Planning the Bike Trip

 Biking from Seattle to San Diego to Chicago to Brooklyn 

    Just writing that feels like a lot but that is my plan. Biking this route will allow me to pass through the 12 of the top 13 cities with the most homeless people (7 of which are in California) as well as Grants Pass, Oregon. The city whose case against homeless citizens is currently being decided on by the Supreme Court. I will also go through Chicago where I have lived for the last 14 years and my passion for helping the homeless began. Finishing in Brooklyn is also very meaningful to me. My grandfather used to tell my Dad that my dad was more Irish than my Grandpa because my Dads mom was an Irish Citizen and the Fogarty men have been living in Brooklyn since the 1700's. I also used to tell me friends when I was little that I was born in Brooklyn. I thought it was cooler than being born in Dayton, Ohio and also it was easier to explain why I am a Jets and Mets fan. A cruel fate indeed but at least my dad was an Ohio State Football fan so I have seen some success as a fan. My AIM screenname was BrooklynBoy2010 (the year I graduated from high school) so it seems fitting that I end my ride there. New York City is also the number 1 city in terms of homeless citizens by a wide margin. I'm hopeful after my trip to be able to spend a few days visiting multiple shelters in the New York area. According to Google Maps this route will take me 450 hours to ride and I will cover 5,267 miles. I plan to ride between 50-120 miles per day and will knock the trip out in 90 days. This amount of time gives me an opportunity to plan some rest days as well as account for days with inclement weather. 

    One of the main goals of the trip is to highlight what it is like to be a homeless person in this country. I will do this by interviewing as many homeless people that would like to have an opportunity to tell their story. I think its incredibly important to understand how easy it can be to end up on the street. According to a survey by payroll.org in 2023, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. That's over a quarter of a billion people, Billion with a B. Think of the significance of that number. Any of those people could easily end up on the street if an emergency health issue arises or a car breaks down or they lose their job and they can't pay rent, there are any number of issues that could cause someone to end up on the street. During the trip I will be attempting to serve at as many of the homeless shelters along my route as I am able to. I will be prepared to camp to show what its like for homeless people in towns that don't have shelters or when shelters are full. 

    In order to document the trip fully and be able to have my kids participate and come along for part of the journey I will need to rent an RV. The cost for RV rentals range between $200-$300 a day so that will be a large part of the budget for the trip. My brother studied film at Loyola Chicago and has always dreamed of making a film. I am optimistic he will be able to join my parents on the RV so that he can film my trip as well as film the many interviews I plan on conducting along the way. My parents (my dad mainly) have always dreamed of an RV trip cross country. What better way to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary year than by following me biking across the country. That was my main sales pitch to them and it worked! I am very excited about the trip and will continue to post blogs about the plan. I don't have exact dates lined up yet but am hoping to be able to firm up dates by the end of June. Thank you for following along in my journey. I will be posting consistently across social media throughout the upcoming year with interviews I have been doing as well as updating on my bike training using the #FollowFoge. I look forward to engaging with you there! Thank you for caring about improving the lives of the people in this country impacted by homelessness!  

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