Evening star., 1937-09-05
Young Residents of Capital Area Follow Varied Pursuits Hobbies
Young Cycle
Rider Goes
AS Pioneer
Travels 420 Miles on
8-Day Journey to
Natural Bridge.

IRON Washington to the Natural
L Bridge in Virginia and back
again-on a bicycle.
That was the vacation 15-year-old
Willard Green mapped out and car
ried through this Summer.
Travelling alone, Willard, who lives
at 2726 Quebec street, covered the
42O miles of his itinerary in eight days.
BY the time he had returned home
he felt like pioneer"
Everybody I met stared at me and
asked questions he reported. "At
Natural Bridge and at other points
along the road, people told me was
the first boy who'd stopped there on
such long bicycle trip-from Wash
tngton. anyway"
Willard pedaled every bit of the
round trip except the last 50-odd
miles.
Il had a little trouble with the
chain of my Wheel" he explained.
several links broke. I was Is miles
from nowhere And I had to hitch a
ride. The man who picked me up
brought me the rest of the way to
Washington.
In leaving his Good Samaritan
friend. Willard also left one of his
belongings in the car and few days
later the article was returned along
with gift from the driver. The
present was book on woodcraft and
camp lore, and on the fly-leaf the
donor had written:
ITO my pioneer friend!"
The receipt Of this book was a flt-
ting climax to a trip that had been
carefully planned and successfully ac-
complished.
Willard said he earned the money
for his journey-which cost only SIS
by delivering Star newspapers for
four months.
He's owned bicycle since he was
seven years old and, while in Wash
ington rides an average Of 20 miles
day. On his trip he covered an
average of so miles day.
Willard didn't train for his trip, he
said. He figured the riding he gets
in Washington was sufficient to put
him in good trim for the jaunt. And
1t did
Il didn't get very tired any of the
time I was away he said.
Though he had first planned to
bicycle in the morning and loaf around
in the afternoons, Willard revised
this schedule.
For one thing" he said, there
usually weren't any good places to loaf.
so got up early in the morn
ing-at 6 o'clock. to be exact-and
started out. Usually I'd travel about
an hour and then rest while. BY 4
O'Clock in the afternoon I was ready
to call it a day, SO far as the road
was concerned. I kept that schedule
up, even when it was hot and. to-
ward the last, when it was raining"
He was never the least bit sick and
suffered no i'll effects from his brief
exposure to rain, he reported
Il was always careful to get good
meals" he said, except one day when
I couldn't find anything to eat except
fruit juices and milk from filling sta
tions. That day Travelled Sc miles
til dinner on nothing but juices!"
He arrived at Natural Bridge about
noon and when the folks there heard
about his trip they gave him COM
plimentary pass to use during his
entire stay He remained until the
next morning, in order to see the
bridge Illuminated at night.
Going out, Wizards route carried
him through Winchester, Va, and he
visited the Endless Caverns near New
Market. On his return trip he stopped
by Thomas Jefferson's home, Month
cello. out of Charlottesville, Va.
Saddle bags strapped across the
back of his bicycle provided accommo-
dations for his clothes. II carried
enough for two weeks, but used them
all up in the eight days." he laughed.
'The roads were pretty dusty, some
times, and I ruined my clothes once
or twice with grease from the bicycle"
Stopping at tourists homes for din
ner and lodging kept the expense Of
the trip to minimum
Except for minor trouble with his
chain, which he was able to repair
himself, Willard ran into no difficult
ties except his last experience when
he hoped the ride home. He had
carried enough money with him for
emergencies and returned home with
rs much money as he spent.
Daily post cards to his aunt, DR..
Julia M. Green, with whom he lives,
kept her informed of his whereabouts
and his welfare, he said. And in addi-
ton he kept record Of each days
Journey for future reference uhen ha