His parents wanted him to take the cross-country trip with a large organized group.

The independent Apex teen wanted to go it solo.

So the two sides met in the middle and Crawford sought out a biking buddy to cycle with him from North carolina’s Outer Banks to the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean.

So far he’s having the time of his life.

“In my life this is just one of those things I wanted to do,” Crawford said Thursday from Kansas City after finishing that day’s ride.

Crawford started the cross-country trip in early June.

The 19-year-old is studying chemical engineering at Virginia Tech, but cycling has been another love for a long time.

It started around age 14, when he was completing 50 miles of cycling for a Boy Scout merit badge.

It continued when an uncle gave him an old road bike and lasted through high school when he tried to form a cycling group at Apex High.

Dianne Crawford said her son likes the solitary, individual nature of cycling.

“He’s kind of a loner,” she said.

Of course for this trip he is not alone. Through his Web site, crazyguyonabike.com/doc/sum merbreak, Crawford advertised for a cycling companion.

Twenty-four-year-old Ross Andring answered the call. The Kansas City resident is also a student, studying mechanical engineering at Kansas State University.

He flew out to meet Crawford at the ride’s North Carolina start.

“It’s worked out really well,” Crawford said of the pairing, noting that he and Andring are very “laid back” people.

They are also both enjoying the scenery that they are passing through.

The guys average 75-80 miles a day in a route they planned themselves, which mainly utilizes secondary roads, swinging northwest to Cincinnati and then heading due west to California.

Crawford loved going through the mountains of North Carolina, even if the ride was fairly challenging.

The pair have met some nice people along the way, including a man in a Midwestern Wal-Mart, who upon hearing of the young men’s ride, offered them his yard to camp out in.

The guys have been staying in homes of friends or family when they can. For example they stayed at Andring’s place in Kansas.

When that’s not possible they camp out, sometimes along the side of the road, sometimes in city parks. (They ask the police first though.)

“As long as you don’t look like a criminal it’s fine,” Crawford said.

Does Mom worry?

“He’s having the time of his life,” said Dianne Crawford, who usually hears from her son once every couple of days.

“He had a dream and he is making it come true.”

The dream will come to an end sometime in July, when the pair reach the San Francisco area.

Crawford most likely will fly back to North Carolina.