than just money. I have let almost everything in my life become transient ,I don’t even have to try to let go, it comes naturally to me now. I let go of my desire to hold onto anything in my life, save for my Bike tools, the tools stay it would be like loosing an arm. My Girlfriend at the time I was awakening to the realization that all the stuff in my life was just stuff  and does not define me as a person, thought I was a bit crazy , I would buy a bike and a month or two later sell it for a different one , when she would ask why I did not hang on to it I would  tell her it is “transient in my life like the T.V. or cars, not a reflection of myself ”  if I let go I can be free of the attachment to anything not important to my being free and in my mind happy, I long for only those things that will enhance my happiness,  at this moment I long to finish school so I can go on a long Bicycle trip.

GPS Tracking/Marking waypoints are a couple of the cool things I will be doing as the trip unfolds. I will be using  GPS waypoints to document the entire route, marking waypoints at every important turn, campsite, water stop, restaurant, hotel, etc...  Anything that I feel would be useful will be given a coordinate and easily looked up on Google Earth. An interactive map to provide an interesting way to follow the journey and I hope that all the (techno geek) information like distance per day, elevation gain/loss, kmh, and statistical averages can be helpful for other cyclists who may be considering a similar adventure.  Very detailed information will be available. Check out the Route map  page for a preview of the intended route using GPS in Google Earth.

      FAQ: How do I keep track of your adventure? I plan on updating this site with journal entries for every country as I travel. The site will be updated about once a week, more if  I can and less if no can, so check back. I can also send an update notice to each of you who have signed the guest book, so you'll know when something new and hopefully exciting has happened. You will be able to keep track of were I am with the GPS track log I have with Google Earth as well as with Trak n' Share another website for GPS logs as well as Geo-tagged pictures. 

Wheels4Life:

     During my tour, I am serving as traveling ambassadors for a non-profit charity called Wheels4Life.  Wheels4Life, which was founded by the biking legend, Hans Rey, is a non-profit charity that provides free bicycles for people in need of transportation in Third World countries.  The closest school, doctor, or work place might be 10 or 20 miles away.  Having a bike can make all the difference in somebody’s life and can give him a chance to break out of the vicious poverty cycle.  The gift of mobility, in form of a bicycle, can do miracles.  Basically, we will be keeping our eyes open, talking to local organizations, churches and families in different communities while we’re on the road.  As we see or hear about individuals or families in genuine need of a bicycle, we will connect them to the goodwill of Wheels4Life and directly help them get their new bicycle.  I am honored to be a part of this great charity.  For more information on Wheels4Life or to find out how you can help directly, please visit our Wheels4Life page.