Knights of the Central Coast

Velo Club Monterey hosted the traveling Harrison family (AKA Pedouins), giving Monterey County residents a chance to meet up with this inspiring family, and making sure the Harrisons had safe passage through our county.

Not saying that VCM will pull every visitor uphill, but if you have 3, 5, and 7 year olds on a quint bicycle heading from Kentucky to Alaska, give Velo Club Monterey a heads up. It looks like they’ll take very good care of you!

Muchas gracias, VCM! You epitomize what Bicycling Monterey is all about—doing whatever is possible to help more people bicycle in our beautiful county.

Devian Gilbert (upper) and Charles Humphrey (lower) give the Harrison family a boost.  Photo courtesy of Steve E. Anderson.

A little help from Velo Club Monterey

See those Velo Club Monterey jerseys? Look to me like shining armor!

These modern-day knights on California’s Central Coast gave added strength on an uphill climb to a family of long-distance travelers:  Bill and Amarins Harrison, and daughters,  Cheyenne, age 7, Jasmine, 5, and Robin, 3.

Devian and Charlie, along with photographer Steve Anderson, are members of the Velo Club Monterey racing team. The trio helped the Harrison family get to Marina safely, where they were headed to pick up a donated GPS system.

Bicycling Monterey is grateful to acknowledge:

• Steve E. Anderson for sharing the Harrison family’s Monterey County story through his photographs
• Larry Parsons and Vern Fisher and the Monterey County Herald for featuring the Pedouins in a front-page story on 3/16/10
• Melanie and Jon Stackpole of Monterey, for graciously hosting the Harrison family in their home
• Marina REI for donating a GPS system to the Pedouins, so people can track them online
• Devian Gilbert of http://www.AsanaCycles.com , Charlie Humphrey, and Steve Anderson for serving as personal guides for the visiting family
• Monterey Off-Road Cycling Association (MORCA) and Velo Club Monterey members and friends for spreading news of the Harrison’s visit, and for their generosity that resulted in the Harrisons departing Monterey County richer in spirit and pocketbook
• And not least of all, the lovely Harrison family, for inspiring and enlivening us with their visit here!

The Harrison family visited Monterey County from March 15-19, 2010.

For more about the bicycling journey of this family–see http://www.pedouins.org/

To see many photos and personal memories written by the family about their time in Monterey County, click here to go to the Cambria to Crescent City, CA section of their website.

For more about Velo Club Monterey, “Cycling the Peninsula since 1968,” see my post “Velo Club Monterey – Roadies who love parties–and so much more!“

Cycling north on the beautiful Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, Seaside stretch.  Photo courtesy of Steve E. Anderson.

Cheyenne (7), Amarins, Robin (3), Jasmine (5), and Bill Harrison – AKA the Pedouins –

pedaling Monterey County alongside the Fort Ord bunkers, Marina, California.  Photo courtesy of Steve E. Anderson.

The Harrison family rolls through Fort Ord,

assisted by Charles Humphrey (lower left) and Devian Gilbert (upper right) of the Velo Club Monterey racing team.

All photos in this post © Steve E. Anderson. Used by permission.