MORGANTOWN — He’s not circumnavigating the globe as Phileas Fogg did in the Jules Verne epic, “Around the World in Eighty Days,” but his journey and goal are no less fantastic.
“We’re all on our own journey,” Will Freeman said. “I want to meet people and talk about their life journey.”
The 64-year-old is visiting 48 states in 80 days while driving a Morgan 3-Wheeler, an English hand-crafted motorcycle.
Freeman told The Dominion Post he chose the unique looking vehicle specifically for this voyage because it attracts people to him — a convenience when people are the journey’s primary goal.
“On the surface it may look like this trip is about visiting all the states, but it’s about meeting the people in the states,” the Grinnell College coach said.
He called the Morgan 3-Wheeler a “smile machine” and said it has led to some interesting conversations so he budgets an extra 15-20 minutes per gas station stop to talk to people.
His trip began May 21, commencement day. From Iowa he traveled straight south, then west, north up the coast and across the top of the country.
Freeman reached Morgantown Tuesday and visited University Motors, one of just 14 Morgan dealers in America, for a service appointment.
The dealership sells Morgan vehicles under the name Morgan of Morgantown.
Brett Cendana, manager, said the cars are each hand-made in Malvern, England. The 120-cubic-inch motor has 188 horsepower and a top speed of 125 MPH.
“It’s an absolute blast to drive,” he said.
Freeman, who left Detroit Tuesday, said the next phase of his almost 17,000-mile journey is through Pennsylvania into New York. He plans to visit the East Coast before driving down to Florida and then back home to Iowa through the southeastern states.
The self-professed “British car nut” is writing a book about his trip and maintains a blog documenting his daily experiences at m3wroadtrip.com.
