WRITE ON: Five-Star Accommodation

By PETER S. FERRARA<br>Record Columnist

I could tell by the tone of his voice on the phone that he was pretty excited. “Hey Peter,” Claude Davis began last Tuesday morning, “I’m up in Burnside and I just saw five people on one bicycle peddling down Highway 27 towards McCreary! You have to see it to believe it, so be on the lookout!”

Ken Lyons, his son Brian, and I were working on repairing a part of the floor at McCreary HeadStart in Whitley City. Sure enough, a little while later I saw this wild yellow bicycle built for five chug past. I ran outside and caught up to them and took some pictures after talking with the man in front. He said they were on their way to Burger King and I could meet them there and do an interview and take more pictures, so that’s what I did.

They are the Harrison family: Bill, his wife Amarins, and their three daughters Cheyenne, 6, Jasmine, 4, and Robin, 2.

Bill is a man with a colorful history:

• He is a Kentuckian who has two college degrees, including one from Berea College.

• He is a home builder who took two years to build their house on Pongo Ridge in Rockcastle County out of recycled materials.

• He has also spent five years in the Middle East, especially in Israel, doing both construction and spiritual work.

There is a family-bonding part to this 7,000 mile trek to Alaska and also an educational one.

“I figure the whole trip will take around 18 months,” Bill said. “It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend quality time together as a family. Since we are home schooling our children, we can show them first hand about geography, climate, history, math, map reading, human nature and a host of other things they will learn about as we go. They are keeping journals as we go, with both drawings and written text. This trip is really about family but other aspects are important as well. We trust those who support us materially, spiritually, and financially to share this experience with us via our website—www.pedouins.org—where anybody who’s interested can track our progress.”

They plan on going through South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas before settling down for the winter in San Diego, California. When the weather permits, they will then trek on up the Pacific coast through Oregon and Washington state and cross Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, their final destination.

Such arduous bicycling is nothing new for Bill and Amarins. They met while on a bike trip through the Grand Canyon out in Arizona. Her dream was to bike the length of the Rocky Mountains, so Bill knew he’d found a real soul mate who shared his vision of “green living.”

My concern, which I expressed to Bill that evening when I visited them, was for the safety of the children on such a long, hard, outdoor journey. I had taken them some cold, cut-up watermelon and played some songs for them at their campsite in Jackson Park, next to the Tourism Office in Whitley City.

“Aren’t you concerned about whether your little girls will be able to handle this?” I asked Bill when we were alone.

“Of course I am,” he replied. “This trip will end the minute I sense it has become a hardship for any member of this family. But I believe in the pioneer spirit. What made America great wasn’t politics or religion. It was risk-taking, entrepreneurship, and a sense of adventure. I want to show people that it is still possible to live your dreams. If we can do this then anybody can.”

The family prepared for this adventure a long time before setting out. They trained like athletes and all appear to be in excellent physical condition. Whatever concern I had and still have for the safety of the children is evidently shared by Bill and Amarins, who are both loving parents to whom their girls seem devoted. This is not something I would do, but I respect the freedom that allows the Harrisons to tackle it.

“We are trusting in the human condition to provide,” Bill said.

“We are trusting that the universe will provide for us along the way. I have settled all our debts. I am confident we can all do this safely. We have a support group in Berea that runs from blue collar to white collar, and who support us both spiritually and materially. Anyone who would like to contribute can do so through our website.”

The credo of the “pedouins”—a variation of the Arab nomads called Bedouins—is about what the trip will teach.

“See the diversity, hear the stories, smell the flavors, taste the foods, touch the textures, and witness the generosity and kindness that has made this land the place to be for people all around the world.”

So far it seems to be working.

If you are interested in seeing the day by day account with lots of pictures of this amazing journey, go to the website. What you will find is a colorful account of one of the most unusual adventures you could imagine. I really recommend you check out the first family to attempt a 7,000-mile trip on a “quint bicycle” from Kentucky to Alaska. Their latest posting as I write is from Kingston, Tennessee. See for yourself what this is all about. You will not have seen anything like it before.

Godspeed, Harrison family—and good luck!

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