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PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT SERIES No 1
(Part 1)

When I first met Steve Garufi in 2003, I could tell he was a person that was unique. He had an ability to take the mundane and make it interesting, even funny. He writes stories (some true, some tongue-in-check) about his life and shares his pictures of stunning Colorado on his website, ColoradoGuy.com.

He was talking then about riding a bike (as in bicycle) across America. His dream is taking place right now. He began biking from San Diego, California on February 1st from a beach near Del Mar. This morning, March 6th, he crossed the Mississippi River and tonight is resting in Greenwood, MS. Many friends are watching and rooting him on. We are kind of living vicariously through him now. He may be within about 10 or so days from accomplishing what many could only dream about. When he finishes, I hope to have him share some perspectives on this achievement.

Steve put together a Q and A before leaving. It can be found on his Bike Across America website. Here it is:

When are you leaving? I plan to stand in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego on February 1, 2008 and begin peddling east.

When do you plan to finish? Not sure. People think I can finish in two months, which would mean early April. I think it will be a little later than that.

What is your route? I am taking the southern route during late winter/early spring when high temperatures are usually in the 60’s to 80’s. The main cities/areas I’ll be going through are: San Diego, CA - Phoenix, AZ - Socorro, NM - Lubbock, TX - Wichita Falls, TX - Texarkana, TX - southern Arkansas - Mississippi - Tuscaloosa, AL - Montgomery, AL - southern Georgia and coast.

Why are you doing this? It’s one of those life dreams. I don’t think I could live with myself for the rest of my life if I never really took a stab at this.

Do you have any sponsors? No. I’m not sure why long bike rides are often associated with having sponsorships. While by no means rich, I’d like to think I can afford this ride with many financial sacrifices to come later in the year.

Are you going to be camping? Nope. The plan is to find the cheapest forms of lodging every night. I’m also working very hard at networking to find people who might be willing to put me up on the route.

Are you going alone or with a group? I’m going alone. The idea of going with others sounds enticing, but realistically, this is one of those types of adventures where I just could not wait and sit around for another person to join me. This must be done now while the window of opportunity is wide open! I will not waste time *hoping* someone would come along for the ride.

Are you bringing a camera? Oh yes! When I return home, I plan to create a page with pictures of each day of my ride on this site. I really look forward to that!

Will you have your laptop with you? No. My laptop is too large and heavy to carry along. This is something that disappoints me when I think about it, but what are you going to do?

Will there be updates on the Internet as you peddle along? Well, my plan is to post brief reports when I have Internet access on my myspace blog. Once again, keep in mind that once I return in mid-April, this web site will be packed with a plethora of pictures of specific pages created for each day of cycling!

Tomorrow, I will have Part 2 of Steve’s journey where I will tell you what happened on Day 8.

Hint: It was the worse thing emotionally that could have happened to him. You’ll agree.