It's a Real Life Oregon Trail!!
Silas and Amanda are embarking on an epic journey, and you can be a part of it without leaving the comfort of your couch!
Follow the adventure as they ride the 3,254 mile Lewis and Clark Trail from Astoria, OR to Hartford, IL on their bicycles. For two months they will brave the Great American West, over the Rocky Mountains and across the wind-swept Great Plains, supplied only with what will fit on a bicycle. (Merriweather Lewis and Wiliam Clark took 29 men and a dog with them. Who are the great American explorers now?)
The trail from Astoria to Hartford is three thousand two hundred and fifty-four miles. That's a lot of miles for two witty, clever people with sore bums to be creative. So, we've created a zine, and to celebrate that epic distance (I'm pretty sure I read on Wikipedia that it's the distance from the Earth to the Moon) we've named it, Mile 3254. Each edition will be handcrafted along the trail using glue, pens, sticks, menus, maps, and who knows what else. For a $25 subscription three editions will be delivered to your home by post during the summer. It's like National Geographic, but with totally awesome doodles. This website will also be kept up to date with pictures, videos, mileage updates, and a quote board.
The ride is being done in honor of Andy Zimmer, a friend of Amanda’s who was hit by a car while riding his bike and is now in a wheelchair (doing wonderfully). And, because we are who we are, 20% of the subscription fees will be donated to the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma where Silas has worked for the past year and half to further their mission of assisting refugee families in the St. Louis area. To find out more about the Center visit http://www.stlcenterforsurvivors.org/.
Trust us; you don’t want to miss this opportunity to see what sort of creative genius comes from riding a bike for 8 hours a day – or what kind of spectacular breakdown can happen amidst the rolling hills of South Dakota. To experience the best in handcrafted and online journalism, help Silas and Amanda eat, and support St. Louis area refugee families – subscribe today.
You can mail a check to Silas before May 31st at:
Silas Allard
4519A Flad Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
Or subscribe online by clicking the Subscribe button to the right.
We hope you’re as ready as we are.
Silas and Amanda
