Kenneth Reinke

Ken was born in Newport, RI during the U.S. polio epidemic of the late 1940s and early 50s. He contracted the disease at nine months old and his life of adventure and learning had begun. Despite his pronounced limp, his greatest ambition was to travel by any means, which has taken him to almost all the states – 16,000 miles hitchhiking – and he has backpack traveled to more than thirty countries.

Rarely following convention, Ken received a BA in Geography from the University of Florida 20 years after graduating from high school. His minor was in philosophy although Philosophy of Life has been his true vocation.

Ken’s greatest accomplishment is discovering a profound sense of joy within himself and seeing that this innate exuberance is in everyone. This discovery has enabled him to cover more than 8,700 miles of unescorted, cross-country travel by bicycle including traversing the continent twice despite being an insulin dependent diabetic - all since his 67^th birthday.