San Francisco to Norfolk

[Adrian Hands]

News reports from Chapel Hill News regarding a group of Chapel Hill cyclists riding from San Francisco to Norfolk this summer: 'The loneliest road in America' Local cyclists cross the Sierra Mountains and roll out across the Nevada desert. Six Chapel Hill teens and two local team leaders flew to San Francisco on June 11 for a cross-country bicycle trip back east. The cyclists — Chris Allen, Chris Bukowski, Josh DiMauro, Will Hussey, Beau Long and Sam Ward, along with leaders Brian Burnham and Greg Mu — dipped their wheels into San Francisco Bay on June 13 before heading out. The trip will raise money for the American Heart Association and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Covenant. The group’s plan is to bike all the way to Norfolk, Va., and as they travel across America, Burnham will e-mail periodic dispatches from the road. His first was sent Monday from somewhere in Nevada: Nothing really reminds me how great a long-distance bike trip is like . . . another long-distance bike trip... More...

[Adrian Hands]

(News reports from Chapel Hill News regarding a group of Chapel Hill cyclists riding from San Francisco to Norfolk this summer)

'Only an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet could mend us'

Six local teens, along with two local guides, are spending the summer bicycling across America for the adventure and to raise funds for the American Heart Association and the Carolina Covenant. The group departed San Francisco on June 13, heading east.

Co-leader Brian Burnham has sent periodic e-mail dispatches detailing the group’s journey whenever he’s been able to find a public library with an Internet connection.

His latest dispatch, sent on Tuesday:

The last computer I saw was a while ago, but then again the last grocery store I saw was a while ago...

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[Adrian Hands]

News reports from Chapel Hill News regarding a group of Chapel Hill cyclists riding from San Francisco to Norfolk this summer:

'The people are so nice it's almost scary'

Last month, six local teens and two guides left San Francisco on a bicycle journey across America. The group has made its way slowly east — climbing the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains, crossing blazing desert flatlands, facing 30-mph headwinds and torrential downpours — bound for Norfolk, Va.

Whenever they reach a town where they can stop at a public library with Internet access, co-leader Brian Burnham — assistant scout leader for local Boy Scout Troop 39, to which five of the six teens belong — sends an e-mail dispatch.

Here’s his latest, which arrived Monday from somewhere in Kansas:

We were warned by countless people that Kansas would be infinitely boring. Not so. It’s hard to describe how good the state can be...

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[Adrian Hands]

'Missouri racked up a big score on us ...'
Published: Jul 29, 2005

A half-dozen local teens and two local guides, most of the them associated with Chapel Hill Boy Scout Troop 39, are bicycling across the country this summer, both for the adventure and to raise funds for the American Heart Association and the Carolina Covenant.

Brian Burnham, one of the group’s leaders, has sent periodic e-mail updates from the road, whenever he can find a public library with Internet access.

Here’s his latest dispatch, sent Monday from somewhere in Missouri:

Through a number of years in middle school baseball now, I’ve learned quite a few things. But one of the top keys to winning is:

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[Adrian Hands]

Terrible news ends ride for one bicyclist

A group of local teens has spent nearly two months bicycling across America, from San Francisco to Norfolk, Va., under the guidance of two Chapel Hill leaders, Brian Burnham and Greg Mu.

As they’ve traveled, Burnham has sent periodic dispatches via e-mail recounting the struggles and joys of their journey.

The group had reached Kentucky when Burnham received the terrible word on Aug. 4 that his father, Larry Burns of Charlotte, had died.

Burnham left the group to return to his family in Charlotte, and many of the parents of the boys making the trip attended his father’s funeral.

The rest of the group pushed on. They expect to arrive today in Norfolk. Here are Brian Burnham’s most recent posts:

Life can definitely throw some nice fastballs at you,

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