Pursuits of Happiness
| Publication year | 2019 |
| Pages | 6 |
Adventures in Cycling: An Interview with Ben Marks
JEB: I’m here speaking with Ben Marks who has been nominated by Paula McCann to be interviewed for our Pursuits of Happiness column. Ben, as you may know, I interview people for the journal who have passions and talents outside of the practice of law. Before we get to the meat of your adventure last summer, let me find out where your interest in cycling started.
BM: Well, I started bicycle touring at a young age. Instead of going to summer camps or other expensive adventures out of state, I embarked on a New England adventure with a couple of friends when I was 15. You know, it’s funny what we did un-supervised when we were younger. I think of my kids at 14 or 15 and I can’t imagine them doing these things.
JEB: Yes, I always think about how I went to an 8-week summer camp at age 9 and I don’t think my son would have made one week at that age let alone 8!
BM: [laughs] True. So I organized this trip from Keene, N.H. to Martha’s Vineyard, MA with two friends, one of whom I’m still friends with to this day.
JEB: Wait, you went on that long of a journey without any parental supervision?
BM: That’s right. About 1/3 of the journey we camped, about 1/3 of the journey we stayed in hostels and for about 1/3 we stayed with friends or relatives, but we did the whole thing on our own.
JEB: That’s amazing! So you are from Keene, NH?
BM: No, I’m from NYC, but we didn’t want to have to navigate out of the city on bikes loaded up for camping. So we took a bus out of the city for the trip’s start.
JEB: Wow. Have you had a passion for bicycle touring ever since?
BM: Absolutely, I’ve been on many trips since then. When I was 19, I went on another long trip, with one of my buddies from that first trip. We started in San Francisco and ended in New York City. We headed north to Spokane, WA and made a big right turn to head towards the East Coast. Just 3 of us. And back then, we didn’t have the convenience of Google Maps or other aids so we just had to find places to stay and bike routes along the way. I think we used the old AAA maps – funny, we discovered that they weren’t so good for figuring out a road’s grade/inclination. Then again, they never ran out of batteries, if you know what I mean.
JEB: That is incredible. I didn’t think about maps needing to show the hills! How long did that trip take you?
BM: About 2 months. It has been the only time in my life, especially now with work and kids, that I could have taken two whole months off to unplug for that type of adventure.
JEB: Being in college, were you able to stay in hotels or did you camp the whole time and carry all that gear?
BM: We did camp some and carried gear, but every pound you carry definitely affects your ability to survive the long haul. We often found places to stay, either church basements when it was raining, or folks along the way you’d meet at a store or somewhere who would let us stay in their homes or on their lawns, which I’ve done on my own since then as well.
JEB: Wait a minute… You look quite trustworthy, but I’m pretty sure if you came up to me at a store and asked for a place to say I’d be skeptical!
BM: It’s not exactly like that! Usually someone would strike up a conversation in a store or somewhere, seeing me in all my bike gear, and ask where I was going or where I came from, and after a while, you might ask if they knew of a campground or place to stay. It never ceases to amaze me the kindness of strangers that still exists all across the United States. Perhaps it’s not as frightening being a man traveling alone often as it would be for a woman, but I’ve never felt afraid on the road and have always found great company along the way.
JEB: Funny, I can see that happening. Whenever I’m somewhere with my husband and he sees a couple of cyclists with all their gear, he is somehow compelled to ask them where they are going or about their adventure. It must happen to you a lot.
BM: Yes it does. One of my favorite parts of doing these trips is getting a different look at the countryside and towns along the way from a perspective...
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