Milt Allen climbed to Mt. Everest base camp, summited Kilimanjaro, was charged by black rhinos in Zambia and a mother moose in Alaska, slapped by an eagle in the Aleutian Islands, and tracked mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
Those are just a few of the hefty challenges conquered by the 63-year-old doctorate level maestro from Salina. His musical resume is flavored by the rhythm of an active — and daring — life.
“Most people run away from fire. I tend to run toward it,” Allen said. “That’s pretty literally how I think about life.”
The former professor who directed and taught from elementary to professional levels in 49 states including Native American reservations and five continents, is seldom satisfied to just chill at Harmony Hideaway.
Which is why Allen’s planning to dip his bicycle tires in the Pacific Ocean Aug. 18 from the Santa Monica Pier — the western end of Route 66 in California — for a three-month, 3,100-mile pedal across the United States, to the Annapolis Pier in Maryland.
On top of the potentially dangerous journey, he’s dubbing it “Biking for Band,” to raise money for a pair of special causes.
His goal is to be home before the Nov. 5 U.S. elections.
It’s another test for the former bike racer and triathlete, and a way to raise money and awareness for music education and teacher wellness, through his nonprofit, TheMusicGuerrilla.com.
Biking for Band aims to bolster music programs in schools and call attention to the need of additional mental health resources for all teachers.
A fundraising event is 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Red Fern Booksellers, 106 S. Santa Fe, downtown Salina. If you can’t make it, visit the website and click on Biking for Bands, call Allen at Harmony Hideaway (785) 218-6458, or email him at [email protected]
“Music education is constantly under the knife in public and private schools, and we’re seeing skyrocketing mental health numbers with teacher and students,” said Allen. “When we’re talking about social and emotional learning, music has always been an outlet. A lot of schools are cutting off their noses despite their faces. Schools, teachers and students are really paying the price.”
A huge emphasis is on STEM. which stands for science, technology, English and mathematics, he said, and educational funding is hinged almost solely to those endeavors.
“Schools have squeezed out opportunities for students, emotionally, creatively and intellectually,” Allen said. “Music is about emotional release, as well as good stimulation.”
His goal is to raise $20,000 to help with expenses on the bike trip, and to help those causes through the former professor’s nonprofit, TheMusicGuerrilla.com. Proceeds over the goal will benefit the nonprofit.
Here’s the mission statement:
• “The Music Guerrilla uses music as an accessible portal for personal, educational and emotional growth for schools and community programs, with special attention to underserved and low-income areas. Whether a listener, a performer, educator, or supporter, The Music Guerrilla serves to empower and inspire a new generation to think, act and create.”
Allen added teacher wellness out of his concern for all who educate.
“It’s a major problem and not really being talked about very much,” he said. “This nonprofit is moving forward.”
Biking for Band is a daring deed for Allen who retired from academia in 2012, but continued his career as a freelancer. He and partner Nancy Steele founded Harmony Hideaway in 2022 from a country home nestled into a wooded 240-acre estate just a bit northeast of Salina. The business provides unique lodging, events and meeting spaces, and hosts house concerts for national touring musicians.
Allen has been in training for several months, putting in long rides to ready himself for the rigors of travel. He’s being supported with gear and expertise from Shawn Jones, owner of Bike Tech at 660 S. Ohio in Salina and at 1620 Fort Riley Blvd. in Manhattan.
“It’s pretty good when anybody tries to support a cause,” Jones said. “I’m trying to get his bike fit for him, to make it more comfortable to ride, and we’re getting accessories he needs for the trip.”
Out-of-town riders are known to stop by the shop every summer as they tour the country by bicycle, he said, but this one if different.
“(Milt’s) a friend,” Jones said. “It’s kind of personal. It’s no small feat. I think it’s pretty cool. We’ll be tracking his progress, and we’ll get to hear some of his stories.”
Biking for Band won’t be easy, Allen admits.
He must first dodge wildfires in California, and on the third day, enter the Mojave Desert, infamous for its harsh conditions, an includes section dubbed Death Valley. Beyond those areas are Arizona and New Mexico, where triple-digit high temperatures are common.
“It’s one of the hottest summers on record, specifically in the Southwest,” Allen said. “There will be 100,000 feet of climbing from deserts to mountains, from storm season in the Southwest to Fall and dropping temperatures in the East, from cities to expanses with no services.”
He will be traveling as lightly at possible — covering 50 to 70 miles a day — camping some nights, accepting lodging and food when offered, and meeting with folks about Biking for Band causes whenever opportunities arise.
And, the tall skinny adventurer is determined to enjoy every mile of it.
“I’m an inquisitive Kansan,” Allen said. “There’s a lot to marvel out in this ol’ world.”
Follow along at TheMusicGuerrilla.com.
