Join us from Chicago to Minneapolis: Added American leg starting Oct 21st 2008
Today on Jims birthday in Vienna Austria, we have taken the biggest step since starting our long journey nearly one year ago on Sept 16 2007, and have bought our plane tickets ‘home’ from Paris, arriving in Chicago on Tuesday October 21st. This has wrapped up numerous loose ends for us, not only solidifying our end date but also Nakia deciding to for sure join us for our newly added 2-week American leg of our bicycle journey. In the spirit of our mission to help build bridges of understanding and peace across the world, and to promote all people to bicycle more and drive cars less because of the inherent goodness of bicycling environmentally, physically, and socially, we have decided that the only proper way for us to arrive ‘home’ in Minnesota is by bicycle.
We hope that you will consider joining us for all or part of the way. This is your one and only chance to experience life on the small roads with Fueled By Rice.
Our roughly planned route (to be updated) will take us through Chicago, Aurora, DePaul, Madison, LaCrosse, Rochester, and Minneapolis, arriving in Mpls roughly around Nov 7th +-3 days. If you live along this route, we warmly welcome invitations to camp in your yard or sleep on floors! Please e-mail me at pdehresmann@yahoo.com if you are interested in hosting us.
Whether you can or can’t join us on bicycle, we would like to celebrate the end of the trip with you at a late afternoon picnic at Lake Calhoun in Minnapolis upon our arrival around Nov 7th 2008, exact date and details to be determined and posted later.
Other ideas for activities after we arrive are:
-A presentation at St. Johns University-College of St. Benedict open to friends and family to share a bit of our year of bicycle travel
-A fundraising concert to help Nakia buy a plane ticket home from Minneapolis to Nassau, Bahamas in time for Christmas. This is the cost of having the privledge of her joining us to bring FBR in complete to the US to share our perspectives, stories, and music in America.
-Recording our music professionally
For now, in celebration of Jim and Drew’s birthdays this week, I am taking the gang out to a Chinese lunch buffet to again be truely Fueled By Rice instead of by bread, our first restaurant experience since a celebatory Pizza Hut buffet run in Istanbul after we earned more in street performing than we expected.
This afternoon, we will continue westwards along the Danube River through the Apls towards southern Germany: Regensburg, Heidelberg, and into France via The Alsace and on to Paris.
Thank you for all of your continued support!!! Get out there and bike!
September 9th, 2008 at 5:30 am
sounds great and what a fun time to be with more of your friends. Now I know why the bank was calling last night to talk to JIm: they probably froze his account….. hope he did get his ticket home… Happy Birthday Jim - 27 today, and Happy Birthday Drew 27 also? Thanks again for all your generous help when I rode with you all - what an experience of a lifetime! love, Netzy
September 9th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Premature congratulations on almost finishing your long and eventful tour of the other side of the world!
What a great idea adding the leg through the states. It will be a triumphant return to Minn..
The San Diego clan look forward to seeing Jim.
Mike
The older
September 9th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Being the type that is out in the fall quite a bit, at least in my other life as a hunter/gatherer, I know that wool clothing is good for this time of year and so perhaps we can donate/help you out so you stay warm. Let us know your sizes/needs. I checked a random sampling of 12 days from 1994-2004 in the period you will be biking in–weather for MSP. Temps range on the average for highs in low 50’s with about 20 % of the days with less than a 45 degree high. Lows ran from 24 degrees (Farenheit of course) to 42 degrees with over half the nights below 35 degrees. Tire chains advised on 10% of the days because there was snow and ice–but you are young and can adapt! Winds were averaging a gusty 15 mph, often from the NW with some days 25-30 which does put a wind chill rating requiring exposed flesh be covered. The Boy Scout motto–”be prepared” and of course we support and pray God’s blessings on you!!
September 10th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Of course you all have a place to stay in La Crosse. I cannot wait to host you all with open arms. I can only hope that my hospitality is half of what you experienced across the world.
Let me know if you need more places along the way. I have friends and relatives around Madison and Richland Center. Peace!
September 10th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Jimmy and Crew!!!
Hip Hip HOORAY!!! HOLY BUCKETS of Muckets!! You all are truly incredible individuals. I’m so proud of you and your mission and hope that it reaches many branches of society to plague everyone with your attitude.
I would love to join you on your bike westward, however after commissioning corporate america for more vaca time, and being denied, i would be happy to host you all in msp. I live 9 blocks south of lake calhoun!!! (are you all sure you want to have a picnic in november in msp???). I will for surely be there regardless, or would be happy to have it at my house
September 10th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Although I cannot attend the American leg of this journey, I want to say I have thoroughly enjoyed reading throughout the last year. Thank you all so much for your pictures, stories, music, and most importantly, for your message. Wishing you all good things down the home stretch.
Your Friend in Japan,
Dan
September 11th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Yayyyy!!! Biking never ends!! I feel so pround of every one of you and you all have my best wishes from Palawan!!
September 14th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Happy birthday to Jim and Drew.
and
Have a good trip!!
September 16th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Rochester’s ready for you!
Happy Birthday Jim and Drew!
Pedal on. See you soon.
September 25th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I heard about Fueled By Rice through our mutual friend Becky J. and have been watching your journey from the beginning. You guys amaze and inspire me. I am seriously considering joining you on the Chicago to Aurora leg of the journey. Are you open to a severely out of shape addition to the group? If I do not make the ride along, I will at least see you in Aurora. I can’t wait to meet all of you!
Ride on!
January 9th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
hi
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good luck
April 23rd, 2012 at 6:19 am
Howdy! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!