Cedar Falls Editor's Notebook: My Sister, Cycling Across America

My little sister is riding her bike across America.

She's way tougher than I am.

Today, Jamie Gowans, who grew up here in Cedar Falls and now lives in Iowa City, started cycling. Her plan is to ride from Florence, Oregon, to Iowa, hopefully in time to meet up with RAGBRAI.

The route, known as the TransAmerica, will cover more than 2,000 miles between Florence and here. It is an established route, well mapped by countless previous bikers. She's got a killer bike, top-notch camping gear, GPS and maps. She's been preparing for months, planning, talking about the trip and doing research, running and riding to get in shape.

She's still nervous, and so are we, her family.

Mostly, though, I'm excited for her. The world is full of adventures waiting to be lived, and she's living one. She's taking on a huge, hard trip because she wants to explore America, because she wants to expand her horizons and because she wants to challenge herself. I'm proud of her.

We've set Jamie up with a Patch blog, so hopefully you'll be hearing updates on her trip directly from her. In the meantime, here's a photo she sent from the start of her trip today.

Cheers, Jamie, and happy cycling.