Stories as Gifts

As I watch the snow fall outside my office window, I remember the book we keep in the Cyclist's Lounge for visiting cyclists to write in when they stop by. It is filled with stories, map doodles, and advice; and it is brimming with enthusiasm.

Near the beginning of the book is this note from Chad and Jerry Umble, a father and son from Pennsylvania:

"My dad and I stopped here on our trip from Newport, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. Twenty-five years ago, our family of five and two others bicycled this same route. I was 12 years old and my older, twin brothers were 15. It is weird to see some of the spots that have become part of family lore, and we have even recreated some of the old photos in the same spots."

After reading this entry, I had to see if we captured a picture of this duo in our 2012 Visiting Cyclists Flickr set. We did! While Jerry appears on the serious side, Chad's smile reveals that all is well.

Jerry chronicled their tour in a blog, US BLOG 2012, where you can read how this pair faired across the country on a route mainly comprised of the TransAmerica Trail. (Spoiler alert: It didn't go quite as planned.)

I'll bet when the family gets together this holiday season, there will be new stories told and old stories recalled of times together on bicycles. In my mind, these will be the best gifts shared.

Photo from Adventure Cycling's Flickr photostream.

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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from the Adventure Cycling Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/12/stories-as-gifts.html

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