Geezers don't need to slow down.

CLINTON - Some people might have noticed a van following a bicycle rider down Lincoln Highway into Clinton Thursday.That man was 61-year-old Mark Junge of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Anyone looking close enough also might have noticed that he had a tube leading to his nose and a small tank attached to his hip.Junge not only carries liquid oxygen in order to breathe, he also carries what he considers to be an important message - that you do not necessarily have to give up on your dreams or keeping up an active lifestyle just because you have become oxygen dependent."As baby-boomers age," Mark said, "there will be more and more who develop health problems and need a machine like this."Mark lost part of a lung in 2002 after he had a pulmonary embolism, otherwise known as blood clots inside his lungs. Due to the condition not being diagnosed immediately, he suffered permanent damage, which reduced his ability to breathe without oxygen when sleeping, walking or exercising."I've been an avid cyclist my entire life," he said, "and I thought my dream of biking across America was crushed when my pulmonologist told me I had to go on oxygen over a year ago. But the Helios system has kept my dream alive. This trip is not only a personal goal, but also an opportunity for me to demonstrate to other oxygen dependent individuals that they also can stay active and independent. It also shows that you can make a statement while you are here on planet Earth."His journey began in San Francisco on June 12 where he dipped the rear wheel of his bicycle into the Pacific Ocean and gathered some of the salty sea water into a vial. He has followed the historic Lincoln Trail, which brought him to Clinton on his way to New York where he will dip his front wheel into the Atlantic Ocean before ceremoniously emptying his vial of Pacific salt water into the ocean there.That he is following the historic Lincoln Trail is no surprise. Before retiring in 1995, he was the Wyoming state historian and editor of the Wyoming Annals, a quarterly history journal published by the state. He also is a photographer and an author."The state of Iowa is really proud of their Lincoln Highway history," his wife of 38 years, Ardath, said. "They take care to preserve it. It's beautiful."Mark's journey into Clinton brought him to Mercy South Hospital to fill up both his Helios portable Liquid Oxygen System and his larger stationary vessel (tank). The tank is carried in the vehicle and stocked with the liquid oxygen, which turns into a gas as it is breathed in from the nasal canula that leads into Marks' nose. The portable tank weighs only 3.6 pounds and is 10 inches tall, making it small enough to fit into his shoulder bag.Ardath is the driver of the van, but she takes little credit for her help on the journey."The trip is really about him," she said, referring to her husband. "I'm just his companion and driver. I work on maps, keep the books - I handle all the logistics of the trip."Her husband's determination to ride from coast to coast comes as no surprise to her either."He has always worked out at the YMCA and stayed fit," she said. "It was not unusual for him to ride 10 miles or more on his bike. His longest ride was 70 to 75 miles. I could see his strength and endurance, but his training for the ride really consisted of working out at the Y five days a week."Up until about two weeks before he started the ride, Mark thought he would have to make the ride without a sponsor, but then Puritan Bennett, a part of Tyco Healthcare stepped forward. Tyco's Puritan Bennett/Mallinckrodt is one of the world's premier producers of respiratory-related medical products, which serve patients both at hospitals and at home."Mark's trip across the country will not only be a personal best for him, it will also help raise awareness for these systems so that more consumers can benefit from them," said Randy Whitfield, president of Puritan Bennett wrote on the Freedom Tour Web site at www.freedomtour.com. "Medicare and most insurance plans cover portable liquid oxygen systems when medically indicated and prescribed by a physician. The challenge is educating more physicians and legislators about these systems."Both Mark and Ardath have found something they did not expect during the course of their journey across America."You get so much more than you bargain for when you do a ride like this," Ardath said. "You get to meet the people of America.""We average between 100 and 200 photos by people each day," Mark said, "and we meet the people in the towns."After finishing the ride, Mark plans to write a book about his experience.