Mikah Meyer wants to do something he doesn’t think anyone has ever done.
Unlike Lewis and Clark or the world’s great explorers, Meyer doesn’t want to discover anything. He wants to experience his own “epic journey,” he said.
There are 413 national parks in the United States and he intends to visit them all.
Just 32 parks into his quest, Meyer visited the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore this week, where he boated and kite boarded along part of the 15-mile beach and rode a bicycle on a stretch of the 70 miles of trails.
More Top Picks Parent Rights Under Idea Explained In Plain English
Earlier this week, he pulled his white van into the Pullman National Monument, at 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in Chicago, an urban setting. According to his website, location No. 33 is expected to be the River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe, Mich., south of Detroit.
The 30-year-old Nebraska native said he hopes his travels, which coincide with the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, reaches beyond the three years he’s set for what he called a world record.
According to the National Parks Conservation website, in October 2013 a Maryland man completed reached his goal of visiting all National Parks units. Chris Calvert started in 1980 as a 17-year-old with his parents and continued visiting parks, deciding in 1993 that after visiting all 49 parks, he could continue until he had visited all National Park Service units, the website said.
Meyer’s goal is not only to apparently be the first, but for something more personal, too.
“Deep down to the core of this journey, a lot of it is to honor my dad, who passed away at the age of 59 of cancer 11 years ago,” he said while stopped at the park’s visitor center. “This really shook my world view, like, ‘Whoa. We’re not guaranteed time.'”
Meyer began his trek in Washington, D.C., in the spring on the anniversary of his father’s death, April 29, and he said his goal has been to “fully experience these places so I can share them on this blog I’m doing, TBCMikah.com.”
The “TBC” in the website name stands for “Travel Beyond Convention,” and the site is filled with photographs and colorful depictions of the aspiring travel writer’s adventures so far. Meyer sings and has worked multiple jobs to fund his journey.
Meyer and, often, his boyfriend, plan each visit using atlases in Meyer’s 2014 cargo van. Packed with a specially designed bed, storage units and even a solar panel charged battery system for a refrigerator, a water source and power strip, the van allows Meyer to stretch out his 6-foot 1-inch frame and save money on lodging.
Different companies have donated components for the van’s energy system, and Unwined Candles, a Maryland company, sold Meyer the van and is helping finance the trip, he said. Otherwise, Meyers said he has been funding his trek out-of-pocket.
“Realistically, I’ll go until I run out of money, but I hope it lasts until May 2019, when I plan to end the trip back in D.C.,” Meyer said.
Meyer’s visit to the dunes, and his blog entries about the stop, are important to the park, said Ken Kosky, promotions director for Indiana Dunes Tourism, so “people that were interested in national parks would see how wonderful our national park is and visit us. It’s a great chance to educate people who otherwise may not visit our national park.”
Meyer said his blog gives people a resource, connecting readers to all national parks. The site also Meyer boosts his name recognition as a travel writer.
Meyer also said he wants to live life fully and remember his dad, a pastor who stressed “social justice.”
The trip also has brought out the best in people, Meyer said. People often ask him what he’s doing living out of a cargo van, and they often give him a few dollars cash to help or make donations on his website. Parks give him free lodging at campgrounds or free tickets to their locations.
Mark Lecy, owner of Pedal Power Rentals, the new bicycle rental business at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore visitor center, took Meyer for a free bike cruise and run along the dunes trails.
“I’m envious,” Lecy said. “I’d love to have the time to do it, just to be able to see the world, see the country on your own time and just enjoy the outdoors.”
Michael Gonzalez is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Keep up with the trip
For more information on Mikah Meyer’s travels, to read about his visit to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore or donate to his trip, visit TBCMikah.com or e-mail him at [email protected].