They are on their way to Topsail, North Carolina from Astoria, Oregon and as of last Thursday, when they passed through Buckhorn and Chavies, they had already gone through nine states and traveled 4,000 miles in 66 days and still have about two weeks of pedaling left before they reach the North Carolina coast.
Amateur radio operators and outdoor sports enthusiasts, they decided to go on the Trans-America journey as a way to raise money for their foundation called Outdoor Hams, Inc., a non-profit organization they founded as a way to promote the use of amateur radio as an educational resource through creative applications in outdoor activities such as cycling, backpacking, and hiking with the aim to develop an active lifestyle while improving the general health and wellness of North Carolina’s adolescents.
Along with allowing them to see the country, the trip’s main purpose is to raise money for scholarships for North Carolina students.
“For one, it’s a good way to see the country. We’ve met a lot of interesting people, seen a lot of landmarks and museums, but we’ve also founded a non-profit so we are doing this to raise money for scholarships for North Carolina students to go to North Carolina colleges and universities,” Kelley said.
Thus far they have traveled through Oregon and Idaho, down through the Rockies and straight across the country from Colorado through Kansas, Missouri and Illinois to Kentucky. From Chavies, which is on the Trans-America route, they took Hwy 80 to Hindman where they spent the night at the Knott County Historical Society before continuing their trek on to North Carolina.
Kelley and Fleischhauer say they hope to arrive in Topsail, a small town off the coast of North Carolina, that is expecting them by October 18 for the Autumn with Topsail Festival.
And it’s these people and the students who are needing the scholarships that keep them going when they want to quit.
“A lot of people are counting on us. They are wanting these scholarships that we are raising money for. People have made donations thinking that we are going to complete the trip. They have given money to support the organization and all of the donations that are coming in are going toward the scholarships,” Kelley said. “They are not funding this trip at all so that helps drive us and also the pride in having to be there on October 18. If we don’t show up at the festival that is being held at Topsail, it will be pretty embarrassing. We’ve got to be there. There is a town waiting for us. That definitely keeps us going.”
Fleischhauer added, “It’s gratifying to finish something you start, too. That’s another thing that keeps me going as well.”
They are funding the 4,500 mile trip with their own money and camp out in parks or camp sites or stay at local fire stations.
Fleischhauer said, “We camp as much as we can and stay in city parks and camp sites” while Kelley added, “We rely on city parks a lot for places to stay and when we come into town we’ll go the fire station or the sheriff’s department or the police department and ask them if there is a place in town where we can put up our tents for the night and generally they will let us sleep in the city park or even let us stay at the fire station or something like that.”
Both men left their jobs to go on the trip. Kelley, who works for a boiler repair company in Raleigh, is on a sabbatical from work while Fleischhauer had to leave his job to take part in the journey.
“I had to leave my job in order to do this trip. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a while and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way,” Fleischhauer said.
Aside from the dogs, they say their trip through the Commonwealth has been pleasant and that Kentucky has the most courteous drivers in the country.
“We’ve had a lot of dogs chasing us through the mountains. We haven’t had any attacks or anything but they will get your heart going,” Kelley said while Fleischhauer added, “Most of the mean ones are tied up thankfully.”
Fleischhauer went on to say that most of their close calls with vehicles came out west with the RV’s in Yellow Stone Park because “there wasn’t much of a shoulder and these RVs will try to squeeze by you. Mark was taking notice that Kentucky has the nicest people as far as motorists go.”
Kelley added, “In Kentucky the drivers have been the most courteous. People stop and wait for a clear lane to pass around us and we didn’t see that through most of the country.”
On average they travel 50 to 55 miles a day and have 80 days to do the trip. For more information about Outdoor Hams, Inc. or to check Kelley and Fleischhauer’s progress go to www.outdoorhams.org.
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