Участники легендарного велопрохода Cyclemates II собрались на 55-летнюю годовщину встречи с Никсоном

MI’s Cyclemates II group holds 55-year reunion Published 2:30 pm Tuesday, September 1, 2026 Not many Mercer Islanders can say they met President Richard Nixon. In the summer of 1971, North Mercer Junior High teacher Fran Call and 15 of her students were welcomed into the White House by Nixon following their epic Cyclemates II bicycle journey from the Island to Washington, DC. The seven girls, eight boys and Call took off from the Island the day after school in June and arrived at the Washington Monument 60 days later. Soon after their arrival, the Islanders were White House-bound. It was 55-year reunion time for the Cyclemates II crew on Aug. 22. During the gathering at John and Laurie Stuckey’s home in Snohomish, memories flowed regarding Cyclemates II’s nearly 3,600-mile trek, the meeting with Nixon and much more. In attendance at the reunion were Chris Simpson Brent, Susan Hall-Dowd, Elaine Bracken Johnsen, D.R. Hendel, Maiko Blow Hatheway, Call, John Stuckey, Peter Ghehm and Randy Parker. Other cyclists were Kevin Lamb, John Mudge, Hanna Peterson-Overbeck, George Goodstein, Brent Larson, Mary Pagel and Alison Johnston. Stuckey said it was an exhilarating trip and felt blessed to spend a summer with the Cyclemates II group. At the reunion, Stuckey noted: “Each Cyclemate shared one (or more) memories that stood out, all of which brought back laughs and joy of having made such an awesome trip. Fran Call was celebrated for her leadership, dedication and determination. (For Call) to have made four cross-country bicycle trips with a group of teens is beyond compare. All my memories are good, even the scrapes from falls, the missing of family at home, and the long stretch of roadway to the next stop.” In an earlier interview with the Reporter at the Cyclemates IV reunion, Call said they learned about Nixon’s invitation while they were on their trip. “That was very thrilling. So we had a police escort across the Arlington Bridge and took us to the Washington Monument,” she said, adding that on the following day, “We actually rode our bikes up to the White House and right outside the Oval Office, and President Nixon came out and greeted us. He said, ‘Do you want to come into my office?’ And so we just laid our bikes down on the grass there and walked right into the office. He was very cordial.” Call said other highlights included biking up and over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park in Montana and The Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. For Hatheway, arriving at the Washington Monument was one of her top memories of the trek. “It was such an incredible feeling of accomplishment that we all made it, and it was quite emotional for me. Of course then we met with President Nixon in the Oval Office and that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “Another top memory was our rest days when we would do loads of laundry at a laundromat. It was also a pre-arranged mail stop so our families and friends would send care packages and letters. I loved getting baked goods in my care packages.” Hatheway noted that the trip and cycle group were amazing and she’s proud to have been part of the Cyclemates II adventure.