From San Francisco, California to the eventual destination of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, cycling over roads, trails and mountains during the hottest months of the year.
Quite the feat for 70-year-old retiree Ben Sanders. But he isn’t doing it for fun or fame, rather in protest of the war in Gaza.
It's called the Ride Against War Gaza X-Country Tour, which Sanders began on May 30.
As part of his journey, he'll be stopping in Kalamazoo Tuesday night to speak about the challenges facing Palestinians, along with the deaths on both sides caused by the ongoing conflict.
And then, the next morning, Sanders will be off to ride around a thousand miles to his home in New Hampshire, making similar stops along the way.
Sanders said he hopes his transcontinental ride will not only spread the word about the war but also spur other activists to double their efforts.
“It all adds up. All the stuff, all these little actions, these vigils, fasts, bike rides, meeting with congressmen, protests. It's all part of a big movement to end this genocide.”
In a report released last December, Amnesty International found that Israel had and continued to commit genocide against Palestinians.
Sanders himself is Jewish, which he said was one of the key reasons he believed he had to protest the actions of Israel in Gaza.
"I wanted to join a group of Jews who oppose this war because I thought if we speak out as Jews, it's kind of hard to call us antisemitic," Sanders said.
“I think morally, after what we experienced as a people in the Holocaust, we should be more sensitive to genocide and oppose it and certainly not perpetuate it.”
And Sanders has shared this view throughout his multi-state trek. Not only during events, but with anyone curious about the elderly cyclist in a bright yellow shirt.
"There's two reactions. Usually, one reaction is, 'Wow, that's really great.' And the other reaction is, 'Hmmm, Okay, it's complicated.'"
But Sanders said the interactions that have stood out the most are the small gestures of kindness he's received along the way. A policewoman offering him water when he was out, a fellow cyclist helping him push his bike up a gravelly hill and a family hosting him for free after he was injured in a car collision in Idaho.
Sanders said these kind gestures have driven him forward on his trip across the United States, even if the Idaho collision meant he had to skip over a few states to keep on schedule.
"People are basically good. They want to help people, especially strangers. And that's reinforced this time in the same way. People are very nice and if they see somebody who's asking for water, most people will give it to you."
But Sanders added that the kindness he's seen also makes him believe the war will end in Gaza, it's only a matter of letting people know what's happening.
"I think people are changing their minds because they see what's going on in Gaza and they just can't believe that just this mass starvation and then we're paying for and I think there is a a turning point. I think people are revolted. You don't have to be Democrat or Republican to see there's something really wrong here."
The Kalamazoo Non-violent Opponents of War is hosting the event, which will be held at the Kalamazoo Friends Meeting Building at 7pm Tuesday.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
