Canby Herald Article

Well, here's the article from the local newspaper for those of you who don't live in Canby

Canby boy plans cross country trip with father
Fundraising effort part of the motivation for this trip
By John Baker

In a world of uncertainty, Canby High School junior Seth Greendale is certain of one thing.
Come June 9, he and his father Chip are going to spend 10 weeks getting to know each other and the northern part of the United States in a unique and, they hope, special way.
Seth and his dad will take 10 weeks to bicycle from Anacortes, Wash. to Bar Harbor, Maine in a trip that isn’t just about father and son sharing something special, but about helping those who need it while on the 4,200 mile trek.
“My cousin Nathan, who is 8, is very allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, so I’m working with the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network to try and raise funds through the trip,” said Seth.
He’s sent out letters requesting support. He’s also set up a donation site (www.firstgiving.com/cycling4allergies) and will be blogging before and during the trip at bikingforallergies.blogspot.com.
“I’ll try to keep the blog going while I’m biking, but I’m sure there are some places in North Dakota where it won’t be available,” he said with a laugh.
His dad, Chip, has a long history of biking as a triathlete. Seth, however, hadn’t taken to the bike until lately as he’s ridden with his dad and started getting in shape for the trip.
The pair will carry their own gear and will ride six days a week for 10 weeks.
“We’ll get there in late August, just in time to catch a plane and get back to Canby for school,” said Seth.
He said he worries about his cousin and hopes to not only raise funds with the ride, but raise awareness of food allergies.
He had wanted to tie in a fundraising element to the trip, but was looking for something a little different — then remembered his cousin’s situation and thought it would work perfectly.
Spending time on the road with his dad makes it even more satisfying — he hopes.“My dad and I will either come back real close or we’ll want to kill each other,” he said laughing. “It should be a really good adventure — seeing the country at 12 miles per hour.”

~Seth

Loose Ends

20 days left...!!

I'm going to start this post with an embarassing little confession: I've named my bike. The idea came to me as I read the book Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America, about 5 kids and their teachers doing just that; in the book, they named their bikes everything from Bud, to Skittles, to Pack Rat... which sort of started me thinking. I wanted a fun, flashy, exciting name for my bike. Instead, I ended up with Brute. It's not actually my favorite of names, but it just sort of fits... the bike is big, heavy, and built to last.

On a vastly different note, I had an article published in the local newspaper about my trip and my fundraising (as a matter of fact, some of the people reading this right now could have gotten the address from that article!!) Once the story comes up on the newspaper's website, I'll try to copy and paste it here for anyone reading this blog who's not from the Canby area.

I figured I should probably also include a map of the route we're traveling on this site, but I'm just now getting around to it. We're basically following the bold, multi-colored line shown above. I'm imagining that the hardest part of the trip will be crossing through Eastern Montana and North Dakota... flat, flat, flat, and I hear that there is always a head wind.

(You can skip this next paragraph if you already know my story, the who's, what's, why's and how's) For anyone who is new to this blog and is just diving into the story, I suggest you start with the first article, Getting Started, which should be at the bottom of this page. It tells pretty mych what we're doing and why. For those of you who want the short version... My dad and I are taking 10 weeks this summer to bike across the country; we're carrying all of our own gear, and plan on camping most nights and we hope to average 70-ish miles a day, 6 days a week. I'm also using this as a chance to help raise awareness and funds for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN; http://www.foodallergy.org/) because my cousin, Nathan, is deathly allergic to Peanuts and Treenuts. You can donate to FAAN by clicking on the button below.

Well, that tied up most of the loose ends I've had kicking around lately. Thanks for reading!!

~Seth