The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Family going long distance for cause
4,200-mile trek to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
They say you never really know a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.
Well, one Hawaii family with Lake County ties is learning a thing or two about each other while riding thousands of miles together on their bicycles.
Jerry and Jessica Ziemer, along with their two boys — 12-year-old Aden and Ashby, 10 — set out May 6 on an ambitious pedal-powered journey of some 4,200 miles from Florence, Ore. to Ferry Beach, Maine.
What’s more, they’re doing it in the name of charity, as they’re riding not only to grow as a family, but also to raise money for Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
Jessica said the family began planning the trip first, then realized they wanted it to mean more than just the not-your-average family vacation.
“Basically, we decided to do the trip first. Then we had a family conversation during which we decided that we could make it about more than just us,” she said Aug. 1 inside The Bicycle Hub in Mentor, where one of the boys’ bikes was getting some brake repair work done.
She said they decided on St. Jude as a benefactor because it’s something with which Aden and Ashby could identify.
“I think that, when we talk about the fact that we have two kids, and the fact that St. Jude’s is a children’s hospital, (our boys) can relate to the children there because they’re kids, themselves,” she said, adding that everyone in her family has been blessed with good health and it’s important to give back to those who aren’t as fortunate.
Plus, she said, she appreciates the fact that St. Jude’s doesn’t send its patients’ families any bills.
“I feel good about the fact that they don’t charge anything,” she said. “It’s hard enough on these families to have to worry about the condition their children are in, let alone having to worry about how to pay for their treatment.”
By Aug. 1, Jerry said the family had traveled about 3,400 miles.
“I figured it out this morning,” he said. “Looking at the map, it’s about 800 more miles. But that’s looking at a map.”
All three Ziemers at the bike shop (Aden was getting some well-deserved rest while the family ventured into Mentor) agreed it’s been an interesting trip.
“We’re from Hawaii and, after our trip, we’re moving to Oregon. So this is a huge transition in life, I guess,” Jessica said. “I mean, we took our kids from the only home they’ve ever known. We’re riding across the country, then moving to a new home. They’ll go to a new school and have to make new friends. It’s a lot to process.”
She said that, throughout their journey, what’s touched them most has been the overwhelming amount of kindness they’ve encountered from people they’ve never met before.
“We’ll talk to people, tell them about the trip and (the fundraising we’re doing for St. Jude) and, the next thing you know, we’ll get a check from them,” Jessica said. “For example, we were swimming at a community pool and we were talking to a lady about it. She eventually went to her car and we thought she was leaving. Well, she didn’t. She actually came back with a check for us to donate on her behalf.”
She said that, on another occasion, “we were standing at a counter, paying for a campsite, and a lady said ‘I love what you’re doing. Here’s a donation. And, by the way, there’s a restaurant over there. Dinner’s on us.’ I mean, it’s just amazing. The people we’ve met along
the way and the kindness they’ve shown us has been, across the board, just amazing. Everybody wants us to be safe. Everybody wants us to be comfortable.”
She said one guy even offered up his house when the Ziemers needed a place to sleep around the busy 4th of July holiday, when accommodations were slim.
“He texted us a picture of his house, said ‘Here. This is what it looks like.’ And we wound up staying there and he even let us use his car,” she said, adding that, minutes after they departed the his house, he texted that he signed up for membership on warmshowers.org, which “is a free worldwide hospitality exchange for touring cyclists,” according to its website.
The Ziemers, who are following part of the Adventure Cycling Routes, including the TransAmerica Trail, Louis and Clark, Northern Tier, and the Underground Railroad, planned part of
their route to go through Lake County because Jessica’s cousin, T.J. Walls, his wife, Emily, and their two daughters — 6-yearold Amelia and 3-year-old Charlotte — live on Lockwood Road in North Perry Village.
The four intrepid travelers were greeted by T.J. and Amelia near the U.S. Route 20/Antioch Road intersection July 31 for an escort to the Walls’ house, Jessica said.
“Yeah, T.J. and Amelia wanted to make sure to meet them and escort them, on their bikes, to our house,” Emily Walls said with an ear-to-ear grin.
And Jessica made sure she knew how much it meant to her, Jerry and the boys.
“That meant a lot to us. It really did,” she said. “That was only the third time we had anyone else ride with us.”
Both Emily and T.J. agreed they’re in awe of
what the Ziemer family is accomplishing.
“I think it’s incredible,” T.J. said. Emily concurred. “We have two kids and I can’t imagine driving cross country with them, let alone biking,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing.”
And, to be sure, it’s been a rough journey at times, Jessica said, especially with two brothers so close in age along for the ride.
“You know at one point, I looked at Jerry and I said ‘I hope people don’t think it’s all rainbows for us because it’s not.’ I mean, it’s like dealing with normal family dynamics, except on a bicycle,” she said. “There have been a lot of emotions. There has been some frustration.”
She likened some situations to being at home and having to separate the boys by saying “just go into different rooms.”
“But, out on the road, you can’t do that. They’re still brothers, riding their bikes together,” Jessica said. “But there are a lot of times when it’s just a treat to look back and they’re just there — brothers, riding their bikes together, talking and looking around at everything and that’s pretty neat.”
Jessica said the family plans to arrive in Maine by Aug. 20 as Aden and Ashby need to be back in time to start the new school year in Oregon.
Until then, they plan to keep up their 50 to 80 miles per day/300-miles-per-week average and enjoy the rest of their epic journey.