Cycling W3R

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

2011-12-20T11:22:00.000-06:00

Hello to all of you!

I can't believe Christmas and the Holidays are upon us! I thought I would give you a quick update. All is very good. My business is doing well and I am excited to anounce I will be finishing the trip in June!

Thank you to all who have and are supporting the expedition!

Peace,

Bill

Start date 2012

2011-11-08T09:19:00.000-06:00

Looks like I will be starting sometime in late May or early June. I will give firm date by feb.

If you are interested in riding with me let me know. We will be starting in Newport.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish and thoughts by Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T08:24:00.001-05:00

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish...Thank you Steve Jobs
In the late 1970s when the Whole Earth Catalog decided to call it quits and come out with the final edition, they came up with a interesting ending. On the back cover there is the scene of a country road, somewhere in America, and above it four words: stay hungry, stay foolish.

The Whole Earth Catalog was the paper equivalent internet of the 70s. It focused on the environmental movement of the time sharing information from; sustainable living, to Outward Bound, to gardening tools, to animal and human rights organizations, and to much more.

I remember lying on my parent’s bed reading it, as one cool idea morphed into another cool idea, just as the internet works today. It opened up my mind to possibilities’ I may not have ever known about.

Recently, I was having dinner with a friend of mine who I had not seen for 38 years, Duane Benton who is now 80. I was telling Duane about some of my entrepreneurial experiences and personal philosophies regarding my own life and my view of the world, and how much of those experiences help to shape who I am and have led me to the life I lead now as an entrepreneur and alternative transportation advocate.

Towards the end of our dinner, Duane told me about a commencement speech a friend of his had sent him, where Steve Jobs spoke to the graduates of Stanford in 2005. Duane said that Jobs spoke about his own life experiences and how they shaped his life and at the end of the speech, Steve described the back cover of the final Whole Earth Catalog, and finished his speech to those graduates, with, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.”
Sometimes a few simple words can have great meaning. My friend Duane said the speech is one of “things you should read at least once a year to keep your perspective on life.”

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish can mean different things to people based on their own experiences, and that is fine. To me it means: Stay hungry for new knowledge and experiences, and Stay foolish by keeping a child’s curiosity and don’t let anyone tell you something cannot be done, try it anyway, touch it, feel it, smell it, taste it, experience it (Life) fully, so there will be no regrets later on.

So, Rest in Peace Steve Jobs. Thank you for sharing your life and wisdom with the World.

And to all of you, who now are reflecting on your own lives...

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

Peace,
Bill Poindexter

The Speech text

The 2005 Jobs Stanford Commencement Address:

"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out okay. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned Coke bottles for the 5-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something–your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky–I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation–the Macintosh–a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30, I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down–that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the Valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me–I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, “Toy Story,” and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up, so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying, because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma–which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called “The Whole Earth Catalog,” which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of “The Whole Earth Catalog,” and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much."

Update.

2011-08-17T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, getting closer to heading back East! I will finish writing about my first section in the next week. Sorry, been super busy with work. Thanks to Bob Bird, Freeman L Miller, and Whitney Bartelli for their donations.

The National Park Service let me know they finally cam up with a shorter name for the National Historic Trail and a new logo:

So the trail is now called the Washington- Rochambeau NHT....now I just need to figure out how to change the name on all the things I worked on! :)

Seriously, I am soooo anxious to get my butt back East and finish the Expedition. One group criticized me for cutting it short, but as a volunteer, I have to be able to pay my own bills, so I am separating myself from them....they said "I did not step up to the plate." I beg to differ! Well, I dont beg, just differ. :)

Funding issues have plagued many a expedition and caused delays.

I appreciate all the friendship and support from all of you.

Peace, Bill

Spring of 1781, words from George Washington

2011-08-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

By the spring of 1781 Washington was in despair.

Instead of having Magazines filled with provisions, we have a scanty pittance scattered here and there in the different States. Instead of having our Arsenals well supplied with Military Stores, they are all poorly provided, and the Workmen all leaving them. Instead of having various articles of Field equipage in readiness to deliver, the Quarter Master General . . . is but now applying to the several States to provide these things for the Troops respectively. Instead of having a regular System of Transportation established upon credit-or funds in the Qr. Masters hands to defray the contingent expenses of it we have neither the one nor the other and all that business, or a great part of it being done by Military Impress, we are daily and hourly oppressing the people-souring their tempers-and alienating their affections.³

2. Ibid., 4:124 (to Joseph Reed, 28 Nov 75).
3. George Washington, The Diaries of George Washington, ed. John C. Fitzpatrick, 4 vols. (Boston, 1925), 2:207-09 (May 1781).

Borrowed from http://www.history.army.mil/books/RevWar/risch/chpt-1.htm

A bit of history...

Rhode Island Part 1: Newport to Providence

2011-08-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

The below is a repost of my 7/6 article.

For Cyclists who will be cycling the route and developing a route before I am able to get back East, feel free to contact me for route options, contacts, along the W3R-NHT I would be happy to share what I have.

bill@poindexterrecruiting.com

Cycling W3R Expedition: Part one

Part one the route: Newport to Providence

Newport

I love everything about Rhode Island.

I arrived by ferry (this a short video of the crossing) to Quonset Point, RI from the Island of Martha's Vineyard. My ocean crossing, although much shorter than the French in 1780, was very choppy, causing me a bout of seasickness (What? I am from Kansas, what did you expect? ;) )

Quonset Point is a big industrial area where ships and planes were made in the past and today. Before we arrived I called Peter Rice who had previously given me advice about cycling the roads in the Newport area and had told me if I needed a ride to Newport to call him as the bridges in did not allow bicycles. Peter answered, and said he would be there shortly. I was impressed by his generosity.

Laura the owner

Once off the ferry, I decided to bike around the area while I waited for Peter.

Out of place of all the industrial building was a lone mobile restaurant called Quonset Hut. It was so out of place I had to stop and take a picture. Laura the owner came out to greet me. She was a tough, weather worn, hard working woman who bought the trailer and set up Quonset Hut in the area where she herself use to work on B-52 Bombers in the early 70s. She had many ideas how to make her business successful and was very kind to me, even giving me a free bottle of water. This was my first experience with the hospitality I would become accustomed to from the people of Rhode Island.

Peter Rice and I at the Rochambeau
Statue.

Peter drove up and we headed toward the bridge on Highway 138 that crossed Narragansett Bay. Once on the bridge I understood why cyclists were not allowed. The lanes are narrow and traffic heavy. There are local buses to get across I will try on my next trip.

Once in Newport Peter took me around the town explaining to me the history of the area and showing me alternative cycling routes out of town. Pete is retired from the Navy and is originally from ND. Pete is also a member the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen. I think in all we spent three hours exploring the area and the routes.

I next headed to my home for the night, a Hostel called the William Gyles Guesthouse. The owner, Merrilee, a cyclist, was still at her job, so we decided on meeting an hour later, then she could check me in. $35 bucks for the night! I went for a short ride exploring Newport.

I made it back to the Hostel in time for Merrilee to check me in and to meet my roommate, one from California, and another, Andy from Ireland.

Andy has been back packing around the Eastern US for one month and still had a month to go. He was heading to a place in Maine where he was going to work on a sustainable organic farm for two weeks in exchange for room and board. He found it on a site called, WWoof or World Wide opportunities on organic farms. Cool!

Newport at night!

After getting settled in and a shower, rolled into town to find WiFi and get some food. There I met a young woman, Chelsey, soliciting Blood Donations for the Red Cross. Chelsey is one of those people who can look at you in the eye and you know she has a kind soul. I let her know that I was in need of my blood as I was going on a long bike ride. She readily agreed with my choice and loaded me up with some free life savers candy.

I went back to the Hostel for a short time and then went into town with Erica, another guest, who was a grad student from CA for a glass of wine. Seeing Newport at night is a site. Great restaurants, many people, ships on the water, history oozes from the ground here. The people are friendly.

The next morning I was up early. I think I may have had three hours sleep as the neighbors across the street form the hostel had a party till 2am-ish. I got up at 6am and made a light breakfast, studied some maps Peter left me, and wrote in my journal.

I checked out of the Hostel and rolled into town. I spent some more time exploring the town of Newport on two wheels. Bicycling is one of the best ways to see the town. Although the streets have traffic, and sometimes are narrow in town, the people are use to cyclists. There is a loop, where you ride south on Thames to Wellington, then heading toward Fort Adams, and winding your way on great roads with ocean views and then back into town passing mansions and lots of tourist waiting for their buses. There is a bike map available at all the bike shops and hotels to help guide you.

the start

Around 9am I made my way to my start point. The Rochambeau statue on Wellington.

The Start

The morning was perfect, sunny, mid 70s, slight breeze, the smell of the ocean, seagulls speaking in turn. I made my way to the start point. I was interviewed by a local Newspaper, and then the start was at 10am. Just me and Rochambeau-the present with the past.

" Every colony, large or small, from Massachusetts to Virginia, contributed to the success of this struggle. Rhode Island was the first to renounce allegiance to the King and to call for independence, and paid a heavy price for it. The smallest among the colonies embracing the cause of independence, it suffered through occupation and deprivation - the town of Newport felt the consequence of the war well into the twentieth century. Yet as the 225^th anniversary of the victory at Yorktown will be celebrated in October 2006, Rhode Island can be proud of her contributions to the success of the Yorktown campaign and to American Independence. " Robert Selig, Cycling W3R Expedition Historian

I would take a left here to Memorial.

I made my way on the Cycling W3R route I had decided on after exploring three options with my local route adviser, Peter Rice. My objective was to make a safe route, staying close to the history, and finding one that would be good for most levels of cyclists. The official W3R route out of town is on Route 114, which is becomes very busy with traffic, no shoulder, not fun. The other route was going through Navy housing, with lots of turns, little views. The third, and the one I chose, went west on Wellington to Thames. Right to Narragansett. A left, rolling past some beautiful homes to Annandale. Left to Memorial Drive.

On Memorial drive I passed a gorgeous beach on my right, then veered left to Route 214 North. 214 is simple, a wide shoulder, low traffic.

USS Saratoga

I took 214 North to 114 North. Took a right there and took my 2nd left to Gate 17 entrance of the Navel Base. Once on the Gate 17 road, I headed west to Burma Road. Coming down to Burma Road is amazing as once you crest the hill and go down the road your view is Narragansett Bay and the decommissioned Aircraft Carrier, the USS Saratoga. The Saratoga is impressive to behold, and seemed to be waiting for me to roll by in celebration of the Cycling W3R, as the theme, the past meeting the present again seemed relevant. On a side note, according to the Cycling W3R Expedition Historian, Robert Selig, the three most significant battles of the American Revolution were; Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Yorktown.

My view to my left heading north on Burma Rd.

Once on Burma Road, I quickly realized why so many locals recommended it to me. A well maintained two lane with little traffic and nice shoulders. I headed north and had views the bay on my left and greenery on my right. I took it to Stringham Rd. Not well marked, but a distinctive sharp right turn, I had to pull out the GPS to make sure of my location.

This made me laugh...

I took a right on Stringham, and rolled slowly uphill to 114 North. There was a Dunken Donuts on the other side of 114. Traffic on 114 was heavy. I stopped for some food and drink.

Heading toward the Mt Hope Bridge

Fuel up on a bagel and donut, I next headed North on 114. This section of the route is NOT fun, with no shoulder, high traffic, and poor road surface. I felt vulnerable here and took my time focused on the bumpy potholed filled maze in front of me while constant prayer were being sent out to the universe for my safety as cars and trucks speeded by with little regard for my existence.

The saving grace on 114 for is the consistency of the W3R signs marking the route. It was a comfort.

Patriot's Park
Patriots Park is a memorial to the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, known as the Black Regiment. The park is located at the junction northbound of Routes 114 and 24. A flagpole commemorates the site where the Black Regiment fought off a Hessian attack, saving the American line, on August 29, 1778, during the Battle of Rhode Island.

Luckily the poor road only lasted a few miles then I was able to turn left towards Mount Hope Bridge. And then, between Highway 24 and 114, in a very odd place there was located Patriots Park-recognizing the Black Regiment. I stopped for a quick picture, but was eager to roll north, so did not explore.

Stopping at the bottom of the bridge
taking a picture over my left shoulder.

I got to the Mt Hope Bridge, a narrow two lane, with grates every 50 feet or so, lenght over 6,000 feet! I was glad I had wide tires. Traffic was medium, but the bridge being long, and very high, with obstacles in the way, and traffic at my back I was not able to enjoy the amazing views of the water below. Although the ride over was intense, I never felt in danger, cars were respective, as long as I kept my line, all was well.

A few minutes later, I was off it and stopped and took a picture over my left shoulder to see what I had done. Wow.

This was when I got on
the East Bay Bike Path
from Oliver St in Bristol.

Next the road greatly improved, I stayed on 114 and rolled into the town of Bristol. A gorgeous town, the water at my left. I slowly made my way to Oliver St. Then left to the East Bay Bicycle Path.

My choice to go into Providence was 114 or this Bike path. I chose the bike path, although at some point I would like to explore 114 in this section. The bike path is amazing. 14.5 miles to Providence without having to get on a road. Very well maintained, it looks more like small two lane road than a bicycle path.

I meandered my way on the path, passing a young girl at a Del's lemonade stand! I have never seen this on bike paths, and am impressed!

The Bike path, gave a view of what the land looked
in 1781.

I continued past the towns of Barrington, and then Riverside. I stopped a grocery store in Barrington which was a few feet off the bike path.

There I met a woman, Jackie, who was getting her groceries on her single speed Schwinn Stingray, and was curious about my loaded bicycle. I told her about the expedition, and we talked about the route for awhile. She gave me some advice about downtown Providence, I would soon( unknowingly) regret not taking.

First views of Providence from the East Bay
Bike Path

I made why way north to the Riverside area, and although I was getting closer to Providence, the bike path was a low stress alternative to bicycling into a big city.

I made my way to Providence, took a left on a sidewalk (still part of the East Bay Bicycle Path), with the highway on my right, I was about to go urban! Yikes!

Stay tuned for Part two; Providence to Joy Homestead and getting lost!

Side note: On a side note, I am still fund raising. If you like what you are reading and seeing, chip in some bucks and you will get more! ;)

Update

2011-07-26T13:13:00.002-05:00

Look at the map below and you will see Waterman's
Tavern below Providence, RI as one of the encampments
of the the French in 1781, this pic is my standing in front
of Watermans Tavern which is now a private home.
Isn't that cool!

Hey all, working my tail off here in Kansas to bring in funds so I can get back up to the East Coast. It is not easy following your dreams and keeping the bills paid.

I am still fundraising for the Expedition (s). If you would like to help out I would be grateful. Remember, I am doing this as a volunteer. Mapping out the first bicycle route on the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route!

Mapping out a bike route on a National Historic Trail, remembering sacrifices made by the American Revolutionary Soldiers so we could have the Liberty and Freedoms we so enjoy today, and promoting alternative transportation-the bicycle- for travel and transportation.

NEXT: I am talking with local communities along the W3R abut promoting tourism to their areas via the Bike Route.

I will be meeting with Eric Weis of the East Coast Greenway Alliance regarding the routes thru downtown Providence and Hartford, CT. I plan to complete the state of CT and NY in Early September, and if all the funding comes together with your help the rest of the route in time for the Anniversary of the surrender of the British to General Washington on October 19th in Yorktown, VA.

Thank so much to Shawna Beckner, Whitney Bartelli, Freeman Smith, and Stephanie Smith for their recent donations.

Peace, Bill

Adventure Cycling Association: Historical Bike Routes: The Possibilities Are Endless!

2011-07-22T13:16:00.002-05:00

Adventure Cycling Association: Historical Bike Routes: The Possibilities Are Endless!

Expedition update Happy Fourth!!!!

2011-07-04T09:51:00.003-05:00

My friends at Joy Homestead! I camped here for
two nights!

Lots to share! OK, where do I start?!
First, great news! Rhode Island has the first W3R Bike Route from Newport to the CT border on at Route 14A from the Cycling W3R Expedition, there may be some minor adjustments, but it is a solid route!

It is a great route!

Now, you all are adults and need to get the truth about what is happening, so here you go ( if you are a contributor or sponsor feel free to call me and I will give you an exact accounting) due to lack of original expedition funding, and some unforeseen loss of business one of my clients experienced(therefore I did not get paid). I have made the decision to complete the expedition into sections-one or two states at a time to complete the mission. Everything happens for a reason. :)

This is Waterman's Tavern, one of the 1781
encampments. This is the family who
lives there now.

I will still be fundraising until the expedition is complete. So if you would like to contribute please do!

Since I completed Rhode Island, I have come back to KC to get money coming into my business for the next sections. But if someone handed me a check to cover the trip I would head right back up the W3R and finish it! (Please call me if you have questions about this!)

This last week has been on of the greatest in my life! This expedition is much bigger than I than I could have imagined! The route, the history, and the people.

old barn on rt 12

The route is gorgeous. Part of my bike route is on the official W3R driving route marked by signs and land marks. The cities will need to be handled with more care than the countryside. By the way-I am looking for local cyclists who can guide me through, Waterbury CT, Hartford CT, Baltimore MD, and Washington DC.

The history of Rhode Island is INCREDIBLE. Spending time with historians, business owners, and cyclists, everyone has stories to tell, that are relevant to the expedition.

The people. Oh my God...the people of Rhode Island are glorious! From Peter Rice of Newport to Lydia Rapoza of Joy Homestead in Cranston, Dianna, also Bill Downing also of Cranston, all of which I will be writing about in the next few days in the travel narratives.

At the CT border- my next state!

What I did not fully understand about the Cycling W3R Expedition, until I actually started it, is the the enormity of the project, the bike route is one part, the people another. When the French were Marching in 1781 they were treated with the same kindness as I. The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) is the embodiment of America, and like a fine wine it should be taken in slowly so as to experience its past and present.

OK, that is enough for now. Look for the posts to come, and let's get me back up to complete the CT route ASAP! :)

Peace, Bill

Update

2011-07-02T18:32:00.002-05:00

Hey all, sorry have not been able to get online for the blog. Dealing with some issues.

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful morning in Newport. I left at 10 pm from the Rochambeau statue.. I got a great route which I will share shortly! Everything went great up to Providence, and then, I got lost three times following signs, not being able to find the street I needed to follow, and could not get good directions from locals. I was hot and tired and late to a reception at Joy Homestead., so made the choice to call for a ride.

So the issue is what about the other major cities and what do I do for a route? So it instilled doubt that I should be rolling solo into the big cities? So I am thinking of options for this issue. I knew this may be issue for future travelers of the route.

So the other issue is money, I let you all know that one of my clients could not pay me, because they lost 50% of their business, so the money I was counting on to help pay for the this trip is not coming in, so I had to take a loan out to cover the funds I could not raise, and not feeling the pressure of the additional debt.
So I started to think about my return and needing to deal with. So feel the need to generate the income.

So what I am thinking now is instead of doing all the states at once, do them peicemeal, at diffent times so I can spend more time in each state and then put all the peices together. Maybe give each state 3-4 days so I can do a thorough route, rather then rushing it.

I thought of this because I have spent three full days here in Rhode Island, and have had a great time meeting people in Newport, the towns up to Providence, and the and the great folks from Joy Homestead. I have spent hours with the people talking aobut this trip and the history of the trail. for example today, after a huge breakfast of Johnny Cakes, eggs, ham, beans, blueberry muffins and hot coffee, Lydia, my host and Dianna, my new cook, followed me to the CT border, it was so awesome! I got to ride on the original roads Rochambeau wrote about in his journals! And the girls tooks lots and lots of picks I will post when I get them. I then rode south to the East Coast Greenway route to explore that. Yesterday rode 42 miles today about 46. I feel good physically.

So, without anymore rambling, I am trying to figure out if I am going to continue for the entire time or cut it short and come back stronger, and break the expedition up into sections. Sorry if I inconvienced anyone, but sometimes trips like this have unexpected issues.

Will be in touch tomorrow!

I am alive and well in Rogues Island (That is what the Kind George of England use to call the the Rhode Islanders!) Btw, I am sitting in the Governor Sprague Mansion in Cranston writing this out! I have gotten some really great writing material from all these historians I am hanging with.

Peace, Bill

Day before Cycling W3R Expedition

2011-06-30T18:43:00.003-05:00

Pete Rice and I
At the Rochambeau Statue in
Newport

Arrived in Newport today at 1245. I took the Fast Ferry from MV, and it was fast! And choppy! I got seasick! Well, I just had to stand outside on rear deck and focus on the
horizon. I started thinking about Rochambeau and his troops in 1781 and their voyage across the Atlantic. Wow.

Pete Rice met me at the ferry as the there is no easy way to cross the bridges into Newport...bikes are not allowed. :( But, I am glad I called Pete who turned out to be my tour guide for about 3 hours! It was nice to have him there to show me more options for the route to Providence. Pete is a local cyclists, who is retired Navy, but in origially from North Dakota.

We had a great time doing recon for the route and I loved learning about the history of New Port, which is a gorgeous town!

Expedition Bicycle

Pete dropped me off at the Hostel and I met some of my Hostel mates who are from CA, England, and Ireland. I hostel is great and only a couple of blocks from the water!

Tonight I will explore Newport! Tomorrow I get interviewed by the Newport Daily News at 9am and off at 10!

Hope you follow. Also, Having trouble downloading pic onto the Cycling W3R facebook page, so you should friend me directly on facebook to my personal page. I will still update on the other too.

Bye for now!
Peace, Bill

Here is a video form yesterday on Martha's Vineyard! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34tQ2oVaAgc

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Expedition update June 29th, 2011

2011-06-29T17:52:00.003-05:00

Arrived yesterday in Woodshole and put my bike back together!

As in any major expedition there are always "glitches." As you know I am on Martha's Vineyard staying with my good friends Teri and Sean in West Tisbury. I forgot that I do not get cell reception here, so if you need to get ahold of me before tomorrow at 11am, send me email at bill@poindexterrecruiting.com

I took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard

I will be leaving MV at 1115 and getting into Newport about 3pm. I am staying at a hostel called the William Gyles Guesthouse. There was no place to camp in Newport and I wanted to spend a afternoon there before I leave the next morning. I also wanted to find a place that future cyclists could stay at as a embarking point for the W3R Bike Route. I will pay $35 for a dorm room, plus tax.

I will leave Newport, form the Rochambeau Statue at 10am on July 1st. I am being interviewed by Jim Gillis of the Newport Daily News at 9am at the Statue.

Staying with friends in West Tisbury

And they live on the State Forest
Bike Path...go figure ;)

I plan to arrive at Joy Homestead at 3-4pm.

Peace, Bill

http://www.fox4kc.com/videobeta/0541acb7-aaed-49a5-b452-530abe18fd0a/News/Metro-Man-Following-Patriotic-Bike-Route

Expedition update: last day in Kansas City!

2011-06-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

Flying out in the morning! I still have to pack!

Theresa, the owner of Family Bicycles supervising the
careful art of putting a bike on a small box!

I would like to thank all the sponsors and folks who kindly donated up to this point, and especially to Family Bicycles for all there hard work making sure my bicycle is up to the challenge and boxed for the flight! So thank you to all their great staff and excellent service. I think they are the only KC Bike shop that really gets bike touring!
Thanks to Theresa the owner and Matt whom boxed my bike and gave me a great tune up!

yep there is a bike in there!

My flight to Boston leaves at 8:15am, and my good friend Mark Rainey has volunteered to give me a lift to the airport! I will arrive in Boston at 12:30ish. Then I take a bus to Woods Hole on Cape Cod. I will put the bike back together on the dock of the Ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

Next, ferry over to Martha's Vineyard, once there I will do a quick 30 mile ride around the island and then head to my friends home in West Tisbury! Then Wed. I will tour the island and hope to get some beach time and time with my good friends, Teri, Sean, Emma, and Max.

On Thursday I will take a ferry and arrive by sea just as Rochambeau did in 1780. I should arrive Quonset Point around 12:45. This I will skillfully make my way to Newport. I will explore Newport and spend the night...I am not sure where yet, and I depart the on the historic Cycling W3R Expedition at 10am on July 1st, at the Rochambeau statue in Newport. With the advice of, Peter Rice, Mark Dieterich of the Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition and some of his friends, and Eric of the East Coast Greenway Alliance I will head north along a very exciting route which will take me into the heart of Providence...I will share the route shortly .

I make my way to Joy Homestead is next, in Cranston, is where Lydia Rapoza will be hosting a small reception for me at their historic site! Starts a 5pm, so if you are in the area I hope to meet you. You will see the gear, bike, tent, and I juggle.:) I will talk about the Cycling W3R Expedition, how it came to be, and where it is headed.

Come to Joy Homestead at 5pm on July 1st!

Then, on the morning of the 2nd. I will head west into Connecticut...an into history. Did you know the French officers where allowed 300lbs of personal belongings while on their expedition! It was carried by ox and cart!

I look forward to meeting you. Yes, you.

Peace, Bill

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

2011-06-24T08:56:00.002-05:00

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

In the late 1970s when the Whole Earth Catalog decided to call it quits and come out with the final edition, they came up with a interesting ending. On the back cover there is the scene of a country road, somewhere in America, and above it four words: stay hungry, stay foolish.

The Whole Earth Catalog was the paper equivalent internet of the 70s. It focused on the environmental movement of the time sharing information from; sustainable living, to Outward Bound, to gardening tools, to animal and human rights organizations, and to much more.

I remember lying on my parent’s bed reading it, as one cool idea morphed into another cool idea, just as the internet works today. It opened up my mind to possibilities’ I may not have ever known about.

Last Tuesday, I was having dinner with a friend of mine who I had not seen for 38 years, Duane Benton who is now 80. Duane and his wife Nancy saw an article in the Kansas City Star about the Cycling W3R Expedition and reached out to me. I was telling Duane about some of my entrepreneurial experiences and personal philosophies regarding my own life and my view of the world, and how much of those experiences help to shape who I am and have lead me to the Cycling W3R Expedition.

Towards the end of our dinner, Duane told me about a commencement speech a friend of his had sent him, where Steve Jobs spoke to the graduates of Stanford in 2005. Duane said that Jobs spoke about his own life experiences and how they shaped his life and at the end of the speech, Steve described the back cover of the final Whole Earth Catalog, and finished his speech to those graduates, with, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.”

Sometimes a few simple words can have great meaning. My friend Duane said the speech is one of “things you should read at least once a year to keep your perspective on life.”

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish can mean different things to people based on their own experiences, and that is fine. To me it means: Stay hungry for new knowledge and experiences, and Stay foolish by keeping a child’s curiosity and don’t let anyone tell you something cannot be done, try it anyway, touch it, feel it, smell it, taste it, experience it (Life) fully, so there will be no regrets later on.

I live life on my own terms and always have. The Cycling W3R Expedition is truly an expedition for the people. To be the first to map out and explore a

Bike Route

on a 230 year old National Historic Trail in the most densely populated part of America, with the grassroots effort of people, from people, who live in the region, to people who live in the heart of

America

is awesome. It shows how connected we all are, and how simple things can be in the complicated world we live in. Just like the Whole Earth Catalog, to the internet and Facebook today, connecting people and ideas over vast distances with ease. We all live in the community of the Earth.

As I sit here and write this I am watching the sunrise from my apartment window. Classical music is playing on the radio, the cats are still asleep, birds are playing their own music outside, and every minute bring new reflections of light on the clouds with the rise of the sun.

I had been thinking over the last few months about an overall theme to help me remember why I am embarking on such an ambitious adventure. Duane’s words, the four words, Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish from the Whole Earth Catalog are now adopted for expedition motto.

So to you all:

to the people who actively support our expedition whether by kind words, donation, or sharing information and to those who passively watch it, wondering what they should, or should not do as their own doubts play tricks, I say this.

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

Peace, Bill

PS Thanks so much to Lydia Rapoza of Joy Homestead for her third donation and to
Karen Heath of Prairie Village, KS
Ken Lauden of Mission Hills, KS
Carrie and Caroline Blubaugh-PV KS
Tricia Beaham-Mission Hills, KS

You folks are awesome!

Route

2011-06-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

Expedition update June 22

2011-06-22T10:43:00.003-05:00

I had a lovely dinner last night with some friends of my family. Nancy and Duane Benton started Creative Candles in Kansas City in the early 70s and sold it in the late 90s. They saw the article about the expedition in Saturdays paper and Duane called me, and they invited me to a great dinner, at a local French restaurant here is Prairie Village, which I thought very appropriate considering the French connections to the expedition!

I had not seen the Benton's for almost 40 years...just another example of how expedition is reaching out to the past and bringing it into the present.

While on the W3R, I will too, be sharing the past with you.

Thanks to these folks have donated so far in this weeks fundraiser (6/17-6/27)
Thank you all for your kindness and generosity!

Brian & Edie Larson-Prairie Village, KS
Duane Benton-Westwood, KS
Linda Jones-Lenexa, KS
Claudia Gibson, West Lebanon, NH (2nd donation!)
Mark Titus-Prairie Village, KS
Mick Swanson-Prairie Village, KS
Amie Wolff Logan-Overland Park, KS
Amy Sue Pennington-Shawnee, KS
Hal and Vickie Flynn-Prairie Village, KS

Here is the link to a interview from Fox in KC regarding the expedition!

http://www.fox4kc.com/videobeta/0541acb7-aaed-49a5-b452-530abe18fd0a/News/Metro-Man-Following-Patriotic-Bike-Route

Expedition update June 21st

2011-06-21T10:29:00.002-05:00

9 days to go!
Dear friends,
Time is slipping by, I am eager to get started!

Announcements:

1.Thanks to Claudia Gibson for making a 2nd donation! You are awesome!!

2. There will be an interview tonight on the KC Station, Fox 4 News at 530!

There was a great article on the expedition in the Kansas City Star newspaper on Saturday! Please share with your friends and news agencies.

3. Joy Homestead and their staff is holding a late afternoon/ early evening Cycling W3R Expedition event! Times will be anounced soon. Will be a good time- There will be food, bicycle talk, historical chat, I will be speaking about the expedition and what the future holds in the next few weeks for Cycling and the W3R. The expedition bicycle will be there too! :) PLUS-A lucky two people will have a chance to win a official Cycling W3R bicycling cap-hand made!

4. W3R Cycling caps can also be purchased at Taddihogg.com for $20 through their web site. $10.00 will go to the expedition. Thank you Thad!

5. Family Bicycles-an excellent Kansas City Missouri bike shop and is the offical Cycling W3R Expedition Bike Shop! Please go see Theresa and her staff if you are looking for a bike for recreation, racing, commuting, or touring like me! They are the only Silver designated-for Bicycle Friendly Business by League of American Bicyclist shop in KCMO. The service they provide is excellent! I am glad to have them as a partner on this venture.

6. Mapping: I will be mapping out preliminarly routes through CT and NY today. The routes are from various mapping programs and recommendations form area cyclists in each state. I will make adjustments when I am on the road or adopt the route for the guide book. Be sure to add your thoughts if you are a area cyclist.

7. Cycling W3R Expedition route criteria:

The route must:

1. Safe and fun Bike Route for cyclists of all levels-consideration will be made for all types of cyclist.

2. Stay on or as close to the original W3R- National Historic Trail as possible so the cyclist can have a experience in history.

3. Promote tourism by creating a "Bicycle Friendly" route-so people will use the Cycling W3R Bike Route in the future thereby supporting the communities they are rolling through, thus increasing awareness, support, and public use of the W3R-NHT and local communities. This last one will also benefit each community in three ways: promoting healthier lifestyles, cleaner environments, and stronger communites ( all the results of using a bicycle for transportation and travel.)

Ok, that is it for now. Please help out if you can!

Peace, Bill

PS-remember I will be blogging about the expedition here and adding Facebook updates through out the days (as long as I have reception). I will be blogging once a day, but adding facebook updates multiple times throughout the day. Please go to the Cycling W3R Facebook page and be a Fan so you can see the updates. Also you can sign up for email updates on the right side of this site.

Come visit me in Prairie Village before I leave

2011-06-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

I am finishing up all the prep work for the Cycling W3R mapping expedition and I will

be at the

Star Bucks in Prairie Village, KS June 20th-24th from 12 noon to 6pm

if you would like to come down and learn more about the expedition. I will have maps on hand so you can see the terrain I will be rolling over!

I hope to see you, if I am not a a table, sit tight, I may have just gone for a short walk around the village to clear my head.

If you would like me to speak to a group regarding the Cycling W3R Expedition please email me and I will see if I can work it into the schedule. :)

Peace, Bill

Donation: Thanks so much to Linda Jones for her donation.

The W3R-what it means to you and me

2011-06-19T10:29:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the 230th
Birthday of the W3R

I learned of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) while having coffee with a good friend of mine Dave Fagerberg a professional 18th century reenactor. He explained to me the significance on the W3R and I was hooked!

A French Army comes to Newport, Rhode Island and then marches, in 1781, over 5000 troops across the state, then CT, and into New York where they met up with the Continental Army and General Washington, and then they marched across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and finally into Virginia and on to Yorktown where they defeated the British in what is know at the Battle of Yorktown.

Dave Fagerberg and myself

Two years later the war for liberty was over.

The W3R represents the freedom and liberty we Americans have today, but frequently take for-granted. If those sacrifices were not made by the soldiers and civilians of the revolution we may well be eating beans for breakfast (a English favorite breakfast food).

My friend Dave is currently marching the same route of the soldiers of 1781, they started yesterday! Here is the Marchers facebook page if you would like to follow them. Godspeed to them!

I am so excited to be a part of the W3R now. The Cycling W3R is the first ever of its kind on this route.

One of the missions of the expedition is to recognize the sacrifices made my the men and women of the American Revolution, and I did not know this, but there were black men fighting along side white men. I love that-equality.

All fighting for their basic human rights; freedom and liberty.

We enjoy our liberty in American, while other people, like in Tunisia and Egypt have to fight for theirs, just as our ancestors did 230 years ago at the Battle of Yorktown.

I love America.

This is the son of our
sponsor, Taddihogg Cycling
Hats. He is pointing to the East to the
W3R and he is wearing a
W3R Cycling cap!

We are so lucky to have this country and to live here. The W3R is a symbol of America, and I believe with all my heart the people like the Marchers, and the community of people that have come together for the Cycling W3R Expedition represents;

I envision many people, young and old, venturing to the W3R, whether on foot or bicycle, and to explore the past with the present.

God Bless America

Peace, Bill

Thanks to Claudia Gibson for her 2nd donation to the Cycling W3R Expedition!

FYI-this is the new article on the expedition!

Thank you

2011-06-18T14:53:00.001-05:00

Mick at the photo shoot

Quick thanks to
Mick Swanson-Prairie Village, KS
Amie Wolff Logan-Overland Park, KS
Amy Sue Pennington-Shawnee, KS
Mark Titus-Prairie Village, KS
Who were the first to answer my call for help.

Mr. Washington would be proud!

A call for help

2011-06-17T18:00:00.005-05:00

Dear friends, Friday

We are so close to the start! Just 12 days away.

I need to ask this of you. We are all adults here and sometimes things do not go the way we intend. For the Expedition to come to fruition external funding is needed.

I have been funding this endeavor primarily with my business but today I found out one of my clients lost some business and that means I lose income I needed and counted on. It happens.

I believe passionately in this project, I have been devoting my time and financial resources to the fullest extent possible.

I have created a community of people who want to see the Cycling W3R successful, none more than I. Whether you are interested adventure, history, or transportation on two wheels ... I need your help.

I need to raise funds in the next few days. Please help, and call or email me if you have questions. I would be happy to come speak about the expedition. I am scrambling to generate more business, but time is short it seem unlikely.

Everything happens for a reason, I am sure there is a lesson here. If you are in Kansas City area tomorrow I will be at the Star Bucks in Prairie village from 12- 5pm, 70th and Mission with the Expedition Bicycle, with maps through Google Earth, like the one below. Feel free to come down.

Thanks for your kind attention.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/17/2955426/cyclist-is-a-pioneer-on-historic.html

bill@poindexterrecruiting.com
913 220 1213

Bil

This is my basic route. It is the same route the the French Soldiers
and the Continental Army took in 1781. I will be mapping out
a safe bike route for future users of the trail. I have all the maps broken down to states
it is pretty cool. :)

How I will carry all my gear

2011-06-15T10:58:00.002-05:00

On the expedition I will carry all my own gear-clothes, tools, first aid kit, shoes, food, tent, sleeping bag, toiletries, rain gear, etc. All in four panniers (saddle bags). Here is a good short video from our expedition partners, the Adventure Cycling Association, explaining how to use and ride with panniers.

Expedition journal June 14th, 2011

2011-06-14T21:20:00.001-05:00

Expedition Journal

This is the baseline Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route that the Cycling W3R Expedition is following. Our primary mission to find a safe Bike Route on the National Historic Trail.
You see Joy Homestead above Newport, that is the first official stop
on the Cycling W3R Expediton on July 1st.

With 16 days left to go, I am starting to feel the enormity of this expedition....and it's awesome!

General Washington and General Rochambeau

I talked with a local film maker today, and was explaining all the differenent roles I am playing on the Cycling W3R Expedition; logistics, marketing, public relations, photographer, blogger and social media, sponsorship, fundraising, bike mechanic, cartographer, videographer, oh, and head chef! ;) Plus the guy that rides the 45lbs expedition bicycle with another 40+lbs of gear for

700+ miles through 9 states on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States of America.

Pretty cool, huh?

It is time to update the blogsite too. I hope to get to that in the next couple of days. I will delete some pages and add some. It should be cool.

I woke up this morning at 2am. Alot on my mind, and I could not get back to sleep, so made a pot of black coffee and went for a walk. I like walking in the predawn hours. I could see flashes of lightening off to the south, but the sky above me was clear and the air muggy.

I got to thinking abut the soldiers back in 1781, whose footsteps I will be retracing on our historic expedition. Our schedules will not be too much different. The troops arose every morning at 2am, broke camp, and where marching by 4am. The objective was to be in camp by noon, so there was time to mingle with the locals, rest, eat, and whatever else they needed to do. These men were tough, carring 60-80 lbs rucksacs, 13lbs muskets, wearing wool clothes, with high wool socks and uncomfortable shoes. The French had to wear wigs too. Can you imagine?

My schedule is be up by 6am and out of camp by 7am, and done cycling by 1pm, so I too can nap, mingle with locals, blog, do interviews, and explore our great country.

As I roll on the route, I will share more about French and American Soldiers expedition and experiences while on Cycling W3R. OK, I am tired, and need sleep, still have to ride home, only about 45 min away.

Bill Poindexter, Expedition Leader.

PS Thanks so much to my good friend, Joel Crown who donated $100.00!

Expedition update June 10th

2011-06-10T12:19:00.136-05:00

Coming home from a bike camping overnight
exploring a abandoned road

20 days away! There is alot of new things to cover.

This is very important stuff, so please read carefully! :)

Starting point rumors:
Some rumors have been floating around that I am starting in Providence. They are false I am starting at the Rochambeau Statue in Newport, RI and then heading to Providence and Joy Homestead.

Contacting me:
Getting ahold of me, wanting me to speak, offer of place to stay(shower or do laundry), want to camp with me, have dinner with me at the camp, host a dinner, or wanting to join in on the expedition for a day please email me at bill@poindexterrecruiting.com. If I do not respond in 24 hours- your email may have going into spam, you are welcome to call 913 220 1213. You can also follow this blogsite and the facebook page.

Route Info:
Here are the base line routes per state from the NPS-I will be modifying as I go along but this will give you a basic idea of the route I am following and if I am headed your way, they are interactive and at full zoom so you have to let out the zoom and the route will show up:

Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
Corridor 1:
New Jersey
Corridor 2:
New Jersey
Pennsylvania-route being planned
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
Washington DC

If you have ideas for a Bike Route I am open, but you will need to have ridden suggested route on a bicycle to be considered. I will be looking at routes 1-2 days ahead via internet of arrival and will be making adjustments before, during and after if needed. FYI-the most complicated route is how to get across the Hudson in NY by bicycle and stay close to the W3R.

New Strategic partnerships:I have some wonderful partners: the W3R-US, The Marchers, Adventure Cycling Association, and the National Park Service. All are key to helping me accomplish the mission.

I am excited to announce the East Coast Greenway Alliance as a new partner! This is their vision that fits nicely into the Mission of Cycling W3R:

"The East Coast Greenway vision is for a long-distance, urban, shared-use trail system linking 25 major cities along the eastern seaboard between Calais, Maine and Key West, Florida. It will serve non-motorized users of all abilities and ages. A 3,000-mile long spine route will be accompanied by 2,000 miles of alternate routes that link in key cities, towns, and areas of natural beauty. This green travel corridor will provide cyclists, walkers, and other muscle-powered modes of transportation with a low-impact way to explore the eastern seaboard."

I am excited to say Eric Weis the ECGA Trail Program Coordinator will be riding with me in Providence...yay!

W3R Hats: The first of the hats are here. I will have some with me on the route!

Press Releases: I need help with the media, so if you have contacts or want to send press releases to your local newspapers or TV stations please let me know.

Here is a local blurb from Fox you may use to spark interest.
http://claycounty.fox4kc.com/news/sports-recreation/kc-man-leads-cycling-mapping-expedition-american-revolution-trail/55015

I am training with loaded panniers:
Panniers are basically saddle bags that
will carry all my gear!

Going solo: Lastly, I will be doing the expedition solo. There will be people riding with me along the whole route, but no one for the entire length of the route. This works well for me because it allows me to ride at my pace and not have to accomodate anyone else. This is in line with the grassroots focus of the expedition-many people and organizations coming together to see the success of the Cycling W3R Expedition.

Thanks much to all those people who are reaching out: from the W3R-US folks, to Terry Dorn in Fredricksburg, VA and Earnie Porta, the Mayor of Occoquan, Va to Damon Rodnac of the Marchers. And all the rest of you who sent me a note! Thanks.

Thanks to Galina Chernikova from New Jersey for her kind contribution!

Peace, Bill

Expedition update 6/7/2011

2011-06-07T13:34:00.002-05:00

Just 23 days from the start! Wow!

Thanks very much for the three kind contributions from:

Dave Nelson-Prairie Village, Ks
Ralph D Nelson, Jr-from Florida
Katie Schell, Mission Hills

I am getting really excited! I have been riding around Kansas City with a loaded bicycle in the 95f+ heat and riding hills. It's great training, one just keeps it in a gear where you can keep up a conversation so you can last the 5-8 hours a day in the saddle...although, I do not do alot of talking while riding up a steep hill! :)

I will be asking for contributions before and during the expedition. My friend Katie reminded me that I need to keep asking for help. I appreciate that, as it is not easy doing all the planning, logistics, marketing, public relations, social media, and fundraising. I appreciate all the help I have gotten to this point! I told Katie that everyone who has helped, whether, designing the logo, or printing fliers, loaning me gear, or contributing funds, everyone is on the Expedition Team.

All those team members (see list below) will be receiving a text or email from me before the expedition, and a phone call during the expedition, as well as acknowledgement in the following guide book and travel narrative.

Right now it looks like I will be flying into Boston around the 26th, then taking a bus to Wood Hole, MA, then a Ferry to Martha's Vineyard, MA, staying with some friends, then taking a Ferry to Providence on or the day before the first of July.

On July 1 I will be stopping first at Joy Homestead for some light refreshment and seeing our good friend and Cycling W3R Expedition supporter Lydia!

And then on towards CT!

I am still not sure where I will camp the first night, but a new friend, Jennifer suggested she has some friends in Greene, RI who have a farm, so that may be it for the first day?

Thanks to Joe Dibello and Samantha Driscoll of the National Park Service for getting me some great google maps! Those were needed! Although I am mapping out a safe cycling map, I needed a base from which to start.

Here is my basic route in Rhode Island.

Ok, so that is it for now. I will update again in a couple of days. If you have any ideas or thoughts, email me: bill@poindexterrecruiting.com

Peace,
Bill

A list of donors and supporters to date.

Financial Contributions
Individuals
Katie Schell-Mission Hills, KS
Ralph D Nelson, Jr- Florida
Dave Nelson- Prairie Village, KS
Lydia Rapoza-Coventry, RI
Debbie Simpson-Mission Hills, KS
Dana Niles-Merion Station, PA
Claudia Gibson-West Lebanon, NH
Tiffany Hiller-Prairie Village, KS
Mary Kimble-Blue Springs, MO
Gary Mallen-Leawood, KS
Lisa Trager-Prairie Village, KS
John Goodwin-Misson Hills, KS
Carolyn Suffern-Suffern, NY
Randy Rasa-Springhill, KS
Pete Storm-Vienna, VA
Adam Gatewood-Topeka, KS

Organizations and Businesses
Joy Homestead-W3R historical site, Cranston, RI
Theresa Van Ackeren-Family Bicycles, Kansas City, MO
Elizabeth Bejan-Revolve Inc, Kansas City, MO
BKV Direct Marketing, Overland Park, KS

Support team
Damon Rodnac-route logistics
David Fagerberg-route logistics
Bonnie Boyles and Kevin Ryland-logo
Robert Selig-Expedition Historian
Mark Rainey-Printing
David Rainey-Bicycle paint job
Adventure Cycling Association-Winona Bateman
W3R-US et al.
William Rose-Photographer and Artist

Preparing for the expedition

2011-06-01T13:14:00.003-05:00

Gear: bike, two rear panniers, tent, and
front handel bar bag.
Photo by David Rainey

Preparing for the Cycling W3R Expedition

Thirty Days away from the expedition! I have been talking to many people about the trip and many of the questions have been similar, so, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of them with you all.

How long will it take?

"The W3R is 600 odd miles. I am searching for the most safe bike route, so I expect to add on another 100 miles. I will be cycling an average of 40-60 miles a day, depending on terrain and weather. I will be speaking to groups along the way-cyclists and historic groups and plan to take a day off every 3-4 days. I expect to be in Yorktown, Virginia by July 21st."

Rolling with friends this weekend
at the Pedaler's Jamboree
Photo by David Rainey

What will your daily schedule be?
"Up by 6am, do some yoga, break down camp by 7am. Then roll to some place I can get coffee and a roll. I will try to ride 10-20 miles from 7-9, then take a little break, the ride another 20 miles, eat lunch, and roll another 10-20, hopefully being in camp by 2pm. I then plan to explore local towns, speak at various places, and have dinner with locals. Also will spend evening blogging to you all and preparing the route for the next day. That is the basic schedule I will follow. Days off will consist of exploring towns along the W3R, mingling and interviewing the natives, and catching up on emails."

What kind of support will you have?

"The expedition is self supported, so that means I will be carrying all the gear I need. Since I will be near towns and cities, I will forage for food on a daily basis.. :) I expect to camp outside 90% of the time.

a loaded bike, a gravel road, and a
hill is the best training

What kind of training are you doing?

"I bike and walk every day for transportation. My cycling varies day to day from 10 miles minimum to over 50 miles per day. I am a strong cyclist, but not riding the heavy loaded bicycle, so I have been carrying panniers from Arkel (saddle bags) loaded with bricks and books and cycling on hilly routes to simulate the routes on the east coast. I have been doing bike overnight trips every weekend where I simulate the expedition, by riding a fully loaded bicycle and camp out overnight."

What is the route like, are you nervous?

"700 miles, though 9 states, and 5 major cities. There is more danger from cars than anything else. I have been cycling in a city for over ten years now so I am comfortable with cycling along traffic. I guess the only thing I am nervous about is once I get past PA I have never been in DE, MD, or VA. I will have people occasionally riding with me, so that should alleviate any fears. I am very excited!!!!

If you have any questions regarding the expedition, email me at bill@poindexterecruiting.com

Peace, Bill

New video and sponsor!

2011-05-25T13:51:00.007-05:00

I have a new wheel sponsor! They are making me some very strong 40 spoke wheels! In case you do not know of them, they are out of Australia. I love their mission:

Mission Statement

Velocity is committed to providing the finest bicycle rims, wheels, water bottle cages and accessories. We strive to achieve this by providing superior service, competitive pricing and premium quality products to independent bicycle dealerships, mail order houses, wholesale distributors and original equipment manufacturers of wheels and bicycles.

And here is my first promotional video...they will get better. One of the fun things about doing this expedition is figuring out how to make all the social media work.

Expedition update 5/ 24/ 11

2011-05-24T10:26:00.004-05:00

Washington and Rochambeau

W3R Expedition Update 5/24/11

The Cycling W3R Expedition is going well. Still over one month away, time slips by too fast and I feel the urgency of my To Do list!:)

If you would like to help feel free to email me or go to the Support page to find out what is still needed. bill@poindexterrecruiting.com

Tent: still needing a tent-someone asked me what kind-this would be ideal: http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/430_67/msr-hubba-hubba-2-person-tent.cfm

Why should you help?

That is a good and legitimate question!

In my own way, I am trying to make the world a better, healthier, and safer place.

1. I am going to map out, in partnership with the National Park Service, a safe

Bike Route

for future users of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R). This National Historic Trail is primarily set up for people to drive on, but only small sections are set up for cycling. No one has ever biked the entire trail or mapped out a safe route-this expedition will be the first!

2. The past meeting the present! This expedtion will increase awareness of the sacrifices made for us by the soldiers and civilians in 1781 to have the liberty and freedom we so enjoy today, but sometimes take for granted.

3. The benefits of bicycling for travel and transportation; healthy bodies and minds, cleaner environment, and stronger community.

So take your pick, or maybe you are interested in my own personal story and just want to help a person who is following his passions and dreams on a adventure.

Do not forget I will be blogging while on the expedition- I will be updating the Facebook page a few times a day, and will download video.

As this is a grassroots expedition-it needs the support of the community-you! :)

Thanks to those who have volunteered time, donated gear, sponsored, donated money, and who promote this to others.

New donations:

Thanks to these new donaters!

Debbie Simpson of Mission Hills, KS

Debbie generously donated funds! Debbie is one of my good Starbucks friends!

Dana Niles of Merion Station, PA

Dana donated funds, a possible place to stay- she lives in Philadelphia, and a Starbucks Card!

Dana too came up with a creative way and a challenge to people who want to donate but are unsure how much to give, here are her thoughts:

"Hey Bill, In support of your ride I am going to donate the amount of money it takes to fill up my gas tank. In addition, I promise to limit the use of my car, increase use of the train, my bike, and my feet, and to support (ahem; enforce) the same of my kids. I encourage everyone to do the same!"

Thanks to Mark Rainey for printing off some flyers for me!

Public Relations:

Adventure Cyclings June 1^st email newsletter Bike Bits will have a small piece regarding the Expedition. And on June 2^nd, a local NBC news station will be interviewing me. There are more things in the works.

I am so excited, and a little nervous too J Adventures like this make life interesting, getting out of your comfort zone and doing something that scares you. Trimming the fat off the soul...so to speak;)

Peace, Bill

Expedition Update 5/18

2011-05-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

I love this! Many people are reaching out to me, offering me help for the trip. I appreciate everyone’s kindness. I am amazed by social media and how it is connecting me to people.

Still passing around the helmet for donations. :) Thanks so much to Claudia Gibson from Lebanon, NH for her generous donation.

Sorry to be asking for help on this, but this Expedition cost money. Remember the money goes toward expenses: travel, food, emergency, insurance, equipment, and media gear. Please, as this is grassroots anything will help $20, $50, $100 or what you are comfortable with donating. We still need over $6000 to fully fund it? Anyone a millionaire? I will place your name on the support page, talk to you while on the Expedition via email or phone, and acknowledge you in the book.

This is a group effort, although I am the one physically biking the W3R, everyone who contributes is part of the team.

Claudia also said something to me in a follow up email that helped me refocus on why I am doing this expedition.

"I like the kind of exploration you plan to do -- making a path (and not thru the wilderness) but from a point of view -- of a cyclist, walker, person of a previous century. Like Anne Mustoe." '

Claudia paid me a huge compliment by comparing this style of trip to the travel author, Anne Mustoe.

This ride is a big deal. Following the footsteps of those people who 230 years ago helped insure the freedom and liberty we so enjoy in America, but routinely take for granted.

I am excited that I am bringing together: historians, cyclists, National Park Service, artists, alternative transportation advocates, non cyclists, kids, reenactors, Adventure Cycling Association, and hopefully...you!

Please share this site with all the people you know!

Peace,

Bill

Update and description of my Bike Overnight with tigers and lions!

2011-05-16T10:34:00.002-05:00

Quick update. All is good. I have been contacted by the local NBC news station regarding the expedition-so that will be good press. Here are some details about my solo S24O (sub 24hour overnight) this weekend. In preparation of the expedition, every weekend I will do a bike overnight where I ride solo or with friends to some cool location and camp overnight.

My overnight ride this weekend was to Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory in Louisburg, Kansas. I know the director, BJ, and she graciously let me camp on the property.

This place is incredible, if you have not been there, you need to go! It is a sanctuary for big cats, wolves, and other assorted exotic animals who have been abandoned, abused, and unwanted by Zoos and cannot be released into the wild because they are too domesticated by humans.

The staff there gives alot of love to these animals and I have alot of respect for them. My ride there was mostly blacktop, when I got to 215th and Misson is switch to gravel until I reached Highway 68. I took a left and rolled to Cedar Cove. My friend BJ was giving a tour so I got to wonder around and chat with all the animals: 6 tigers, 2 african lions, a leopard, a lynx, 3mtn lions, 3 wolves, bob cats, and some other assorted animals.

BJ showed me where I could camp and I was happy to see there was a fire ring there as the temp was in the low 50s, overcast skies, and a 20 mph wind from the NW.

Once I set up camp I went exploring around Louisburg area. When I got back one of tigers was roaring and I felt like I was in some far away exotic land, not Kansas.

The founder of the conservatory came down, mowed the grass for me, and stopped by for a chat. We talked about life and his Big Cats. He even brought me a plate of food. Talk about hospitality!

From the Cedar Cove website
http://www.saveoursiberians.org/
go visit them!

As dusk drew into night the roars subsided, and the sounds of the area came alive as did my senses. I could hear cows across the road, a horse chomping on grass in the next field, dogs barking in the distance, and there were many noises I could not identify, and the one I did not want to hear was the full sprint of a tiger toward my tent, no, that never happened-three fences, electricfied wires, and some barbed wire insured I would be unmolested, but for some reason, my imagination still ran wild.

The night was cold, 45f, with the 20 mph unrelenting wind from the NW. I kept the fire going all night...just in case. :) I woke up every couple of hours to add a log, and I could hear coyotes in the area.

I got up for good at 530 and walked up to where the wolves were, since they did not know me the alpha male started to howl, then the White Tiger came from the field he was in next to the wolves enclosure, and started to stalk me through the fence. It was intense, and even though I was safe, I started to think about escape routes. I can better imagine what it would be like to be in the wild with these animals.They are amazing!

Rolling home, this was about 8 miles out of Louisburg, Kansas

I broke camp and rolled home. I decided to take a alternative route home down Old Metcalf. The day was overcast, and the 20 mph would not let up making the ride home a trial. All in all it was a grand adventure!

Not sure where I will go next weekend. Stay tuned!

Also still need help with the funding. Please contribute to the expedition.
Peace, Bill

Expedition update 5/13

2011-05-13T13:16:00.002-05:00

Posing for photo after 50 mile ride to Leavenworth

It seems my last post was somehow deleted by Blogger as they have been having tech difficulties. So here is a fresh update!
All is going well! The expedition is still set for July1 in Newport, RI.

Funding and gear: Thanks to Kelly Haas of BKV and Tiffany Hiller for their financial support! To date there has been $870.00 donated! I still need to raise over $6000 more to fully fund this expedition, I will be doing a massive push this next two weeks, so I hope you chip in, and remember every little bit helps, $10, $20, $50... whatever you can do to help us offset expenses. Thanks to Mark Rainey for donating a temporary tent. And this just in, Eric Bunch offering to donate a tent too! Thanks to Cecilia Vigilaturo for letting me borrow her flip camera.

photo with the Tin Man in front of bike shop

Those who donate time, gear, money will get a call from me while on the expedition, mention on the site, and acknowledgement in the follow up book.

Why donate or sponsor? Good question!

I am doing this trip for free to: create a thru Bike Route on the W3R(first time been done) for the National Park Service; to promote cycling for transportation and travel, and help folks remember some of the history and sacrifices made for us so we could live in this great country of ours! And I need the help, I do not have the wallet to cover all the expenses myself.

our camp site on the Missouri River

This last weekend my friend Randy Rasa and I rode form the Kansas City Suburbs to Desoto, KS, then north to Leavenworth Kansas. We slept in tents on the Missouri River bank. The next day we rode back home. This type of adventure is called a S24O(sub 24 hours overnight). It is a great way to prepare for longer trips and a fun way to have a short adventure! I will try to do one every weekend up to the expedition!

Bill and Randy under the great mural of 1870s Leavenworth

Life is crazy for me right now. Work, expedition planning, weekend S24O trips, I am moving to new place at the end of the month, and my writing. I love it though.

I love everything I do. Oh and it looks like Velocity Wheels is going to come up with a nice set of strong wheels for the trip!

Well, that is it for now!

If you can help out, please do, this trip is a big deal, in my small way I believe I am makng the world a better place by doing th the expedition-my mission statement says it all. I am nervous and excited all at the same time! Peace to you, Bill

Expedition update May 12th

2011-05-12T09:36:00.000-05:00

Last weekends trip, we spent alot of time on gravel roads.

My head is spinning like the wheels on my bicycle! :) Between work, moving at the end of the month, weekend bike trips, and the expedition, life is anything but boring...I love it!

Thanks much to Kelley Haas of BKV Direct Marketing firm for their donation of $200! Also, thanks to Tiffany Hiller for her generous donation. As of right now I am at $870 donated for the expedition! I need to still bring in another $6000 to fully fund it, so if you can find it in your heart to help, please do.

We set up camp right on the Missouri River!

Everything is still in line for the July 1st start! I am doing short weekend cycling camping trips, called S24Os, to prepare for the expedition. Here are some pics from this last weekend trip with my friend Randy Rasa. We biked from Kansas City suburbs, to Desoto Kansas, then north to Leavenworth Kansas where we spent the night camping by the Missouri River, then we rode home the next day through hilly back roads. It was a awesome trip!

We did some urban exploring in downtown Leavenworth

This coming weekend trip should be awesome as well as I will be camping in Louisburg, Kansas on the Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary. They are a big cat rescue and I will be sleeping close to tigers, mountain lions, and they even have a couple of wolves and multiple other animals. My friend Bettie is the Director and is allowing me camp on the property.
If you would like to join me email me at

bill@poindexterrecruiting.com

Please help out if you can and be a part of something awesome!

Peace, Bill

Adventure Cycling Association now offical Cycling W3R Expedition partner

2011-04-29T05:44:00.002-05:00

Exciting news! The Adventure Cycling Association is now an official partner of the Cycling W3R Expedition.

"Adventure Cycling Association’s nonprofit mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. Established in 1973 as Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with 44,700 members nationwide.

We research and produce cycling maps for our Adventure Cycling Route Network, one of the largest route networks in the world at 40,699 miles (and growing). We publish Adventure Cyclist magazine for our membership, lead bike tours, work on bicycle advocacy projects such as the U.S. Bicycle Route System, sell bike travel gear, and provide trip planning resources for bicycle travelers.

As a nonprofit organization, all proceeds from tours, sales, and membership go directly back into supporting our mission and programs. Adventure Cycling is headquartered in Missoula, Montana."

When I got back into cycling ten years ago, I needed a place to go for practical advice about cycling for transportation and travel. I did an online search and found these folks! The cycling advice was real, no fluff, and I found it relevant in my becoming a safe commuter and traveler. They even sent me a free copy of their magazine, 2011_USBRS_Ad_180x150.jpgAdventure Cyclist.

So whether you are cycling around the Earth, or just going from your home to the grocery store, the Adventure Cycling Association can help you make your bicycling transportation dreams a reality.

Expedition update-unexpected kindness

2011-04-26T10:34:00.002-05:00

We are very happy to announce a new gear sponsor: Taddihogg Cycling Hats

Taddihogg is a brand new company.
"We are a small, two person, hand-made cycling hat company based in the Kansas City area. Our hats are designed to have a little more room for your noggin, unlike the one-size-fits-all corporate styles. We also use small batches of fabric, as well as used clothing and other garments to make many one of a kind hats. We also have in-house embroidery so we can throw on pretty much any logo you like."

Thad Carson, entrepreneur, artist, all weather bike commuter, mountain bike racer, and Postman, will be creating one of a kind hats for the expedition, which will be available in the new few weeks. We are glad to have them on board as an official gear sponsor. These has are very comfortable and stylish.

New supporters!

An expedition like this cost money, I wish it could be done for free, or personally had the wallet to pay for it all myself, but I do not. I am so grateful to those friends and strangers(now new friends) who understand the importance of supporting us. Some of these folks donated without me even asking-I told them about it and they just said, "How can I help?" What kindness.

New individuals:
Gary Mallen of Leawood, KS
John Goodwin of Mission Hills, KS

Elizabeth Bejan, Bill Poindexter, Theresa Van Ackeren
Thank you Family Bicycles and Revolve, Inc!

Mary Kimble of Blues Springs, MO Lisa Trager of Prairie Village, KS

New organizations and businesses:
Kelley Haas, BKV Marketing,
Overland Park, KS
Joy Homestead, W3R Historic Site, Cranston, RI
Theresa Van Ackeren, Family Bicycles, Kansas City, MO
Elizabeth Bejan, Executive Director, Revolve, Inc, KCMO.

Thank you to all the supporters of the expedition-for a full list of the supporters and behind the scenes team members go to the Team Member and Support Us pages.

Offer of lemonade & acts of kindness:

When I first started to conceive and plan the expedition I was told, "people along the W3R will offer all sorts of things: support, food, a place to sleep, money, parties, help, drink, and whatever else you need." The same generosity's the Revolutionary Soldiers received in 1781.

Still two months away from the July 1st start date I am finding this to be very true!

The most recent act of kindness is from Lydia Rapoza, the Director of Cranston Historical Society, Cranston, RI. They oversee the Joy Homestead and are kind sponsors of the expedition.

I received an email from Lydia the other day and she said to me, "I am looking forward to greeting you folks. Would you like some lemonade or something? You can use our facilities..."

I love that! We will not be able to stop at every historic site, but we will stop there for sure! Actually they will be our first major rest stop on the first day.

Thoughts on why we are doing the Cycling W3R Expedition:
I believe it is important to share with you my reasons for creating this, sojourn for good:

1. People all over the Earth are trying to gain individual liberty and freedom as our forefathers had to. Remembering the sacrifices made by the people of 1781, men, women, black, white, French, and American is important as we watch others now struggle to gain the same basic Liberty in 2011. Also, we should not take the Liberty we so enjoy for granted-it came at a high cost.

2. This sojourn is a chance for us to be the first expedition to map a safe bike route for future users of the W3R and it will show how bicycling for travel is a fun and responsible way to see our National Park System.

3. With the high cost of gas, high obesity rates, and demise of "mom and pop" businesses this expedition will showing how bicycling for transportation is a great way to save money, get healthier, and support local communities as people bicycle close to home and buy local.

We are just trying to make the world a better place two wheels at a time :).

Your thoughts, ideas, and help are welcome!

Peace, Bill

Expedition update April 24th

2011-04-24T10:45:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone!

Wow, just 2 months and 7 days left before the start of the Cycling W3R Expedition.

So much to do! Glad I thrive on pressure.

There are two potential gear sponsors I will be finalizing next week-if we come to terms.

The Adventure Cycling Association is will be meeting next week to consider if they will be official partners of the expedition-the original meeting was delayed for two weeks as one of their senior people was unavailable. Once this is completed I will then be contacting all bike shops, cycling associations, bike clubs, coalitions, and cyclists along the 9 state route letting them know about the expedition.

Fundraising: I am still raising funds for the expedition, so far I have raised $400, and we are still looking to raise $7,100 to fully fund it (see the Support Us page). If you have not donated yet, please do, it is very costly, and if you read our mission statement you will see it is going toward a good cause, no profit is made here.

Social media: You will be able to follow expedition on the blog, Facebook, and twitter. Not only will I be writing a daily journal, but also posting pictures and videos. Should be very exciting as I will bring you inside the expedition on a daily basis-I will tell you exactly what is going. Also, those you who donate to the expedition will be contacted by me during the expedition so I can personally thank you and give you a personal update.

Wish list: I am still in need of tent, stove, quality digital camera, flip camera, and helmet cam, and a quality GPS.

Addition thoughts:

Newport, Rhode Island 1780

Uniqueness of expedition: One of the things that make this expedition so unique is the changes in terrain of the past campared to the present. We are retracing the footsteps of Revolutionary Soldiers through some of the most densely populated areas of the

United States

. We will slip in and out of the past while rolling though hilly, tree lined, country roads, then transecting through suburban areas, and next into urban environments as we follow the 230 year old route. The biggest obstacle is traffic in the four major cities we go through to follow the original route of Washington and Rochambeau; Providence RI, Philadelphia PA, Baltimore MD, and Washington, DC. We will be imagining the terrain of the past as we roll over changes of the present.

Lastly, some folks have been asking me what kind of bike I ride while training for the expedition.

My bike being inspected by a 1781 soldier

Actually it is the same bicycle I ride all year; a 21 speed, steel frame mountain bike with a rigid front fork (means no shocks). The bike itself retails for $329. To make it more durable I added stronger 26 inch wheels and tires, but otherwise the components (parts) are the same as a new bike. I also added fenders, platform pedals, seat, carbon fiber bar ends, tire liners to prevent punctures, and a rear rack.

This bike suits me well for my lifestyle- I bike all year for transportation. It is heavy, about 35lbs, and over 40 with my Arkel Trail Rider rear trunk bag and full water bottles. If I take it on the expedition the total weight, with loaded front and rear panniers, will be 60-70lbs. This has been the most reliable bike for me over the last 10 years. But what works well for me may not be a good choice for you as it is a very personal choice and up to each individual to find what type of bike works best for them.

Thank you for following this expedition.

Please let me know your thoughts!

Bill Poindexter, Expedition Leader

Cycling W3R

Expedition planning update

2011-04-11T12:48:00.001-05:00

From photo shoot

Hi all! Thanks to many of you who have been kind enough to help us up to this point.

There are many good things happening and in the works.

Phase 1 is completed-Blog and Facebook fans page creation. Announcing the expedition. First photo shoot. Information gathering and strategic relationships with people who know the W3R-NHT.

Phase 2, now, we will be focused on gear sponsors, fundraising, marketing, and promoting the expedition via email, social media, face to face, videos, articles, news organizations, interviews, strategic partnerships, social networking, and anything else we can do to promote it. And then there is looking over possible routes on maps and google earth, as well as reading more on the history and about the people whose footsteps we will be rolling over on two wheels. :)

Logo:
We created a logo with the help of Bonnie Boyles and Kevin Ryland. This is the initial logo.

Photo shoot:
we had a successful photo shoot last week with Dave Fagerberg, a 18th century reenactor. Theme was past meeting the present-it was alot of fun and got some great pictures for marketing from it.

Strategic partnership:
Joe Dibello, with the National Park Service, the superintendent of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route has officially become a partner of the expedition. Joe will ride with us part way when we get to Philidelphia.

W3R Association is also working in partnership with the expedition, along with Robert Selig who is now the expedition historian.

This week the Adventure Cycling Association will be considering us for a partnership program...we hope to get the opportunity to work with them.

Gear Sponsor:
Yay! Arkel is now an official gear sponsor of the expedition. I have been working with Joe Kurmaskie with Arkel. We are excited to have Arkel with us!!!

Wish list:

Besides needing funding to pay for expenses; team member travel, food, gear not donated, emergency fund, occasional lodging, etc.

I have a wish list of things that are needed that you may have and are able to donate.
Tents
sleeping bags
stove
sleeping pads
bicycle tires

And things we need now to document trip:
Good digital camera-10+ pixels
Video camera
Helmet cam
bicycle GPS
back up laptop.

Well, I think that is it for now. Please help us if you can. This is a big deal and I want you to be a part of it. And we need your help.

If you love cycling, good health, adventure, American history-are thankful for the sacrifices made by the soldiers and citizens in the American Revolution, traveling by bicycle, or just feel inspired by our passion to make the world a better place... please help out.

Every bit helps.

Peace, Bill

Any ideas and thoughts are alway welcomed!

Expedition promotional video

2011-04-08T14:52:00.001-05:00

This is fun! The first promotional video/ slideshow. Showing the past, 1781, meeting the present. Feel free to pass this ony to your friends. And please support this expedition. Thank you!

How would a 1781 Continential Army Soldier react to a Cyclist from 2011?

Thanks to Dave Fagerberg of The Marchers. Dave and The Marchers are 18th century reenactors who will be marching the entire route I will be cycling this summer.

Thanks also to William Rose, Artist/Photographer for the photos!

Peace, Bill

Arkel is an official sponsor of the Expedition

2011-04-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

We are excited to announce that Arkel is now an official gear sponsor for the expedition. In my opinion Arkel makes the best panniers in the world, but they don't stop there, they also have racks, cycling wear, seat bags, rear trunks, and much more.

Arkel designs and builds the finest Bicycle Panniers for Bike Commuting, Mountain Biking, Bike Touring, or around-the-world Expeditions.

From Arkel:

I have used Arkels Tail Rider
for 6 years and 60,000 miles
and it still is my only rear trunk!

"Our designs integrate countless hours of experience from the road and in the saddle and from tons of customer feedback. There’s no place better to gather information than from the road so yes we listen and we continually try to improve our saddlebags in all aspects. We back our products with a no hassle warranty so you get peace of mind when you purchase your Arkel equipment. We also provide what we hope is the best possible customer service you can expect from a pannier company. We are dedicated to the complete riding experience from beginning to end and we know bikes and will assist you with whatever question you may have on outfitting your bike for your next ride, urban commute, tour or off road adventure."

So if you are looking for panniers or bags to keep your gear or groceries in, or rain gear to keep you warm and dry, Arkel is the right choice, and tell them Bill sent you!

Expedition photo shoot today

2011-04-05T11:06:00.000-05:00

Dave is on right

Today will be the first of many photo shoots, before, during and after the W3R Cycling Expedition. I chose an area, by a creek named, Tomahawk Creek.

The shoot will be of myself on my expedition bicycle, and of Dave Fagerberg, who is a 18th Century reenactor, who was recently seen on the PBS documentary "Dolley Madison." Dave is also one of "The Marchers" who will be walking the same route I am cycling this summer!

Today Dave will be dressed as an American Revolutionary Soldier. We will do some shots of Dave and I together, the theme, past meet the present.

Bill Rose

Our photographer today will be the artist William Rose.

Never heard of him? You will.

Bill recently did the art for the new Clint Eastwood movie, Carmel By The Sea, and is one of America's up and coming artists.

Bill will also be painting the art and some sketches in the follow up book after trip this summer.

I am excited to be having Bill help us out today.

Pictures will be posted in the next few days, and if you have not, make sure you go to the Expedition Facebook page for daily updates and photos. Make sure you click the Like on the Facebook page.

Please share this with everyone you know!

Peace, Bill Poindexter

The Expedition Plan

2011-04-04T08:48:00.001-05:00

Fact: Did you know the French soldiers ate two pounds of bread per day while on the March to Yorktown?

Our destination

Here is the plan right now:

Expedtion start date: July1

We will get to Martha's Vineyard, MA, then take a ship from Martha's Vineyard to Newport, Rhode Island.

We will start cycling in Newport, and go through RI.

We will next go into and cross Connecticut.

Then go into New York, cross the Hudson River, then drop into New Jersey.

Pennsylvania is next, and we plan to meet up with Joe Dibello of the National Park Service, in Philadelphia, where he will ride with me for a time. Next on into Delaware.

Bill Poindexter

Then will be heading into Maryland and Washington, DC, we will ride with some cyclists and law makers(hopefully) in DC. Virginia is next, and on to Williamsburg and then, to Yorktown.

This is a map of the route the French and American soldiers took in 1781. We will be following in their steps, 600+ miles atop of a bicycle!

This Cycling Expedition is a big deal.We are doing a number of things:

Promoting alternative transportation and helping with the health of : people(encouraging exercise), the environment (using bicycle instead of cars to see the Trail thereby reducing impact on environment, less traffic, noise and air pollution), and communities(cyclists will bring tourism to towns and cities along the route, plus people in communities may use the route for bicycle travel, and get to know one another a little better).

We are creating a bicycling route so generations to come can enjoy bicycling this National Historic Trail, this is a big help to the National Park Service who would like to see more people bicycling in their National Parks and Historic Trails.

We are educating people of all ages, all around the world, about the sacrifices made, by the French and American Soldiers in the in 1781, when they marched on this Epic Expedition. This is very relevant today as many people forget about the sacrifices that were made, and let us not forget, it was white and black soldiers fighting side by side, so we could have the Liberty/ Freedom we enjoy today. America is a GREAT country, we must not forget it!

We hope you join or support us!

Peace,
Bill

If you have a interest in following this trip form your chair or on the trail, let me know. If you would like to host a fundraiser, I would greatly appreciate the help. bill@poindexterrecruiting.com. To show your support of this trip, please donate what you can by using the yellow "Donate" button on the right of this page or email me and I can give you an address to mail a check to.

Please share this with your friends on facebook, and become a Friend of the Expedition at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bill-Poindexters-Cycling-Expedition-on-the-W3R-National-Historic-Trail/173027782746490

Expedition Planning update

2011-04-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

I love this, but it is not easy! :)

At least one of my cats, Coyote is trying to help.

Planning a trip like this is different than a traditional cycling tour.

The mapping, marketing, public relations, fundraising, sponsorships, equipment, strategic partnerships, diplomacy, politics of organizations and everything else is time consuming, I love it!

The National Park Service is one of our official partners, some other groups are considering the same, and some equipment companies may sponsor the trip. Fingers crossed.

I am pouring over maps, and historical documents supplied by Joe Dibello, Superintendent of the Trail, Robert Selig-our expedition historian, a map of the Connecticut section, and journals of soldiers who marched the trail 230 years ago.

I appreciate the help of all the people at the W3R-US Association for there help and promotion-great partners!

And the help of Dave Fagerberg of The Marchers! Dave and I are having some cool pictures taken next week that I think you all will like!

The Adventure Cycling Association will be considering having a strategic partnership with the Expedition, they are meeting on the 4th, and will let me know. Their mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle, plus they are incredible map makers, so their help would be invaluable. They have over 44,000 active members. Wow.

I cannot wait the expedition begins. Traveling on a bicycle, is a experience all should try at least once in their life.

A trip like this, even though it is in fairly populated areas is not without dangers. Our main concern will not be rogue elephants or hungry grizzlies, no, it will be more like a Ford Mustang, or other vehicles we will have to watch out for. I have never been on this trail.

Also a trip like this is good for the soul, adventure. Good to pare the down the fat and do something that is not altogether comfortable. Where will we sleep? How many hours per day will we bike. How long will the exploration of alternate routes take? What will the weather be like?

Adventure awaits!

Thanks to all those kind folks who sent me encouraging words of support!

Peace, Bill

Logo for the W3R Cycling Expedition

2011-03-31T11:29:00.001-05:00

These our rough sketches for a logo design...

Here I am playing off the American Revolution Flag, "Don't Tread On Me," saying in this case-"tread on me"(bike tire treads-get it?)

a Minute Man Soldier with musket, riding a bicycle, 1781 wilderness on the right, and 2011 urban on the left

This incorporates the current logos and the bicycle, with the W3R as part of the bike frame.

basic sheild type logo, with a cyclist on left and revolutionary soldier on right(or walker on the trail). I used some modern look for the bike and the soldier...fun

some of the first logos I played with...

The above are my designs in the Expedition Journal, my good friend Bonnie and her husband are working on a logo for me, but I thought I would share these.

What are your thoughts, we are open to ideas?

Some current various logos for the trail

I am trying to incorporate existing logos with bicycling, past/present, wilderness vs urban, and fun...let me know your thoughts and ideas!

Cycling the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R)

2011-03-28T07:13:00.002-05:00

Cycling the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, a National Historic Trail.

600+ miles, 9 states, the same route that French General Rochambeau used, in 1781, to march his army from Newport, Rhode Island, across Conneticut, to meet with General Washington in New York.

Then both armies marched through NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, and on to the British held Yorktown, Virginia where, together, they defeated the British and Lord Cornwallis, in the battle of Yorktown.

This summer I will, in conjunction with the National Park Service, will be Cycling the National Historic Trail-the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route on its 230th anniversary.

Primary mission: to map out a Cycling route on this National Historic Trail from Newport, RI to Yorktown, VA.

Secondary missions:

1)To promote cycling as an excellent form of transportation and as a way to see our National Park System.

2)Show how cycling for travel and transportation can improve the health of: people, environment, and communites.

3) Lastly, but most importantly, the Historical Significance of this National Historic Trail, and to honor those French and American soldiers who sacrificed so much for us to live in this great country of ours.

We will be rolling in wilderness areas, suburbia, and cities. This is one of three expeditions planned.

Your support is needed.

Making this bicycle route a reality takes alot of time and effort. We will be looking for the best and safest route for each state section of the trail. If you would like to be a part of this Expedition, right now the best way is to financially support it.

A blog site and facebook page will be launched in the next few days. You will be able to follow the expedition everyday.

You can email me directly for a address or questions. bill@poindexterrecruiting.com

Be a part of something Great!