NATCHEZ — Ten feet and two wheels are all the Harrison family has to get them to Alaska.

But mile-by-mile and day-by-day, the Kentucky family is peddling up hills, along highways and through towns on their five-seater bicycle.

The family arrived in Natchez Thursday for the latest stop on the journey that began on Aug. 1. Along for the ride are Bill and Amarins Harrison and children Cheyenne, 6, Jasmine, 4, and Robin, 2.

“Traveling is in our blood,” Amarins said. “It is in our heart to travel and see places.”

The Harrisons wanted to see Alaska, but were concerned about the logistics of such a trip with three young children.

But not being the type to give up on their dreams, Bill and Amarins started looking for a way to make the journey. They stopped looking when Amarins came across a bright yellow quint bike.

“I was like, ‘This is it.’ Amarins said. “I thought, ‘We can do that.’”

So they ordered the bike in January and when it arrived in May the family started practicing on the bike and training for the 7,000-mile journey.

They took off from their home in Mount Vernon, Ky., traveling to the Atlantic Ocean, then south along the East Coast and into Florida before heading back north and along the Gulf Coast through Mobile.

While a typical trip from Kentucky to Alaska — even one on a bicycle — wouldn’t take the family through the deep south, Amarins said she and her husband planned a route that would allow the family to see the largest percentage of the country.

“We are traveling the perimeter of the country I suppose,” Amarins said. “We wanted to go certain places and see certain things and to do all of that we had to plan the route this way.”

The original route had the family traveling along the coast to New Orleans but the closure of the Mobile Bay Ferry caused the family to form an alternate route that took them north and eventually to Natchez.

“We have a plan, but we have to be able to adjust,” Amarins said. “It is like that in life. You have a destination and a plan but along the way it is necessary to change that plan at times. We can’t expect things to always work out the way we want.”

Along the way the family camps in a tent and sleeping bags that are stored in a small bike trailer they pull with them.

Occasionally they splurge on an inexpensive hotel room, but mostly Bill said they get by on the generosity of others.

“We have met some of the nicest, most generous people on this trip,” Bill said. “From housing, to food, to supplies, people have been very giving and supportive of our goal and our journey.”

And for the Harrisons one state’s welcoming spirit has really stood out.

“Mississippi has by far been the most giving, most hospitable state for us,” he said. “And I’m talking about from state line to state line, everyone we’ve meet has been accommodating and generous.”

In Natchez, the Harrison’s were greeted with a police escort and a welcome package that included toys, balloons and coloring books for the children, food and a three-night stay at the Hampton Inn.

When they leave town, Natchez Police Department will escort the bikers across the U.S. 84 bridge into Louisiana.

The trip isn’t just about getting to a destination. The Harrison family wants to experience the places they stop so they visit local parks, take in local history and learn about local people.

“The state parks in Florida were spectacular,” Amarins said. “They were educational and well kept and a perfect place for the kids.”

They have also visited the planetarium at the University of South Carolina, Aiken.

“They are learning things on the road and seeing things on the road that they couldn’t see in a classroom,” Bill said.

To supplement the children’s “road lessons” they use home schooling workbooks and lessons.

During the trip, the family has seen many sights that have stood out, but for Bill getting to Natchez and seeing the Mississippi River was his big milestone.

“We are here and once we cross the river we’re no longer in the east,” he said. “(The Mississippi River) is such a corridor for the country, such an artery of the old world — it is a huge step to be able to say we are here.”

Bill said being at such a historic crossroads reminded him of the American spirit that he is hoping to pass along to his children through this journey.

“People talk about what made America great, and it isn’t politics or race or wealth,” Bill said. “I believe it is a spirit of freedom that allows people to take chances, experience life, to go out on the road, to start businesses.

“That is what we are doing. You can’t always make the safe, comfortable choices or we would never get anywhere.”

The Harrisons will be in Natchez for a couple of days before crossing the Mississippi River bridge to continue their journey.

Amarins said an extended stop in a town is always nice for refueling purposes, but after being on the road for three months peddling is the only thing that feels natural.

“I always say, ‘It is good to be on the road again,’” she said.

The Harrisons expect to arrive in Alaska during the summer of 2010 where they plan to live until the spring of 2011 before deciding where to go next.

Follow the journey at www.pedouins.org.