For me, it was my parents' idea. It was 1978, I was 16 with no special plans for the summer, so they signed me up for an American Youth Hostels (AYH) ride from NYC up to Montreal. It was a "phantom trip," meaning we were completely self-supported and had to figure out our route and overnights as we went. 10 kids aged 14-16 plus one "experienced" rider, who was a college guy aged 21. I look back now and think how mature he seemed at 21, and how incredibly young that seems now, to be leading a trek like that! Anyway, we had an absolute blast. It was 90-100 degrees in July/August all the way there, but only one rainy day. It was the first time I left the US and it was a thrill to make it to Montreal and walk/bike around it for 2 days. I still look at the photos and the group diary once a year.

I didn't tour again until 2003, when I rode a 4-day AIDS charity ride from Raleigh to Washington DC. That was supported but I averaged 85 miles a day on my hybrid, and realized I wanted to travel by bike again. So now I have the right bike, the right gear -- and almost no time, because I remarried and now have a 4 yr old and newborn in the house! So I'm biding my time and waiting for the kids to be old enough to go along with me, of course. I took the 15 yr old on a minitour this spring on the Outer Banks to give him a taste of touring. We'll see if that worked or not.

While I'm riding, I'm 10 years old without a care in the world. That's still true, even when I'm just riding around the neighborhood.

Ken