Prodigious pedaler Cyclist riding across U.S. to raise $5 million for art center, museum

man on a quest: Terry Hurst of Salt Lake City passed through Union County this week on his national bike tour to raise money for a neighborhood art museum and culture center in his home state. - The Observer/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

Hurst, of Salt Lake City, is on a mission few people would dare to try in summer, let alone October, November and December: for a cause, he’s embarked on an incredibly long bicycle journey, making a huge roundabout circuit around the country, from Salt Lake City to at least Miami, Fla.

He’s doing it to raise the seemingly impossible sum of $5 million, for an art center and museum in his home town. If he hasn’t raised the money by the time he gets to Florida, he’ll go farther. He said he’ll go all the way to New England for pledges, if he has to.

He’s seems extraordinarily happy to be doing this, even though by his own admission he’s only in average physical shape and doesn’t know much about bicycles.

He has moments of self-doubt, though not very many. For a moment Tuesday, he wondered out loud if he isn’t a little like the old Spanish knight of legend who wound up tilting at windmills in a quest to defeat evil giants.

“Who knows? Maybe I am Don Quixote,” he said when asked if he might not have bitten off more than he can chew.

But the doubt didn’t last. In a twinkling, he was off on another optimistic tangent.

“Five million isn’t impossible,” he said. “All I need to do is get five million good people to give a dollar, or 500,000 good people to give 10. You know there’s at least that many good people out there.”

Hurst blew into Union County this week on a Giant brand bicycle, hauling some camping gear, extra clothing, personal hygiene articles and a few electronic accessories in panniers and a trailer attached to the bike frame. The bike and nearly everything he’s carrying were donated by friends.

In Salt Lake City, he’d left his wife, noted mural artist Ruby Chacon, to operate their Mestizo Coffee House, with its adjoining art gallery and culture center.

He’d left her with a vow: he would indeed complete this journey, and he would raise all the money needed to build the first art center and museum on Salt Lake’s west side.

That was 2 1/2 weeks ago. Since then, he’s ridden along interstate highways, stopping at big and small towns, talking about his quest to anybody who will listen.

“Our message is powerful,” he said. “Don’t wait for miracles. You are the miracle. You can change things.”

According to Hurst — and to several newspapers and magazines in the Salt Lake City area — he and Chacon are very much involved with youth activities on the city’s west side.

The new art center and museum would support those activities. Doing upstanding things for young people is the couple’s prime motivator, Hurst said.

“Both our families have struggled,” he told The Observer Tuesday. “We got into community service about 20 years ago, because we wanted to make a difference. We’ve learned that with art we can successfully engage youth.”

He said that through art, a young person can gain knowledge of a community, and through knowledge of community, a sense of belonging and self-worth.

Besides that, art can help to keep kids out of trouble.

“We had a scholarship program for youth graffiti artists. It’s a known fact that graffiti in our neighborhood went down after that,” Hurst said.

Hurst left home with very little money in his pocket, and, except when it’s offered for food or a cup of coffee, he isn’t taking money from people he meets along the way. He refers those who want to donate to his cause to his website, www.FiveMillionDollarFund.org.

It isn’t as if donors are giving something for nothing. They actually buy pixels on a website work of art at $1 apiece. Buy enough pixels, and donors can have an image of their choice worked into the picture.

Though it might have been better to start the quest in spring or summer, Hurst said that once the idea took root he couldn’t wait. The weather in mid-autumn hasn’t been especially nice, and already he has lived through some really uncomfortable moments.

He recalls being stranded in foul weather outside Malta, Idaho, and getting a ride to the county line from the local sheriff. He also recalls a bad moment when he topped a high windy hill east of Baker City, and felt almost defeated.

“Coming down, it was so cold I could hardly stand it,” he said.

But overall, he is having the time of his life. People have been kind, offering time and again to feed him and put him up for a night. He said he has actually camped out but once between Salt Lake City and La Grande.

“I never know where I’m going to stay and eat, but I always know I will stay and eat,” he said.

In Union early this week, Hurst stopped at city hall and told clerk Claracy Hancock he was having trouble finding a room for the night.

Hancock called her mother, Margaret Hartzell, who was happy to donate a night’s lodging, even on short notice.

traveling light: Hurst’s Giant-brand bicycle, outfitted with panniers and a trailer, was donated by friends. He carries camping equipment, extra clothing, personal hygiene items and a few electronic accessories. -The Observer/BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH

Hartzell fed Hurst in the morning, and Gravy Dave’s restaurant in Union chipped in some food. Hurst went on his way well rested and well fed.

Hancock said she liked the ever-ebullient and optimistic cyclist.

“It was enjoyable visiting with him. We had a very good chat,” she said.

For Hurst, the most important thing is to talk with people and spread his message. In Boise a few days previous, he got the chance to talk on public

radio. It was a real publicity windfall.

“My goal had been to talk to 10,000 people in Boise. They said there’s about 15,000 listening to the radio station at any one time,” he said.

That’s the kind of opportunities he’ll look for as he goes on his way. He said he plans to pedal to Vancouver, Wash., before turning south and heading down the California coast.

At San Diego, he’ll turn east and go for Miami. He doesn’t know when he’ll get there, and doesn’t seem to care.

“We’re doing something,” he said. “We’re not apathetic. If this was just about me, it would be a lot harder.”