PERRYVILLE CAMPGROUND HOSTS BIKERS

PERRYVILLE -- If you are thinking about ways to spend quality time with your kids this summer, consider a six-week, 4,200 mile bike and camping trek across the United States.

Because that is exactly what one father-son duo is doing.

The Perryville KOA Kampground is the next stop for Randy and Shane Garrett of Citrus Heights, Calif. They are riding their bicycles across the country from California to New York, and are camping at KOA Kampgrounds along their route.

What started out as a teen-age antic to quell summertime blues has grown into a transcontinental bike tour involving 100 mile per day stretches.

It all started when 13-year-old Shane jokingly suggested to his dad that they ride from their house in California to their friend Jane's house in New York City. As avid cyclists, the idea began to take root along the East-West transcontinental U.S. Bikecentennial bike route.

Because of the elder Garrett's former affiliation with the American Lung Association and Shane's loss of a grandfather to lung cancer, they decided to turn the trip into a fund raiser to benefit the American Lung Association.

With corporate sponsors covering their expenses, the Kampgrounds of America (KOA) provide complimentary camping along the way, the Garretts hope to donate $5,000.

The Garretts left Citrus Heights on June 1 and expect to arrive in New York City July 15.