Cross-country cyclists pedal with purpose

SUNNYSIDE, Wash. -- After pedaling 60 miles, the cross-country bicyclists were greeted with chores when they arrived at Heavenly Hills Harvest Organic Farm.

They rolled a 30-foot metal tank across a dusty field.

"I'm going to remember this, pushing ... this thing," said Amelia Lukic-Kegel.

It was part of the cause, as well as some up-close and personal education, for the bike riders.

Lukic-Kegel was one of the leaders of the 11 Global Agents for Change cyclists riding from Portland to Boston to raise awareness about sustainable food production and local consumption. They plan to spend most of their nights at farms along the way to see for themselves the challenges food producers face.

"Seeing what we produce here in the United States and seeing how feasible it is to eat local," said Lukic-Kegel.

They have bison ranches, cheese producers and flower farms lined up. An herb farm in Pasco is tonight's stop.

They admit local consumption has limits; none of them plans to give up bananas anytime soon, for example, said Lukic-Kegel, a Wisconsin native.

"We're just kind of trying to figure it out for ourselves," she said.

They chose Heavenly Hills because it's a community-
supported agriculture farm that aims to distribute food locally. They found the farm, owned by Merritt Mitchell-Wajeeh, through a website that helps
connect farms and local markets.

Mitchell-Wajeeh made sure she had a shady campsite, an above-ground pool, a bonfire and a homemade pizza dinner waiting for them.

And work.

"I needed this moved and we don't have a tractor," Mitchell-Wajeeh said as she directed the cyclists to roll the tank, which may have held water or fuel, into a corner, where it was easier to mow around. She envisions using it as a cistern to collect rainwater.

Many of the riders don't know each other, but all are at least loosely connected to Lukic-Kegel.

Many of them attend the University of British Columbia in Vancouver with her and Ben Amundson. The two began planning the trip in September last year.

Lukic-Kegel's father, Chris Kegel, and her sister, Tessa Lukic-Kegel, also participated in the ride. Chris Kegal owns a bicycle shop in Milwaukee, Wis., and has taken his family on many bike tours as vacations.

But never with a cause, until now.

They are affiliated with Global Agents for Change, a Vancouver-based nonprofit that sponsors social activism bike tours.

The riders also aim to raise $20,000 to donate to a Boston organization that supports sustainable farming practices in Bolivia. They have $11,000 so far; each cyclist was required to raise $1,000 to participate.

They will finish their 3,000-mile ride on Aug. 26.

Most of the riders participate in food-related community causes near their homes, said Ilana Fonariov, another University of British Columbia student. She volunteers for Food, Not Bombs, a nonprofit that collects unsold groceries and cooks them for the down-and-out of Vancouver.

"We're all sort of involved with our own sort of social activism," said Fonariov, originally from Toronto.

Sam Brewer, who grew up with Amundson in St. Paul, Minn., said the farms they plan to visit remind him of his father, an avid gardener who turned their typical city lot into an "urban farm" with fruit, berries and vegetables.

"I just wanted to go across America and see how other people do it," said Brewer, a University of Oregon student.

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.