Day 1, May 12th

Left home about 8am. Got to my parking spot in Perry about 5:30pm. It's raining. sounds nice on the roof.
I made 28 miles today. One 5 mile stretch took me 5 1/2 hours to traverse. When I saw the 7 miles downhill sign, I thought I'd gone to heaven. Are all the slopes downhill in heaven? That 7 miles was done on wet pavement. That worried me at first, but the bakes did well. I even stopped to talk to two people on that slope. One had a flat tire and the other was just curious. Nice fellow. He gave me four bottles of orange juice. Probably saved my bacon. I was mighty thirsty.
My body did well. Both legs still work and I didn't exhale either of my lungs. I've had a little rest and some chicken so I'm good to go. Laura (the house) wasn't a bit of help. She just hung back there and enjoyed being pulled. I don't see that she has any damage.
Wayne Norman slowed down and waved as he went by. Nice to see a familiar face. Got texts and calls from several of the kids. I have a great family.
Almost forgot. Two young men stopped and pushed me two or three hundred feet. Nice kids. No blisters.
This is a picture of where I stopped for the first night.

Route

This is the route I've chosen so far.

Paradise to Brigham City to Ogden to Salt Lake City To ???

Wonderings--

Am I a man or am I a muppet (from the Muppet Movie)? Is my name David or Don Quixote? It is the night before I leave. 20% chance of rain tomorrow. What will the months ahead bring. I fell down in the shower yesterday, so I am probably not the 30-year-old I envision myself. Still I am determined. How hard can it be to put one foot after another, pedal once and then again. I am definitely a David.
I plan to leave about 8:00am or as soon as the kids leave for school I have permission to stay in a parking lot in Perry, Utah, 26 miles away. There is a 5 mile hill between here and there that I can't ride up. I walked 26+ miles once in 10 1/2 hours. I should make the parking lot sometime tomorrow night. I hope that hill in not littered with discarded treasures after my passage.
The wife is making me cookies for the journey. I'd throw the iron lung out beside the road before I'd part with the cookies.

So What is the Deal?

I've had an idea for a month or two. I wanted to make a little house for homeless people that would satisfy their needs and still be light enough to pull behind a bicycle. So I've been putting something together.

Wayne, owner of Joyride Bikes on Main in Logan, Utah gave me a couple of pretty nice bikes when I went to ask for some junk parts for another project. He has been very helpful with this project as well.

I turned these bikes into the wheels and suspension system for the house.

Here are a few pictures during construction and testing.

Considering my reasons for the journey, I've asked a friend to put a few thought's on the house. Here is a completed picture.

I plan to leave Paradise where I live the Monday after Mother's Day. My wife set that date. I'll head south and then east over the mountains. Somewhere out there, I will find the person I've built the house for. I'll continue east until I find that persons. The journey can't be more than about 3000 miles. I'll run into Atlantic Ocean about then. The house is not a house boat.

I'm 72 in May so my plans may exceed my abilities. We will see. There are some passes that are 9000 feet in altitude on my route. By the way, I'll try to put my route on the blog as I figure it out.

Random thinking and remembering:

When the house was mostly done, I got under it and pushed it up. I don't suppose it was more than 100 pounds or so. The wheels were not on. I hope to end up with under 175 pounds to pull.

There is a hill near us that leads down into what the locals call the bottoms. It is a 11% grade of about 500 foot length. I gave it a go with the house the other day and was able to control the speed fine.

When I got stopped at the bottom, I put a strap attached at two places on the house that went over my shoulder and hauled everything back up the hill. A lot of this journey is going to be done with the strap.

The house door is made of clear Lexon (24” x 23”). The house is made out of 5 sheets of 3/16” plywood – some aluminum channel that I didn't use on one of the cannons years ago, bike parts, and 4-5 sets of crutches.

I made a wood cook stove out of an old fire extinguisher.

 I boiled an egg in a #10 can, so I think it will work for the cooking.

I almost forgot, I built a couple of wind brakes/sails for the house. They are 6 square feet each and will help slow me on those long mountain grades. I should get a push from them when I have a tail wind.

David Cullumber gave me a 5 watt portable solar panel and two wind up lights (LED). I know some very nice and thoughtful people. I can recharge my phone and running lights.

I have a clothesline and a place of privacy where I can take a shower.

I'm thinking about how I'm going to eat. Perhaps grasshoppers and the occasional fresh enough road kill will have to do at times. I wonder if I can east those things? The closest I've ever come is sour milk. We'll see. I want to live like some people have to on the journey. I guess I'll find out what I am made of out there.

I gave the house a test run behind the 4-wheeler yesterday. She just floats along so pretty like. A policeman stopped me. He had trouble figuring out what to do with the old timer that evidently had no knowledge of the rules. The 4-wheeler wasn't registered, there were not stop lights on the house (I don't need stop lights when I pull it with my bicycle), and 4-wheelers aren't even allowed where I now was. He was nice. Things worked out. It was an exciting day. It was a day of mercy, not justice.

I think I will name the house Laura after Laura Ingalls. After all, this little house might cross the prairie sometime too.

Remembering back, I went up to John and Jennifer Willis' place a while back, and they gave me a bed for Laura. Emily, their daughter put the flowers and sayings on Laura. Jennifer is doing this blog for me so those interested can come along with me as it were.

I asked Emily to put “Jesus loves us” on Laura. It always comes back to Jesus I find. On the front top she wrote “Could compassion and sharing end hunger and homelessness?” I think that's a good question. Many will see. I hope these thoughts make a difference to some. I hope my journey makes a difference. I wouldn't feel right unless I gave it my best try. I guess that's all anyone can do.

Why the Journey?

Is it true that there needs to be reasons for things like a journey?

I don't know the answer to that question. I have a reason or two of mine.

Let me state first of all that I am a Christian. I believe in God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are a moving force in my life.

Considering this belief, it is not surprising that I would like to remind people that Jesus loves them and that life would be better for all of us perhaps if we turned our thoughts and actions more towards our neighbor's needs.

So one reason for my journey is to turn people's thoughts to Jesus and their neighbors, some of which are hungry and homeless.

Another reason is more selfish. Because of the life I've led as a circus performer much of my time has been spent on the edge. I'm a little lost being a retired fellow playing at farming. I need or think I need, to be pushing limits, growing.

As an older person, I believe this journey, or much of it will be closer to the edge than a chair on the porch. As I proceed from day to day, perhaps those that follow this blog will agree with me, perhaps not.

I am very glad to have a wife that understands. The woman seems to absorb all life's blows with a smile. She took the news of my journey in stride. What will the children say?