Posts by David Berg

Aug 9

Leavetakings in Anchorage

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We set out for Alaska four days ago. Last night, we finally arrived at our Aunt and Uncle’s house in Eagle River, AK, just outside of Anchorage. They have been great to us – each of us have our own bed, we have plenty of room to work on our bikes in their garage (away from the rain, too), and the food has been delicious (spaghetti dinner tonight!).

Before leaving home, we had a media-filled morning – family photos in the morning, video interview with WDAZ, and an interview with the Grand Forks Herald all made for an eventful morning (follow the links for the full stories). Here’s an excerpt from the Herald story:

“The thing we’re looking forward to, too, is not only Argentina, but to be able to come back home and be able to start a build project with Habitat, with money we raised, and be able to work on that house and maybe see that completed,” Isaiah said.

“That would be a really cool vision for this trip — to come full circle, from starting the first day of biking to all the way when that house is completed. That’s the dream, so we hope that it can come true.”

We’re thankful for all the support from back home and for arriving here safely. It was a drive full of interesting Canadian citizens, both human and not. We also met up with 350South, a pair of cyclists who have mutually (and jokingly) agreed to become the nemeses of Bound South. We look forward to slashing their tires and spreading false propaganda about them on the way to Argentina. In all seriousness, we look forward to meeting up with them later along our journey.

We spent the earlier portion of today working on bikes and connecting with friends and family. Now, we’re onto some shopping in Anchorage. REI, here we come.

Jul 31

Seasons of Love

“How do you measure a year?”

It’s a question presented in the song “Seasons of Love” in the musical production, Rent. I had the pleasure of seeing it last night at the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre (“well done” to the entire cast and crew; it was a phenomenal performance!). For the characters in the musical, the question incites several responses ranging from various times of the day, “sunsets” and “midnights”, to units of measure, “inches” and “miles”. Realizing that these basic measurements fail to capture its value, they conclude that love is the only true measure of a year in a lifetime.

In the next ten months, each of us will be spending nearly 1500 hours on a bicycle over more than 15,000 miles of terrain. In its most raw form, we’re just three young men out on an adventure. It’s more than that, though. It’s the family that will be able to access affordable housing. It’s the stories that will be shared. It’s learning. It’s beauty in nature and life. It’s love.

It is the same love I have seen all through high school in the Fargo-Moorhead community. From my experience in Fill the Dome, Students Today Leaders Forever, and annual flood fights, I have seen the power of service and its enormous impact. To be able to serve in a unique way through this endeavor excites me because of it.

As I prepare to leave in a few short days, I am becoming more thankful for the loving friends and family that surround me. It’s those people who will always remind me to live as if there were “no day but today”.