Page 29 - Fall 2021

Of course, there were hard days, but the people made it all worth it—not just his friend, Phil, and his wife, Gale, who were along on the ride, but the many people he met along the way.
“We met a family who sold maple syrup and maple candy and a girl in Indiana who bought her own antique store,” Barry said. “It kind of restores your faith in America.”
Barry’s church group, family and friends at home were also a huge motivation to keep him riding. They kept up with his adventure through his blog, papabur1942.blogspot.com, where he published an entry every night.
Barry’s daughter also rallied many friends and family to write him personal notes. Barry would read three or four a day. If he ever felt like quitting, he would say, “Just remember, we are going to Maine!”
This 4,000-mile, coast-to-coast ride also wasn’t Barry’s first. In 2009, he cycled a similar trail. When he got home to his wife, he said, “It’s too good to do one time.”
Previously, Barry and Margaret had planned to do the ride again in 2020, but COVID-19 made them take a yearlong rain check. This time, it took eight days longer than it did in 2009, which Barry attributes to the loss of secluded trails and the addition of more interstate riding.
Now that he’s back in Oconee, he misses the consistency of knowing he would ride almost every day.
On the differences between his two cross-country rides, Barry observed, “The world is much busier than it was in 2009.”
“When we went over the dune to the ocean in Maine back then, there were four people on the beach,” he recalled. “This time, the beach was just packed.” The couple also saw more “now hiring signs.”
However, one thing that stayed consistent 12 years later was the friendliness of strangers.
Since returning to Watkinsville, Barry keeps himself busy with his drawings and paintings, which he sells on Etsy. He even painted the nursery at the church and has written four children’s books.
“I tell Margaret, ‘I don’t know why people buy these things, it takes me 15 minutes to do them,’” Barry said of his artwork. Currently, Barry is illustrating a book for a North Carolina author. And he hopes to keep biking consistently.
Barry used to say to people, “I don’t want to die when I’m 65 and be buried when I am 75.”
Of course, Barry has now surpassed that age threshold, but biking across the country certainly helped him stay true to his word.
Promoting Independence | Enhanced Security | Therapeutic Activities Programming
BOGART AND WINDER LOCATIONS
www.landingseniorliving.com (706) 705-1450
A DYNAMIC LEARNING AND SOCIAL COMMUNITY FOR ADULTS AGED 50+
JOIN OLLI@UGA TODAY FOR ENGAGING CLASSES, SHARED INTEREST GROUPS, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, AND EVENTS!
Lifelong Learning for those 50+
olli.uga.edu · 706-542-775
FALL 2021 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | PAGE 27