BRODHEAD - A Brodhead couples leaves today for a bike trip across the United States in hopes of raising $1 million to go towards rebuilding the city's Pearl Island recreational corridor on the Sugar River.
John Winters and his wife Jaine are leaving for a 4,000-mile bike ride across the United States from San Francisco to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their intention is to raise $1 million to finish restoration projects and construct a new covered bridge and wheel on Pearl Island and the surrounding waterway in Brodhead.
"We want to help our community," said John Winters, the president of the Decatur Lake Mill Race Association.
The money will be raised through sponsorship which will later be matched by grant funds from the state's Department of Natural Resources.
The trip will include stops in various cities including Sacramento, California; Pueblo, Colorado; Seymour, Missouri; Roanoke, Virginia; and Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They will stop at various YMCAs along their way to promote fitness.
The couple, who has been married 33 years, said they're prepared for some of the challenges the cross-country route may present.
The couple plans on biking an average 60 miles per day, but acknowledges that some days will cover more miles and others will cover less.
"The toughest part will be the Rockies (mountains)" John Winters said.
The specific route was picked because it was the "easiest way to get through the Rockies," Jaine Winters said.
They could have bypassed the Rockies but John Winters said he wanted the challenge of going through them.
"We need to pay really close attention to our bodies," he said.
They expect to have a few flat tires on their bikes as they venture across America and packed six extra for the journey.
Of course, some people are nervous for the couple as they begin their trip, including John's mother, Lucille.
"I am nervous as a mother would be," she said.
She said her son had always wanted to do something like this. Being a biker herself, John grew up in an active household.
"I have no doubt (John and Jaine) are going to make it," she said.
Lucille said she plans to be kept up-to-date with the couple's progress through a Facebook page, which will keep track of their progress. She also plans to meet up with them in various stops along the way, such as Colorado, Illinois or Kentucky, and at the finish line in North Carolina.
"This is the "mother lode' of things they've done," she said.
The couple's progress will be kept up-to-date through a cellphone tracker which will transmit to the Pearl Island Bike Across America Facebook page.
The first adventure for the couple will be over the Golden Gate Bridge and onto a ferry over the San Pablo Bay outside San Francisco and Oakland. They plan to be done with the trip by Labor Day this year.
While the trip remains ambitious, the couple said this trip can't be done alone and will require help from anyone.
"You can't do (this trip) by yourself," he said.
To contribute to their cause, donate on their website, PearlIslandAmerica.org.
John Winters and his wife Jaine are leaving for a 4,000-mile bike ride across the United States from San Francisco to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their intention is to raise $1 million to finish restoration projects and construct a new covered bridge and wheel on Pearl Island and the surrounding waterway in Brodhead.
"We want to help our community," said John Winters, the president of the Decatur Lake Mill Race Association.
The money will be raised through sponsorship which will later be matched by grant funds from the state's Department of Natural Resources.
The trip will include stops in various cities including Sacramento, California; Pueblo, Colorado; Seymour, Missouri; Roanoke, Virginia; and Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They will stop at various YMCAs along their way to promote fitness.
The couple, who has been married 33 years, said they're prepared for some of the challenges the cross-country route may present.
The couple plans on biking an average 60 miles per day, but acknowledges that some days will cover more miles and others will cover less.
"The toughest part will be the Rockies (mountains)" John Winters said.
The specific route was picked because it was the "easiest way to get through the Rockies," Jaine Winters said.
They could have bypassed the Rockies but John Winters said he wanted the challenge of going through them.
"We need to pay really close attention to our bodies," he said.
They expect to have a few flat tires on their bikes as they venture across America and packed six extra for the journey.
Of course, some people are nervous for the couple as they begin their trip, including John's mother, Lucille.
"I am nervous as a mother would be," she said.
She said her son had always wanted to do something like this. Being a biker herself, John grew up in an active household.
"I have no doubt (John and Jaine) are going to make it," she said.
Lucille said she plans to be kept up-to-date with the couple's progress through a Facebook page, which will keep track of their progress. She also plans to meet up with them in various stops along the way, such as Colorado, Illinois or Kentucky, and at the finish line in North Carolina.
"This is the "mother lode' of things they've done," she said.
The couple's progress will be kept up-to-date through a cellphone tracker which will transmit to the Pearl Island Bike Across America Facebook page.
The first adventure for the couple will be over the Golden Gate Bridge and onto a ferry over the San Pablo Bay outside San Francisco and Oakland. They plan to be done with the trip by Labor Day this year.
While the trip remains ambitious, the couple said this trip can't be done alone and will require help from anyone.
"You can't do (this trip) by yourself," he said.
To contribute to their cause, donate on their website, PearlIslandAmerica.org.