In the Fall of 2013 we'll be heading on the Long Road South, a yearlong bike expedition from Portland, Oregon to Patagonia, Argentina. Our route will follow the Pan-American Highway, the longest road network in the world. It will be a self-supported expedition, no crew, no support, just a handcycle, a bicycle and a trailer, and all the gear needed to ride, camp, and live for a year. Throughout the trip we'll be meeting with adaptive sports organizations to share our story and contribute to the mission of increasing independence and access to sport for people with disabilities across the Americas. Seth will be blogging throughout our journey and you'll be able to track our progress throughout via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and this website.
Our Expedition Crew (of 2)
Seth McBrideI'm a freelance writer and student living in Portland, OR with Kelly. I grew up in Juneau, AK where I skied, rock-climbed, trail ran and hiked as much as I could. At the age of 17 I over rotated a backflip while skiing at Blackcomb, BC, which left me with a spinal cord injury at C7/8.
I've now lived with quadriplegia for 12 years. During that time I've graduated from the University of Oregon, spent the last 7 years playing wheelchair rugby for Team USA, traveled to 16 countries on 4 continents, including 4 months of living and teaching English in El Salvador, and a 2 month backpacking trip through SE Asia. A two time Paralympic medalist (Gold in Beijing, 2008, Bronze in London, 2012) and two time World Champion in Wheelchair Rugby, I'm looking forward to using my athletic energies to help break new ground in the world of disabled adventure travel. |
By Our Powers Combined...Our partnership so far has led us through international rugby competitions, travels around the back roads (and boats) of Asia and Europe, multiple bike tours -- including multiple Oregon trips and a month-long tour around Ireland -- and countless nights on the cold, hard ground.
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Kelly Schwan I’m an occupational therapist at a level 1 trauma hospital in Portland, OR. As someone who works with people with disabilities every day, and has been involved with wheelchair athletes at all levels, I am excited to get a ground-level view of adaptive sports throughout the Americas. This will be a trip of a lifetime as an OT advocate for independence and athleticism for people with disabilities as well as being an avid cyclist myself. If I’m not working or riding my bike, I like to be traveling and riding my bike – exploring the accessibility of other cultures, being as creative as needed to overcome obstacles to see the beauty of the world (and laughing at the odd looks we get along the way).
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