Small Town News

Five wheels and 10 legs: A family cycling tale

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After 70 days on the road and close to 2,000 miles under his bicycle wheels, one thing sticks in 5-year-old Tarn McFerrin's mind: Funny Face Pancakes at Morning Thunder Cafe in Quincy.

Young Tarn celebrated his fifth birthday last Wednesday with a stop at the popular eatery before a trip to the market and the Laundromat.

Food is notoriously important to cyclists, and so the five-member McFerrin family, which is on a yearlong bicycle trip from Calgary,

Canada, to points south, makes a special point of indulging on birthdays.

Tarn and his two brothers, Sampson, 8, and Markos, 6, were also excited about the frozen pound cake, chocolate syrup and strawberries that would constitute Tarn's birthday cake later in the day.

Such is the ad hoc nature of life on the road for the Mc-Ferrins, who pedaled out of Calgary July 15.

Dad Rick says he likes having no set agenda, and the family has followed a decidedly non-linear path to Montana, through Idaho, across Washington to the San Juan

Islands, down the Oregon coast, inland to Crater Lake and down through the Cascades to the Sierra Nevada.

The family spent last Monday night in Chester with Chuck "Bodfish" Elliot, owner of Quiet Mountain Sports, and his family, before proceeding to Quincy, where they camped at the fairgrounds beside firefighters in town to help with the Silver Fire.

The McFerrins' immediate plans Wednesday, besides doing laundry, were to cycle to Graeagle. From there they planned to venture to Sier-raville, where they were looking forward to a dip in the hot springs.

After that, it's on to Tahoe and down to Bishop. They hope eventually to make it to Baja and, perhaps, all the way to South America.

The family covers 30-40 miles a day, a pace that allows them time to see the sites and visit libraries and interpretive centers. They take a day off every five to seven days.

They also have to find time for schoolwork. Mom Tanya is an ex-schoolteacher and is in charge of the kids' education. She finds that just about anything they encounter can be turned into an educational experience.

The boys have spelling words and math facts taped to their handlebars. Because they don't have to do any steering--mom and dad take care of that--they are free to study as they go. The boys also keep journals, excerpts of which are posted on a blog.

Rick says the family tries to keep some structure, with three meals, school time, playtime and bedtime built into each day.

The family makes an attention-getting caravan. Rick rides a tandem (a bicycle built for two) with Sampson, who must pedal in cadence with his dad. Trailing behind the tandem is a Burly tag-along: a single-wheel attachment that Tarn rides. Because it has an independent drivetrain, he does not have to pedal in rhythm with his dad and older brother. He can pedal or coast as the mood strikes him--although dad appreciates an assist on the climbs.

Tanya steers a tandem with Markos, the middle child. She says he likes to go fast on the descents, while she looks at them as a time to rest. Markos says his favorite part of the trip is the biking itself.

Both tandems are Co-Motion mountain bikes. The company is a well-known manufacturer specializing in tandems. Although the family has ridden mostly on pavement thus far, the mountain bikes' low gears and sturdy construction make for easier going and few mechanical problems. Plus, the wide tires will come in handy when the family hits Baja, where dirt roads are the norm.

Both bikes are heavily laden with bags containing everything a family of five needs to subsist, including two tents--one for the parents and one for the kids-kitchen supplies, clothes, tools, maps and a laptop.

Rick and Tanya are no strangers to long-distance bicycle touring. They completed a two-year around-the-world trip before they started their family. Tanya was pregnant with their first child at the end of that adventure.

Rick says his favorite part of bicycle touring is "meeting people. Everyone is so nice." The family is frequently invited into people's houses, which Sampson says is his favorite thing, especially if the family has kids.

Rick, who runs a bicycle education program, hopes his family's travels will inspire people. "This is doable," he says.

You can follow the family's progress at two wheel view.org. Click on the "McFerrin Family Blog" link on the left-hand side of the page.



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© 2010 Westwood PinePress Westwood, California. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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