Bike Ride Across America

Sierra College Professors Retrace Lewis and Clark’s Path Via Bicycle

Sierra College professors Chip Johnson and Dick Marasso spent their summer break by helping students in an unusual way. May 9, 2003, the two began a 59-day, cross-country bicycle trip to raise scholarship funds for Sierra College students – and retrace the historic route that Lewis and Clark forged 200 years ago.

Starting at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., the two and a few others rode 4,090 miles to Astoria, Ore., with businesses and individuals pledging donations for their effort.

“This money will be used to award scholarships to students – money that is particularly important during these tight budget times,” Marasso said. “Chip and I thought it would be great to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark’s expedition and at the same time make a contribution to our community and our students.”

Marasso, 62, a Folsom resident, is President of the Sierra College Foundation and Professor Emeritus of Sierra College, where he taught Astronomy for nearly 35 years. Johnson, 55, a Grass Valley resident, is currently an Adjunct Professor of Oceanography at Sierra College and has been an avid biker for a number of years, biking across Kansas twice in the last two years. He is a U.S. Navy retired oceanographer and former deputy superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington.

“While I am one of the organizers of this undertaking, Dick has been instrumental in setting up the scholarship fundraising with the Sierra College Outreach Program,” Johnson said. “Without the support of people here at home who care about our children’s education, we couldn’t accomplish our goals.” The two were part of a group that included some professors from a Mississippi community college.