My house sits right on a national bicycle route that starts in Washington State and ends in Washington DC. A few years ago, a solo rider sat with me on my lawn over some lemonade. This was his second bicycle journey across the country, and during his first ride, he was on a tight budget. He was reminiscing of the first ride when he was much younger; recounting the many families who had let him camp in their backyard, shower, sleep in an extra bedroom, or fed him a meal. I made the comment that things must be very different now, and his reply was simple:
“People haven’t changed at all, everywhere I go I run into kindness. Everywhere I go I am still overwhelmed with the generosity I receive from complete strangers.”
That day I decided to do an XC journey on a bicycle. I enlisted a couple of good friends and we committed to doing this by age 50. Then life happened, and now I am a year behind my 50th summer, the friends cannot come, and my desire is more about showing people we can trust in Americans than it is about sightseeing or the physical challenge.
As I have had the privilege to work with hundreds of Law Enforcement officers on Securewarrant.com, and have found that the vast majority are simply awesome people who are humble, respectful, and caring. The media portrayal of law enforcement as the enemy is just another form of prejudice in my mind. I want to prove that the ties that bind us are stronger than the many forces trying to divide us.
The Blue Ribbon is the small-town symbol of “Best” at a county fair, and I deeply believe the overwhelming majority of law enforcement are regular people acting at their best every day. By asking for their help every day on this journey, I think you will see the kindness, dedication, and generosity I have seen.
As I approach each town on the backroads of America, my hope is that a Highway Patrol or Sheriff's Office Deputy will carry my gear to the next town to enable me to keep riding. God knows I can't carry it 4000 miles at my age. I also hope I can meet some folks who will ride a piece with me, maybe have a cup of coffee or a beer, and show me the best part of their town. I won't lie, it would be nice to be able to chat about our software with agencies along the way, and how we can help deal with serious crimes in much less time, but its more important to me that this ride demonstrates, in some small way, the unity we all want to believe is still there among us.
John Schroeder
Blue Ribbon Bike Ride
https://www.facebook.com/BlueRibbonBikeRide
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The Route
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