By Barbara A. Schmitz
Most people arrive at Oshkosh by airplane or car. But Ed Strohmaier isn’t most people. Ed, of Schleiden, Germany, arrived at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh after cycling from New York.
“I like cycling, art, and airplanes,” he said, “so I decided to combine the three things in one trip.
He flew to New York on June 15 with his bike in a box, put it together at the airport, and took off on his journey. He spent the first few days seeing things in New York City like the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and as he continued his trek, stopped to see the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Milwaukee Air & Water Show, and more.
“As I was leaving New York on June 18, the road makes a bend to the left and I could see the Brooklyn Bridge,” he said. “That was when the trip became real.”
He arrived in Oshkosh on Wednesday, just when the Dreamlifter took off and went into the air.
Ed is a member of Warm Showers, a nonprofit hospitality exchange service, so most nights, including in Oshkosh, he’s slept in peoples’ homes or in his tent.
Despite encountering rain and hail on his ride, Ed said the toughest part of the trip was flying economy class to the United States. He said he never counted the miles or time it took for the trip.
“The miles didn’t matter. To me, it was more about cycling and the experience,” Ed said. “I had planned on riding 50 miles a day,” but he also included a few free days for sightseeing and illness.
Ed planned to leave Oshkosh by Monday and bike to Milwaukee before flying back to Europe. He said the highlight of the trip has been the people he’s met and the airplanes he’s never seen before. “If it goes fast and makes noise, I enjoy it.”