Former Plains resident Henretti and family cycling across America

Three bicycles, his family and an open road – Joe Henretti is living his dream.

Henretti grew up in Plains, Montana living in a house by the side of the road. During the summers he would often sit on his porch watching as bicyclists from unknown places pedaled by--exploring Montana’s vast and scenic expanses. Some riders, he found, were cycling across the entire country. He contemplated that and vowed that someday he would do the same.

Life eventually took Joe to Tulsa Oklahoma where he met his wife, Bethany. Both worked in the airline industry and shared a love for travel and adventure. From the beginning of their relationship they made bicycling a part of their lives and as they had children, cycling became a big part of their family lifestyle.

About two years ago Joe and Beth decided that the time was right to make Joe’s childhood dream of bicycling across the United States a reality and they decided to make it an adventure in which the entire family would take part. Joe began doing considerable research on-line to plan and prepare their route and Joe, Beth and their two older sons, Devin and Joshua, began conditioning for the 3,000 mile trip. During the winter months they took spin classes and when the weather was good they would do long weekend trips in the Tulsa area.

A month ago the family drove their van to Seattle with their equipment, returned to Tulsa and then flew back to Seattle two weeks ago to begin their journey. They left the Space Needle in Seattle on May 22 and arrived back in Joe’s childhood home town of Plains on June 7. On June 8 they were spotted cycling through Ronan, Pablo and Polson on their way to East Glacier. Their plan is to arrive in New York on August 8.

Dad Joe is recording their entire cross country journey with a small camera attached to his helmet. He leads the way pulling a small trailer which carries youngest son, Ethan, who snoozes as the rest of the family pedals along. Mom Beth follows in the middle of the pack and sons Devin and Joshua bring up the rear riding a bicycle built for two.

The family averages about 60 miles per day and then tent camps at night. They have a support vehicle driven by Joe’s niece that carries their equipment and supplies. The family is also riding to support both the ‘Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’ and ‘Face to Face’ which is a charity based in Dallas that connects terminally ill children with celebrities.

Everyone in the family remarked on the immense beauty they have already observed on their trip. They have been astounded by the wildlife they have seen—moose, deer, a black bear, eagles, hawks and other birds. They also admitted that the trek has been ”a little brutal”—going over mountain passes, being chased by dogs, and having to share sometimes very narrow roads with wide vehicles. Devin estimated that up to 300 RV’s passed them on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend on the narrow, winding road they were traveling near North Cascades National Park.

Although the family did seem a little weary—from the pedaling, from contending with energetic Ethan who comes to life once camp is pitched, from the camp chores, and from the early morning departure, they all seemed excited to be following this adventure as a family. Devin is anticipating spending his birthday at the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio; Josh is enjoying the time with family and also the peace of alone time on the road; Beth is loving the vistas and the wildlife, and Joe—well, Joe is living his childhood dream. They all are building a once-in-a-lifetime family memory.