Ada Evening News, Ada, Oklahoma, March 24, 2010

http://adaeveningnews.com/local/x58342345/Man-rides-around-the-world

Man rides around the world

Justin Lofton Staff Writer Ada Evening News

Ada — Ari Gold began his journey at the beginning of September. 2009 in Las Vegas. When it’s all said and done, he hopes to be on the north side of Australia in New Guinea.

“I was unemployed for a long time. I’d gotten a divorce,” Gold said. He said he had become increasingly aware of what he perceived as an unsustainable lifestyle in the United States.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of huge and expensive things that we can’t replace,” he said. “We’re running out of resources.”

Gold said he wanted to see the world and learn of a simpler way to get by so he loaded up his bicycle and set out from Las Vegas Sept. 1.

“A lot of people in my neighborhood were losing their houses and the companies that they either owned or worked for were going out of business,” he said. “In doing this, I’m trying to be an inspiration to people and to give them something to get excited about and believe in.”

Gold said he was born in Chicago. His father, Reuven Gold, was a professional story teller. Spending much of his childhood meeting strangers, Gold said he has always been fascinated by other cultures and people.

“I wanted to see Europe. I wanted to see the Orient,” he said. “Europe has 2,000 years of culture and the Orient has 5,000 years of culture.”

Gold rode to Ada on Monday. Sometime Tuesday, he hoped to be at the Tulsa Hub, a community bicycle shop. He said community bike shops are a great resource.

“You can donate your time. People can donate bicycles that they’re not going to use,” Gold said. “You can repair your bicycle for free. You’re doing the work and, if you need it, somebody else is telling you how to do it and what to do so you get educated on how to maintain your bicycle.”

Gold had one bike stolen in Albuquerque, crashed another in Austin and dislocated his shoulder. The trip hasn’t been easy, he said. He got a camping tent in Denton, Texas and said Monday was the first day in a while that he could wear shorts.

“My worst days are still pretty good,” he said.

Throughout his journey, Gold is performing odd jobs to help finance the trip.

“Little old ladies who want their garages or basements cleaned out—I’m all for that,” he said.

He blogs about his trip at www.biketoaustralia.blogspot.com and he said he hopes to get sponsorship to replace his laptop and possibly get health benefits and other supplies.

“Especially in the Orient, sponsorship has a possibility of giving me medical benefits, which could save my life,” he said.

For now, Gold is headed North. When he gets to Canada, he said he’ll take a boat to Dublin, Ireland and continue his father’s tradition of story-telling in his own way.

“Why do we watch television? I think I’m creating a better story—a real story,” he said. “All these things provide for and feed a part of us.”