Earlier this summer, Dr. Mark Mansell, an ambitious Lions Club member, wrote a post detailing his progress on his trans-American bicycling journey from Portland, OR to Portland, ME. The idea for his trip was fueled by his passion to raise support and awareness for Leader Dogs for the Blind. After successfully completing this 3,500 mile trip, Mark explains how combining cycling and technology grew his idea from a personal goal to a story that impacted and engaged thousands of people from across the country.

When I was a kid, I often started the school year with an assignment that was titled “What I Did Over My Summer Vacation.” There is a piece of me that wishes I was back in school, because after this summer I would have no problem coming up with an amazing story to share with the rest of the class. You see, back in January I had this crazy idea that over the summer I wanted to ride my bicycle from Portland, OE to Portland ME – a 3,500 mile trip. What started out as just another crazy idea actually became a successful reality.

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Through a connection I have in Michigan, I was introduced to Mark Mansell, a Lions Club member who is riding his bicycle from Portland, OR to Portland, ME to raise support and awareness for Leader Dogs for the Blind. We thought Mark would benefit from bringing a Verizon Jetpack™ 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi® along on his journey. Mark was kind enough to give us an update on his trip and how technology is keeping him connected with friends and family.

On any given day, I have up to 10 hours and nearly 100 miles of bicycling in my muscles, and I cannot afford for anything to go wrong.

I am in the midst of a 3,500 mile solo trans-America bicycling trip to raise funds and awareness for Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Leader Dogs for the Blind was originally founded by members of the Lions Club, and the two organizations maintain a close relationship. I am a proud member of the La Center Lions Club in La Center, WA, and I am happy to lend my time and efforts to support this organization. It’s been a thrill and a privilege to receive the invaluable support of Lions, Leader Dog clients and staff and others as I’ve made my way across the map. (more…)