For traditional-aged college students, this is often the time of life most commonly used for exploration or adventure before quickly immersing ourselves into the real world. That being said, why not live out our dreams to the fullest during these years if given the opportunity? In fact, this idea is exactly what junior electrical engineering major, Jake Brown lived by for the 2017 fall semester.

       

After careful consideration, Brown decided to take that semester off of school in order to bike all the way from Erie to the West Coast. But what’s the catch? He embarked on this journey by himself. As a young single man with no children or major responsibilities, he thought to himself, “What is stopping me from taking a semester off and going on the adventure of a lifetime right now?” He ultimately decided that the answer to that question was nothing so he took action and the rest was history.

       

While he could have done this trip over the summer instead of taking time off of school, the weather across the country seemed most favorable over August and September. But missing out on school for a few months was not going to tear Brown apart. “Taking a semester off is a lot easier than many people may realize and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about taking a break to work or adventure or both!” he encourages.

       

He left his home in Erie on August 13, 2017 and traveled through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Much of this trip was actually done on roads that connect cities long distance which predate the interstate system, especially in the Midwest. Farther out West, however, it is legal to bike on interstates. Brown even found himself feeling comfortable on the 10 to 12-foot shoulders with cars speeding past at as high as an 85 miles-per-hour speed limit. After about a month and a half of traveling by bicycle, Brown ended on the beach in Los Angeles on September 27. 46 days and 2,744 miles later and he was able to make a dream come true.

       

But it wasn’t all about the biking itself. “I learned that people are inherently good,” he confesses. Many of the people in his life warned Brown to be careful with who he trusts, but he says that he never felt in danger from anyone. “Only dogs and the police bothered me- I’d sometimes camp in illegal places,” he shares. With a tent attached to his bike, he searched for campsites in quasi-legal places, most often on the side of the road or in a public park. Dozens of people also helped him beyond belief throughout his trip.  When he didn’t sleep in a tent for about a third of the trip, he would stay in a hotel room, Airbnb, or be welcomed into someone’s home.

       

One of Brown’s favorite memories happened just after crossing into Colorado. He found the perfect campsite in a huge city park with beautiful grass. It was a clear night so he decided not to put the rainfly over his tent. However, he was awakened at two a.m. by a sprinkler shooting into his tent. “I learned that out West if you see nice grass, that means sprinklers,” he shares. “I didn’t camp on the grass again the rest of the way”

       

He was so into this journey that he cycled 100 miles every day for the last five days. He claims, “I was so into the lifestyle and loving every second of it. I only came home because I ran out of money!” In terms of another round of adventure, Brown is already planning his next bike tour.