Bike Trio Bound for
Costa Rica
By Jillina Beaudry,
the News-Register
A year and a half ago,
three twenty-somethings
sitting on their porch
in Portland decided to
ride their bikes to
Costa Rica - more than
5,500 miles through
seven countries - to
raise money for charity.
The trio, Josh Vaage and
John Shue of McMinnville
and Andrew Berube of
Bend, have a mutual
friend, Nick Marrant of
McMinnville, living in
Costa Rica. They thought
it would be fun to pay
him a visit, and they
are all avid bikers.
"Since it's not
impossible, we figured
we would give it a
shot," Vaage said. He
said they went on to
pick a date, map a route
and seal the deal with a
handshake.
Berube said this was
their first big bike
tour together, but they
share a passion for
cycling.
"I love that the more
places I go on bike, the
stronger I get and the
more the horizons
broaden for me," he
said. He admitted,
however, "I never
thought the horizons
would stretch to Costa
Rica."
To prepare for the trip,
they spent lots of time
in the library, digging
through goods at garage
sales and scoping things
out on the Internet.
They also went on lots
of bike rides to prepare
their bodies.
After researching
charity causes, they
decided on SOS
Children's Villages,
which works to place
orphans in stable home
environments.
There is an SOS
Children's Village in
the Costa Rican city of
Limon, near the place
their friend is staying.
"We felt that SOS was a
good group to work,"
Vaage said,
communicating by e-mail
from the road. He said
they adopted as their
mission "driving in some
money to strengthen
their effort."
Each packed lightweight
camping gear and clothes
for all types of
weather, similar to what
a backpacker would take
on a long hike.
But it turned out they
weren't traveling light
enough. Vaage said he
had already shed half
the equipment he packed.
They left from Portland
in April and began to
make their way down the
coast, documenting their
journey on the web as
they moved south.
They are deep in Mexico
now, nearing the
Guatamalan border. Along
the way, they have
raised more than $8,500
for their cause so far.
They adopted the team
name "Baleen" after one
of the two major whale
categories. It's the one
claiming the gray whales
that migrate up and down
the Pacific Coast.
A typical day on the
road begins with a
breakfast of oatmeal and
mangoes. They pack up
their gear and set out.
Their days are driven by
how hungry they feel.
Vaage said they
typically ride until
they feel their stomachs
rumbling, then break for
lunch. They get back on
and repeat the routine
in the afternoon, riding
until hunger dictates a
stop for dinner.
They have been making
anywhere from 50 to 150
kilometers a day - 31 to
93 miles.
They pitch their tents
wherever they can find a
place - in the woods, on
the beach or at the edge
of towns. Now that they
are in Mexico, they have
been checking into
inexpensive hostels so
they can take showers.
To do a trip like this
one, Berube said, you
have to be a little
crazy. You also have to
care about people enough
to want to make a
difference.
"I have been extremely
blessed to be born in
the United States, and
into the family I have,"
he said. "I feel so
lucky.
"I also feel the need to
pay the world back. This
is just one of the ways
I'm trying to do that."
Along the way, they are
posting blog, photo and
video entries on MySpace,
Facebook, Flickr,
YouTube and Google Earth
and their own website,
www.baleen.org.
A blog posted July 20
indicated the trio had
made it to Puerto
Escondido, where they
had gone surfing and
visited the Tower
Bridge. But not without
incident.
On a day where the
riding was rough and the
weather boiling hot,
they got separated. When
Berube reached their
next designated stopping
point, 100 kilometers
away, he was on the
verge of collapsing from
heat exhaustion.
His companions didn't
show up until two days
later, by which point he
was frantic with worry.
They had a very happy
and relieved reunion.
Vaage said he's had to
cope with 40 flat tires
and a bout with the
stomach flu.
"It's difficult to stay
motivated when you're
sacked," he said. "I was
too tired to even type
an e-mail."
The trip has tested
their bodies and their
ability to maintain a
team focus. Overall,
though, it's been a very
positive experience.
"I think the connections
we have made with the
Mexican people have been
very meaningful," Shue
said. "It's really nice
to cross cultural
boundaries and connect
with people on a human
level."
Passing through the
desert of Northern
Mexico, they spoke to
each other for hours in
the guise of Scottish
pirates. Shue said,
"Making the hard times
good by laughing through
them beats out ordinary
laughs, I think."
They expect to reach
their destination some
time in October. And
then?
Berube plans to stay in
Costa Rica. He wants to
do something involving
bicycles.
Shue, who recently
graduated from the
University of Oregon
with a degree in art,
plans to continue making
pottery. He also aims to
explore opportunities in
the wine industry.
Vaage is committed to
assisting with the
presidential campaign of
Congressman Ron Paul, a
Texas Republican dubbed
"Dr. No" during his 10
terms in the House.
Combining Libertarian,
Constitutionalist and
states' rights
principles, Paul is
running on a platform of
individual primacy and
sharply limited
government and taxation.
The three would like to
do another cross country
bike trip some time, but
they said the planning
will be more extensive
next time.
Berube said all it takes
is choosing a
destination, mapping a
route, rounding up the
gear, choosing a charity
and spreading the word.
But the more
preparation, the better. |
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