Why the Vicarious Triker?

Let me begin with a story. Sometime around the middle of March, I joined Facebook. One of the first people to write on my wall was Dee Simmons, a high school classmate whom I had not heard from for years, maybe not even since we graduated in 1966. In looking at her FB wall and profile, I noticed a few postings from friends and family about an upcoming "trike" trip. I was intrigued, but assumed they were talking about a group trip like Bike Across Kansas. I was astounded to learn that Cal and Dee were planning to ride from Wichita to Skagway, Alaska, and just the two of them. Amazing.

Then on April 9 they began their journey and started posting about it to their blog, trike trips. I was immediately mesmerized, and for a variety of reasons. First, I enjoy outdoor activities myself, and was not just a little envious of what they are doing. Second, I am quite familiar with (or used to be) most of the roads they took for the first few days. Third I like travel and maps, so it was natural to want to see where they were going. Fourth, the use of the Internet has long been a hobby of mine, and I love Google maps, Weather.com, and blogging tools. Needless to say, I became completely captivated by their trip and now look forward to following along with them every mile of the way.

You might wonder, then, why I don't just post my comments on their blog. Actually I do intend to write an occasional comment there when it seems appropriate, but this remarkable journey stands by itself. It obviously requires no remarks by me. If anything I would only like to call attention to what they are doing. In any case, Dee and Cal have graciously given me permission to start this blog as a creative outlet for my own observations and thoughts about their trip. This is merely my way of experiencing their trip vicariously. Thank you for sharing this adventure with us.