Reading Writing and Riding Across America

Hello! We are the Jacksons (Alan and Donna and Lewis) and we ‘re going to ride our bicycles during the summer of 2009. What do you plan to do next summer? Many of you will be riding bicycles next summer as well: around the neighborhood, over to your friends house, or up to the Safeway store for a candy bar. We expect that we will be riding a bit more than most of you. We want to go all the way across the country from the Pacific Coast in Washington to the Atlantic Coast in Virginia. This adventure of nearly 5000 miles will take us about 100 days. Maybe you want to come with us!

OK. So you’d like to know a little bit more about us before you decide to spend the entire summer with us. That’s understandable. Alan is married to Donna and will be 51 years old when they leave. He works for the State of Washington in the Department of Labor and Industries as a Chemist. Donna is married to Alan and will also be 51 years old when they leave. She works from home as well as working and volunteering at the Evergreen Elementary School in Shelton, Washington. Lewis is the only child that Alan and Donna have and he will be 9 years old when they leave. He doesn’t have a job yet but he does have chores around the house and also attends Evergreen Elementary School when he’s not on summer vacation.

Wait! Before you go ask your mom (or husband or wife) if it’s OK for you to ride along with us, you do realize that we can’t feed you and we also wont be responsible for anything that might happen to you (like blisters on your backside or 3 flat tires in one day). Alright, we’re not serious about having 200 people on bicycles following us. What we’d like you to do is follow us using a computer and the internet.

WHAT? You don’t have a computer? We know where you can find a computer to use for free! The local library. We will be visiting libraries throughout the summer beginning with our own William Reed Branch of the Timberland Regional Library in Shelton, Washington. We will be creating a special web page (BLOG) that will keep everyone updated on our progress and share pictures and journals of our adventure. If you happen to be in Elementary school (like Lewis) you can read about his version of this journey. You will be invited to leave comments once you’ve read what he has to say. Similarly, if you see yourself as the serious cyclist (or imagine you could be one), you may want to check out Alan’s journal as he considers himself to be the serious cyclist in the family. If you are wondering about how the spouse of a serious cyclist is holding up to this ordeal, you will want to read what Donna has to say.
To read more information about the Jacksons and an early look at their BLOG, go to www.blogger.com and look for us.