Stories about how he decided to hop on a bicycle one day in St. Augustine, Fla., and pointed it west with the intention of riding until he reached the Pacific Ocean. Stories that include riding along highways and back roads, pushing through mountains, intense heat, some cold and rain, strong headwinds and other obstacles.
Stories that include a coyote sniffing around his tent as he camped along the side of the road and of meeting a nice couple at a Texas ranch house, where he knocked on the door because he needed to replenish his fluid supplies.
Stories that he chronicled in a journal of his 34-day cycling trip across America, a journey he undertook because he wanted a challenge, wanted a chance to see things from a different perspective and wanted those stories to share.
Mission accomplished.
Kilpatrick, who recently moved to Oceanside with his wife, Jodie, and family, left St. Augustine on Feb. 8, and touched his front wheel to the water at Mission Beach in San Diego around 8:30 p.m. March 13.
Kilpatrick, 29, was "hurting pretty bad" when he arrived in town after his 2,520-mile journey. But being reunited with his family made things considerably less painful.
"Of course, I was happy to be here. It was getting old near the end because I was doing it alone," Kilpatrick said. "I was happy to get here, see my family and start my new life."
The ride was a huge stretch for Kilpatrick, whose longest previous cycling trip was 100 miles. He said the first 300 to 400 miles were the roughest, as his muscles adjusted to the daily pounding. After that, "Things started to get a little numb," he said.
Kilpatrick is done with long-distance rides for now. His next task is to find a job, having had to close his construction business in Alabama because of the economy.
He shouldn't have any trouble convincing prospective employers of his ability to complete assignments.
Return trip: In a reversal of sorts, a team of four cyclists from Wales plan to leave the Oceanside Municipal Pier early Friday morning for a two-week ride that will take them to St. Augustine.
The four riders, ranging from 27 to 48 years old and in varying degrees of shape, according to team member Andy Edwards, are taking on the ride in a bid to raise money for the children's hospital in Wales. They have already brought in more than 50,000 British pounds, with donations continuing to roll in.
"We're just a team of mates from family and work," said Edwards. "We've done long-distance training, but nothing like this."
The riders, Edwards, Gareth Evans, Richard Belcher and Phil Jenkins, will be trailed by a camper van. A documentary crew will film their journey, called "Coast 2 Coast USA." They'll ride in pairs, alternating every 20 miles.
It's kind of a crazy idea, admitted Edwards, adding that it was something the buddies cooked up hanging around together.
"Once you say you're going to do something, you've got to go through with it," he said. "We're going to do it. Bring it on."
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