A former police officer from Tampa, Florida is in Iowa in the midst of a bike ride from Portland, Oregon to New York City and Ground Zero. 46-year old E.J. Abel is also an Air Force veteran and says he was inspired to take the ride after hearing a speech from the president. He says he’s not a very political person, but he listened as someone asked the president what people could do as Americans to make our lives more secure. The answer was to go out and meet your neighbor, so Abel says he decided to expand the idea to going out and meeting people across the country. Another motivating factor in the ride is Abel’s birthday, which is September 11th.He says like everyone else, he sat there in awe when the terrorists attacked on 9-11. He says he felt helpless until he realized that each person can do something and it will lead to a ripple effect that spreads across communities. Abel is recording greetings from people along the way.He is bringing along a thank-you book and getting signatures from people across the country. Abel stopped in Osceola last night and is moving on to Ottumwa. He hopes to arrive in New York by this September 11th.