Work in progress

This is what i have thus far, keep in mind, this is a rough draft.

Hello, my name is Aaron Nielson and i am on a mission to make a better future. I am 20 years old and working as a bicycle rickshaw driver in downtown Portland. 3 months ago I went on vacation back to my hometown of Logan, Utah. My best friend (an Iraq veteran) whom also moved up with me, went to Logan as well. When it came time for us to go home, he had a crazy idea. He wanted to ride his bike all the way back to Portland and he wanted me to go with him. We decided not to go straight home rather we decided to head southwest all the way to San Fransisco, then to ride up the coast. The total ride was 1500 miles. Zane and I rode the first 750 miles together, then because of personal reasons Zane decided he wanted to head on alone. I finished the ride. The reason i went for the ride was many fold, I did it so my friend didn't have to go alone, I did it to test myself, to see if i could actually succeed, but most importantly (for this paper anyway) I did it to see if I could change peoples outlook on riding bikes.
We live in a time where pollution, obesity/poor health and economics are all becoming very important factors of our future. Bicycling Is amazing as a remedy to all of these problems. Our local government is doing a great job of making biking safe on our roads and many colleges are taking steps to get students biking this year but i want to take it farther myself. My trip and even my job are important because they make me into a potential role model. I want to give a message to as many students as i can. We can make a difference with the choices we make. And if you choose to ride a bike, for fun as well as commerce, then you are making a decsision for a better future. I've asked you to read this paper because i want your help, I need your help, to help people make a better decision with their lives.
My ride across the country taught me a lot about myself, mostly that if i put my mind to something i can succeed. The trip was fun. I have a lot of great pictures and i met some really great people. I think I could entertain with the tale, but more importantly i think i could give a message worth consideration. Going for a ride that long, a lot of what you are taught in school becomes immediately important, such as stretching and eating proper foods. I want to use my extraordinary journey to promote better health, not just bicycling. I also want to give students hope that their goals are achievable no matter how difficult they seem at first.
You must be the judge, I can only hope for change if i am given a chance. You must decide If you want me to talk to your students. I'm not doing this for money. Mostly I am doing to see if i can, to see if one person can make a difference. I don't have much, but i intend to use what i have to do what i can. I can always ride a bike and i can try to get others to do the same. Not much of a difference maybe, but maybe its all the difference we need to make the world into a better place. The more support i get, the more schools i speak to, the more likely i am to make a difference.

Included with this paper is a pamphlet and a example presentation. The pamphlet is what i carried with me when i took the ride. I'd like a chance to revise it, I only had a week and a half to create it. I'd like to include your school's logo and then I'd like to give it to your students to take home.

primer

The major problem I've had with this whole project, is how much I've left out of it. I didn't really feel able to describe all the wonderful people I've met on the road. I tried to tell the most interesting things that happened, but I left some things out because the subject matter was questionable. But i think the discretion was reasonable considering my goals. In fact a lot of what i have written will cause problems if it gets too much attention. I want to act as a role model to those who i can convince to take up a bike alongside me. But i am a young man and i am prone to ill decisions. The economy has taken an ill turn and it makes me wonder if i should move forward. But honestly maybe that's the surest sign that i should. I have finally finished my paper as i think I want to present it to school principles. All that is left is to pass it around to my friends and family so that they can edit it ( I have the good fortune of having several college educated friends) Idk If you'll read this, but i want to give a shout out to Jared and Sierra, staying with you in Sac was probably the best part of the whole adventure. Just to get a window into such a great family was fucking awesome. I'll try to call you soon.

Bad timing

Sorry it took me so long to write again, I've been enjoying my time at home. I jumped right onto the rickshaw and started making money again. Its nice to be back where things are familiar. Now that I have rent money I've been pondering just what to do about my situation. I pondered while i was relaxing in the redwood forest (such an amazing place i don't think words can do it justice) I sat down an tried to write a paper that i was planning to present to schools/classrooms. After thinking it through i decided that it would work out a lot better if i waited until i was home. being on the road changes you, it gives you a bit of a desperation. I didn't think it was right to approach a school in such a manner. Now that I've gotten myself straightened out i think it a more appropriate time to try. A problem I've had is asking myself why? why do i want to go to schools and talk to students about the importance of riding their bikes? I'll probably ask for donations, but money is not the reason, damn money it gets you into a lot more trouble than whats its worth. Fame? that's one that my brother brings up that makes me lol. I don't want fame honestly, but at the same time i do, if i can do good things with it. I have an interesting story, and i live an interesting life. If i can act as a role model, if I am taken seriously then i may be able to change the views of a few people. That's what really matters, as for the why am i doing it?: I think i am doing it for the same reason I started this ride in the first place, to see if i can.

Victory!

Well.. i made it, heh, I'll post more later.

Interesting Timing

A few things i should have mentioned before:One of the first things I did when I reached Fallon NV (oh so long ago) was drop my trailer. I'm just using my brothers packpack to haul most of my weight. It's a tough way to roll, but meh, I'm pulling through. I ended up staying for almost a week in Sacramento. Jared and Sierra made things almost too comfortable for me, it was really nice. Jared let me work with him for a day and that helped me quite a bit. Zane called me while i was staying with them and told me he was renting a car to get home (Failure!) I declined his offer to pick me up, though I have to say i was very tempted.
I got my head full of stars and figured a University could help take all my problems away. I went to Sacramento State and tried to find some help. I found an entertaining psych professer but he couldn't help me much and i shortly after got caught up in another party. It was great at first, classical music, wine, cute girls ahh good stuff. There were more drinks later and things didn't quite go my way...I'll just say it was a rough night. Even though I didn't have much luck at the University, I decided to head To San Fransisco anyway. The ride was good fun, I rode along a river that ran out to the bay. I rode through farm country, grapes, apples and pears, oh my!
As for San fransisco, well lets just say that Seattle just got beat out as the most beautiful city I've seen. I passed up going to Berkley, which i kind of regret. I decided after Sac State was that if i really want University help, I should finish this ride and get help for my next ride. I still want to talk in public schools. I'm going to try contacting a few when i get to Oregon.
I didn't stay long in San Fran. I had fun while i was there, but I wanted to hit the road as hard as i could. I followed back roads near 101 then fianlly cut across to the coast from from Forestville.
I've always dreamed of being a beach bum, It was everything i'd hoped for, well kinda. I've been blazing a trail up the coast and it has been an amazing ride. I just topped 1000 miles. I'm happy I'm succeeding even while riding alone, but i can really feel the toll the trip has taken on my gear, my bike and myself. I still have more than 400 miles to go, but i just lightened my bag. I'm ready to pick up the pace, I'm ready to get home....Ever onward!

MY Cause

I said i was at a crossroad and i mean it, both figurativley and literally. I am in Sacramento very near the heart of California, home is to the north, but San Francisco is southwest. The couple I'm staying with have been really good to me in so many ways. They have even arranged a ride home in a week if i want to take it, but i don't know. If i really do want to push for my cause I need to make my move right now. There are several Universities on my path at this point and i plan to turn to them for help...or at least some credibility. If i can get a university to help me create more pamphlet's then I think i could get a few schools (elementary or middle) to let me talk to a few classrooms about the importance of biking and good health. I've noticed by now that people look at me with a measure of respect, admiration even, when they find out what i have done and what i plan to do. I would really like to be a role model for kids. I was never really much of a cyclist until a few months ago. I was a rickshaw driver but not much more than a month. It was a very recent turn of events that lead me down this path, but i think i've been making it just fine. I'd like to inspire kids to wonder what they could achomplish and try to convice them to consider biking even when they get old enough drive. If i can get a few schools to take me seriously then I'd really like to consider doing a trip like this again.

The Stand

At the moment I am staying with the couple I met at the Border Inn. I find myself at an interesting crossroad. Zane decided that it was a mistake to ask me to come with him and now he wants to finish the ride alone. He left me in a tough spot finacially as the only thing he gave me as we split was half a tube fix kit and $10 for a new bike pump. He said i was strong enough get home on my own, so he headed off so San Fransisco on his own. I'll be honest, several times now I have considered a physical solution to my problems (beating some sense into him) because well...I think it would have been justified. But 2 things stopped me from even getting that angry. One is the preservation of our friendship. Zane is a damn fool in a couple of regards, but he is an honest and mostly decient fool. If things really started going south for me I know he'd have my back. Secondly i think he is right, i can get home on my own, the question is how? Maybe the more important question ,for me anyway, can I do it with dignity? I feel i own it to myself and to those who supported me.

Division

We ended up rushing past Lake Tahoe without stopping to swim. It's a beautiful place but, i had the downhill slope of the sierra nevada's on my mind. We climed the last real peak we had to deal with and rode on down a very big hill. We spent the night on the outskirts of shingle springs. When we headed out in the morning Zane was in a foul mood because his gear kept failing. When an opportunity came he decided to ditch me...Not too much off a problem, but an irritation for me because he has alll the bike repair tools. We ended up riding seperatly all the way to Sacramento. When we got there Zane decided to throw me for a loop.

A Change of Scenery

A Major premice behind this trip was to advocate biking while on the road. When i was biking through the desert, i have to admit it was the last thing on my mind. A few days ago however we we finally reached "civilized" land. I've been questioning my motives, did i really want to convice people to ride their bikes? Well that is a lot of what my pamphlet is about and i ment what i had written. At any rate i decided to put it off until we reached California. Zane and enjoyed some Obama funded pizza in Carson City (the only city in Nevada i think i really liked.) Around this point in time i could tell that the tension was rising between Zane and myself.

Longest ride on the lonliest road

We have reached Fallon! It took us 2 weeks, but we are finally through the desert. The ride changes now. We are less likely to die of heat or lack of water but, there is a whole new element of danger when you run into a lot more people. Things should certainly become more interesting the farther we get into California. I'd love to get some reader feedback, if there is anything you've been wondering about the trip, please leave a comment.

Eureka!!

Zane had left before me and rode off to reach Eureka. After 77 miles of solo riding it was almost like that night didn’t happen. We are really good friends and we have fought before, but it’s a sign of a true friend to let a thing like that slide. Eureka is a nice little town, but I’m looking forward to riding with Zane off into the desert. We are getting really close to being done with this lonely road. Riding through California will be a different type of adventure all together, so…ever onward!

Fear and Loathing in Ely, Nevada

A very good friend of my family passed away recently. It was in his honor that we started drinking on Friday night, but as Greg himself would attest; drinking has a way of getting you into trouble. I didn’t intend to drink much, but I had caught the attention of a few locals, who insisted on buying me drinks. I had a good night of fun, but Zane was really tired so he slipped off to set up his tent in a park a block away. When I left the bar to go and check on him I noticed the no overnight camping signs and the sprinklers turning on.It seemed to me to be a good time to vacate the park, but Zane had other ideas. After I had got our gear out of the water I started taking down the tent with Zane still in it, The idea was to leave ASAP. Zane then told me, in not so kind words to “back off”. This was after I had one of the tent poles out. I put the rain fly up as I left…but I don’t think Zane appreciated the gesture. I left Zane to go back to the bar not realizing the position I had left him in. I figure water was still getting into the half made tent and Zane had to get out and put it back together while getting wet. In his soaked/drunk/tired state of mind, Zane decided to show me how much he appreciated my “help”. When I returned I found my gear scattered across the road. I figured a fight was all there was to do at that point. I apologized to Zane (though I’m not sure if he heard me) and kicked him through the tent. He rose quickly and it was on. We threw each other around a bit and there was lots of yelling. I clipped him pretty good in the nose and he got me in the eye. He kicked my gear over so I kicked his gear over, pretty good fight overall. It all ended in the weirdest way. A truck full of girls pulled up and yelled at us to stop fighting. We stopped for a moment and I walked over to them to apologize. It was a group of 5 cute girls and they invited me to a drink to calm my nerves (just what I needed right? More to drink) I was tired and needed an escape so I went with them and let Zane alone at the park. It was a fun time and I was good at getting the girls to laugh. We went to a party but shortly after I arrived I asked them to take me back to the park. It was a bit too crazy of a night for me. When I got back Zane was gone and I didn’t talk to him for a while afterward. I think the moral of this story is pretty apparent.

Slow and Steady...Well Almost

It probably won’t win you the race, but hey it’ll get you there. Now that the elevation just gets higher and higher Its become a hard road for Zane and me. We’ve made it over the highest peak we will have to go over, but there are still quite a few high mountains on the road. We frequently have to push our bikes and trailers up the hills.Last night while we slowly made our way up a mountain, we received some help when a rather crazy (or maybe just not sober) old man offered to let us hold on for dear life and tow us up the mountain. It was totally unsafe but waaay fun and he only almost made me crash a few times (worth it for the memories right?).We just got to Ely and are waiting the day out so we can ride again. Guess what, we get to climb another mountain right on the edge of town, fun eh?

Borderline

Written Aug 13
After one of the hardest and longest stretches of road on this whole trip, we’ve finally hit Nevada. Not to surprisingly we fond slot machines not 15ft over the border. We spent the day at the border inn, a place full of crazy adventures like ourselves. We even ran into a another cyclist headed to San Fransisco. He came from Boston so yeah, he had a few miles on us. It was cool to meet various bikers and campers at the inn and on the road, we’ve even been invited to dinner….well once we hit Sacramento anyway.

The Windswept Precipice of Brightness

Written: Aug 11
There are some things in life you just have to do…when you’ve just ridden 60 miles into the night and you find a large soft field of grass with no nearby houses you have to sleep on it, it’s a must. So, when you wake up and find out you’ve just slept on a golf course…what can you do?
The golf course was located on the edge of delta, a great little town right about on the edge of the desert.
We hit up an amazing pizza place and wow it was nice to feel full again. We stayed in town all day, until we could get Zane’s trailer welded (it was also damaged in the accident) Thanks again lance.
I realized I had truly lost my mind when I was faced with an endless road. As we rode into the sunset I felt like we had ridden into a western. We only made 40 miles, we fell asleep too early in the night. The sooner we can fix that the better. We’ve become trapped in the daylight and just have to wait the day out. The hours can be relentless but, at least I have my own western novel to help me pass the time. I was finally able the see the my stars last night and yes, they were worth every mile.

Eureka!

written aug 10
We passed through Eureka Utah a few days ago. It was the smallest independent town I think I have ever been to. The townsfolk seemed helpful, but Zane and I were in a bad mood from the 9 mile ride up the mountain behind us. We received some water from a friendly young man name named Zane(oddly enough) and rode on down the hill.

Relaxing in Salt Lake

I’m trying to decide if we should leave today or if we should wait one more day. This is kind of where things get serious. The ride has been good fun thus far, kind of hard, but we have been making it extra hard for ourselves for a reason. When we hit that desert we need to move as fast as humanly possible. We haven’t been going as many miles as I originally wanted, but we are pushing ourselves to take the big hills and handle the toughest roads. I feel ready to take on the long road.
We really can’t afford too many more equipment failures. We are ready for that risk, but the road we are taking might not have bike shops. We have the tools to fix the most common problems (thank you again Joyride) I feel confident enough to hit the desert, but we are trying to rearrange the gear on our bikes for the maximum efficiency. We can’t be moving in the heat so we will have to reverse our sleeping schedule . Moving at night will be nice for a view of the stars, but it will have its own problems. Riding will keep us warm so I imagine we will have extra motivation to move.
I have to say I’m looking forward to the ride, it will peaceful in its own way. I have an mp3 player full of my favorite music and I can get the radio on it too, so I’ll find out how the radio changes on the road. The interesting part of this ride for me will be the people I’ll meet by far. I’ve had a chance to talk to a few good people. When Zane had his crash several people stopped to ask if we needed help, but we had our own resources. One group that stopped to help us in particular was really amazing, a mother and her kids. They saw the accident and pulled over immediately, the mother also helped pay for the tire that was ruined. If you read this I want you to know you are a beautiful stranger, thank you so much. I‘m sorry I forgot your name, lol, please e-mail it to me.
After the crash I called my Dad who was happy to come pick us up. I wanted to ride on alone, which was a promising ride because it was mostly down hill to salt lake, but I got a flat about 3 miles later. I forgot to grab the pump from Zane’s trailer so had to call my dad to pick me up anyway, lol. I’m really happy I got to spend some time with him. In fact the biggest part of why I want to stay an extra day, is just to spend some time alone with him. He and his wife Suz have been really good to me…spoiled me even .

A long and troubled road

Well today was pretty good fun, we suffered our first real accident. It wasn't too bad...actually kind of funny to see flail about (in retrospect). Our trailers are sort of top heavy and prone to falling over. Well, Zane started down a hill, but he was standing and petaling really hard to get going faster. His trailer fliped behind him and he was tossed up in the air. He survived with just a few scratches. but his back wheel got bent really bad and his trailer was damaged. we are still planning to go forward of course, but we might get delayed for a day while we wait for his tire/trailer to get fixed. Its all good. it means i get to spend more time with my dad, who i don't get to see very often.

We have been going over some very hill covered areas thus far. I just want to make sure we are ready to tackle the mountains in the desert. Having a wheel break on the road to Salt lake isn't so bad. If we run into the same problem in the desert... well things won't be so hot.

Getting started

Hey guys, welcome to my blog. Sorry about the delay in getting the website up, i wasn't expecting the Herald Journal to publish the story so fast.
the first day was great for the most part, we took our time and stopped to say goodbye to some fine lady friends of ours. They just happened to live on the road that we were headed out on. Once night hit our trip became really rough, we took a back road past Paradise and Avon to get to Huntsville. We had never seen Huntsville before and thought it would be a good idea to head that way. Well, Huntsville was nice i guess, but we were a bit tired from the long ride on the dirt/rock road that was mostly uphill. The ride down Ogden canyon was great though, all downhill and great scenery. We've just got to Ogden and are receiving some fine hospitality from a good friend of mine: Kori Hanna. We are going to spend the night in Ogden and get to salt lake tomorrow.