Motorcyclists trying to raise awareness about suicide with cross-country trek from North Dakota to Texas

Route of the motorcycle ride

Tomorrow, more than 50 bikers from around the U.S. will kick off a four-day, 1,700 cross-country motorcycle ride in an effort to "bring greater attention to the tragedy of suicide in this country, to break the silence that surrounds it, and to start a discussion on how to prevent it," The Canadian Record of Texas reports.

The "Wish You Were Here Ride" is the brainchild of North Dakotan Mike "Cisco" Maples, who lost his son to suicide four years ago. "An hour before he killed himself, he was laughing and joking with us," Maples said. "There were no warning signs. I still can’t wrap my head around why."

Maples, an Army veteran, said he's also lost friends to addiction and PTSD, and began researching mental health statistics. He discovered it's the top cause of death for young Americans, but that stigma often keeps people from reaching for help, the Record reports.

"Nobody is talking about this ... I decided we’ve got to do something," Maples said. "Being a parent … nobody talks about the person who has died by suicide. It is an uncomfortable subject … because it is an unnatural death."

That's why the bike ride will cut through the middle of the U.S., starting from West Hope, N.D., on the Canadian border, to Tres Laredos City Park on the Mexican border. "We are riding right down the middle of America to help raise awareness for suicide prevention," Maples said. "The heartland… it’s America. It’s everywhere. What better way to go."

The ride will function as a fundraiser, too; all money raised will go to support the ND Suicide Prevention Coalition.