Tim Bishop's Blog, page 16

The $100,000 Challenge

Several nights ago, a sleep predator was stalking me. It came in the formof this question: What should be the fundraising goal of our upcoming bicycle tour on behalf of TheHopeLine?

In the late 90s, a group of nineteen bicycling friends in Houlton, Maine, organized a one-day event called the “Bike-A-Thon.” We simply asked family, friends, and work colleagues for donations tied to the event. The final tally was $11,000…quite a feat for a K-12 private school with enrollment just over 100 student...

Announcing TheHopeLine Tour of 2014

The maps have arrived, the bicycles have been shipped, the one-way flight has been booked, and the suitcases will be overflowing with gear to get us through what we hope to be three months and over 4,000 miles on the road. Where are we going? you ask. What are we doing? Are we crazy? We’re not quite sure how this will end up, but we look forward to this new adventure.

Tim and I are attempting to bicycle across America again! Our first bicycle trip in 2010 was a coast-to-coast celebration of ou...

Selecting a Summer Bicycle Tour

Debbie and I have found ourselves in an interesting quandary, one we perhaps never would have anticipated merely four years ago. For several weeks now…well, perhaps more accurately, months…we’ve been considering another long-distance bicycle tour after Debbie’s school year ends. We bicycled coast to coast in 2010 after our wedding and from “Mom to Mom” in 2012 along Adventure Cycling Association‘s Atlantic Coast route. We’re thankful we can entertain options like these to add adventure and pe...

Revisiting Memories

I’m not a big proponent of living in the past, but sometimes it pays to return to earlier times. It’s helpful to remind ourselves just how far we’ve come. And it’s helpful to remember that just as life has enriched us in the past, it’s bound to do so again. News clippings, photos, video and audio recordings, and other memorabilia can serve as useful cues to past highlights. But, often, they don’t measure up to revisiting a special place with the person who shared a special memory with you.

Deb...

4 Misconceptions about Bicycle Touring

Whenever Debbie and I talk to someone about our long-distance bicycle tours, we hear some interesting reactions. You did what? How did you do that? That’s too much work. That’s about the last thing I would want to do on my honeymoon. That must have been so awesome. You must see some interesting people and places.

I think some of those reactions reflect some misconceptions about bicycle touring–or at least about the type of bicycle tours we’ve done. I’ve narrowed those misunderstandings down to...

Use It or Lose It!

On a recent trip to the roller rink, Debbie and I faced a stark awakening. It had been years since we’d attempted this feat. It showed.We acted as props for one another as we crept along the outer edge of the rink. With Debbie on one side and the wall on the other, I managed to stay on my wobbly legs and avoid any violent topples to the hard surface below me. Two are better yet again!

Our escapade teaches an interesting lesson. Our bodies had forgotten what roller skating was like. It really i...

Five Threats to Avoid when Bicycle Touring

Bicycle touring. It’s one of the best ways to experience new places while rising to new personal heights. To keep positive memories aloft, you’ll want to avoid these five downers. Although you can’t anticipate what lurks around the next bend, lessons learned by those who go before you can help minimize the effects of these frightening surprises.

1. Dogs. When you’re riding in the middle of the Washington desert, you’d really prefer them to be at the end of a leash. But when Debbie and I landed...

Northern Tier or Atlantic Coast?

If you had an opportunity to go on a long-distance bicycle tour, where would you go? And which route would you take?

Much to my surprise, I got that opportunity. When I left a job in 2010 and married Debbie, we cycled across America on our extended honeymoon. Two summers later, we bicycled from Florida to Maine on our Mom-to-Mom tour. We wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

Adventure Cycling Association publishes maps specifically designed for bicycle tourists. They’ve taken much of t...

Keeping the New in New Year’s

New Year’s is always a good time for reassessment. Questions like where have we been and where are we headed are well worth asking. Is 2014 going to look just like all the other years, or are there new adventures on your horizon? We allriskgetting stuck in a rut, unable through our own power to see beyond present circumstances to a more fulfilling future.

I’d like to encourage you to consider new possibilities this year. After all, the time we have been given is a gift not to be squandered. S...

Six Coping Strategies for Christmas Stress

It’s that time of year again. Have you strapped your seatbelt tightly around your waist, and taken a deep breath before the tension begins to mount? The holiday décor is everywhere: red-bowed wreaths, multi-colored lights, tinseled trees, seasonal music, Christmas plays, fully stocked stores, and people…people…people. Happier times await us. Loved ones will reunite, the infectious excitement of children will permeate the air, generosity will arise, and the celebrations will begin. The crescen...