Leaving Flint to See America on a Schwinn Bicycle

I Left My Blue-Collar Hometown On A Schwinn And Learned How The "Other Half" Actually Lives

Have you ever felt that crushing pressure to leave home just to "figure out your future"? 🤔 In this episode, I’m looking back at 1970, when I ditched the factory smoke of Flint, Michigan, for a 2,000-mile cross-country bicycle odyssey that changed everything.

Expect to hear about:

• Why riding at dawn in the Mojave Desert is basically a 110-degree survival horror movie. 🐍
• The "poor man's air conditioner" that totally blew my Michigan mind.
• What happens when you’re 16, solo, and realize postcards have been lying to you about Los Angeles.

It’s a story about "sea to shining sea" on two skinny tires, outlasting the factories that defined my youth. Hit play for the full "Rest of the Story."

#FlintMichigan #BicycleTouring #PaulHarvey #Schwinn #RadioFreeFlint

👉Subscribe to The Mitten Channel

Join us for the full experience. Subscribe to The Mitten Channel on Substack to receive our latest narrative essays, audio stories, and deep-dive reporting directly in your inbox.

Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

Visit our Mitten Channel website for our complete library of podcasts, videos, and articles.

The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.