Before there was Round America with a Duck, there was Slow Duck Crossing. This may seem like just a simple sign on a dirt road, but it has become so, so much more to me (and, in all honesty, Round America with a Duck would not even be happening if Slow Duck Crossing hadn’t happened first — trust the journey).
I even included it in the FAQ “What’s with the duck?” It’s so close to my heart that one of my last bike rides* before leaving for my cross-country trip was to Slow Duck Crossing yesterday. (Short answer: Inspired by that sign, I wrote a children’s middle-grade novel about a girl who tries to stop the city from paving the road until after the duck nesting season is over. I”ve been swimming in little rubber duckies ever since.)
I love that book, and yes, there’s a website. I even provide free action steps young people can take to make a difference where they live right now, today. That’s worth a glance and a share, folks. Trust me on this one. There is a youth you know, and maybe even love, whose voice is needed locally.
Perhaps there will be a children’s book companion to my adult creative nonfiction book Round America with a Duck (see route and chapter summaries here) and I’ll secure a two-duck deal. As a popular TikTok sound goes: “It’s called manifesting. Look it up.”
And yes, after riding there yesterday, I can confirm that Slow Duck Crossing still speaks to me in ways I have yet to fully understand. All I know is that I’m not yet done with it.
* Today’s final ride is to REI to drop off the batch of BikeBloom upcycled bike tube earrings shown in the TikTok below — which they want to sell! You can also get BikeBloom earrings (in either single track or two-abreast versions) online or in-store at Wild Oats and Billy Goats in Decatur, Georgia, the only Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community in the State of Georgia!
Round America with a Duck 