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Please support the journey

Michele keeps telling me to have faith, but I figure honest assessment, admission of responsibility, and asking for help are all important as well. I'm over my head in debt.

I'm not going to say we haven't been working, because pedaling these heavy bikes cross country is a full-time job, but we haven't been drawing regular paychecks for a very long time. We've been quite reliant upon the kindness of strangers and we are so grateful for the many gifts we have received.

Bicycling thousands of miles with a twelve year old girl and two year old twins in cloth diapers is quite a challenge (The joys of the children make it all worthwhile.). We camp when we can and try to keep our consumption habits under control, but we need to eat a lot and sleep regularly to keep our energy up. Organizing volunteer support isn't easy, because it's tough to predict exactly when we'll be somewhere.

Besides the daily necessities, we've had some relatively major bicycle expenses. Four thousand miles wear a lot of tires, not to mention the replacement of one dangerous bike (after Michele's second accident) and Tala's outgrown ride. We don't regret these expenses, because they were essential to continue the journey. Still, we hate to keep paying interest on them.

Bicycles are an effective outreach tool and the children are excellent ambassadors. We've found common ground with people of all political stripes. We've stimulated many discussions about war, oil, and personal responsibility. And I trust we've inspired many people to find more effective ways to voice their call for peace.

We're committed to stay out here until the troops come home no matter what obstacles we face. It's tough to imagine how, but we will keep it up even through bankruptcy, if we have to. We derive hope from the many people who call out blessings to us when they read our signs.

Here's the bottom line. If you can afford to deposit any funds in my checking account at the Boeing Employees' Credit Union (yes, I once worked for them), it could help us to continue. The routing number is 325081403 and my account is 3560030567. BECU's phone is 206-439-5700. Thank you very much for any support you can lend.