About Me
I began bicycle touring in the Spring of 2005 in hopes that it would offer adventure, the kind of adventure that can only be enjoyed by my own self-power. By the end of September 2005, I had rode more than 6,000 touring miles in four and one-half months. Maybe it was while I was climbing Sherman Pass in Washington. Maybe it was while I was cruising along at 30 miles an hour with the wind at my back in Montana. Maybe it was riding through a brutal headwind and hundred degree temperatures in Iowa. Somewhere along the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier Route, I realized how much more fulfilling my trip would be if I had a cause. My journey had no cause other than personal achievement, and this vexed me. As I pedaled across the United States all the way from Anacortes, Washington, to Bar Harbor, Maine, I thought about what I could do to bring meaning to such a journey. I knew when I dipped my front wheel in the Atlantic that this would not be my last tour. A much bigger tour was in the works, and this tour could make a difference in the lives of many people.
It turns out that I made the front page of my hometown newspaper. When I returned home, I heard from many people who thought it was so amazing that someone would ride a bicycle across the United States. I realized then that people enjoyed reading about epic adventures just the same as they enjoy reading about crime and corruption in their local paper. I made the front page of the paper and it wasn’t a murder or anything bad. That was all it took; I had my purpose. I could do what I loved, help people, volunteer my time, and have something of quality to share to anyone who was interested.
Over the next two years, in my evenings away from work, I directly began organizing what will be the greatest mental and physical challenge I have ever faced. The expedition is called “Why I Ride.” The route winds across 10,000-miles of the wildest country in North America. I'll begin at the Arctic Ocean, navigate the wilderness of western Canada, come down through the Rockies and across the plains, and skirt the Gulf of Mexico before concluding the trip in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. The journey will take about eight months and carry me through 22 National Parks with one vision; helping people in need.
Click to download the document titled Why I Ride.pdf
A.J. Rowell
Cullowhee, NC
Smoky Mtn. High (class of 2000)
Western Carolina University (class of 2005)
Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive (May 2005)
Yellowstone National Park Tour (June 2005)
Northern Tier of United States – Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor, ME (June – September 2005)
Natchez Trace Parkway - (May 2007)
Past Rides
Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive
- Cherokee, NC to Washington D.C.; May 2005
680 miles
The Blue Ridge Parkway is the toughest ride I have ever pedaled! It is just under 50,000 vertical feet of climbing over its 469 miles of pavement. Click here for elevation charts!
Yellowstone National Park Tour
-
Livingston, MT to Grand Loop and back; June 2005
320 miles
Northern Tier of United States -
- Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor, ME; June – September 2005
4,700 miles
Natchez Trace Parkway and side trips -
- Jackson, MS down to Natchez, MS then up to Nashville, TN; May 2007
730 miles
Lake McDonald - Glacier National Park
