On a rainy Monday, a bicycle built for 5 pedaled through Talkeetna. The Harrison family (the Pedouins, as they call themselves) drew small crowds as people swarmed around the 14 foot long bicycle. The family is traveling in the lap of relative luxury with a roof over their heads as they head south with their bicycle strapped to the side of a 1950 Viking Bus. The family, who showed up briefly in Talkeetna last August, stayed in Fairbanks for the winter and drove back through the upper valley on their way south. Sue Deyoe caught up with the family as they headed out of town and has the story of their book tour:
[audio:https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/20110802Pedouins.mp3|titles=20110802Pedouins]Last August, a bright yellow 14-foot long bicycle with 2 adults and 3 very small children aboard, pedaled along the Parks Highway and down the Spur Road into Talkeetna. The Harrison family was seeing the U.S. by bicycle with an added goal of spending the winter in Fairbanks. After pedaling 7000 miles, they did just that, spending almost 11 months in a dry cabin near Fairbanks and writing a book about their cross country bicycle adventure.
The family has started what they are calling their blue collar book tour as they try and sell the story of the journey to those that are interested. Bill Harrison is head of the family troupe and says, “This is the story from Kentucky to Fairbanks, Alaska. A year and 13 days on the road and we’ve picked out 21 places along our journey and we’ve talked about the people, places, the texture as well as other stories that trigger those stories that trigger stories of our past—Like us meeting at the bottom of the Grand Cannon, which is pretty incredible, or my Grandpa crossing the Mississippi in 1900 and hear I am on the verge of doing the same thing.”
The self published book was written during the long dark winter, and might actually lead to another adventure book someday.
Amarins, mother of the 3 small girls, gushes about Fairbanks in winter, “The winter was beautiful it was definitely the one thing I would want to do again, again, again! We had crisp, crystal clear skies, they might have been long skies; but the constellations you see, the stars, and the moon reflecting off the snow… I mean I could read a newspaper in the full moon, in the night, you know! I was shocked!”
After a couple of loops thru town, the 2 work at attaching the bicycle back on the bus for the trip to Wasilla. They seem a bit melancholy. Both say that even though it might appear easier to be driving than cycling, they prefer the slow pace of the bicycle.
They are both unsure of the book sales tour. they say they’ve poured their soul into the book, but Amarins is matter of fact about the entire process, “Life is a funny thing and we have to laugh at ourselves. You know you set goals, but if you don’t set goals, you never strive for anything, but you know if you do set goals you might not always hit them, but at least you came closer than if you had never tried anything. You gotta aim for something. You can’t move if you’re standing still and you can’t change directions either, if your standing still. It’s better to go the wrong direction first, and then turn around and go back, than it is to stand still and never decide on anything.”
The family didn’t have much time to spend in the upper valley. The dusty blue bus continues to need parts and they are headed to Wasilla to do repairs. The bus tops out at 40 miles per hour and Bill estimates it costs a dollar a mile to operate.
Although the family relies on donations and book sales along the way, the entire journey to the lower 48 includes a number of projects, where they will spend time helping those in need. They’ll spend 2 days in Wasilla putting a roof on a friend’s house and Friday afternoon at REI in Anchorage. The family hopes to hit all lower 48 states. Fans can follow the family on their website at pedouins
