Bike trip recreates historic parks tour

Rick Olson, editor-at-large of the adventure journal Wend Magazine, will give an hour-long multi-media presentation about his 4,500 mile, four-month Playground Tour bike ride through the western United States at Discovery Square on Monday, June 27, starting at 5 p.m.

Olson recreated on two-wheels the historic auto tour of 12 national parks that took place in 1920 to celebrate the creation of the Park-to-Park Highway. He pedaled a bicycle nicknamed Buck across miles of western landscapes from June through October last year.

"I was inspired when I saw ‘Paving the Way,' a documentary about the creation of this amazing bit of the U.S. highway system," Olson said. "I wanted to bring attention to this great achievement and at the same time highlight the need for more bike-friendly routes around the U.S."

The Playground Tour raised money for the United States Bike Route System, supported by the Adventure Cycling Association. The goal of this effort is to create the world's largest bicycle route system.

"The scenery in Glacier was some of the most spectacular I saw on my journey - one of the prettiest roads I've ever seen," Olson said. "I'm excited to come back to the Flathead to share my story."

For more information, visit online at www.playgroundtour.com.