SCARBOROUGH — As part of the Scarborough Public Library’s Armchair Traveler Series, Tim Fahey, author of
“The Fun Mover Chronicles,” discussed his 4,200 mile bicycle trip from Washington to Maine.

On Aug. 20, Fahey, now a Scarborough resident, answered public questions through a virtual event. This is the second of the library’s Armchair Traveler Series.

Fahey recounted his 2014 biking expedition from Anacortes, Washington, to Scarborough, a 72-day trip, he said.

“I can’t tell you how fun and difficult it was and mentally challenging it was to continue to get on a piece of steel and pedal all day until I was eventually back to my wife and son and dog Daisy in Scarborough, Maine,” he said.

His book is made up of a collection of Facebook updates and an archive of the trip, he said.

Fahey led the audience through a slideshow of photos from his trip and explained what a typical day for him looked like as he camped and traveled across the country.

The audience and library staff also had the chance to ask Fahey questions about the trip. One question revolved around animals Fahey encountered, including a bear, mountain goats, snakes, and a variety of reptiles.

“In some of those places I camped in, there were some pretty scary sounds coming from the woods at night,” he said.

As to the mental aspect of the trip, Fahey said that he gave himself an advantage of travelling to home instead of away from home.

“With every turn of the pedals, I was getting closer to home,” he said.

When facing high-speed winds, blowing constantly in his face, Fahey said that he had to embrace that was an aspect of the environment and refrain from dwelling on that.

The U.S. Marines have a saying, “Embracing the suck” Fahey said, which helped him accept the arduous parts of the trip.

Fahey also talked about positive parts of the trip and some of his favorite moments.

“One that comes to mind was the last mile I pedaled was with my son,” he said.

Catherine Morrison, assistant director and adult services manager of the library said that people who enjoyed the Armchair Traveler Series should look out for a similar program on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m.

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