September 29, 1999

Traverse City man riding bicycle 4,000 miles to raise money for river care program

By Garret Leiva
Herald editor
       Sunday, September 12. Day One: Leaving the Pacific: "Dipped my wheels in the Pacific and started pedaling east, attempting to stay off all the main routes and enjoy the real America."
      It has been 18 days, several hundred miles and a few casts in the Snokomish River since Jeff Graft wrote these words. Riding a bicycle 4,000 miles across America, however, the Traverse City resident will undoubtedly have time for a few more words and several dips in the river with his 2-weight fly rod.
      As a bicyclist, Graft is a rider discontent with merely spinning his wheels. Instead, the 32 year-old is pedaling his road bike coast to coast in a cross-country trek to raise consciousness and funds for the Traverse City-based Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) River Care Program.
      Administered by CRA, a non profit organization founded in 1968, the River Care Program is designed to protect and maintain northwest Michigan rivers, lakes and streams. The program seeks to improve water quality, conserve soil, prevent erosion and enhance wildlife habitats in a 13-county area, noted Jim Haveman, CRA project coordinator.
      For Graft, his time spent on northwest Michigan rivers as a kayaker and fly fisherman was the catalyst that sparked his 4,000-mile "Riding For Rivers" bike trip.
      "I've been lucky enough to fly-fish around the world," said Graft in a written statement. "That has given me a unique perspective of what a special place northwestern Michigan is - and what a treasurer our rivers, streams, lakes and forests are. I never want to tell my grandchildren, 'back when I was a kid, this river used to really hold some beautiful trout ..."
      Seeking to be a steward of the land, Graft departed from Everett, Washington on September 12. His planned route will take him east across the Cascade Mountains, then south down the Rockies through Utah and Colorado before again bearing east across the southern plains and eventually finishing his coast to coast tour in Savannah, Ga. His estimated completion date is November 15; give or take a few days depending on how the fish are biting.
      "He might eyeball some trout while crossing over a river and weigh in his own mind whether a few more miles is worth more than a few casts," said Matt Thomas, CRA development coordinator, who noted that Graft hoped to pedal at the rate of 100 miles a day. "Thus far he's had a hard time not dipping that fly rod."
      Even if fishing puts him a few miles behind, the man nicknamed Red Dog is not one to turn tail and run away from marathon adventures. An avid mountain biker and runner, Graft has competed in eight marathons and one Ultra marathon (a 62-mile trail run).
      Determined to see America while riding off the beaten path, Graft is traveling solo, without a support vehicle, sleeping under a sleeping bag, bivouac sack and the stars. He is using a 35-40 pound Trek bike with panniers to haul gear like an air pump, spare tires and tubes, clothing, food, fly rod and flies. His only backup a cellphone, a map of his designated route and the kindness of strangers.
      While he is traveling alone, Graft has not kept his high adventures to himself. Instead he phones in a daily travelogue to his girlfriend in Michigan, who in turns sends the dictation to All Outdoors, a Traverse City outdoors website company. Accompanying the daily journal entries are photographs taken by Graft on his cross-country adventure.
      "Jeff writes in a style that will not only appeal to bikers and fisherman but to anyone who has an interest in what America is like coast to coast," Thomas said.
      "He's meeting people in horse pastures and at local cafes. He's talked to road construction crews as he heads down a mountain pass and successful hunters with a bear on the roof of their vehicle."
      As Graft pedals his way through Idaho and sets his sights on Utah and Colorado, each new mile means gutting out high-altitude gradient, fickle fall weather and overcoming cramped muscles. A little frost on the sleeping bag and thousands of untraversed miles ahead are not enough to deter Graft noted CRA's Haveman.
      "People like Jeff have that marathon mentality. He's a very disciplined guy who is not afraid to find way down deep what's really there," Haveman said.
      For Thomas, there is little doubt that Graft will dip his front tire in the Atlantic Ocean come November and complete his coast to coast odyssey.
      "Jeff's determination is best revealed in his own words when he says that, 'I'll complete it unless it kills me' - not unless it hurts too bad or unless I get a flat tire or my bike cracks in half,'­" Thomas noted.
      "Not many people would make that sort of statement about any voluntary physical activity. It reveals what kind of character we are dealing with here."
      Editor's Note: During the "Riding for Rivers" event, Jeff Graft is appealing to individuals and corporations to support his efforts as sponsors or donors to the River Care Program. The tax deductible donations may be made on a per-mile basis, in lump sum, or even in-kind donations of materials or other items. For more information or to make a donation, call Conservation Resource Alliance at 946-6817 or e-mail: cra@traverse.com.