A historic 1903 cross-country trip will be done one mo time.

Byline: Mary Jo Hill

WESTMINSTER - All it takes is a moped and a dream.

The three young men will have just been granted their college degrees when they rev up their mopeds at the start of July and head out to cross the United States.

They'll be cruising back roads on vehicles that carry a gallon of gas and get 100 miles to the gallon, and putt-putting along at 20 to 30 mph, at least until they start heading uphill.

This will be a sentimental journey, as they try to retrace a century-old road trip.

The trio will follow the route taken in 1903 by Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first person to drive across country in an automobile. They hope to depart from San Francisco on July 5 and end up in Burlington, Vt., by Labor Day.

Of course, since there were no paved roads outside of city limits back when Mr. Jackson headed off on his adventure, the 21st-century version of the trip won't be an exact duplicate, said Nick Girard, a 21-year-old from Westminster who just graduated from Champlain College in Vermont.

They'll try to go from city to city to plot a similar trip, Mr. Girard said.

Mr. Girard will be joined by his nephew, Tom Sands, 19, of Gardner, who will graduate next month from the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Turners Falls.

Rounding out the group is Kevin Corkrum of Garrison, N.Y., 21, who just graduated from Champlain College. Both Mr. Girard and Mr. Corkrum are graduates of the broadcasting program at Champlain and plan on blogging and uploading video clips to their Web site.

Mr. Girard said he and Mr. Corkrum wanted to have some fun this summer and do something to better the community.

"I was like, `Hey, dude, let's go on mopeds across country,'" Mr. Girard said.

They'll be raising money and awareness for the American Cancer Society because all three of the young men have family members who have dealt with the disease.

They wanted to raise social consciousness on their adventure to make sure it was more than just "some guys going on a road trip," Mr. Girard said.

Tim Brookes, a teacher at Champlain, suggested they follow the route of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Girard said.

Mr. Jackson lived in Burlington, Vt., and headed across the United States on a bet. He drove in an open-cockpit, modified 1903 Winton accompanied by a mechanic. Along the way they acquired a dog named Bud. The trip, full of adventure and mechanical mishaps, was re-created in a television documentary.

Now, more than 100 years after that trip, Mr. Girard and his friends are hoping for their own share of escapades. They are still making plans, including trying to figure out a way to bring along a reserve of gas to supplement the mopeds' tanks. "But if it comes down to it, mopeds do have pedals," he said.

The group is trying to get donations from corporations and from people who know them, Mr. Girard said. But he's sure he'll end up spending a good sum of his own money as well, he said.

Mr. Sands will put his camera to work, taking photographs along the way that will be posted on the group's Web site. He describes his photography style as documentary, more artistic than commercial.

He's young and wants to see the country and have an adventure before getting a job right away. If they were driving 60 to 70 mph in cars, they'd miss so much along the way, Mr. Sands said.

"We're going to see way more of the country."

Riding a moped makes you feel free, Mr. Sands said. "It kind of makes you feel like a kid."

To learn more about the trip or to make a donation, visit the group's Web site at www.mopedcountry.com.

ART: PHOTOS; MAP

CUTLINE: (1) From left, Tom Sands, Nick Girard and Kevin Corkrum (2) From left, Kevin Corkrum, Nick Girard and Tom Sands are looking forward to their adventure. (MAP) Retracing the original road trip

PHOTOG: (MAP) T&G Staff/DON LANDGREN JR.