"Circles are everywhere. In nature. In art. On bikes.

That's how Jake Foreman sees it. Cycles of Life is a nonprofit he created to help Native American teens learn about their heritage.

“The thing that connects it all together is cycles,” he says. “That’s the way everything is, from planting seeds to being on a bicycle—which is turning a wheel.”

Ten pairs of wheels began turning on July 28 when he and his sister, Lisa, led teenagers along the Trail of the Ancients. Their 12-day journey covered 200 miles from the Zuni Pueblo to Taos Pueblo.

The Trail of Ancients, an indigenous byway linking Southwest communities, was also used by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in his search for the Cities of Gold. Foreman, a member of the Absentee Shawnee tribe of Oklahoma, says riding along the path is a step toward healing historical traumas.

“We’re retracing that route on bicycle and learning from spiritual leaders at every stop,” he says. Students from Albuquerque’s Native American Community Academy made the trek under the blazing New Mexico sun, breaking for two hours each day for lunch. The group met with a medicine man, the governor of the Zuni Pueblo and war chiefs in Laguna. After one grueling 50-mile ride, the group rolled into Albuquerque to a chorus of cheers from friends and family. The night ended with a celebratory potluck and a drum circle. Next stop: Santo Domingo Pueblo for Feast Day."

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Where the Rubber Meets the Road (The Weeky Alibi 8/11)