“Most men, they’ll tell you a story straight through. It won’t be complicated, but it won’t be interesting either.”
That quote from Big Fish, my favorite movie, could be Jason Becker’s motto.
Becker rides around the country aboard a three-wheeled Schwinn named Heather. Everything he needs in life he carries in baskets at the rear of the trike: bedding, clothing, personal care items, food, beer — everything.
He’s been riding the roads on and off for more than four years, with breaks to spend winter in New Orleans and summer in Minneapolis.
I met Jason on Sunday, October 22, 2023, at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I learned of Jason from my brother, Tim, an avid cyclist who has heard Jason call in to the Full Spectrum Cycling podcast.
When Tim told me Jason was nearby, I reached out and offered to meet him.
We spent a little over an hour together, sipping Maker’s Mark in the early afternoon sunlight.
Just chatting.
Human to human.
Heart to heart.
Jason started riding in 2019. He was in Minneapolis and couldn’t find a place to live that didn’t require signing a one-year lease. There was also the matter of unpaid child support, toward which half of any paycheck would be sucked away. BTW, he pays back child support when he can and acknowledges he was at a different place in his life then.
Jason hit the road bound for New Orleans, where he works at a bar. The best time to work in NOLA is from New Year’s Eve through Mardi Gras, when the bar scene is hopping and the tips are plentiful.
During the pandemic, Jason decided to hit the road again because “there was nothing but pain and death” in New Orleans.
Now he spends part of each year in New Orleans, Minneapolis and Tampa, where his mother lives. When he’s not stationary, he’s on the road .
Not for a specific cause, although he supports breast cancer awareness in honor of his mom and Multiple Sclerosis awareness in honor of his brother.
Since he started, Jason has put 20,000 miles on Heather the Tricycle. He’s been to 36 states and 32 state capitals.
Jason’s route isn’t direct.
He’s ridden through the Appalachian Mountains, along the banks of the Erie Canal, through the Outer Banks while a hurricane was approaching, and had so many other adventures.
He rides backroads that follow the general path of interstate highways.
He’s a huge fan of Buc-ee’s and Kwik Trip for their amenities, prepared food selection and prices.
He stops to camp where it’s safe and, critically, where he can charge his phone.
Jason talks to his brother, who lives in Minneapolis, every day. His brother knows at all times where Jason is, where he stops, the license plate of the occasional Uber, etc.
Truck stop showers or restroom bathing, unless Jason is gifted with the occasional hotel stay. That’s hard to do this trip, though, because he lost his ID in Western Wisconsin.
Without his ID, Jason hasn’t been able to buy beer in Tennessee, so I took him a 12-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon at his request.
He keeps himself and his clothes clean because Jason said he wants to be approachable to folks who may ask questions about his travels.
Don’t call him homeless.
“I’m a traveler,” he said.
On the road, he has witnessed the full spectrum of humanity, from people who ignore him or just want him to move along, to those who chat with him and even financially support his journey.
Jason calls in to the aforementioned podcast from time to time to report on his adventures from the road.
The night before I met him, Jason camped out behind a convenience store. The shift manager gave him permission and a few slices of pizza for dinner. He was awakened by the bread delivery guy, who wasn’t comfortable with Jason being outside the door.
So Jason moved, worried the supportive shift manager was in trouble. I certainly hope not.
My brother is among Jason’s supporters. Tim has helped Jason with necessary repairs, food, shelter, etc., by sending money to Jason’s Venmo account. Jason himself doesn’t like riding with cash for fear of being robbed.
During the course of our conversation, we got to taking about Big Fish.
One of the state capitals Jason hasn’t visited us Montgomery, Alabama. He also hasn’t been to Atlanta or Jackson, Mississippi. I mentioned that the thing I like most about Montgomery is Big Fish was filmed there.
His eyes lit up when I mentioned the movie and we went down a storytelling rabbit hole.
He said he started writing his life story up to the point where he got aboard Heather and took off, but the laptop crashed and he hasn’t been able to get the story off the hard drive.
I hope he stops one day to rewrite his story and add his road tales.
He tells the story of his first trip to New Orleans, when he hitchhiked from Minneapolis in 2001. There are two versions.
In the first, he arrives in the city and was deposited at the Joan of Arc statue. As he was gazing up in wonder at the Maid of New Orleans, symbol of his arrival, someone stole his backpack.
In the second version, he arrives at the statue, spends a few days in the city, and while he is interviewing for a job, his backpack disappears.
Which story is more interesting?
However he tells them, I think Jason’s adventures aboard Heather would be great to read, complete with his own version of Siamese twins, giants, witches and magical towns.
In the meantime, if you find Jason out and about, give him a wave, buy him a Mountain Dew or a PBR, sit with him for a few minutes and share life for a little while.
You’ll be glad you did.
If you feel led to support Jason on his travels, his Venmo is @Jason-Becker-60.
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