His bike was draped with bulging panniers, his helmet had a tiny rear-view mirror, and yes, he was wearing those light nylon shorts.

The only difference was that when Wright paused in the shade of a Sprouse Reitz store to read his map, he held it one inch away from his face.

Legally blind, Wright is riding his 18-speed Raleigh alone from Seattle to San Francisco by way of U.S. 101. The trip began on Sept. 5, but Wright's story stretches back almost to the day he was born.

In July 1955, when he was 16 days old, Wright was in his mother's arms riding to church when the family car veered into a utility pole. Thrown headfirst onto the dashboard, he suffered severe brain damage.

Doctors said he might not live. If he did, the said, his sight, speech and motor skills would be severely impaired.

Now 34, Wright not only has survived but has overcome his disabilities to accomplish things he was told again and again he would never do.

"When people say you can't do this or that and you still try and succeed, you realize eventually that those people know nothing and you stop listening," Wright said.

People said he might never walk and would never play football, but he did both.

People said he would never ride a bike.

They were wrong again.

In 1977, Wright rode 50 miles around Lake Washington in Seattle and raised $900 for the American Heart Association .

A year later, he rode 80 miles and raised more than $1200.

This year, Wright plans to ride 800 miles and hopes to raise $10,000 for the heart association.

He also hopes his trip will encourage others with disabilities to "do something rambunctious."

"A lot of people with handicaps get caught up in the label 'handicapped' and use it as a crutch not to try. One of my purposes is to show that there's room for change in a person's life."

Wright, who is 26 credits away from a college degree, said laughter and a sense of humor sustained him through "17 years of social rejection in the public schools" caused by thick glasses, speech impediments and uncoordinated movements.

"Life for me has always been an uphill grind," he said. The, he joked, has prepared him well for this adventure.

"The high point of my trip so far was a hill just north of Belfair, Wash. It was hot and humid. The his was steep and high. I had to get off and walk, but I got to the top."

That, Wright said, has been the key to his success: set small goals and strive to achieve them. Know you limitations, but push them to the nth degree.

Wright's personal goals for the trip are to get in shape, get a tan, and get in tune with nature. He said glasses allow him to see road signs just fine and an auto-focus camera allows him to photograph scenery and people along the way. A life of near-blindness, he said, has heightened his other senses, allowing him to appreciate more than others "the aromas, the sounds of nature and the feel of the wind" as he rides.

"I'm not a fast person, but I hope to be in San Francisco by early October."

Nancy Guppy of the Oregon Affiliate of the American Heart Association said that people inspired by Wright's efforts can send checks to the American Heart Association, Oregon Affiliate, 2121 S.W. Broadway, Portland, 97201.

She said those who would like to donate funds for Wright's food and lodging during the trip may send checks to First Interstate Bank, Eighth and Olive Branch, Seattle, 98111.