Fueled by rice

Area man, friends have biked through Asia sharing message of hope

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 06:00 a.m., November 15, 2008

Andrew Spidahl of Fergus Falls and his group of college friends may not physically have been in the same spot when they decided to take off on a musical biking trek across Eurasia, but their minds were all on the same path.

It was a combination of shared interests and inspirations that brought their journey to life — a love of travel and music, a quest for a more simple life, an interest to use bikes as an alternative mode for travel, and a belief that in order to make this world a more peaceful place, human connections needed to be made.

“I think travel leads to a more peaceful world...without so much intolerance,” said Peter Ehreshmann, a Plymouth native who makes up just one of the members of the biking musical group, “Fueled By Rice,” that recently took on a journey by bike from Beijing to Paris.

After graduating from St. Ben’s and St. John’s Universities, the group of four — Spidahl, Jim Durfey of Livingston, Mont., Nakia Pearson of Nassau, Bahamas and Ehreshmann — scattered to different parts of the world.

Before they knew it, their plans began to mesh together and eventually led to the journey of a lifetime.

After a series of e-mails and phone calls, they made their way to their starting point — Beijing, China. And on September 16, 2007, they began to pedal.

“We just went,” Pearson said.

The rest is history.

All together, the group traveled through 16 countries, taking in the scenery, playing music, and forming connections with people of varying cultures and backgrounds.

“It was nice to get out there and see for ourselves that, indeed, people out there are quite friendly,” Ehreshmann said.

Based on their travels, the group agrees that the images shown to Americans through the media doesn’t necessarily represent the people of a country as a whole. And all in all, they say that, despite cultural differences, people are just people.

“Most people are very similar...they’re curious, they listen and they have something to say,” Pearson said.

And despite the occasional merchant attempting to claim more than an honest sale, many just wanted to help out those they see in need.

“People are really incredibly friendly,” Durfey said.

Most nights were spent camping, but the group was welcomed into the homes of many strangers, who were more than pleased to share and lend a helping hand.

“A conversation goes a long way,” said Pearson as she explained how she and her friends worked little by little to spread the love.

Aside from the human connections made, the group enjoyed slowing down and taking in life one day at a time — and leaving behind the consumer-driven world.

Work for them was sitting down on a street corner and doing what they love — making music.

Sitting in a coffee shop in Fergus Falls, the group reflected on their journey and how it’s changed their lives.

They agree that their experience has given them more courage to do what they think is right — which includes cutting back on oil consumption.

“One area I’ve changed is the recognition of biking as a possibility,” Spidahl said.

After their jaunt through Minnesota, the group will once again disperse to different parts of the world.

“I have a new appreciation for a more settled life,” Spidahl said.

But before they take off, they’re working together to record album, which includes songs created along the journey.

And based on their diet over the past year or so, they couldn’t think of anything more appropriate to name their band than “Fueled By Rice.”

For more information on Fueled By Rice, check out their Web site at www.fueledbyrice.org.

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