In June the Press talked to Cadence Farm owner Joy Bahniuk, of Bolton Road, and her brother, Doug, about the wild ride he had planned to help raise research money for Parkinson's Disease, a disease with which Doug was diagnosed five years ago. When we spoke, the 55-year-old Doug had planned a solo bike ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska. It would be the second such ride he embarked on, the first being in 2008, when he rode his bicycle from Portland, Ore., to Boston, to prove he could meet the challenges of Parkinson's. Joy said she worried about his upcoming adventure, but admired his courage.

Doug Bahniuk poses at the top of Loveland Pass in Colorado, during his bike ride across the USA in 2008. (Courtesy photo)

The ride has come and gone, and we were curious: How did it go? We spoke to Doug last week.

He said the ride took place in July, rather than in August, as had been the plan when we reported on his adventure in June. It encompassed 10 days, including two days of transit time to and from Alaska from his home state of Ohio. He said, "In some ways it was harder than I expected, but in some ways easier."

Equipped with only his bicycle, a sleeping bag, tent, map, money, and some food, the intrepid bicyclist made his way, undaunted, across the wilds of Alaska. He trained rigorously for the trip, riding about 40 miles a week. On the actual trip, he rode more than twice that distance many days; some days he traveled as much as 95 miles. He rode the 400 miles from Anchorage to Fairbanks in eight days.

Doug said he met many people along the way, and handed out lots of his cards, which describe his fund-raising efforts to benefit those with Parkinson's Disease. Several people told him they would contribute, and he said that a man from Sarah Palin's hometown even gave him $20.

He said that, riding along some roads where signs of civilization were seen only once every 90 or so miles, he worried about encounters with bears, but didn't see any. Worries of friends and relatives about potential disasters along the way proved to be unfounded, and close to 60 of them gathered in Cleveland in late July for a celebration dinner organized by a much-relieved Joy.

Doug's wild ride raised more than $33,000 for Parkinson's Disease research. Asked if he had any more adventures in mind, he said, "Yes—next year I'm going to ride the 900 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Anchorage."