Four Flats and a Stone House with Cats

by Chris Wilkin '83

A cold Saturday morning on April 8, 1984, changed my life forever.

I was standing at the east entrance of Nazareth College with my two college roommates, our families, and friends. Brett McAvoy, Paul Brown, and I were all 1983 graduates from Nazareth and were moments away from starting a 2,000-mile bicycle trip across the country right from the campus!

Brett, Chris & Paul. Little did we know...

We said our final goodbyes and right at 9 a.m., just as the Nazareth College chimes rang out announcing our epic departure; we climbed aboard the vehicles that would take us to places unknown and were off!

Our bicycles were each loaded down with the gear we would need for the long trip. The only problem was, we hadn't ridden our bikes recently as winter had just ended, and we had definitely not ridden them fully loaded. The icing on the cake: It started to snow!

Our first few feet were precarious as we wobbled unsteadily through the Nazareth campus. We prayed that none of us would topple over with our “fans” still waving us goodbye in the distance.

Here we go!!

Well, we made it through the first day without toppling; but our epic journey didn't start out as well as we had hoped. Both Brett and I ended up having two flat tires each! (We found out later the reason was improper tire inflation caused by the extra weight of our gear.) We also had to fight the cold and wind the entire day and only covered 25 miles. With dusk fast approaching, while Paul and Brett fixed the fourth flat, I took on the task of finding a place to sleep for the night. Luckily, I tracked down a woman named Ann Brown who kindly opened up her home and let us stay the night. Ann had an old stone house which was a bed and breakfast during the summer season.

Ann also had a bunch of cats! Two of which sat right in my lap as soon as I sat down!!

Getting Ann's address and writing the first entry in the journal (with two furry friends).

Before we left on our cross-country journey, Brett, Paul and I had decided to keep journals of the trip. As we settled in for the night, we began to write our first entries. As the cats purred on my lap, I came up with the idea of "naming the day," where we would take turns coming up with a short rhyme that would describe the day's events. I named our first day "Four Flats and a Stone House with Cats."

As part of our gear, each of us carried a one-man tent. Though we were lucky enough to not need them the first night, there were plenty of nights that we did.

My VIP suite; sometimes we got creative!

During our two-month trip, all of us became road warriors, taking on any situation we encountered. We learned how big our country was and how small our country was… Each day, we never knew what was waiting for us, how far we would ride, or where we would end up.

Throughout our trip, we had the good fortune to meet countless, kind-hearted souls along the way.

Like Sue Trescott, who came up to us one day as we were taking a snack break in a small town. She was a biker too and wanted to know all about our trip. She gave us directions to a nice restaurant in the next town and ended up meeting us there and buying us dinner!

Or Officer Nicky Watson of the Waverly, Tennessee, Police Department, who let us sleep in his jail cells one night while it poured outside- which kind of freaked out my Mom when I told her the next day.

 Officer Nicky Watson; locked in for the night!

Besides our "night in jail," we did have our share of rough nights. For instance, on another cold and rainy evening we ended our day's ride in Fredericksburg, Virginia after dark. We asked the local police where we could camp, (a good habit we had gotten into). They gave us directions but we ended up sleeping in our hammocks cold and uncomfortable because we couldn't find the camping spot the police had told us about. Paul gave up about 2 a.m., rode back to the police station, and slept on one of their benches. None of us got much sleep that night.

Brett and I had a restless night in hammocks while Paul curled up on a police bench to sleep.

The next morning was Easter Sunday, so after a quick breakfast we rode on and decided to stop at the first church we saw and attended service.

It sounded like a good idea until we spotted a church and realized everyone was dressed in their Sunday best. We were in the clothes we had slept in, had scraggly beards and hadn't showered in a couple of days! But at that point we were committed so we headed in. As we walked up the steps, we started getting curious stares. Then the pastor greeted us at the door and asked about us. He was very welcoming, so that helped our insecurities until he introduced us during his sermon! Everyone in the church turned and stared at the newcomers as the three of us slipped lower in our pew. 

We survived the service and as we exited the church we were soon surrounded by curious church goers. We felt like celebrities as everyone started asking questions. That's when we met the Wrights, who asked if we'd like to join them for Easter Dinner. I gladly accepted. A moment later another couple asked Brett and Paul the same thing! Since the Wrights asked us first, we thanked everyone else for their kindness and headed to the Wrights house, following their car.

The Wright family 

We were immediately welcomed in by Andrew and Ethel Wright and their daughters Barbara and Elizabeth. We gathered around the living room fire, chatting with Mr. Wright and his older daughter Elizabeth as Mrs. Wright finished preparing the meal. All of us were soon gathered around the table enjoying a delicious Easter dinner. We stuffed ourselves on turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and pie. 

As I ate, l glanced outside at the rain coming down and thanked the lord we had met the Wright family. After the meal we helped clean up (as much as Mrs. Wright would let us). Later on, Elizabeth even gave us a historical tour of the area and Mr. and Mrs. Wright insisted that we stay the night. The Wrights were very special people!

The name for the day ended up being "After a Wet, Cold, and Unhappy Night Came Easter Sunday and Things Were All Wright!"

Countless others in every small town in every state we rode through gave us guidance, offered to help or just stopped to talk. Everyone was curious...Even the animals got into the act.

Brandy was a big black, loveable dog who was our 15-minute friend. She lumbered up to greet us one day wagging her tail. She seemed to always have a big dog smile. Brandy probably would have come with us if she could.

Then there was a mare and her colt who came running up to say hello as we leaned against their fence on a lunch break.

All and all, we covered seven states: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas.

This included riding through parts of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains.

The trip was a fantastic adventure that Brett, Paul and I talk about to this day.

I'm proud of what we accomplished on our 2,000 mile journey. We learned a lot about ourselves and a lot about what this country is made of. The three of us learned we had the strength and courage to keep going no matter what. We learned this country has wonderful small towns full of friendly people that are quick to smile and offer their help if needed.

Even this many years later, I still miss sleeping under the stars. When I see a bicyclist loaded down with gear, I know what they are going through and whenever I can I walk up and say hi, ask them about their trip and wish them luck.

Look for our follow up story. Thirty-seven years after that ride the three of us plan to explore the Rocky Mountains on a reunion bike ride this fall!

2022 update: Read "The Reunion"