Falling in love with America, one stranger at a time

WORLAND - Worland resident Dave Bostrom got a call Tuesday from his friend George Bryce of Casper. That call led the Bostroms, Dave and Jeri, playing hosts for one night to a cross-country traveler.

Rory Macleod of San Francisco gave up his job at Apple a month ago to begin a cross-country trip on his bicycle, fulfilling, he said, a lifelong dream.

Macleod knew the Bryce family, having come to Wyoming for George's son, Chris' bachelor party and wedding. That connection brought Macleod and the Bostroms together Tuesday night.

Macleod started his journey on July 7, dipping his back tire in the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. He said tradition for cross-country bicyclists call for the back tire to be dipped in the Pacific and the front tire then dipped in the Atlantic.

"Biking's been my passion. I have always dreamt of riding across the country," Macleod said. Over the last few years as he was "living his normal life," he became frustrated with the negativity across the country in society and in the media.

"I wanted to re-fall in love with America and the people.

He said while biking last year in the Canadian Rockies he realized it was never going to be a good time to make his trip but there was also "no better time than now" because he is a 36-year-old single male with no mortgage.

He spent the year planning the trip and as he was planning, people wanted to help him financially. He said he didn't need financial assistance so he sought out a way to make the trip "bigger than myself."

He selected the charity World Bicycle Relief to raise funds throughout the trip. His goal is to raise $14,700, enough for 100 bicycles that are donated to developing countries, especially to women in Africa to allow them to get to school. He has already raised $11,000, the majority of which was raised prior to him leaving.

The WBR website, http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org, shows the motto as "mobilizing people through the power of bicycles. We envision a world where distance is no longer a barrier to education, healthcare and economic opportunity."

Macleod said, "I'm very fortunate to be able to afford a bicycle like this and take a trip like this. If someone wants to help they can give to World Bicycle Relief."

He said he researched the charity and anyone can find more information at the charity's website.

He said having this cause to ride helps "on really hard days, I remember there are people in the world who need this."

Macleod's bicycle, a Co-Motion American-made cycle has a power generator so he can charge his phone while pedaling. He said he has everything with him as he travels, transportation, food and shelter.

As for his first initial goal of the trip - falling in love with America, Macleod said the trip "has changed me. At 3 p.m. today, I didn't know where I would be staying, then I get a text and I met some remarkable people (Dave and Jeri Bostrom). It refills my piggy bank of kindness."

Macleod said the traffic has been remarkable, including the heavy traffic through Yellowstone National Park. "I would 99 percent have given me a wide berth and I give them a little wave."

He has used maps from Adventure Cycling to help plan the trip as they include campgrounds and bicycle host sites on maps. However, they don't have a map of Wyoming and with his ties to the Bryce family, Macleod said he wanted to make sure he went through Wyoming. He will get back on the Adventure Cycling route in Minneapolis, he said. He hopes be in Maine in about three months and then likely head to Florida and possible make it a full round trip, heading back to California via a southern route.

"The thing that continues to humble me is how generous people can be," he said, including the Bostroms. He noted that at Wapiti he was given free ice cream from a business owner, at one full campground in Montana the campground hosts allowed him to pitch his tent behind their space. Another campground was reserved for a family reunion and the family "adopted" him for the night.

He said there is a bicycle host where 16 different bicyclists were staying when he was there.

"Americans have shown their true colors and there are some amazing people."

Macleod's visit also impacted the Bostroms. Dave Bostrom said Wednesday afternoon, "It was absolutely phenomenal. When he left this morning, Jeri and I just looked at each other and said 'wow, that was cool.' It gives Jeri and I a little bit different perspective on life, too. You get jaded over the years about selfishness and there is not a lot of selflessness in the world.

"Here's a kid that has been somewhat successful in the work he did with Apple. He didn't retire. He quit his job to go do something he wanted to do. He found a way to do it and help others while he was doing it. There are some selfless people in the world that will go do those things."

Macleod said he encourages everyone to "find whatever they are passionate about and do it."

People can follow Macleod's blog at roryrides.com.