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Family Bikes Across U.S.

Reporter: LeAnne Morman

Family Bikes Across U.S.

School's out for summer and it's the official time for families to take a trip to get away. A Missouri family is doing just that, in the form of a four-month cross country trip, and their mode of transportation is getting a lot of attention.

The Murr family is getting ready for a ride from a friend's house in Omaha, but it is actually just a pit stop on a cross country journey.

"We kind of look at this as a trip that we can do together and follow our dreams," says Kate Murr. Kate, her husband Stuart and their two children, five-year-old Jane and Brady who's three, are biking across the United States.

Stuart is an architectural designer in Springfield, Missouri. When the economy took a nose dive, work slowed down and an opportunity presented itself.

"I asked her if she would be interested in letting me take off for 8 weeks and ride my bike across the country," he says. "And I'm like oh sounds great, but i want to go!" Kate says.

"Then I said, OK, what are we going to do with the kids, and she said..."

"Let's bring them with us, why not? So it's turned into a family adventure," says Kate.

So far their adventure has led them from St Augustine, Florida to Alabama to Tennessee and so on. The trip started in April. Now June, the Murrs are staying with friends in Omaha.

The people they have met along the way have been more than kind. "We've had people invite us to stay in their homes, people have given up our master bedroom for us, bought us dinner in restaurants randomly."

The phrase "Are we there yet?" comes to mind and the Murrs say traveling with toddlers is never easy. They handle it by taking lots and lots of breaks and only riding for an hour at a time, two if the children are napping.

In the meantime, these parents are showing their children places that could only be seen by bike, and giving a message to the rest of the country.

"This generation of kids are the first one in America that's aren't expected to live as long as their parents because of obesity and diabetes and inactivity. This whole screen culture that we've created for them, and so we wanted to show people an alternative way," says Kate.

There's no price tag on good quality family time, and the Murrs have been camping along the way to keep things as inexpensive as possible. Donations have helped out, too.

There's no cost to teaching children a valuable life lesson. "I think that it's important to show your kids how to follow your dreams. I think that's a primary role as a parent and I'm happy to do that," says Kate.

The Murr family will be biking until the end of August when they should make it to the Pacific Ocean in Seaside, Oregon.

In a few days they should reach the halfway point, which is Yankton, South Dakota.

They invite those that are interested to track their progress, read stories, and see pictures all posted on their blog.