The Road. The Ride. The Dream.
A man, his bike, and a dream. In August 2026, I’ll be Running Down a Dream and setting out on the cycling adventure and challenge of a lifetime – chasing the road for 3800 miles and 155,000 feet of elevation gain across this beautiful country of ours from Portland, OR to Portland, ME (“P2P”). Trek Travel doesn’t call it the “Cross-Country Challenge” for nothing. It’s a grueling 47-day ride across 15 states averaging almost 90 miles a day including 15 days of 100+ mile rides with 6 of those being back-to-back.
This adventure, through Trek Travel, is a lifetime bucket list item for me and I ask for your prayers for my strength and safety. This is not a sponsored fundraising ride for any specific organization, but since you’re here and reading this, I would greatly appreciate your consideration of a generous donation to 2 specific local non-profits that I support – Teach My People and the Coastal Carolina YMCA – read on for more information on that. I’ll be posting daily updates on my Blog. This site is where the road comes alive, one mile at a time. May God bless this journey!
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Phil 4:13
A Little About Me
I’ve always enjoyed staying active and finding new challenges. It’s kind of hard to spend 4 years at West Point (CNQ ’86) and 5 years as an Army Infantry Officer without gaining a deep appreciation for the benefits of exercise and healthy habits. In my younger days, I always wanted to do things that were different and hard to do – like learning to ride a unicycle. As I have gotten older, much of my personal inspiration has been about doing things that are unique and challenging – like swimming Alcatraz (3x) or the Golden Gate Bridge (2x).
Join the Journey
About the Ride
If you’ve found this site, you’re probably a friend, family member, former colleague or just someone that wants to find out what this ride is all about. Whatever the case may be, I am glad that you are here and that you might consider making a donation to Teach My People and the YMCA (see my Blog post). Even a penny a mile can make a big difference in someone’s life. In memory of my parents, Jan and Bill Duke, and in honor of Val’s parents Erble and Bill Creasman, Val and I have made a meaningful donation to both of these organizations to kick this ride off. I hope that you will join us.
For a more detailed description of each specific day and the day’s ride profile – please click on the link below and view the journey day-by-day or click on the map dots to view a specific day (ignore the “subscribe” button):
https://p2p-journal.vercel.app/r/will
My Blogs
Follow along as I document each day of the ride—sharing stories and moments that make this journey unforgettable.
I had heard from other P2P veterans that after 2-3 weeks, you begin to lose…
I have had Day 17 circled on my calendar for well over a year now….
Some people have asked me, “How’s your butt doing?”, and its a good question to…
What a day! I’ve been in a few nice hotels over the years, but The…
On a relative basis, today was an easy 43 mile ride into Bozeman – but…
It’s been 23 years since the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day” came out and I…
Day 1
Some days stretch farther than others. Today the miles seemed endless, the sun high and u…
- Miles: 86 mi
- Elevation Gain: 2,116 ft
Day 2
This morning, the sky painted itself in colors I couldn’t name. It was quiet except for the stea…
- Miles: 100 mi
- Elevation Gain: 2,116 ft
Day 3
One of the best parts of this journey has been the people I’ve met along the way. Today I stop…
- Miles: 86 mi
- Elevation Gain: 2,116 ft
