RAMBLIN' MAN: With just his dog and his bike, Texas man travels to 'clear his head'
By CANDACE NEWSON, T&D Features WriterSunday, May 04, 2008What drives a man to leave the comfort of home and ride a bike across the country? For 35-year-old Willie Perry, it was a divorce.
"I signed over everything to her -- the house, the cars -- everything," Perry said, "All I wanted was my bike."
So on a whim on Monday, Feb. 18, Perry set out from Alvin, Texas, on his 1963 Desoto Classic three-wheel bike with his half-Labrador Retriever, half-Dalmatian dog, Puppy.
He had with him one spare change of clothes, dog food and a bowl, water bottles, $30, a tent, a map and a journal.
"One state turned into another, so I just kept going," he said. Puppy usually runs along side his bike until about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, and then "he's out," Perry said.
Perry said he takes it easy on Puppy, stopping every few miles. Perry also lets him do one of the things Labradors like to do most -- play in the water.
"Every time I see a pond that looks clean enough, I let him jump in," he said.
Perry has kept a journal of every city in every state where he's stopped, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and now, South Carolina. He found his way through Orangeburg on Tuesday.
Perry said he's only taken 14 days off since the beginning of his journey. He slept in a tent in the woods until someone stole his shelter at the beginning of April, he said.
"Now, I just sleep in a cheap sleeping bag," Perry said.
Finding a place to stay is difficult, he said, because missions require Perry to leave his bicycle and dog outside, where they could be stolen overnight.
Life on the road hasn't been easy. Sometimes, Perry said he goes days without money, but a few people have been generous enough to help him along the way. And sometimes, Perry'll hold a job for a few days but said it can't be for long because of his dog.
Perry said he doesn't have a set ending to his journey.
"I don't know where I'm going," he said. "The only one that knows is the guy upstairs."
He said he hasn't quite finished "clearing his head."
"I'm getting there," Perry said. "I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying the scenery. I'm enjoying meeting new people."
T&D Features Writer Candace Newson can be reached by e-mail at cnewson@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.
