Philosophy of Giving

Anyone who knows Ryan and I know that we are Libertarians. We both believe deeply in the individual and the individual’s right to choose. It is important that every person makes up their own mind on every issue, which is why education is so important. One of the benefits of being a libertarian, or a member of a democracy for that matter, is that we are able to decide where our money and time goes. For this trip we are asking for donations, but it is completely your choice. We have decided to have Team in Training as our charity of choice, but there may be issues that are more important to you. That is why I would like to go through several charities that Surly Headed East finds important and hopefully there is one or two that interest you.

Team in Training (TNT): As an endurance athlete myself, I have seen the positive effects that Team in Training has had on its participants. The majority of the money raised for Team in Training goes directly towards research to find a cure for blood cancer.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF): Having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay, CBF has always been around, trying to clean up the mess that I’ve contributed to. Clean water is vital life and the Bay is quickly getting destroyed. If you are worried about the environment CBF is definitely worth checking out.

Kiva: Kiva is an organization that gives out micro-loans to poor entrepreneurs. Monetary capital and credit is very important for new businesses, which can often times be impossible to find. Kiva allows individual businesses to find credit all over the World to help fund their business, grow, and hopefully pull themselves out of poverty.

TOMS: Tomorrows Shoes is a store that donates one pair of shoes to a child in a third world country for every pair sold. I love the idea; this is the best side of capitalism. They work with the markets to help those in need.

Finally I would like to thank Laurie Schanken for being the first to donate to our cause! It was very generous of you and very much appreciated!

Thank you everyone for all of your support.

Ryan's Bio

Hello Readers!

This bio will be updated with a photo and more detail as I work on it, but I figured it was the right time to introduce myself now!

My name is Ryan Casna. I'm from Keene, New Hampshire. I've always enjoyed biking but most of my adventures up through high school have been with bmx and downhill mountain bikes. More recently I've been inclined to hop on the road bike since it poses less risk of injury and move value for getting in shape.

This trip will prove to be a real challenge for me; unlike Patrick, I am not in great shape and the training for this trip has proved to be daunting. This trip will be a true challenge for me both physically and mentally. I hate camping and bugs and life without a shower, but I need a change and an adventure and this is the first opportunity that both Patrick and I have had to capitalize on our free time!

Stay tune for some great tales from training and even better ones from the road.

Ryan

Patrick's Bio

Hey guys, I just want to take a little time to let you get to know me better. I've grown up in Pasadena, MD and went to high school at Severn School. After high school, I moved to NYC to attend Pace University, where I met Ryan. I had a blast in NYC, but never felt that great about being at Pace University. After about a year and a half I moved home and transfered to the University of Maryland, College Park where I graduated last December, with a B.A. in Political and Economic History. Since school has let out I've spent my days working at Woodfire Restaurant serving and managing.

In the sports arena I completed my first Marathon in April, the Big Sur International Marathon. I've also been training hard for the Timberman Half-Ironman which takes place August 23 and the North Face 50k trail running Challenge, which is on September 19.

I'm getting pumped to leave for California and begin the trek home. I've been wanting to do this trip for a couple years now, but the time has never been right, until now.

Although this adventure is mostly about self-discovery, I knew that it was larger than just Ryan and I. I knew that it had to be so much more, that is why we decided we had to raise awareness for a charity or non-profit. Over the years I've seen the work my mother and her friends have done with Team in Training and the results that they got, which made me want to be part of it. My hope is that Ryan and I can do our part to raise awareness for such an important organization.

After this trip is over I plan to refocus on school. It is my hope to go to graduate school in fall '10. Although I haven't decided on a school yet, I know that I want to study Public Policy, with a focus on Environmental Policy. The Environment is very important to me and I find that one of the most interesting topics of study is the Green Revolution. I'm not a complete hippy, but I do enjoy studying how businesses can gain competitive advantages over traditional businesses, by being "green."

Thanks for taking the time to check us out and come back regularly, because we will constantly be updating the site.

WELCOME!

Hello everyone and thank you for checking out our blog. Surly Headed East consists of Patrick DiGiulian and Ryan Casna, two friends on a mission of self-discovery. In September, we will be biking from coast to coast, for a trip of a life time. The planned route will start us in San Francisco, California and finish us up two months later in Ocean City, MD.

Having both recently graduated from college, we are using this trip as an opportunity to examine ourselves, before being thrown into the real world.

In addition to personal growth, we would also like to improve the world around us. To do this, we will be raising money and raising awareness of Team In Training.

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." - Alan Alda