Published: July 23, 2008 11:33 am         

ALBION: Coast to coast

Couple cycling from the Pacific to the Atlantic

ALBION — Gerry and Pat Goede of Bozemon, Mont., cycled through Orleans County on Tuesday on the cross-country journey of their dreams.

The married couple has been traveling since May 25 when they set off on their two-person tandem bicycle near the shores of Seattle. Their only possessions are a small bike trailer filled with clothing and items for camping.

Their mission is to raise money for the scholarship endowment fund at Heritage Christian High School, where Gerry Goede teaches math, science, Bible and business.

The personal rewards have been well worth the physical strain, they said Tuesday while updating their blog at Albion’s Swan Library.

“It has been two months on the road. We ... have a lot of stories,” Gerry Goede said. “It has been very good for the endowment and it has been very good for us.”

“Being with Pat has been so much fun this summer. She is my partner in all things.”

The couple expects to arrive in southern Maine sometime within the next two weeks. They will then head to Boston for a niece’s wedding before flying back to Seattle to pick up their vehicle. By their estimation, they should return to Bozemon with three days to spare before the start of school, Pat Goede said.

Avid bikers back home, the two say the trip has been the longest consecutive distance they have ever cycled. Planning and saving took over a year. Pat even took on a part-time job so that all of the proceeds would go straight to the scholarship endowment.

The trip has not only strengthened their marriage, but their faith in people. Everyone they have met along the way has been eager to help them with directions or ask them about their travels, Gerry Goede said. While pausing for a breather near Medina Lions Park on Tuesday, they chatted with a cyclist from Williamsburg, Pa., headed for Albany.

The weather, also, has been agreeable. It rained only in Montana and New York, forcing them to find shelter for the evening.

Tuesday’s rain led them to Dollinger’s Motel in Albion, where they showered before walking the short distance to Swan Library. Pat Goede writes in her journal every night, updating the Web site when she can so that family, friends and donors can track their progress.

“It’s been nice seeing libraries across the country,” Gerry Goede said. They particularly liked Swan for its friendly staff and historic interior.

Three days ago, the Goedes arrived in Niagara Falls, where they spent a day-long rest. Their aching muscles require a day of sightseeing every three to four days, Gerry said. It also gives them the time to update their blog and do their laundry.

Their stay in Western New York is a first for the couple. The vineyards and greenery at this time of year were a pleasant surprise. They are also thankful for wide shoulders on the highways, which makes cycling safer.

When in the West, they enjoyed taking digital photographs of the unique water towers. Here, they have taken shots of all the historic churches.

“We’ll have, I’m sure, thousands of pictures when we get home,” Gerry Goede said.

They plan to turn their blog into a family keepsake book and their photographs into a scrapbook. It may take them all winter to complete it, Pat Goede joked.

The couple are parents to five grown sons. Gerry Goede worked in the field of nuclear engineering and financial management until four years ago, when he changed his career to teaching. Their trip has had the support of the school and their congregation at Lifegate Bible Church, they said.

To learn more online visit www.heritage-christian.org and click on Ride Across America.

“I look at it as a life adventure, something we’ve dreamed about for several years,” Pat Goede said. “It makes us realize how blessed we are to be able to do it.”

“Gerry is my best friend. I can’t imagine ... anyone else I’d rather be with.”

Contact reporter Nicole Coleman at 798-1400, ext. 8227.