A New York man, who is cycling to every state in one year, recently got himself into a bit of a predicament on April 25 while in Michigan, according to FOX News.
52-year-old Bob Barnes is currently cycling to every U.S. state capital in one year. A few days after he visited Lansing, Michigan, his 38th capitol, he set up camp in Battle Creek, which is almost 50 miles outside of Lansing. He fell asleep with his propane stove on and then kicked it over in the middle of the night. When he woke up, he was “surrounded by fire.”
“I immediately knew what I did,” Barnes said.
When he realized what was happening, he got out of the tent, which wasn't hard because there was “nothing there.” He made it out safely and unhurt, but the fire was difficult to put out and he was afraid the woods were going to catch fire. Barnes managed to put the fire out using a gallon of drinking water, and then decided to go back to sleep.
“In my head, I was like, ‘I’ll deal with this in the morning,’" Barnes said. "I was like, ‘There’s nothing else I can do. I might as well get a couple of hours of sleep.’”
His tent, sneakers, sleeping bag and stove were all destroyed in the fire. “It was emotional," Barnes said. "I felt guilty. It was 100% my fault... It’s embarrassing, but it happened.” He has since replaced all of the gear and is continuing to bike to every U.S. state capitol.