By Linda Kor A bucket list item came true for a Utah man who has managed to travel from Savannah, Georgia, all the way to San Diego, Calif., on his bicycle. Nelson Palmer made a stop in Joseph City to visit his cousin Alan Palmer on his journey and spent some time discussing what it was like to fulfill this dream in a very different world from when he first planned the trip. Palmer said he averaged about 100 miles a day on his journey, getting up as early as 1 a.m. to begin in order to ward off the harsh winds and heat of the day. His wife Michelle and daughter Laura operated as his support team and caught up to him later in the mornings to make sure things were going smooth. Palmer said that at 56, this trip has been a long-time dream. “I’ve been wanting to do this for 15 years or more. We thought of postponing it but then decided to go ahead,” he said, referring to the COVID-19 outbreak. Surprisingly, the outbreak allowed him and his family to see people at their best. He noted that with COVID not all states were ready for non-business travel. But once he started, he found blessings along the way. “Everywhere we went people were wearing masks. They were really courteous. We went to one hotel, a Hampton Inn, and when I walked in after my wife and daughter, the staff all came out and applauded me. It was really heartwarming,” recalled Palmer. Palmer had a mostly smooth ride with few flat tires and perhaps half a dozen rainstorms in the east and then high winds as he made his way through Arizona. He noted that one of the most exciting aspects of the trip was meeting people he wouldn’t have normally. He found people were all of a similar mind regarding the pandemic. “A lot of people were just wondering how could this happen. People just want to live their lives, it was awesome to meet them. No handshakes, but a lot of elbow bumps,” laughed Palmer. Now that the trip is complete, Palmer can scratch it off his bucket list not only as a bicycle ride he had long wanted to take, but also as a ride through history in the making.
