Between classes, some teachers use their summer vacation to spend time with family or to visit relatives. Others spend their vacation resting and preparing for the next school term. For Robert Hirsch of Atlanta, a term break means a chance to view the United States from the back of a bicycle.

Hirsch’s path brought him through Cadiz on Thursday, after a night of camping at Lake Barkley State Resort Park. The Cadiz Record found him enjoying the hospitality of Trigg County Tourism Executive Director Bill Stevens and Employee Kim Burkeen at the Downtown Tourist Information Center.

Hirsch said that he teaches Mathematics, Science and English as a Second Language to students beyond the borders of the United States. “I’ve taught in Africa, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other countries. When I am not teaching, I cycle.”

During a term in Switzerland, Hirsch said that he wanted to go to Barcelona, Spain. “I did not want to take the train so I got a bike. I loved it so much that I decided this was for me. Now I’m addicted to it.”

With his first journey taking him across the Alpine and Pyrenees Mountains, Hirsch said that he did not train in preparation for his new hobby. “On my first day, I traveled over the Alps. It was pretty hard on the butt and legs, but it felt better after a week.”

Before returning to the United States for his third transcontinental trek, Hirsch biked across New Zealand. “The place is perpetually green. If you love mosses and ferns, then it is the place for you. If you like fall colors, then it may not be the place for you.

“The animals are different. It’s a beautiful place and sort of a throwback to how the States were a few years ago. The Maori are an indigenous group- a warrior folk. Rugby is big there, too. The entire country entered a deep state of depression when they lost the World Rugby Cup a few years ago.”

For the rest of this story, read this week's Cadiz Record.