SCENIC ROUTE - Sid Heal, 58, of LaVerne, California, traveled more than 3,500 miles on his recumbent bicycle before arriving at his Tawas Township home of his brother, Brad Heal on Friday. The southern California man is on the last leg of his journey to the Davison home of his parents. - Photo by John Morris

California man bicycles back to Michigan home
by John Morris

TAWAS CITY - Friday the 13th was not an unlucky day for Charles “Sid” Heal.

In fact, Friday, June 13, was a homecoming of sorts for the 58-year-old LaVerne, California, man. That’s when Heal arrived at the Tawas Township home of his brother, Brad Heal, and his wife, Beth.
By Friday, Heal had traveled 3,540 miles in 57 days, alone on a recumbent bicycle. He left LaVerne on April 21 on a back road bicycle trip to the Davison home of his parents, Gene and Pearl Heal.

While in Michigan, Heal’s goal is to visit with his five brothers and sisters before the final destination of his hometown. Heal, a 1968 Davison High School graduate, figured he had another seven to 10 days to go, making side trips to see his other three siblings. Heal earlier visited with a sister and her family when he passed through Mackinaw City.

But the question that begs to be answered is why travel from California to Michigan on a bicycle?

“I ask myself that every morning,” said Heal, showing a keen sense of humor. “I just decided last year, when I retired, I needed to reset my button.”

Heal retired March 31 as commander of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and spent the last 33 years in law enforcement. He also has spent 35 years with the Marine Corps Reserves. He joined the Marines soon after graduating from high school.

He was a member of a SWAT team and served in four theaters of combat as a Marine and a Marine Reservist - in Vietnam, Somalia and both invasions of Iraq.

He also is considered a national expert on nonlethal weapons and frequently flies across the country to give lectures on the subject. He’s also authored three books.

Although he hadn’t been on a bicycle for six weeks prior to the trip, Heal has been a runner since his Marine days. He runs six miles a day, six days a week.

Heal has kept a journal along his trip and, so far, has taken more than 1,500 photographs.

He biked through a dust storm in Arizona, encountered a large rattlesnake in northern Arizona, was chased by dogs in New Mexico, got caught in two hail storms in Colorado, where he also crashed and spent two days in a motel room recuperating, pedaled through a 10-mile cloud of mosquitoes in South Dakota and biked through fog and rain eight of his last 10 days.

He also is considered a national expert on nonlethal weapons and frequently flies across the country to give lectures on the subject. He’s also authored three books.

Although he hadn’t been on a bicycle for six weeks prior to the trip, Heal has been a runner since his Marine days. He runs six miles a day, six days a week.

Heal has kept a journal along his trip and, so far, has taken more than 1,500 photographs.

He biked through a dust storm in Arizona, encountered a large rattlesnake in northern Arizona, was chased by dogs in New Mexico, got caught in two hail storms in Colorado, where he also crashed and spent two days in a motel room recuperating, pedaled through a 10-mile cloud of mosquitoes in South Dakota and biked through fog and rain eight of his last 10 days.

“I’m getting tired of rain,” Heal said with a laugh.

Heal said he chose a recumbent bike because it is designed for comfortable and efficient long-distance travel. He averages between 60 to 80 miles a day and logged 138 miles one day.

The bike weighs 30 pounds and he carries 38 pounds of gear. For the most part, he pulled off the side of the road to camp for the night in a tent and sleeping bag.

All told, the bike and its mechanics alone are $5,200. The bike has 27 gears and Heal says he can get up to 25 miles an hour in two to three pedals. His top speed has been at 51 miles an hour, but Heal said the ideal traveling speed is at 12 miles per hour.

He also carries a GPS, maps of each state he’s traveling through, an iPod with audio books and radio programs from the 1930s through 1950s, a radio with a weather band and a cell phone with which he calls his wife, Linda, three times daily.

Heal said he eats about 3,500 calories a day, including high-energy power bars, and drinks five quarts of water or beverages. He tries to have one hot meal a day.

He makes up the trip daily and, for the most part, Heal avoided major cities. “I was born and raised in the country,” he said. And with a sense of history, Heal followed the once well-traveled paths that have since faded into obscurity. He took the Pony Express route, biked a portion of Route 66 that became famous following World War II and hit the Chisholm Trail, known for its 19th century cattle drive.

Heal said a day didn’t go by when he didn’t see wildlife. “The bike is so quiet,” he said. “The only thing you can hear is the tires rolling on pavement or gravel.”

In fact, Heal said during one day of the trip, he didn’t see a single motorized vehicle.

Once he arrives in Davison, Heal said he plans to stay with his parents until about mid-July. He’ll then fly back to California.

“All-in-all, it’s been worth it,” he said. “I’d do it all over again.”