MANITOWOC â?? Brian Backhaus wants to take a bite out of Silver Lake Park’s restoration balance, and he’s willing to travel 3,500 miles to do so.
Backhaus, a town of Newton native and junior forestry student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, leaves Saturday on a cross-country bicycle trip he hopes will raise $15,000 for the park. The 25-year-old is accepting pledges by the mile or in lump sums.
His route weaves from Wisconsin to Massachusetts before he boards a train for Oregon and pedals back home to the Dairy State. He set aside 60 days for the journey and hopes to average about 60 miles per day. He expects to reach Massachusetts by July 11.