It all started about 30 years ago (or even before that if you count the day she got her first bike). Pat Acker asked her mother, Bev, "Mom, can I ride my bike across America?" Even though she was 18 at the time, she was told, "No, too dangerous." So she had to slake her touring crave with a spin of the Maine coastline that summer on a three speed.

But she could dream …

Degree. Marriage. Son. Daughter. (Dogs.) 1997 skids in and Pat (now known as Pat Acker-Bailey of Mechanicsburg) has a cousin Jeff (Astle) who announces his plan to bike the continent — in spite of having multiple sclerosis. Now Pat is chomping at the gears but can’t get away for three months. She plans to meet Jeff for the New York State-Maine leg but he makes great time and gets to New York before Pat’s vacation. She can’t join him, but is worried that he’s traveling alone in July with MS and no one knows where he is. Pat finally tracks him down and gives him several days’ succour, and he goes on.

Still, she dreams…

Now they are six. Mother (Bev Acker), daughter (Pat Acker-Bailey), granddaughter (Carey Bailey), cousin (Jeff Astle), cousin’s wife (Leslie Drahos), and friend, (Carrie Curtis), join together to become Pat’s dream team for the "Spirit of Our Ancestors Bike Tour 2000"!

A year of training begins. First, the weight room, starting last July, and then, of course, the riding. The miles increase over the weeks and months, gradually averaging 20-30 miles per day. "The rest of the team average is a little higher," explains Pat. "Since I am training with Carey (daughter, 13), I have to pace to her level. By starting before the team each day, we should be caught up about two weeks into the tour." They also take "Effective Cycling Training" with the American Wheelman Association. The course covers skills such as panic stops, down hill technique, rock dodges, and dealing with traffic.

The mental preparation is equally challenging. Along with working until zero hour, "taking a teenager certainly adds to the stress," relates Pat. "Although Carey is strong and well trained she didn’t plan to go at first."

Pat adds that her daughter was at first thrilled with the idea that her mother would be gone for three months, but when grandmother Bev signed on as SAG (support vehicle) driver, Carey couldn’t spend most of the summer with her in Maine as usual. When Pat asked her to go, she said, "No way!" But the idea caught on and now she has three goals: to explore America, to get a tan, and, of course, to raise money.

Carey catches the fever …

"It’s really neat to see the reactions of my friends and teachers when I tell them my plans," beams Carey. "I will be learning so much and helping charities … look at me now!" A teacher suggested places to visit and Carey will act as the official Trivia Contest Host for the team. Her worries include missing out on fun with friends, exhaustion, and sore legs if she skips a day of riding. "I’ll have to focus and pace myself," says Carey, "so I don’t miss many days." Carey read Hey Mom! Can I Ride My Bike Across America?, by John Boettner, to prepare, and chose the American Cancer Society as her sponsored charity.

And the dream meets reality…

Equipment. Supplies. Information. Communications. The last will be handled with two-way radios and Pat uses a Sharp Pocketmail unit for faxes and e-mail. Each member gets a route map for the daily itinerary and expected conditions. Tents, sleeping bags, tool and first aid kits, cooking gear, spare parts, tire pumps, lights and reflectors … (whew! … most of this on each bike!) plus the crucial strap-on-your-back hydration packs with a mouth tube for non-stop access. A cyclometer logs mileage, speed and cadence.

Specialized clothing includes helmets, no-chafe chamois lined shorts, jackets, skullcaps, gloves, lightweight nylon/latex wicking tops, pants and socks, bike shoes, even tights for warmth. And for the soul, Pat has installed a tape player on her bike for inspirational music.

And, then of course, there are the bikes. Pat will command a Trek 520 Touring bicycle ("Even the tires scream out ‘Tour 2000,’" Pat swears) and Carey just got a Cannondale handed down, weighing in at 48 and 22 pounds respectively. Most touring bikes are hard on the knee muscle (vastis medialis), so Pat had hers geared down to a triple chain ring.

The dreamy vision of landscapes blurs …

These bikes and the equipment will take Pat, Bev, and Carey from Washington State across the northern tier states, around Lake Michigan, through the Midwest and up through New England to Acton, Maine, culminating in a family reunion celebration.

"We have no mandatory schedule," says Pat. "No pressure. I will enjoy 4:30 a.m. sunrises, loosely averaging 50 miles per day, as long as the weather cooperates."

Each team member is sponsoring a charity and encouraging anyone to join them or choose their own. The three are raising funds for charities as well known as the American Cancer Society (Carey), the Kidney Foundation (Bev), Susquehanna Service Dogs (Pat), and our local New Hope Ministries, as well as the more distant Center for Deaf Studies at Emerson College, Boston, and the far flung St. Anthony’s Orphanage in Italy.

"Please join us and support your charity," invites Pat. "Help us double our original goal of $4500.00 (one dollar per mile)." The total at this writing is $5900.00 and rising.

A book by Barbara Siegert, "Bicycle Across America" quelled many doubts for Pat. "She makes crossing the continent accessible," says Pat of the author. "She gives you the feeling: ‘I can do this!’" And she is.

The dream……is now.

To track progress of SAT 2000, log on at www.evarietymall.com; click on "Spirit of Our Ancestors Bike Tour 2000"; sign up for email; sign guestbook; read daily journal; click on route map; and read team bios. To make a donation, make out a check payable to the charity of your choice and mail it to: "Spirit of Our Ancestors Tour 2000," Al Acker, Treas., PO Box 25, Bowdoinham, Maine 04008.

For biking info (if you’ve caught the fever, too), contact the Harrisburg Bicycle Club, Mark Riordan, Pres., 717-730-9696.