The daughter of one of my close friends just generated a scheme to take her dad on a cross-country bicycle trip. I have done a number of long-distance tours in New England and Europe over the years, and have always wanted to go transcontinental but there is no way to carve out the time and the respite from my responsibilities. Jim did it; he and Kate started out yesterday from San Diego on the ride of their lives, and my heart is with them on the road. I will be following their progress through their weblog of the journey, to which the link above points; I look forward to Jim’s articulate and reflective writing.

They are trying to raise money for the Jimmy Fund, a Boston-based cancer charity with a long relationship with cyclists-for-a-cause. If you are inspired to do so, consider sponsoring them with a pledge per mile. You will find a link at their site.