Author: jpcannon

I’m getting ready to do another long ride.

Next week (September 4), I’ll start a trip from the U.S.–Canada border (north of Seattle), down the Pacific Coast to just north of the U.S.–Mexico border. I’ll post more soon, but as I prepare for this new adventure, I’ve found myself reflecting on the last one—my Ride Across America back in 2022.

A little over three years ago, I rode my bike across the U.S.A. I started in San Francisco and finished, 51 days later, in Yorktown, Virginia. In between, I had the time of my life. Some of you may have read my posts during that ride and know.

Looking Back: Reflections, Three Years Later

I realized recently that I never wrote a formal post with my reflections. At the time, I shared a few thoughts in statistics, feelings, and favorite photos and videos. I was also somewhat reflective in my last few posts from the road (see here,here, and here).

What I didn’t expect was how valuable the blog would become. It turned into a journal of the ride. After a few weeks on the road, the days started to blur. I’d forget who I talked with, where I stayed, or what town had that amazing breakfast sandwich. When writing this post, I went back and read every entry—something I hadn’t done in years—and I’m happy I did.

What the Ride Meant to Me

Mentally and Emotionally

The ride gave me time to reflect on life. Long, quiet stretches of road. Vast, open spaces. Beautiful landscapes. Conversations with people I’d otherwise never meet. It all gave me the chance to understand myself a bit better. I didn’t fully realize how powerful that was until months—maybe even years—later.

In that first year after the ride, something I heard on a podcast or read in a book would land differently. I’d see it through the lens of the trip. Subtle, but it stuck.

And then there were the reminders. Those automated slideshows or random photos that pop up on your phone or iPad—does everyone have that widget? I loved those. They reminded me again and again: I did something really special. And I’d often find myself falling into old pictures, reliving the journey.

Physically

I have to say—I’m impressed with myself. I actually did that ride. Day after day, 80 to 100 miles. Big climbs. Hot days. Long slogs. Looking back, I’m not sure I fully grasped what I was taking on. And reading those posts now, I sometimes wonder: Who was that guy?

The experience gave me a deep sense of pride and confidence. I proved to myself that I was stronger than I thought. And that’s something I still carry with me.

Socially

Originally, I started JoeRides.blog to keep in touch with family—Chris, Kelly, Ally, and Mallory—and maybe a few close friends. I wasn’t sure who else would read it.

But the response surprised me. Friends, colleagues, extended family… I heard from so many people—during and after the ride—who said they enjoyed following along. That encouragement was incredibly motivating. And on the road, I met all kinds of interesting people, from all walks of life. I wrote about some of them in various posts (like this one), but there were many more I never even mentioned.

Advice for Others

If you’re considering doing something big—whether it’s a bike ride, a personal challenge, or just stepping out of your comfort zone—here’s what I’ve learned:

• Just do it. Start small. My cross-country ride was the result of years of building up—overnights, weekend trips, multi-day rides.

• Keep a journal or blog. You’ll forget so much. Writing things down preserves memories and helps you stay connected with others.

• Stay flexible. Don’t lock yourself into a rigid itinerary. Leave room for surprises, detours, and days when you just need to rest or explore.

• Talk to people. Some of my best memories are the people I met along the way—other riders, hosts, locals. Stop and have the conversation.

• Stay safe. Do your research. Make smart choices. Your goal is to ride—and come home.

• Try hostels. I only stayed in one—and I wish I had tried more. Great energy and connection.

• Enjoy the ride. It really is about the journey.

I’m reminded of a quote I put on the front page of this blog:

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

—Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

And a few others that friends shared with me:

“The ultimate reason for initiating something ambitious is not to fulfill certain notions but to find out what surprises might emerge. The most remarkable results almost certainly cannot be anticipated.”

—Stewart Brand, The Clock of the Long Now (shared by Paul)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

—Mark Twain (shared by Don)

And Now… What’s Next?

So here I am, three years later, packing up for the next big ride.

This one has been on my bucket list for a long time: the Pacific Coast. I’ll be starting just north of Seattle, near the U.S.–Canada border, and riding for 34 days down to Imperial Beach—just south of San Diego at the U.S.–Mexico border.

More posts to come in the next few days. Thanks for following along. Let’s see where this ride takes me.

In a comment to “Days 1-51: By the Numbers,” Charlie suggested I put together a post with my favorite photos. Thanks Charlie, more work but good idea.

I had a lot of fun looking back through all the photos and videos I took on my ride. It also gave me some additional time to reflect (I am still working on that reflection post).

Here are some of my favorite photos in chronological order. More than a few of them have appeared in other blog posts, including my most recent post. Captions on the top.

My favorite photos & videos

This is from Day 4: Plymouth to Alpine Village. You may recall that this was an early ride that was quite challenging. As I rode down the other side of Carson Pass, I kept running into this guy who was driving and taking photos of his girlfriend. I asked if he would take a picture of me. He posed me and suggested giving the “thumbs up.” He took a good photo.

It was pretty stark as we rode across Nevada on Day 6: Fallon to Cold Spring Station. Then we came to several miles where people wrote messages along the side of the highway using rocks. I liked this one, as a tribute to my mother.

Days 5-10: Fallon to Ely(+) were along Highway 50, which has been nicknamed “The Loneliest Road in America.” The cars and trucks were few and far between, but they did pass us at about 60-70 mph.

Making new friends in Austin, NV.

Another of the exceptional days — of which there were many — was Day 13: Cedar City to Tropic.

Bryce Canyon National Park is spectacular. These are some of the “hoodoos” among which Chris and I hiked.

Bruce and I are riding from Hanksville to Blanding. I love these shadow photos, but this was the only one I got. I guess because mostly I rode west to east and my shadow was behind or ahead of me.

Out west the “wheeeeees!” could go on for 20 minutes or more. This one was on Day 23: Montrose to Gunnison.

This was the literal high point of the whole ride on Day 24: Gunnison to Salida.

Seeing Ally, Mallory and Chris for dinner in Colorado Springs was definitely another high point.

Kansas had many grain elevators. So many I started trying to get creative photos. This one I called Sunrise Over Grain Elevator (Day 29: Scott City to La Crosse)

Day 31: La Crosse to Hutchinson – The Flickinger Family leaves water out for cyclists. I ran into this on a long stretch between services; it was a welcome relief on a hot and windy day.

One of my favorite signs appeared at the beginning of a stretch of shoulder-less Kansas highway. The great thing was that Kansas drivers were courteous, especially along this stretch, and gave me those 3 feet if not more.

While I am showing favorite signs, I would be remiss to not share my most favorite sign. I saw this one pretty often (though not in Kansas).

Day 33: El Dorado to Chanute, the best breakfast of the whole ride was at Cake Batter Batter in Eureka. And the nicest people, too.

Day 33: El Dorado to Chanute. Stopped at Lizard Lips Grill and Deli. Earl, the owner, gave me Earl the lizard, my companion for the rest of the trip.

Here is Earl. I enjoyed talking to him when I got lonely. No, he did not talk back.

I did not take many photos of food and drink. But this picture was a pleasant reminder of earning my dinner and drinks.

Lots of Kentucky and Virginia were just like this…

There were a lot of roads like this in Kentucky. Quiet roads with no traffic, no lines, and trees on both sides. Out west our tertiary roads tend to be gravel roads, but out east they are more likely paved but without lines. I left the finger at the bottom to remind me of my photo mistakes.

I took a photo each time I entered a new state. But none felt as good as rolling into Virginia. By this point, I was ready for the ride to be over. Ready to sleep in my own bed. So it was special to make it here.

Early morning in Virginia. It was really nice to get out on the road early and see the sun rise.

The Vesuvius (14-18% grades) climb (in Virginia)! It sure looks pretty — but it was a beast to climb.

The reward for climbing Vesuvius was maybe the most beautiful 25 miles of ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway! How lucky am I to have had this experience. Oh yeah, this was definite a “wheeeeee!”

Here is a view off the Blue Ridge Parkway into the valley below. All of these views are what made this day special.

Day 51: Ashland, VA to Yorktown, VA was the last day, and had plenty of great riding. Including along roads like this.

Chris captured the last hundred yards or so of my adventure.

And of course the ceremonial wheel dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

There they are. My favorite photos and videos. It was fun to go back and re-live the ride by looking back through all of them. Thanks for the suggestion, Charlie.

Writing this post was fun. And it will probably be a LONG read. I wanted to share my most memorable rides, people, and experiences. So, I went back and skimmed each post and watched every Relive video. This took a while and brought back so many great memories.

My last post was easier. I just reviewed the numbers and shared what the data revealed. This time, using qualitative research, I offer my:

• Most memorable ride days

• Memorable people I met on the ride

• Most memorable experiences

I started JoeRides.blog to keep in touch with my family and interested friends. I was not sure how many people would read it, but I figured that at the very least, my immediate family (Chris, Kelly, Ally, and Mallory) would read it. I was actually pretty surprised that many other friends, colleagues, and family members started reading and commenting. That was really motivating. When I returned, I heard about even more people who said they enjoyed the blog.

The blog had another unexpected benefit as it turned into a journal of my ride. After a few weeks on the road, the days started to blend. I would forget the details of what happened each day, who I talked with, and where I stayed. In writing today’s post, I reviewed each day of the ride.

A few more numbers…

Before I jump into my new post, I wanted to share a few more “numbers.” I thought of a couple more numbers I wanted to share that were no in, “Days 1-51: By the Numbers.”

• 11 =number of books I listened to.

• 9 = number of states I rode through (California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Virginia)

• 5 = Number of rainy days. Only one day with a thunderstorm and a big downpour, and that lasted only about an hour.

• 2 = number of times I fell on my bike. Both times, I was not moving and failed to clip out. When you ride a road bike, your shoes clip onto your pedals. When you stop, you usually pull out of one (or both) clips. But if you only clip out of one and lean the wrong way (and you are clumsy), you can fall. Yes, twice.

• 1.5 = number of hours of television I watched (1 hour was part of the last Warriors-Celtics game in the NBA Championship, and the other half hour was just background TV). I had little time for or interest in TV.

• 0 = number of times I crashed my bike. There were two close calls where I got going too fast and almost lost control in gravel on the shoulder. Both times, I pulled it out before falling.

• 0 = number of delicious “free” hotel breakfasts. I had one good breakfast at a B&B in Utah. A few Holiday Inn and Suites had OK breakfasts.

The most memorable riding days of the adventure

One of the benefits of going back through the ride was the realization that the first part of the ride was both different and also fun. I was still with Bruce and Dave, and while I was not often riding with them, we usually started the day together and connected at the end of the day, and sometimes along the way. There were a lot fewer people out west as well. The Western Express Route we started on was not as busy with cyclists, and towns in the west are fewer and farther between. The roads were much different. Out west, secondary roads are often gravel, and the ACA route avoids those. Consequently, the roads tended to have faster (and sometimes busier) traffic. And of course, the Sierra and Rocky Mountains of the west are taller, with longer (though not as steep) climbs.

Initially, I thought I would “rank” my favorites, create something like a “Top 5.” While I could identify some clear favorites, it proved difficult to rank them. Perhaps not surprisingly, the most memorable rides were in the mountains, both in the western and eastern parts of the journey, rather than in the plains of Colorado, Kansas, and, to a lesser extent, Missouri (though the Ozarks were great, too).

Two themes emerge on my list of eight favorites. First, they all involved some challenges (steep and/or long climbs, longer distances, or harsh weather). There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from overcoming those challenges. Second, there was something unique and beautiful about the ride. The favorites are listed below in chronological order.

• Day 4: Plymouth, CA to Alpine Village, NV. 76 miles, 9364 elevation gain. This ride scared me. 9000+ feet of climbing on the fourth day of the ride. You may recall that I felt less than optimally prepared at the beginning of the ride. Fortunately the weather was good. When we planned the ride we knew there could be snow over Carson Pass in May. This was an early challenge to my fitness and I was happy to have passed the test.

• Day 13: Cedar City, UT to Tropic UT, 86 miles, 6834 elevation (4 wheeees and 0 aarrgghhs). This was a truly incredible riding day. It started with a long 5000 foot climb right out of town and about 4.5 hours of 3-11% grade. There were lots of photo stops (see the Relive video below). Then a turn into a fantastic outdoor treasure, Cedar Breaks National Monument. Plenty of downhill (and some good wheeees) into Bryce Canyon where Chris and my first rest days of the trip were waiting.

• Day 17: Boulder, UT to Hanksville, UT, 84 miles, 4521 elevation (6 wheeeees! and 0 aarrgghhs). This one was a surprise. I didn’t know how beautiful it would be. Truly spectacular beauty. I discovered Capital Reef National Park. Wow! That place is incredible. I will come back and visit this place when I have more time to explore.

• Day 18: Hanksville, UT to Blanding, UT: 124 miles, 8000 elevation (about 4 wheeees and 0 aarrgghhs). Ten years ago, as I first planned this route, I circled this segment on my plan. I knew then that this day would require some assistance. Recall that this ride was 124 miles with no services (no water along the way!). It was the one day I allowed Chris to sag me on the ride. This was the only “favorite” that I rode with someone else. Bruce and I rode most of this together. Lori and Chris were there with water when needed. It was even more difficult than I expected, possibly the single most difficult riding day. That said, it was also more beautiful than i expected.

Day 44: Berea, KY to Hazard, KY, 100 miles, 7785 elevation (no wheeees)

This was a particularly difficult riding day, it was long (100 miles) with lots of climbing. Plus, that climbing happened late in the day when it was particularly hot and humid and I was tired. I am not sure I would have called it a “favorite” back on Day 44, but I remember it more fondly a few weeks later.

Day 45: Hazard, KY to Breaks, VA 84 miles, 6073 elevation (two wheeeees, lots of aaaarghs)

This video will be new to you. When I first posted this on the blog, I forgot to include this Relive video. A shame since it was such a great day, even with no wheeees and a few aaaarghs. There were plenty of downhills, but most were steep and winding, so I was unable to really let loose and enjoy them–aaaaargh). The overall ride very challenging, with several very steep climbs. I rode a bit with two Brits (Colin and Steve) who proved to be very nice guys and had great stories of their adventure. I saw them a couple more times over the following days.

Day 49: Lexington to Charlottesville 76 miles, 5781 elevation (several wheeeees!)

This day had it all. The weather overcast but not raining. The ride started in a beautiful valley on a road with few vehicles. When I reached the town of Vesuvius, I started the most difficult climb of the whole adventure. It was pretty long (~2 miles) and very steep (extended stretches at 14-18% grade) climb to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway was such a joy to ride.

Day 51: Ashland, VA to Yorktown, VA 94 miles, 1998 elevation (no wheeees today)

The last riding day of the adventure had its ups and downs. It was drizzly most of the day. I got lost in Williamsburg. On the other hand, riding for about 30 miles along the Virginia Capital Trail and going through areas with such historical significance was really nice. And of course, riding into Yorktown, meeting up with Chris and riding up to the Victory Monument and dipping my wheels were the true highlight of the whole trip.

Memorable people I met on the ride

I met so many interesting people along the ride. This is another benefit of taking the Adventure Cycling Association routes. Other people do, too. I met some along the Western Express (San Francisco to Pueblo, CO) and then many more along the more popular TransAmerica Trail. I connected to that trail after Pueblo.

The most memorable conversations tended to be with fellow riders. While I regularly talked to non-riders, those chats tended to be brief. We had less in common. And I guess it was easier to talk to people sharing the experience of taking a long bike tour.

The last section of this post includes my most memorable experiences. Many of those include “people,” typically people I met more than once and spent more time with. If that was the case, I included their story in the “experiences” section below. I have pictures of most of these folks as it became a routine for people I met to ask for my photo and vice versa.

• Nestor. On the ferry from San Francisco to Vallejo we met Nestor, a delightful young man and fellow cyclist who was ferrying and then riding to Napa to visit his girlfriend. We enjoyed a great chat with him on the hour-long ride to Vallejo.

• Brandon and Sarah. These two young people are trying to re-build the economy in Austin, Nevada. We stayed at their hotel and at at their restaurant. They are hard-working people and I wish them the best.

• Thomas. I met Thomas a few times over a few days in Nevada. He was from Pennsylvania and had a goal of riding across country before he turned 40. This was his last year to do it. His family was sagging him in an RV.

• Trina, “The Popsicle Lady” (photo below)offered cold drinks or popsicles to cyclists. Her husband Doug was riding his bike across country. She drove their van and made friends along the trail. I met her on Day 27: Ordway to Eads.

• Scott (photo below). For about a week, Bruce’s friend Scott sagged for Bruce and Dave in Western Colorado. He took us to his family’s winery and was a pleasant companion for about a week.

• Blane (photo below) worked on my bike in Pueblo.

• Matt. I met Matt in his hometown of Pueblo. He gave me a tour and guided me to my hotel.

• Breakfast at Cake, Batter, Batter in Eureka, KS and meeting Deanna, the owner a very kind and generous woman.

• Stopping at the Lizard Lips Bar & Grill and getting Earl the Lizard who kept me company the rest of the ride.

• Michael and Gary (photos below). I met Michael and Gary taking a break on a long, hot riding day in Missouri. These two guys have already gone from San Francisco to Los Angeles. From there, they connected to the Route 66 trail, then cut up to the Grand Canyon and connected to the Western Express Trail in Utah. They are heading to Maine and then back to Chicago. I thought I was on an adventure!

• Franz. Early on Day 35 I saw about 10 cyclists in groups of 2-4 who were carrying no gear. We waved but didn’t chat. Then Franz (from Germany), the last of them, flagged me down. I learned that all of them are on the Bike the US for MS ride, which raises money and awareness for multiple sclerosis.

• Terry. In Carbondale, Illinois I re-connected with an old friend of mine from my days teaching at Emory University. Terry is now the Dean of the College of Business at Southern Illinois University. We had breakfast together.

• Suman. I met Suman, another TransAm racer a few times. The first time we met (Day 44), he told me he was slowing down so that he could finish next weekend when a couple of his friends from Connecticut could come down and ride the last 100 miles with him. Then I saw him on Day 46 and he had changed his mind. He told his friends not to come down and instead, Suman rode 500 miles in three days to get done and get home sooner.

I found that I met many fewer people in Virginia (at least after the first stop in Breaks, right over the border). First, there were few riders going the other way–and those that did I met on hills where stopping to chat was tough. I think many of them avoided leaving from the east coast in July. Second, the towns I stopped in were bigger. So I didn’t meet fellow riders in hotels.

The most memorable experiences of the ride

I have artificially categorized memorable “rides,” “people,” and “experiences.” As of course, there is a lot of overlap. The best riders were usually great experiences. And most (but not all) of the best experiences were with people. So I mostly categorized rides that were great experiences as “rides.” People that I met but did not spend as much time with, I generally put into the “people” category. And experiences are reserved for stuff that didn’t seem to fall into the first two categories. And a few of them get mentioned more than once.

• Riding from Hanksville to Blanding with Bruce. I would be remiss to not go back to this particular ride (also mentioned above under rides). It was a 12 hour riding adventure.

• So many wheeeees! Most were so fast I didn’t want to take a photo or a video, but here are a couple.

• Hanging out in Summersville with Felix and Jacqueline (from Amsterdam, Holland, photos below). Rolling into my Summersville, Missouri hotel, I was greeted by Felix. He is riding the TransAmerica Trail east to west, so I would not see him again. Early in his ride me met Jacqueline (see her photo below). Jacqueline is also from Amsterdam and while they don’t usually ride together, they often stay at the same hotels and keep a similar schedule. We hung out for several hours, drinking beer, eating dinner, going shopping. They filled me in on what was ahead (including the dogs).

• An evening and morning at the Historic Rose Hotel on the Ohio River. This little (only four rooms) hotel is owned by the state of Illinois. It is right on the Ohio River with a porch overlooking the river. You may recall my blog post, “E-Town Slows Me Down” which described how rolling into this hotel caused me to stop and smell the roses.

The pictures that follow tell a bit of that story. You can see the porch. You can also see the sunrise I enjoyed the next morning as I stuck around longer than planned to enjoy coffee on that porch. I also met Matt there (more on him in the next experience).

• A night at the Sebree First Baptist Church Bike Hostel. After coffee and a lazy morning on the porch at the Rose Hotel I did not have enough time to ride my planned 100+ miles to the next hotel. The ACA maps showed a bike hostel in Sebree–about 70 miles down the road. I could do that. While I had previously avoided hostels, assuming they were noisy and mostly full of young people who might keep this old man awake, I decided to go to this one. What a great experience. This was a really neat experience.

Matt (from the UK) rolled into the hostel a few hours after I did. We had met at the Rose Hotel and talked some that morning. We were the only guests at the hostel and we ate together, hung out and talked. I enjoyed getting to know Matt. Pictures of the hostel and Matt and I follow.

• Connecting and reconnecting with TransAm Racer Julio. I met Julio on Day 42. He is a TransAm Racer. We stopped at the same convenience store and were both getting a meal. So we sat together and ate our food and talked. This was his third time riding in the race, but he had not finished the other two.At the time, he was struggling and not putting in as many miles as he wanted. He was hoping for 150 miles a day. Because most racers were riding about that many miles per day, I usually only saw them once or twice and then they were well ahead of me. Because of his struggles, I met him at least a dozen more times in the next 7 days. Each time he complained about his physical struggles and how he was not feeling great.

The last time I saw him was in Christiansburg, VA. We had both started in Damascus and rode 100 miles. I was done and looking for my hotel when I heard Julio whistling and calling me over to him in a parking lot. I asked him how he felt and he said “Great!” He planned to ride another 75 miles that day, and he was looking at riding the last 300 miles in the next two days. He later sent me a photo of him at Yorktown Victory Monument (the end of the ride). See that photo below.

• Riding with Steve and Colin (from the UK) and hanging out with them at the Gateway Motel. I met these two Geordies (I learned a new word) from Newcastle, UK riding out of Hazard, KY. They are raising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young. We rode together for about 20 miles and then continued at our own respective paces. I met them again at the end of the day, at the Gateway Motel in Breaks, VA where we were later joined by Julio. We all hung out and Steve and Colin had some amazing stories about their ride-especially the start in Montana. Learning more about them personally was great, too. Two really nice guys.

• Dan rides west, but I follow him on Strava. In the Appalachians I met Dan from Pennsylvania. Riding the other way, Dan was one of the few westbound riders I met in the last two weeks of the ride. He warned me of a loose pit bull up the road. He told me about how earlier that day he stopped at a Baptist Church where their choir was singing outdoors (a tradition started during the pandemic). He chatted with the church members for a while. He told me about camping in someone’s front yard, and now they shared moonshine whiskey with him.

I put down Dan as an “experience” because I continue to follow his journey on the social media app Strava (often used by cyclists and runners to share their workouts). He posts photos and a description of each of his days. I like reading Dan’s stories because it shows a different way to ride. Dan is camping most of the time, and generally riding shorter days than I (although he has had some recent days of ~100 miles). He meets a lot of locals and experiences small towns. His is another way to experience the ride and I am living vicariously through his experience. Right now Dan is still in Western Kansas, so he has at least a month and a half ahead of him.

• Riding in Kentucky is just such a pleasant experience. Here are just two photos to show some of it. The first a view in the Appalachians. The second one of the many quiet, tree-lined, low traffic (no painted lines) roads I enjoyed riding there.

• The end of the ride, Victory Monument and wheel dip. Of course the ultimate experience was riding up to Yorktown Victory Monument and then dipping my wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. I achieved my BHAG. See video and photo below.

I have a few more blog posts in me. Inspired by a comment from my colleague Charlie, I will share my favorite photos and videos. Then, I will finally post my reflections on the ride. That last one is still being tossed around in my brain, though I have a few ideas.

Those who know me well, or who have simply read much of this blog, know that I am a data geek. I have a power meter on my bike that tracks the effort I put into each pedal stroke. I use apps like Garmin, RideWithGPS, Strava, Epic Ride Weather, and others to gain insight into my rides. Of course, data is also central to my job as a professor — in my teaching, research, and textbook writing.

This blog post is an opportunity to share some of the data from the ride. What do the numbers have to say about that little bike ride I did over the last couple of months? I have divided my presentation of the data into groups: 1) Data for the whole ride, 2) Data for individual days, and 3) Objective measures of the hardest ride days.

Data for the whole ride

This first set of numbers shows numbers (total or averages) for the whole ride.

• 1,111,423 = total pedal strokes

• 178,727 feet = total elevation gained (climbs)

  • 3765 feet = average elevation gained per day. Note: of my 10 highest climbing days, 7 occur in the last 10 days of the ride.

• 159,649 = total calories burned from exercise (according to some Garmin formula)

  • 3443 = average calories burned per day

• 3760 = total miles

  • 81.1 = average miles per ride day

• 144 = average normalized power (a measure of the amount of power I put into the pedals). I felt stronger at the end, and I showed more power (perhaps also because the steeper hills required it). Out of my 10 highest normalized power days, 9 occur after day 37, most in the Appalachians, where steep rides (and fortunately a more fit rider) met the challenge.

  • 139 = average normalized power Days 1-36

  • 157 = average normalized power Days 37-51

• 25 = number of “loose dogs” that chased me — only two got closer than four feet.

• 24 = number of consecutive riding days (without rest) to finish out the ride

• 6:04 = average moving time per ride day. I started riding longer after Pueblo; the average moving time before Pueblo was 5:26, and after that, it was 6:42.

• 8 = number of days where I rode over 100 miles in a single day (a Century). There were another 6 days in the 90-100 mile range.

• 7 = the number of TransAm Bike Racers I talked with during my ride.

• 4 = number of flat tires (at least two were incurred “off-route” riding through neighborhoods).

Individual day – highlights

The following numbers are the highest, fastest, furthest, etc. on a single day of the ride.

• 11,203 = feet above sea level, highest elevation (Day 24: Gunnison to Salida)

• 9364 = feet of vertical climbing, most in a single day (Day 4 Plymouth to Alpine Village – my climb into the Sierras). 9151 = second biggest climbing day (Day 18: Hanksville to Blanding). This second one might be overstated, as my Garmin failed, and I am using the RideWithGPS elevation gain, which is generally higher than those recorded on my Garmin. No other climbing days exceeded 8000 feet.

• 125 miles = longest ride in one day (Day 18: Hanksville to Blanding), second 118 (Day 35: Pittsburg to Marshfield), third 114 miles (Day 38: Pilot Knob to Carbondale).

• 48.8 mph = fastest recorded speed (Day 17: Boulder to Hanksville). On 18 days, my top speed exceeded 40 mph. 14 of those 18 happened in the first (western) half of the trip. The second half of the journey did not have nearly as many of the long, relatively straight downhills needed to get up that speed.

• 10:21 = hours: minutes, highest “moving time” in a single day (estimated, I recorded 9:41 before my Garmin died). (Day 18: Hanksville to Blanding). The second-highest moving time in a single day was 9:15 (Day 35: Pittsburg, KS to Marshfield, MO), and the third-highest was 8:54 (Day 4: Plymouth to Alpine Village).

• 18% = the steepest grade that I saw on my Garmin. I had to look down to see it, which I tend to do more often when I am on a tough climb. I definitely saw this number on at least two different days.

What do these data say were the hardest riding days?

There are a few key data points that can be used to assess the difficulty of a riding day. A few of those are shown above–most miles in a day and highest climb in a day. Garmin utilizes measures of normalized power, intensity factor, and duration to generate aTraining Stress Score (TSS), defined as “a way of measuring how much stress is put on the body from a ride.” Based on this score, the following were my most stressful days.

1. Day 44: Berea to Hazard (TSS = 452) was a challenging day in the Appalachians. 100.0 miles, 7785 in elevation gain, and some dog worries on the brain.

2. Day 4: Plymouth to Alpine Village (TSS = 406) was an early test of my fitness as we climbed into the Sierras. The ride was just 76.3 miles but included the most significant single-day total ascent of the whole trip (9364).

3. Day 38: Pilot Knob to Carbondale (TSS = 406), I cranked out 114 miles.

4. Day 37: Summersville to Pilot Knob (TSS = 399), stressful as drivers were not being nice that day.

5. Day 35: Pittsburg to Marshfield (TSS = 381), I cranked out 118 miles on a very hot day.

A couple of comments on the above list. First, it is somewhat surprising that Day 18, from Hanksville to Blanding (the longest ride by distance and the second longest by elevation gain), did not make this short list. I think that may be because my Garmin died and did not fully capture my misery over the last 30 minutes or so (and I had no good way to estimate this missing data). Additionally, having Chris there to give me cold water frequently may have aided my recovery. It was still in the top 10 on TSS. Second, it was interesting that three of the hardest days occurred over four days in Missouri and Illinois. After the last of those days, I took a couple of my “rolling recovery” lower mileage (~65 miles) and at a more modest pace. That said, I never took a day off after Pueblo.

Next post…

I hope at least a few of you find these “data” interesting. I have another 2-3 additional post ideas. After giving this data-driven, objective assessment of the ride, I want to make a subjective post that will recall my favorite (and least favorite) days, hardest and easiest days, my best riding days, my best (and worst) experiences, and more. Give me a week to pull that one together.

I also have promised a “reflection” post. I am still ruminating on that one and hope to have something to share in a week or so. I might also post something about what I might do differently next time (Will there be a next time? I don’t really think so, but maybe it helps someone else for me to comment on what I might do differently if I had to do it over.)

Keep your eyes out for these posts if they sound worth reading.

Just want to see the finish–scroll to the bottom of this post.

Day 51 was the final day of my ride. I was anxious. I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and could not fall back to sleep. After tossing and turning for more than an hour, I just got up and started getting ready. Chris, because of her COVID-19 (still mild symptoms), had her own hotel room. It was already drizzling outside, but the forecast indicated it might let up soon and not rain until around noon. I seemed to be slow getting out of the gate, though. I am not sure if maybe I didn’t really want this journey to end. I didn’t plan on it, but when I saw a McDonald’s right after I left, I stopped and grabbed a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit.

This blog post will be shorter than usual. It only covers one day. Between the rain and the nature of the ride, I didn’t meet any interesting people along the way. And I am actually on the road back to Fort Collins.

I finished the ride around 2:00. After a brief ceremony, you have to dip your front wheel in the other ocean and take some pictures, we went to the Yorktown Pub, which Chris had conveniently located near the ride’s terminus. After a big burger, clam chowder, and three beers, we were back on the road. Chris drove, and I woke up two hours into our 26-hour return drive. I thought Chris was driving very fast, too. Chris normally drives much slower than the average highway driver — and she was driving at her usual pace. When “wheeeee” means riding 40 mph down a hill, going 70 feels really fast. I will have to drive today.

If you are interested, I have ideas for at least two more blog posts. I need some time to process the whole ride and reflect on what I learned and what completing this BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal) means to me. I want to write about that. I am also a data geek and would like to conduct some analysis of the ride, envisioning another post along those lines. So it those thoughts interest you, check back in the next few days.

Riding

Day 51: 94 miles, 1998 elevation (no wheeees today)

That forecast for no rain until noon proved incorrect. I was soon riding in and out of light drizzle/rain. The temperatures were in the low 70s, so it was not that uncomfortable. That said, the weather, and probably my anxiousness to get to the end, made it tough to stop and take pictures. And this was easily the most significant, from a historic standpoint, leg of the whole ride. I rode through the area of the Seven Days Battles of the Civil War. More than 36,000 soldiers died in this week-long series of battles. The TransAmerica Trail ends/begins at Yorktown Victory Monument, which commemorates one of the most significant battles of the American Revolution. Plus, the route took me through historic colonial Williamsburg.

Other than getting confused and lost in Williamsburg, the ride was pretty pleasant. The ride starts by riding through those battlefields. Then, at about mile marker 30, the route goes on the Virginia Capital Trail. This is a great 35-mile stretch. A triathlon was using some of the same trails, and that was a bit inconvenient in spots. After getting confused and lost in Williamsburg, I finally found the scenic Colonial Parkway, which took me from Williamsburg right into Yorktown. After a bit of winding along the coast, I made my way to the monument where Chris helped capture the “Kodak” moment. There is a video of me riding up to

Photos and video from the day…

Here are some pictures I took along my drizzly ride. The rain kept me from taking more.

In battlefield country, I met some of my relatives who survived. This is a Civil War-era Cannon from the Seven Days’ Battle.

The Virginia Capital Trail had lots of this…

…and some of this…

…and this.

No photos from Williamsburg, where it was rainy and I was frustrated and lost. But it was a very cool area that linked me to the very scenic Colonial Parkway. It was hard to stop and take photos on the parkway, but it was tree-lined, and I rode about 15 miles on it. Here it is near the end.

Here is the good stuff, I finished…

Rolling up to the Yorktown Victory Monument… [If video does not show, use this link: https://youtube.com/shorts/77wga8Gpfpo?feature=share ]

Some ceremonial photos. I have mentioned that Yorktown Victory Monument is the official start/finish (depending on direction you go) for the TransAmerica Trail.

And then the ceremonial wheel dip.

That is the story of my final day. Thanks for reading and watching.

Chris and I still have two long days of driving ahead of us. I will make at least a couple of follow-up blog posts. If you are interested, do check back. And let me know what you think by commenting below (if you can figure that out, I know it’s not easy), or send me an email or a text.

Well, I have just one more day in my ride. I have bittersweet feelings. To be honest, I am anxious to get home. I miss my family, my friends, my riding group (go PSC), my house, my hometown, and my job. This ride has been a wonderful experience. But at this point, I am ready for it to be over. Seven+ weeks is a long time. Fortunately, I should finish tomorrow (Sunday). The weather forecast indicates on and off light rain in the morning, similar to today. I can push through that. And then, Chris and I will hop in the car for the long ride back to Fort Collins.

Speaking of Chris, she drove out to be with me for the last few days of the ride and then to give me and my bike a ride home. Chris planned to visit local tourist spots like Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home) and Colonial Williamsburg (capital of Virginia from 1699 to 1780) during the day. Then we would meet up for dinner. Unfortunately, right after Chris arrived she was not feeling well and tested positive for Covid. The good news is that her symptoms are relatively mild. She has been quarantining in a separate hotel room. We meet in safe spaces, but it is mostly too hot, rainy, and/or muggy to hang outside for very long. We think she will be “safe” by the time I finish, and we can drive home together without throwing on masks.

I have entered a new phase of the journey. More cities with more places to stay. So I am not running into other TransAm cyclists or meeting as many fellow riders. That said, the riding in Virginia is just spectacular. Mountains. Valleys. Climbs. Descents. I have really enjoyed this last week. For entertainment, I am catching up on my favorite podcasts, binging on Slate Money, Hang Up and Listen, The Gist, A Slight Change of Plans, and more.

The last two days brought great, yet very different rides, which I describe below. I also built on my last blog post, where I discussed managing bike, body, and mind—this time providing an update on body and sharing my thoughts on mind.

Riding

Day 49: 76 miles, 5781 elevation (several wheeeees!)

Today‘s ride featured multiple extremes. It started with a beautiful morning. Riding in the Great Valley, with the South River and Blue Ridge Mountains on my right. When I reached the town of Vesuvius (aptly named after the infamous volcano), I followed the trail, made a sharp right turn, and began a challenging climb. The three-mile climb includes a mile and a half above 10%, most of that at 14-18%. It was brutally hard—the most difficult climb of the whole trip for me.

The reward at the top was the Blue Ridge Parkway, and initially, more climbing (though not as steep). I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway for almost 30 miles. It was maybe the best stretch of riding of my life (although Randy’s Chief Joseph trip might give it a run for the money).

After that, things got a little ugly. Coming off the Parkway, I got lost twice. The ACA maps, signage, and the RideWithGPS on my Garmin were contradicting each other. I got confused, went down some hills, and had to go back up. I also needed to find a convenience store. I finally turned to Google Maps and typed in “Charlottesville, VA.” Google Maps took me on a pretty busy road for the last 30 or so miles. Worse yet, when I arrived in Charlottesville, the route took me through busy city streets to reach my hotel. I am not sure if Charlottesville (a college town by the way) has a poor biking infrastructure, if my hotel was just in a not very cycling-friendly area, or if Google Maps was flawed. While that was not fun, I will fondly remember that valley, the Vesuvius climb, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Day 50: 85 miles, 2713 elevation (2-3 wheeees)

Day 50 was a day of decisions. The day before, the weather forecast for Day 50 indicated it would rain all day. When I went to bed, I told Chris I would decide in the morning, but I was 90% sure I would not ride on Sunday. I can ride in light rain, but worry if the rain is heavier (distracting me and other drivers) or if there may be thunder or lightning. I woke up at 3:00 a.m., saw it pouring outside, and turned off my 4:30 alarm. When I woke up at 5:30 (sleeping in for me), the forecast now showed it might not rain until noon. I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, I had not prepared much the night before and didn‘t get started until late for me (~7:45). I figured if it rained too hard, I could find shelter along the way.

My first hassle was getting out of town. My hotel was not near the TransAm Trail, and local roads were not bike-friendly (see yesterday’s blog post). I turned to my friend (?) Google Maps provided a route on a major highway for 20 miles before connecting to the Trans America Trail. I decided that traffic would be lighter on a Saturday morning, and the route was also a bit more direct. The traffic was somewhat busy early, but diminished as I got further from Charlottesville. The rain did not wait until noon and started about 30 minutes into my ride. It was a light rain, so while wet, I didn‘t feel unsafe. The rain lasted about 3.5 hours, so the last few hours were dry. Despite the rain, I enjoyed the ride, especially those last couple of hours—and not only because of the lack of rain. It was beautiful countryside. Winding roads. Forested. Then horse ranches. You can see some of that in the Relive video. When I got to Ashford, I called Chris to see if she wanted me to grab her something to eat. She was in the drive-through line at the Chick-fil-A and got me something to eat. We rolled into the hotel at the exact same time.

Managing body and mind are the other keys to a long tour

Participating in a 7-week bike ride presents its own set of physical and mental challenges. Let me discuss how I managed those challenges over the course of the ride. The bottom line for me was that doing this ride for 7 weeks required a high level of discipline. I needed to carefully manage my body early on so that it would survive the challenge. I needed to manage my mind so that I would enjoy the challenge.

Can this 62-year-old body really ride a bike across the country?

My 62-year-old body came into this ride cautiously. You may recall that my busy spring semester left me less time for training than I wanted. Consequently, I tried to manage my riding carefully in those early weeks. You may recall a blog post that described how I used my power meter (on my pedals) to average about 140 kW of power. I also managed my effort (using power as a guide) to ensure I did not burn many (if any) matches. Cyclists often liken riding to burning matches in this way. You only have so many matches. Every time you really put up a lot of effort (power), you potentially burn a match. Since you only have a limited number, we manage them carefully. Carefully managing my effort in those first few weeks assured that I could ride 80-90 miles per day, day after day. Being cautious meant that Bruce and Dave usually dropped me, but it did mean I was effectively “riding for tomorrow” (thanks, Archie).

As you might imagine, I got more physically fit as the ride progressed; today, I am in the best shape of my life. I have ridden more than 60 miles for 23 consecutive days. I have not taken a day off since I was in Pueblo, Colorado. I am now able to produce more power and burn through some matches.

Sometimes that is a necessity. Out west, the climbs were long but not as steep. I could ride at 140 kw for 10 miles. Out east, the climbs are steep, and I had to put out 200+kw just to get up a hill without falling over. Plus, when you have cars lined up behind you, I felt I should power up. Fortunately, I can now do this and “ride tomorrow.” Lately, I have been putting in 90-100 miles or more and climbing 6,000 feet or more every day. Normally, one ride like that would knock me out for a couple of days.

My body has also not rebelled against me. I have had no injuries. I got hot foot (pain in your foot that occurs later in the ride) on just one day early in the ride. I feel sore at the end of the day but ready to go the next morning. I have not taken a single pill or used any ointments. I attribute the discipline of not overdoing things early and then building as the ride went along to my 62-year-old body surviving and thriving.

And what about that 62-year-old mind?

How do you manage the mind over a 7+ week ride like this? How do you keep it sharp? How do you not get lonely? I am not sure I can answer those questions for anyone else, but I can answer them for me.

For me, a big piece of the puzzle is having discipline and routines. I wrote a blog post describing my routines and checklists. Having those things helped keep my mind focused on what was most important. It also kept me from being distracted and/or worrying about things every day.

The actual rides were freeing. I rode 90% or more of the miles by myself. Sometimes I listened to books or podcasts, but often it was time just to think—or NOT think. In life, I usually think too much, so this was a vacation from that. The ride helped my mental health.

A bigger question that I often get from people is about loneliness. I didn’t feel lonely at all during this ride. In the first half of the ride, I would usually eat dinner with Bruce and Dave and see them along the ride.

For the second half of the ride (Pueblo on), I was completely “solo.” But then again, I wasn’t. I talked to Chris every day, often more than once. I spoke to my kids and my brothers. I also talked to all of you every couple of days. Writing this blog has been very therapeutic. The feedback I have received through comments, emails, texts, and other communications has helped me feel connected to my friends and family.

The second half of the ride featured plenty of new friends that I kept meeting—sometimes for a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days. One of the benefits of riding the TransAmerica Trail is that it offers opportunities to meet other riders. We met only a few before Pueblo, because the Western Express portion of the ride is less prevalent. However, after that, I found that many riders would accompany me for several days in a row (Matt, Steve, Colin, Julio, Suman, and others). I spoke with some of these individuals several days in a row, while others I spoke with just once. It was nice to share thoughts as we rode the same adventure. I have not felt lonely or disconnected. I have felt supported by so many people. Thank you all for providing that support.

All of that said, 7 weeks is a long time to be on the road and I am excited to get back home. I think my body could do this trip longer—maybe with a few more rest days—but my mind is itching to get back to normal.

Stories and pictures

The best ride photos from the last few days are shown in the Relive videos.

Many of you enjoyed hearing about my friend Julio, the TransAm racer from Houston. I have an update. Julio finished the race. Early Saturday morning (2:00 a.m., he told me), he arrived at Yorktown Victory Monument—the official endpoint. He rode 380 miles in the last two and a half days! Julio clearly got his mojo back. I am thrilled for Julio, and as you can see below, Julio is very pleased with himself. He has a reason to be proud. He finished the TransAmerica Trail (he started in Oregon; I shortcut him by 450 miles by starting in San Francisco) in 34 days and averaged 123 miles per day (I only had one day that exceeded Julio’s average). I am proud of my friend‘s dedication, persistence, and grit.

Well, today I should finish. I have about 95 miles to ride to that Yorktown Victory Monument. And it will be raining. I will skirt Richmond and then ride the Capital Trail and Colonial Parkway. My next blog post will describe that last day.

I want to thank all my readers. I have heard from people both offline and online who seem to like my posts. That said, many of you (including Chris for a while) have not been able to figure out how to post comments to the blog. I guess to protect the comments from spam, this platform makes that tricky. I’m not sure how to do it, but feel free to shoot me an email or text if you have a question or comment.

The forests in the east are so much different from those I am used to out west—all the deciduous trees. The mountains, valleys, and greenery are so beautiful. On Day 48, I entered the Great Valley—which includes the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway (more on that after I ride it). Virginia’s mountains and valleys are so beautiful. And the TransAmerica Trail gets you onto quiet, generally well-paved roads with light traffic. These past few days, I have been riding mostly on roads with fewer than 10 cars per hour. Out west, our less-traveled roads tend to be gravel, which can be more challenging to ride on.

For the last couple of months, one of the members of my riding group back home, the Poudre Sunrise Cyclists, has been doing his own self-supported bike tour of Europe. What an adventure! Scott is camping and riding in Norway, France, Italy, and more. Following his efforts has me thinking about my next “Dream Ride.” On our riding group email list, Scott mentioned that the key to doing a tour like his (and mine) is managing the body, mind, and bike. That really resonates with me, and I wanted to share how I am doing on that front. Today I will talk about the bike, with my next blog post(s) on mind and body.

A quick entertainment. Until Day 48, when I caught up on some podcasts, I had not been listening while riding. I decided to focus my attention on listening for dogs.

Riding

Day 47: 104 miles, 6522 elevation (several wheeeeees)

The wheees are back. The quiet rural roads I was on today, even though winding, had some enjoyable and safe feeling descents. They are not as steep as previous downhills, and the pavement is better.

Day 47 started with a long, steady, not too steep (average of 5%) climb along Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. We didn’t climb to the top, but were next to the peak. Unlike recent shorter, steeper climbs, this climb was long, 15 miles long—more like a Colorado climb. It was also nice to have the climb start the day, instead of ending it. In the two hours of that climb, I bet I saw all of four cars going either way. It was right through a dense forest, too. After that, I descended that same mountain and wound my way through valleys. It was spectacular. By the end of the ride, it was also hot and humid, and that took a lot out of me. The Relive video gives you some idea of the terrain.

Day 48: 99 miles, 5453 elevation (several wheeees)

Back home, I would go ride around the block a few times to get a 99-mile ride to reach 100 miles. I don’t need that now. Haha. A few wheees again today. Like yesterday, the descents were longer and more fun, and I happily yelled “wheeeee!” several times.

Check out the Relive Video and note the Great Valley, which I ride through in the beginning of the day.

The bike, my trusty steed

My bike has been fantastic on this trip (I hope I didn‘t just jinx myself). I ride a Specialized Roubaix Comp. When I started seriously cycling about 8 years ago, I bought a Roubaix because, as compared to a racing bike, it offered a bit more of a relaxed and upright ride. It still has drop handlebars and a lightweight carbon frame. A few months ago, I replaced my older Roubaix with a newer model. The newer one allows for a bit wider tires, which are more comfortable and can be used for light gravel riding. The new bike also has an electronic derailleur, which has worked pretty well, but has needed a few adjustments along the ride. I have noted a couple of bike shop stops to fix that. See a photo of the bike below.

Besides the bike, you need to figure out how to carry your stuff. I previously posted on my stuff. As my ride is self-supported, I need to take all my own stuff. I use Revelate Designs bags, which you can see in the picture. Note that I have a bag behind the seat, two on the handlebars, and another two on the top tube. Plus, I carry two water bottles on the bike (and often another 1-2 Gatorades in my back pocket). My setup is relatively lightweight compared to many out here (see below). All my stuff weighs about 20 pounds, while riders fully loaded with camping gear might carry 40-50 pounds. My bike could not handle that much weight on a long ride.

My setup can be lightweight because I am a “credit card” bike tourist. I stay in hotels every night. Because I have no camping gear, I need to find a place to sleep indoors each night. One of the great things about the TransAmerica Trail is the variety of options. Besides hotels, many hostels and churches offer accommodations for cyclists. In a hostel or church, you probably need a sleeping bag, but I have a small, lightweight S.O.L. Emergency Bivvy (weighs a few ounces and is the size of a 12-oz can of beer). I used it one night, in the hostel in Sebree, where they had couches but not blankets. It worked great! It seems like most people I met didn’t even find a place to stay until they got to a town. Most of the time it works out for them, and if not, they camped.

Campers need a sturdier ride. “Touring bikes” are designed to carry more weight and to ride on potentially rougher terrain. They are usually made of steel (instead of carbon fiber) and include places to attach more bags and water bottles. They have a much more upright riding position. Here are a few examples of different bikes and their bags.

Look at Dan’s front and rear panniers (the bags on his front and back wheels).

Felix has rear panniers and rides an e-bike.

Michael’s bike is loaded. You may recall I met Michael and Gary on Day 88 (or close that) of their adventure. They were in Missouri with plans to go to Maine and on to Chicago.

All that said, all that weight makes a difficult trip that much more challenging. I talked to several people who admired my lightweight setup. The Belgians I met a few days ago admitted that they carried camping gear in panniers for more than two months only to camp for six days. They said it was too hot and humid at night to camp and generally avoided it now.

Stories and pictures

Today I want to wrap up the story of Julio. If you have been following along, you know that 6 days ago, I met Julio, one of the TransAm racers. Most of these racers are trying to ride 125-150 miles (or more) per day. The race is eastbound, but because they ride so far each day, I usually see them one or two days at most. But when I met Julio, he was struggling and not able to put in the mileage he wanted each day. So we kept meeting at convenience stores where we shared meals, and also at the Gateway Hotel. Riding at our own paces, we didn’t ride together much, but we ate together and talked. I bet we met 15 times over those 6 days.

Over time, I learned more about him and this race. He was struggling with his health and not making the progress he wanted. He competed in the race twice before but did not finish either time. I was worried he might not make it this time either. On Day 47 I saw him on the road several times. He told me he was feeling strong. The last time I saw him was in Christiansburg when he called out to me while he was sitting in a grocery store parking lot eating a quart of ice cream in the heat of the day at about 3:00. I was across the street looking at my map and trying to figure out how to get to my hotel. We had each left Damascus and already ridden 100 miles; the heat index was close to 100. He called out and I rode over. I asked where he was going to stay that night, and he said he was feeling good and would keep riding, hopefully for a few more hours. Julio was back, feeling good, and I knew I would not catch up to him again. He plans to finish the ride on Saturday. I was so happy to hear that my new friend felt strong again and would finish the race this year. We swapped phone numbers and hope to ride together again someday.

While I didn’t meet any other cyclists on these two days of the ride, I am seeing more westbound cyclists on the route. I am not sure if they are going all the way to Oregon or California, but most are fully packed. Usually, riders who are climbing/descending don’t stop to talk.

I have one fun restaurant story to share. Hitting a bigger town opened up the opportunity for new cuisines (beyond burgers, pizza, or Mexican). I saw good reviews on Google and Yelp for Thai Express in Radford, and it was close to my hotel. But when I got there, I noticed that it was actually part of a gas station. I almost turned, but I didn’t go in. But it had almost 500 Google reviews and averaged 4.9 stars. So…

I went inside where Simon, behind the counter, one of the friendliest people, told me their menu changed daily and I could taste anything we wanted. The food was great! Don’t judge a book by its cover.

While I am having a great time, I am anxious for the trip to be over. I miss my family, my friends, and my town. I hope the weather holds off and lets me ride the next three days. Rain is forecast for Saturday. If it is light rain, that may cool things off and be a blessing. I hope to reach the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday or Monday.

I am going to bastardize the phrase in the title of this post. Normally, it refers to a person who seems more unpleasant than they really are. In my adaptation, it means dogs and rides. I am going to use it to assess whether something’s reputation is merited. Maybe it is more of overrated vs. underrated.

If you have been following my recent blog posts, you know I have been worried about the loose dogs that have been known to chase and/or bite bike riders on the TransAmerica Trail in Eastern Kentucky and Western Virginia. I was worried about that, and while I was chased many times, it turned out to be less of a problem than I thought. Those dogs’ barks were worse than their bites. I have had about twenty dogs chase me. A few things helped me. First, most of the dogs that tried to chase me did so while I was on a downhill. So I quickly sped by them before they could even get very close. About 6-7 times, I used my air horn, which froze them in their tracks and allowed me to quickly get away. Only one ever got close to getting me. He came out of nowhere, so I was not ready with my air horn. He was within a couple of feet of my left ankle, but I accelerated my riding, yelled at him, and eventually pulled away. I think some preparation is merited, “Fortune favors the prepared mind” (Louis Pasteur), but I probably dedicated too much headspace to those dogs. My assessment, concerns about the dogs are overrated.

On the other hand, the Appalachians’ “bark” (reputation) is well-deserved. That “bark” is the reputation the Appalachian Mountains have for being really tough climbs. That bark is absolutely true. The last three days of riding have included many of the most challenging hills of my entire riding career. My assessment: those hills are underrated. The Appalachians in Eastern Kentucky and Western Virginia have been a whole new level of challenge—many climbs of 10-16% for 1/4 to 3/4 of a mile—in the middle of climbs of 2-5 miles. These were the most challenging climbs of my coast-to-coast ride.

One other observation. Several westbound riders told me they were bothered by the poverty in the Appalachians. Maybe they raised (or probably lowered) my expectations. Or maybe I have seen enough poverty in city slums. But while there was definitely some poverty, and some people had rundown homes and junk piled in their front yards, it was not as bad as I expected.

Riding

These were three tough riding days. The Appalachians’ reputation for long, steep climbs is well-deserved. All three days had some long, steep climbs—especially day 44, which I would rate as one of the most challenging three rides of the whole trip. Plus, there were a few wheeees; the downhills were so steep and curvy that I could not let loose. There were a lot of potholes on the downhills, so I had to concentrate on the pavement. I couldn’t get back all the work I put into the uphills.

Day 44: 100 miles, 7785 elevation (no wheeees)

If you read my previous blog post, you know that I went to bed unsure whether to do this ride or take a rest day. There were thunderstorms the night before and a chance of rain on Day 44. When I woke up at 4:00 a.m., I checked the weather and thought I could go at least 50 if not 100 miles. So I got out early and beat the heat and rain. The first 60 miles went well, though the last 40 were tough. I was tired, and the hardest climbs came at the end, when I was exhausted and it was hot. So this ride was long, steep, lots of elevation gained, hot, and humid—lots of reasons for the challenge. Then, the hotel I reserved was such a dive that I changed hotels.

Day 45: 84 miles, 6073 elevation

This was a fun day of riding. As I left my hotel, I saw two guys riding packed bikes. Steve and Colin are from the UK, and we rode together for about 15-20 miles to start the ride. We later stayed at the same hotel. This was one of the hardest rides of the whole trip.

Day 46: 79 miles, 6785 elevation

Today was tough, too, but it seemed easier. I have a theory on this. There is academic research about recency effects. So, for example, you later judge a vacation as better if the last day is enjoyable. Today, the hard climbs were all early in the ride. The end had more downhills. And it felt better than Day 45. Hmmm… Is there an academic research study here? Virginia is beautiful. Lots of green, lots of kudzu, mountains, valleys, and town. One thing I noticed is that there are towns every 15-20 miles, making it easy to find a convenience store and get refueled.

Stories and pictures

I made some new friends and saw some recent friends again as I continued on my eastbound trek.

First, I have to continue with the story of Julio. I mentioned Julio in my previous blog post. While Julio is racing in the TransAm race, he has struggled with his health. These TransAm racers should not see a rider like me more than once or twice because they are trying to ride 120-150 miles a day. But Julio keeps having problems sleeping and staying energized. I have now bumped into him several more times. First, I saw him on Day 44, and he said he bought the rear-view mirror I suggested, but was having problems with it. So I helped him adjust it. He said that he thought his previous problem was related to electrolytes, and he felt better on Day 44. See below, Julio is looking good. I forget if I mentioned in a previous post that this is Julio’s third TransAm race, but he has never finished. We are all rooting for him.

Then, on Day 45, Julio struggled into the Gateway Hotel where I was staying and said he was sweating so much and had to walk his bike up some of the big hills (recall that Day 44 was a really hard ride for me, too). Two other guys I will introduce shortly, Colin and Steve, were at the hotel already and told me they had seen Julio and that he was having problems.

What happened next is so “TransAm Trail,” Julio barely makes it to the hotel. He has no food. I had stocked up five miles earlier in Elkhorn, because I knew there were no restaurants by this hotel. But Julio (and Colin and Steve) did not do that. But the hotel manager, Colin, Steve, and some guests all ponied up food for Julio. Otherwise, he would have had to go another 10 miles (five there and five back) just to eat. And Julio was struggling. I had already eaten my (not very good) meal, or I would have offered something.

The story of Julio’s meal is just the kind of story that Colin and Steve have experienced in their ride across America. Colin and Steve are from Newcastle, UK. Matt (also from the UK, fellow rider mentioned in previous blog post) had told me about these “Geordies” (a nickname for people from Newcastle). I finally met Colin and Steve, who are riding to raise money for Cardiac Risk for the Young as I rode out of Hazard. We were riding out at the same time and started chatting. We rode together for the first 20 miles or so on Day 45. See the photo right after we met.

These two guys are fascinating characters. They have some great stories about their ride and their lives in the UK. Steve (on left) owned a health club until he recently sold it after Covid made him want to semi-retire (he is now a part-time personal trainer). Colin is a nutritionist. They are both very strong riders. They have both had some incredible experiences riding across America. It was really neat to hear their stories. So many of them involve everyday Americans who stepped up to help them in a time of need. I really enjoyed spending several hours chatting with them in the lobby of the Gateway Hotel. There are advantages to a hotel with lousy internet connections as the only place it worked was in the lobby. I saw them again on Day 45 after Steve‘s pannier was attacked by a dog (hmmmm…. Maybe not overrated?) Here we are hanging out, see Julio also.

I met Suman, another TransAm racer, a few times. The first time we met (Day 44), he told me he was slowing down so that he could finish next weekend. That way, a couple of friends of his from Connecticut could come down and ride the last 100 miles with him. Then I saw him on Day 46, and he had changed his mind. He just decided to tell them not to come down, and he booked a train back to Connecticut on Friday. This meant he would need to ride about 500 miles in three days. Go Suman Go!

I met Ron (from Lancaster, PA) on Day 44. He was the first westbounder I had seen in a week. Ron just seems like a great guy. Saved money and quit his job so he could do this trip. He is taking his time (40-60 miles a day) and trying to experience a lot along the way. That morning, he sat and watched a Baptist choir singing outdoors for their Sunday service (a Covid-induced practice). They welcomed him to their service and talked with him. I know he is going to have a great adventure. I am following Ron on Strava (a social app for cyclists and runners), where he is posting his experiences. Ron stopped me to tell me there was a loose pit bull up the road—he saw the dog escape as he went by. So I made sure we talked long enough—probably 30 minutes—so that the owner would capture the dog. It worked.

Tomorrow, weather willing, will be a long day. But I expect to see Chris at my next stop. She plans to hang with me (at night anyway, as she loves to check out local tourist sites). Down to my last ~500 miles. It will be great to have Chris with me for this last push.

Two more days of riding through rural Kentucky. I love the winding roads, hills, lots of greenery, and light traffic. The drivers here are generally very courteous to cyclists, which is essential because the winding roads mean they often have to wait for a chance to pass us. But I also hate the really steep (10-14%) hills, the heat, and the humidity. Together, the good far outweighs the bad.

Day 42 was a long, hot, humid day. With a slight (5-10 mph) tailwind, coming after two shorter days, and with me rounding into good riding shape, I had one of my best average speed days. That said, the last 15 miles or so were hot, humid, and rough.

On Day 43, I found my way back to the TransAmerica Trail (and the RideWithGPS route I have on my Garmin bike computer) routes and had a pleasant ride to Berea. I am now in the Eastern Time Zone, so a 6:30 departure was early enough (sunrise is about 6:20) to stay cool and arrive at my destination by noon. Within an hour, it was raining in Berea, and it kept raining on and off all afternoon. I expect some rain tomorrow, too. No thunder and lightning though, and this rain might cool off the temperatures for the next few days.

On the ride these last two days, I met some fellow eastbound riders (I have not seen westbound riders for about a week): two TransAm racers and two Belgians. I met Julio, a 56-year-old American from Houston, TX, on Days 42 and 43—both times at refueling stops (convenience stores). I also met Rodrigo, who is 30 and from Guatemala, on Day 43. The Belgians were Stefan and Piers. We met at a small bike campground where the proprietor, Mary, lets cyclists camp for free in part of her yard. She also offers cyclists water. So I stopped and we all chatted for a while. Some photos below.

The dog report.. I am starting to see those ”loose dogs” that I talked about in a previous blog post. Here is what has happened so far:

1. On Day 43, mile 96, a huge dog came running off the porch of a lovely home. He ran along next to me, about 3-4 feet to my left, watching me. I was so tired and stunned, I did not even get to my air horn. He (I will use he for all the dogs) never got that close, and I just outlasted him.

2. On Day 44, a medium-sized dog came out after me. I thought he was in a fenced yard, but he jumped right under the fence and kept coming. I gave the air horn one blast, and he was stunned. He stopped and then just slowly walked off the road as I rode off.

3. Same day, another smaller dog started running after me. I questioned whether to worry about the small dog and then remembered my friend Jeff being bitten by a small dog while on his bike. I gave the air horn one toot. He was startled and slowed, but then kept running. But the dog’s hesitation gave me time to get ahead and leave him behind.

4. Two other dogs came from a house on the other side of the street. While they ran along with me, they never got into the street and posed no threat. Well trained, I guess.

5. One other dog came out as I was starting a downhill ride and never got close because I was going so fast.

I was happy to see that the air horn is easy to grab and works well without hurting a dog. I also have pepper spray if I feel more threatened, but I would rather not use it because it might hurt a dog.

Riding

Day 42: 107 miles, 5062 elevation (1 really good Wheeeee!)

Today was a mixed day of riding. I got out early to beat the heat. It was humid, though—100% humidity at the start, dropping to 80% by the afternoon. A light tailwind was much appreciated, and I made pretty decent time early.

Unfortunately, I lost my paper map and then lost the TransAmerica Trail route. I usually follow the RideWithGPS route that shows up on my bike computer. Bruce created this. But for this segment, I knew Bruce‘s RideWithGPS directions went off-route at about mile 70; Bruce and Dave plan to stay at an off-route hotel in Bardstown. So I could not use their electronic route or the paper map. My third fallback is the on-route signage (Bicycle Route 76 signs usually appear at every turn). Somehow, I missed a sign, or it wasn’t there, and once you lose it and don’t have a map, you are not likely to find it. I went down a few dead ends looking. I then turned to Google Maps, which got me to my hotel in Springfield, though not on the TransAmerica Trail. This brought extra stress and about 4 miles more riding than I planned. The good news is that the map I lost was only through Berea (tomorrow), so I have other ACA paper maps for the rest of the trip.

There was one really good Wheeeee. Most of the downhills were winding and a bit too stressful to let out a good wheeeee. One had lots of potholes. But the long one in a canyon on the Relive video (no photo or video) was awesome. Right through a canyon with walls on both sides and into a valley. Very cool.

Day 43: 71 miles, 4327 elevation (3 wheeeees!)

Today was a somewhat easier day, squeezed between two hard days—lots of low-traffic roads. There was a lot of steep climbing, but I feel pretty strong right now. FYI. I didn’t realize my camera lens was dirty, so you see some smudged photos and video in this Relive.

How do you stay fueled?

A few people have asked what I eat and drink. Let me start with the hydration question. It’s tricky figuring out how much to drink. I like to pre-hydrate and drink about a quart of Gatorade and have two coffees before I start riding. Out west, this was over-hydrated and would end up peeing 2-3 times in the first hour on the road. It wasn’t hot enough to need that much fluid. But starting in Colorado and Kansas (and since), this has been a good strategy. I particularly like Gatorlyte and Gatorade Zero, which are low-calorie options. Gatorlyte also has electrolytes, which are necessary when you sweat a lot. I also drink water, but probably the same amount of Gatorade (or Body Armor or Powerade).

As for food, I am not saying my strategy is the best, but here is what I do. In my everyday life (when not exercising 6-10 hours a day), I eat “keto.” This diet is low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat. If you are on keto, you teach your body to use fat for fuel. This is called being “fat adapted.” If you are not on keto, you may “bonk” (scientific term for running out of energy) if you are exercising hard but don’t have enough carbs for fuel. But my body is trained to use carbs and fat. The good news is that I don’t bonk, even if I have not eaten carbs. My body can use either source of fuel. That said, while I am on this trip, I am not trying to avoid carbs. In my training, I discovered that a typical long day would burn all my carbs and start using fat (I measured the ketones in my blood to know).

So what do I eat? Anything I want. When you are burning 3,000 to 5,000 calories with your exercise, you need fuel. That said, I do not like to overeat before and during a ride. So my breakfast is usually light and may not occur until 25-50 miles into my ride. Even then, I might eat a Clif bar or have a sausage biscuit. On my rides, besides Clif bars, I usually have some trail mix (nuts and M&Ms). I tried candy bars (I love Take Five and Salted Nut Roll) but I didn’t feel good down the road. I do not like to eat a proper lunch (like a sandwich or stopping at a restaurant) during a ride. I did that once early, and it did not agree with me. So instead, I snack along the way and eat a big meal when the ride is over.

As for those big meals. I eat a lot of burgers and fries, pizza, salads, and Mexican food (chimichangas are my favorite). Since I need carbs, I try to have at least a couple of beers every night—usually buying a tall boy or two to drink in the hotel room. I also eat ice cream a couple of days a week. I often eat that big meal at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. That leaves me in a tough position for dinner, since I like to be in bed by 8:30-9:00, I don’t want to eat a later dinner. So I usually eating a salad or some snacks (pretzels with that beer).

Bottom line, I am not overly healthy or (I think) overly unhealthy. I am eating a lot more carbs and sugar than I do in real life.

Photos and more stories

Here are a few photos and short stories from Days 42 and 43.

Julio is from Houston and is racing in the TransAm Bike Race. I saw him on Days 42 and 43. This is his third time doing the race. Unfortunately, Julio is having a hard time physically and is not feeling so great. To avoid the mid-day heat, he has been getting to bed early and rising very early (like 1:00 a.m.) to start riding while it is still dark. He thinks this crazy sleep pattern is messing him up, and he was obviously frustrated.

Day 42 was a long, hot, humid day. With a slight (5-10 mph) tailwind, coming after two shorter days, and with me rounding into good riding shape, I had one of my best average speed days. That said, the last 15 miles or so were hot, humid, and rough.

Some of the best riding of the whole TransAmerica Trail has been here in Kentucky—especially when you get these forested roads. The shade really cools things off. And the winding roads are so pleasant, even when you are climbing 8–10% grades.

Stefan and Piers are from Belgium. They are doing the whole TransAmerica Trail. They started in Oregon. They packed (and lugged) all their camping gear, but regretted it. They only camped “5-6 days” and now that it is so hot and humid at night, they don’t see camping anymore.

Tomorrow (Sunday) could be a big riding day. The ride I am planning is 100 miles with 7000 feet of climbing, including some pretty steep stuff. First, I have to decide whether to ride. The weather forecast has changed from occasional light rain to scattered thunderstorms. I am going to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and see how it looks. I don‘t mind a bit of light rain, but I want to avoid thunderstorms.

One option would be not to ride tomorrow and stay another night in Berea. Alternatively, because the weather is supposed to clear up by later morning or early afternoon, I could just get a later start and not ride as far. According to the ACA updates, there may be an option to stay at a hostel in Booneville (about 50 miles down the road). I have reservations in Hazard and Breaks that could be moved out if necessary. Decisions, decisions. This reminds me that when I outlined criteria for my decision-making about when to ride in my last blog post, safety needs to be number one.

The ripple effects of decisions we make. For most of this ride, I have been staying in traditional hotels (ones I could find on Booking.com). I do not have a tent or sleeping pad. And do be honest, I have been reluctant to try a hostel, or sleep at a church. Hostels and churches willing to put up cyclists are listed on the ACA maps, so I know where they are located. After a recent experience, I am thinking I should have been more adventurous about accommodations earlier.

On Day 39, I took a chance on a state-owned historic hotel on the Ohio River and had an amazing experience. I loved hanging out on the porch at the Historic Rose Hotel and decided to stay longer the next morning to do just that. That decision forced me to reconsider my plans for the next day, with the only reasonable place to stay on Day 40, the Sebree, KY First Baptist Church Hostel. I decided it was time to give the hostel a shot.

What a great decision! I thought hostels were for young people who party, and that I would have less privacy. I was wrong. The FBC Hostel (also the church’s youth rec area) is at least 1000 square feet and includes a wide range of equipment and facilities. A kitchen. Two private rooms. Five couches. Five cots. Shower. Washer/dryer. They offer it all to cyclists. “Take anything you see in the kitchen.” They do this as “Part of our ministry.” I offered to donate to their ministry, and they refused to take anything. Matt (from the UK, whom I met yesterday in Elizabethtown) rolled in a couple of hours after I did, so we connected again. He was the only other guest.

Now my only regret is not staying at more churches and bike hostels along the way. At least I experienced this one. And it would not have happened if I had not enjoyed E-Town so much and stayed to “smell the roses“ there.

Day 41 was another rolling recovery day, just connecting two points on the map. I miss Chris and want to keep pushing forward, but I need to get ready for a few 100-mile, steep climbing days. So two days in a row at 65-70 miles moves me along the trail but saves my energy.

I have not mentioned my recent entertainment. I listened to Ready Player Two. It was OK. I liked Ready Player One better and didn’t feel I needed this follow-on. I also listened to Sea of Tranquility, which I do recommend. It’s a shorter Sci-fi novel. Finally, I have about an hour left in Two Wheels Good. Right as my ride started, Sundar shared a review of this book before it was published. I was waiting for some reader reviews to come in, and my brother Mike sent a short blurb about it. The book is pretty good. A different treatment of the history of the bicycle. It bounces around a bit and lacks a clear central theme.

Riding

Day 40: 66 miles, 3533 elevation (at least 3-4 decent wheeees, though most were shorter)

This day of riding was supposed to be a kind of long “rolling recovery” ride. I planned to take it easier so that I would get some rest. Unfortunately, the steep hills in Illinois and then near the end of the ride in Kentucky made it a bit more challenging. They are getting me ready for the really steep hills in Eastern Kentucky. Note – I did not even hear a dog today.

Day 41: 70 miles, 3550 elevation (No wheees today)

The downhills I am riding now are often short and curvy. I feel a bit stressed when riding down them and don’t find myself yelling “Wheee” much. I started out early, leaving the hostel by 6:00. That was a good thing; it was cool in the morning, but it got very hot and muggy for the last hour of the ride. My Garmin got a bit whacky, so I ended it and then restarted it. Because Relive receives its data from Garmin, I had to create two Relive videos to cover the day.

Deciding where and how far to ride each day

I wanted this trip to be somewhat free-form. If I had a tailwind, let’s get further down the road. If there were a rainstorm, I might want to take a rest day. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I really liked the idea that you take things as they come. As the second half of the trip has unfolded (the first half had a pretty fixed itinerary), my decision-making process has become clearer. This mostly influences hotel reservations, which I have made on the same day or sometimes 2-4 days in advance. Most of the riders I encounter decide where they will stay on a day-to-day basis, but they also have camping as a backup, and I do not. Well, not really, I could sleep under the stars in my emergency sleeping bag, but that is not my style.

A few criteria have emerged, and I thought I might articulate them for the interested reader.

1. Weather. Wind and heat are the biggest influences on how far I go. There is a vast difference between riding into a 15 mph headwind and getting that as a tailwind. According to BikeCalculator.com, for the same effort, I might average more than 15 mph faster! That seems a bit high from my experience, but I can imagine 8 mph. Averaging 12 mph for 6 hours vs. 20 mph for 6 hours is a difference of 72 miles vs. 120 miles. The heat also slows you down quite a bit. I can get around the heat a bit by starting early, but on long rides, you end up riding in the afternoon when it is hot. A third weather variable is rain, though we have not had much of it. Bottom line, I keep an eye on the weather a few days ahead.

2. My body. Several people I respect have told me to listen to my body. It will tell you when it needs more rest. As I have noted before, I like doing “rolling recovery” instead of complete rest days. I have not felt like I needed to rest since Pueblo and have now ridden for 14 straight days. Even my “rolling recovery” days have been pretty tough (~60-70 miles). But I have felt good.

3. My mind. Recently (in Elizabethtown and while visiting with my friend Terry Clark) my mind told me to slow down a bit. Ride easier for a day or two. Don’t get up so early and feel like you need to crank out 90-110 miles. I listened.

4. My bike. A few times, my riding plan has been influenced by the need for bike parts (inner tubes) or bike repairs. A couple of times, that meant going off-route to find a bike shop.

5. The map. I am not camping. I am staying at hotels (maybe more hostels), so the map needs to show a place for me to stay, and it needs to have a vacancy. While I might want to ride 75 miles, I might find hotels are at 50 or 100 miles out. So far, I am finding it pretty easy to get hotels on short notice. I booked a couple of days ahead for the Fourth of July weekend, just in case. But even with those, I have the option of cancelling up to a day or two before. Part of the map is the miles, but it is also the terrain—and the amount of climbing I need to do. You will notice that I always post my elevation gain.

Stories and pictures

I have a couple of stories to tell—and some photos of the First Baptist Church Cyclist Hostel. My stories are of a Kentucky pickup truck driver and a fellow cyclist. The last few days have been sort of quiet for meeting fellow cyclists. In fact, I have not seen a single west-bound cyclist in the previous four days.

First, I want to share the story of a driver named Pam. Shortly after I got into Kentucky, this very safe-driving red pickup truck stayed behind me for a good 5-10 minutes. The driver could have passed me a few times on a double yellow center line, but waited until they had the right of way. I gave a thank-you wave and wished all drivers could be so considerate. I actually wanted to find out who the driver was and thank them in person.

About 5 miles down the road, I pulled off at a convenience store, and this woman came up to me and said, “Thank you for dressing like you do.“ She loved my orange/red/yellow Poudre Sunrise Cyclist jersey (thank you, Eric—I have worn that jersey almost exclusively for the last 10 days and will wear it until the end of the ride. “It is so much easier to see than those people wearing black or blue.” “And your flashing lights (I have two flashing red taillights—one on my bike and one on my helmet) are so easy to see.“

I thanked her for being so careful around cyclists and asked if I could take her picture and share this story on my blog. She obliged. THANK YOU, PAM—and all the many drivers who patiently wait behind a slow cyclist until it is safe to pass.

For the last couple of days, I have enjoyed Matt’s (from the UK) company. He rolled into the Historic Rose Hotel when I was enjoying a beer on the porch. We chatted briefly then and longer the following morning. We both stayed at the First Baptist Church Cyclist Hostel together. I ride earlier than Matt, so we don’t ride together, but we are on a similar riding plan for now. I have enjoyed his company.

I promised a few pictures of the First Baptist Church Cyclists Hostel.

It is very well marked and easy to find. You don’t even have to make a reservation. You roll up and there are phone numbers on the front door if no one is around. I called Pastor Dylan who lives right next door and gave me the tour.

I slept on one of the couches at the far end of this room. They do not supply blankets. I finally got to use my portable sleeping bag. My portable sleeping bag is the size of a 12 ounce can of soda and weighs less than my iPhone. But it kept me warm enough.

Look at that kitchen. I went out to eat, but Matt cooked up his dinner right here.

I am not even showing you the shower, the bathrooms, the washer/dryer, handouts with information for cyclists, a map where you could put a pin showing where you are from, and two private rooms where you can put your bike, or in Matt’s case, sleep on a cot.

These people were very generous. Not all the hostels and churches are like this, although I have heard of a few that are even more elaborate.

The last few days brought some perspective to my ride. Since Pueblo, my planning horizon is shorter. While the first half of the ride, with Bruce and Dave, largely stuck to an advance itinerary (often out of need as towns were 60-80 miles apart and had few hotels), I am now doing little of that. I generally check the weather and then decide how to ride the next few days. I make hotel reservations a couple of days in advance. On Day 38, I just rolled into Carbondale without a hotel reservation and found a room at the Super 8.

That night, I looked ahead and saw that Elizabethtown, IL (the young person who let me into the hotel called it “E-Town”) was on the Ohio River and had a couple of hotels. At 78 miles out, it was a reasonable distance. I called one of the hotels and found it had only four rooms, none of which were occupied. I took the “Mammy Rose Room.” This hotel changed my ride—at least for the next few days.

The Historic Rose Hotel is owned by the state of Illinois, which obviously needs a hotel marketing class, given how few people seem to stay here. This is the best hotel I have stayed in the whole trip. And it cost me $60 (half price for cyclists). It was built in 1806! Rooms are large and, if not luxurious, definitely filled with old stuff (I cannot judge antiques). I ate a fried catfish dinner on the deck of a restaurant on the river and less than a quarter mile from my hotel. Photos of all this stuff are at the bottom of this page. The hotel has a big porch that overlooks the Ohio River. I sat out there last night talking to family members on the phone. I had a couple of beers. I slowed down! My mindset shifted. I. Needed. This.

I changed my plans for the next few days. I decided that I needed to have coffee on the porch of the Historic Rose Hotel the next morning. I needed to relax there and enjoy the river. My previous plan was to get on the road early on Day 40, ride 100+ miles to Owensboro, where I would find the next convenient hotel. I looked at other options. The ACA maps showed a bike hostel at the First Baptist Church in Sebree, 65 miles down the route. I have not stayed at any hostels, so why not give it a shot? And right now, as strong as I am feeling about my riding, 65 miles is a good rolling recovery day. The next two days will be shorter and get me ready for some of the steep Appalachian hills. And most important of all, I am sitting on that porch, drinking my coffee, and writing this blog post.

Riding

Day 38: 114 miles, 5171 elevation (at least 5 wheeees)

Today I crossed the Mississippi River and passed into Illinois. I underestimated the mileage (and time) for this ride. Before I started, I plugged Carbondale into Google Maps bicycling, and it said 99 miles. A long day, but I planned to make it to Carbondale by 5:00 to stop at a bike shop (no needs, just some nice to haves). I forgot how much different the ACA Route can be from the more direct Google Maps route—and the backroads it suggested pushed the mileage to 114 and my arrival time to 5:15. Oh well. It was a nice ride. It was not too hot—highs in the 80s or humid, and I felt pretty good after the ride.

Day 39: 78 miles, 4570 elevation (3 good wheeees)

The downside of the Illinois part of the TransAmerica Trail is the signage. It is almost nonexistent. Missouri was very well marked. Fortunately, I do have Bruce’s Ride with GPS files in my Garmin. The upside in Illinois, low traffic back roads. For much of the ride, I saw a car just every 20-30 minutes. Relaxing. Well, except for those steep rollers. Lots of 8, 10, and even 12% grades are getting me ready for Eastern Kentucky later this week.

Who let the dogs out?

I have shared some of my fears and trepidations with this ride. At the beginning of the ride, it was whether my fitness would be up to the task. Fortunately, as evidenced by the last week or so, I have ridden myself into pretty good shape. There remains one major fear for me to face—the dogs of Eastern Kentucky and Western Virginia.

I bought the ACA map set for the trail a few years ago and underlined “Loose dogs abound in rural Kentucky so you will likely encounter them. Be prepared.” There was a link to an ACA blog post, “How to stop a charging dog.” which I read. I also read other blog posts and a Reddit thread on the topic. The ACA blog advocates just getting off your bike and walking it, and the dog will no longer see you as a good target (hmmmm…).

Since riding the trail, I talked to some westbound riders who had already experienced the “dogs.” Their stories were intimidating. I heard that one of the Ride for MS riders was bitten by a dog and is going through a course of rabies treatment. I have been chased by a couple of dogs so far on the ride, but nothing serious. I am also concerned that as I ride away from or pay too much attention to a dog, I end up not paying attention to cars. Do I sound nervous? Well, I am.

Before the ride, I bought pepper spray. But people on the ride say that only works if the dog is already pretty close. Plus, if you don’t take into account the wind, you might spray yourself. Several people recommended air horns. They say it startles the dog and gives you more time to get clear. I recently stopped at a Walmart and bought two small hand-held air horns. I will let you know how it goes in about a week.

Photos and stories

Here are some photos and stories from my last few days.

Across the street from my hotel in Pilot’s Knob I saw some old relatives.

No good photos while on the bridge over the Mississippi as I had to ride in traffic (though there is a short video from when traffic briefly stopped—see the Relive video). But on the other side, I was in a new state, Illinois!

I have been surprised at how few TransAm cyclists I have encountered these last few days. On Day 38 I met Barret (from Bend, OR) who was riding westbound back home. His wife is sagging him In their RV. On Day 39 Matt (from the UK) rolled into the Historic Rose Hotel at about 8:00. Enjoyed chatting with both, but I have not even seen anyone else in the last two days. I expected to see many more.

While in Carbondale, I connected with a good friend I worked with at Emory University. Terry Clark is now Dean of the College of Business at Southern Illinois University. We had breakfast and caught up on old times.

Rolling into Elizabethtown, IL, I was not sure what to expect. Rural towns have varied greatly in how nice they are for a visitor. This one is on the Ohio River, so I had high hopes. The town is nice and the hotel is nicer.

The Historic Rose Hotel is such a cool place. If you are into the details, you can zoom in below.

Here is the hotel on the river side. I stayed in the room on the lower right, the Mammy Rose room. There are only four rooms in the hotel. They give tours.

I could see this restaurant from my hotel porch. I ate a great fried catfish dinner on the deck on the right.

The next morning, I got up early, drank my coffee, and saw a beautiful sunrise. I am glad I stayed here to hang out. I have already lubed my bike chain (the rain a couple days ago made that an overdue maintenance activity).

I even saw a couple of barges floating down river. This one is hauling coal. It was so long.

It is about 8:30 and I am finally going to start getting ready to leave. I have to get my cycling gear on and go through my checklist. I am so glad I took some extra time to enjoy this wonderful hotel—and hotel porch. It was much-needed food for the soul.

I have usually been making blog posts every other day. The last three days have been so busy and so much fun, I just didn’t have time to write posts. Even this post was whipped off in the middle of the night in a fit of insomnia. I sometimes fall asleep early, get up for a while, and then try to get back to sleep. I am sending this off and trying to go back to sleep. No time for proofing. Apologies in advance for any errors.

Day 35 (I think it was a Friday), I decided to have fun by doing some crazy, long 118 mile ride. I was on the bike for 12 hours, and after eating a large pizza and drinking a couple of beers, I was out! Day 36, I rolled into the Rusty Gate Inn in Summersville shortly after Felix. I soon joined him and his friend Jacqueline and spent the late afternoon and evening chatting, shopping, and eating. More on them below. Finally, Day 37 was a bit of everything—steep climbs and descents, beautiful Ozark scenery, a thunderstorm, and aggressive drivers. After all that, I went out for a burger and a couple of beers and fell asleep early.

Fun comes in so many flavors—and most often when you don‘t plan for it. These last few days featured challenging rides, hanging out with new friends, eating good food, and facing big challenges. The 118-mile ride was a late decision; when the weather looked favorable, I decided to follow the TransAm Trail and go straight to Marshfield (requiring a longer ride) as opposed to going off-trail to a hotel in Springfield and breaking the day into two. You never know who you will meet at a hotel. And this little dive hotel in Summersville was the kind of place cyclists go to. I met Felix and Jacqueline and enjoyed my time with them.

Day 37, the forecast called for rain the night before, but that changed the morning of the ride, so I did not expect rain. Then, a thunderstorm occurred while I was on the road. I don’t mind rain, but lightning is not fun. Google Maps showed a campground about two miles away, so I rode to it. When I rode in, I found a semi-safe place and two young (~25?) cyclists—Bob (from Minnesota) and Ali (from Philadelphia). We commiserated for about 45 minutes while the rain went on. Fortunately, the thunder and lightning abated, and we went on our separate ways—Bob and Ali heading west and me going east.

Riding

Day 35: 118 miles, 5610 elevation (4 whees)

The return of the whee (with fewer e’s on the end, because they were shorter but still fun and worth yelling “Whee!” on the descent. More eee’s means longer descents. I am making up these rules as I go along.

This was a brutal day. When I saw only a modest headwind, I decided to give this connection a shot. If I stayed on the Trail, the next hotel was 118 miles away. The other option was going off the TransAm trail and into Springfield, Missouri, but that would make for more mileage and an extra day. So I went for it. My “moving time” was almost 9 and a half hours and my total time from start to finish was just over 12 hours. And it was HOT. The last half of the ride was in the mid-90s.

I am glad I did it. Part of this trip is proving to myself what I can accomplish. And this was a pretty good accomplishment. 118 miles. By myself. On a really hot day. Not that I want to do it again soon.

Day 36: 88 miles, 4459 elevation (4-6 wheees)

I am writing this two days after the ride, and I don’t remember many details. It was just a good, hard ride. As you can see from the elevation gain, there was some climbing. Most of the climbs were shorter, but they were frequent. We call them rollers. They challenge (and help improve) your fitness. It was a hot day. I was ready to leave at 5:30, but decided to stay for the hotel breakfast. Just like the others, it wasn’t worth the wait. So I was on the road at 6:30, and that meant another hour later in the day when it was hot. Today was also really humid.

Day 37: 90 miles, 4003 elevation (6-8 wheeeeees, all early on)

Today’s ride was good, bad, and ugly. I woke up early and as I was leaving, I saw Jacqueline and Felix eating breakfast at the little table out front. We chatted for a few minutes and then I was on the road. Today was going to be cooler, and after the night before forecast some later morning rain, the morning forecast made rain look unlikely. It was wrong! Here is the bad part. A storm rolled in. Thunder, lightning, not sounds you want to hear when you are on a bike and in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, Google Maps pointed out a nearby campground, and I found some shelter. I still got soaked, and so did all my stuff. I should have wrapped some of my gear in plastic bags. Duh!

From there, the ride opened up. It was muggy but cooler, with temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s. So not too bad compared to previous days.

Then the ride got ugly. The last third of the ride was not fun as cars (many pulling trailers) got aggressive. With winding roads and rolling hills, you cannot see too far ahead on the road. So most drivers will wait behind the slow cyclist (there was no shoulder for me to ride on) until they are sure they can safely pass. Today, many more drivers just blew by. I was honked at five times today (not the “I am behind you honk”, it was the as I pass you “Why are you riding a bike on this road? Honk). Twice, cars on the other side of the road had to slow down and pull partway off the road because someone passing me was in their lane. I am on a designated Bicycle Route! And we cyclists have the right to use the road. It was really the first time on this ride that I felt drivers were acting too aggressively, and I was worried for my safety. I hope it was just a Sunday afternoon coming home from the Ozarks thing (so I don’t see it again).

Stories and pictures

Here are some photos and stories of people I met over these last few days.

I have previously described meeting other TransAm Bike Race riders. On Day 35 I met Boris Pupic. I had read about Boris on the website and knew he was from Slovenia. I wanted to meet him because I have taught in Slovenia. Unfortunately, his English was not much better than my Slovenian, and though we met twice (see photo below), our communication was limited. When I was riding out of Pittsburg, I came upon him at this location. I thought maybe he was a cyclist needing help. It turned out that he was just waking up and this is exactly where he slept the night before. These racers just ride, eat, and sleep. I saw him down the road at a gas station where we were both refueling.

Cooky’s Cafe got well-deserved good reviews for its breakfast. Their specialty is pie, but I don’t like to eat that much sweet stuff early in the morning.

Cooky’s lets you know its politics, too.

I met Michael and Gary taking a break on that long, hot ride. These two guys are from San Francisco and were on day 88 of their adventure. By bike, they have already gone from San Francisco to Los Angeles. There, they connected to the Route 66 trail, then cut up to the Grand Canyon and connected to the Western Express Trail in Utah. They are continuing to Maine and then back to Chicago. I thought I was on an adventure.

Early on Day 35 I saw about 10 cyclists in groups of 2-4 who were carrying no gear. We waved but didn’t chat. Then Franz, the last of them, flagged me down. I learned that all of them are on the Bike the US for MS ride, which raises money and awareness for multiple sclerosis. Frank is from Germany and told me he is the only international participant, at least among his group—a very friendly man.

Rolling into my Summersville hotel, I was greeted by Felix. Felix is a former KLM pilot who retired early. He loves to cycle. Felix is from Amsterdam and arrived planning to ride solo. A few days into the ride, he met Jacqueline (see her photo below). Jacqueline is also from Amsterdam, and while they don’t usually ride together, they often stay at the same hotels and keep a similar schedule. We hung out for several hours, drinking a beer, eating dinner, and going shopping. They are riding east-to-west, so they could tell me a lot about what I will see in the next few weeks of the ride. More on that later.

Jacqueline is quite the adventurer. She has ridden bikes in about a dozen Asian and African countries as well as many in Europe. This is her first time in the United States.

I cranked out some miles on Day 33–and caught up to Bruce and Dave and met their sag, Quincy. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Forgot to take pictures there. Early dinner so they could watch the Avs game—I am not much of a hockey fan myself and only checked the score the next morning. Avs won in OT and are up 3-1 now!

These two days of riding were different. Day 33 was a long day riding as I knocked out 96 miles. Day 34 was my “rolling rest day.” I find that on trips like this, I prefer to do an easier ride at an easier pace instead of taking a full day off. I rode 64 miles on Day 34, arriving early enough to have a bike shop check out my derailleur.

Over the last few days, I finished the last two books in the Three-Body Problem trilogy by Cixin Liu: The Dark Forest and Death’s End. They were great. Liu is very creative when speculating about possible futures, and that is what I love most about sci-fi.

In this post, I share my two riding days and Relive Videos. My topic is wheat—winter wheat to be specific. I conclude with some photos and stories.

Riding

Day 33: 96 miles, 1972 elevation (3 wheeees).

I thought I would have to retire the wheeees until Kentucky, but grading generously, I had three today. They were not as long or as steep as those out west, but I enjoyed “Wheeee!” again. When you climb a long hill, there is usually a reward (wheeee) on the other side. At least the extra work has a payoff. When you go into the wind, there is no such payback.

The day started before sunrise. I rode the first 30 miles off the TransAmerica Trail because I stayed a few miles off the Trail and took the shortest route to the next town. I learned that you are better off sticking to the official Trail as much as possible. I felt less safe the first 5 miles as there was less shoulder and drivers were not expecting bike riders. I faced a moderate headwind early and a stiffer one later, but overall, it was not the worst wind day. And while roads were wet at times, it never rained on me.

Day 34: 65 miles, 1059 elevation

Today was my rolling recovery day. I tried to take it easy while riding just 65 miles. The weather was good for riding—overcast and temps never got above the low 80s while I was riding (done by noon today). Light for me, probably one of the least interesting videos.

Amber waves of grain

Perhaps the most iconic American anthem is “America the Beautiful.” I feel this trip is giving me a new appreciation for the words and meaning of that tune. Ray Charles sings one of the great renditions of the song. Listen below.

One of the lines in that song is “Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.” I now truly understand what is meant by ”amber waves of grain.” You can really see them here. Even better when the wind blows across a field of wheat.

Kansas is known for its wheat—though I have seen just as many cornfields. They mostly grow “winter wheat” here in Kansas. I have seen them harvesting the wheat (see video below) and was curious why they harvested in June (so early) and did some reading. Winter wheat is planted in September-October and harvested in June. I am usually a low-carb, keto kind of eater. EXCEPT when I am burning 3-5,000 calories a day biking. Some of you will be happy to know that I have been eating plenty of pizza, bread, donuts, and more…

Stories and pictures

Day 33 had some interesting happenings, while Day 34 had fewer. Let me share those with some captioned photos.

I have mentioned before that I like to put some miles down before I get breakfast. My preference is to get half or more of the day’s miles in before stopping for something to eat. After Bruce suggested I check out Cake Batter Batter in Eureka, about 33 miles into my 90+ day, I thought I would break my usual rule. I am glad I did. Deanna, the owner, immediately recognized my jersey and said Bruce and Dave had already been in for breakfast that morning. She was so friendly and nice—twice offering to fill my water bottles.…

Rolling into the town of Eureka, I was not impressed. Sorry Eureka. Most of the small towns I have been riding through look to be struggling economically. They lack a vibrancy. Eureka was not as bad as some, but it did not appeal to me.

Then I found Cake Batter Batter and it looked very cool.

And the breakfast sandwich was gigantic. The coffee was excellent, too—that is a creamer in the background, not a mini coffee cup.

Also, on Day 33, the TransAmerica Trail overlapped with the Race Across America (RAAM), “The World’s Toughest Bike Race.” Some of my friends in Fort Collins won the team portion of this race about 20 years ago. This ride is 3000+ miles long and riders are supported by a crew (unlike the TransAm race which requires riders to be unsupported, riding completely on their own). RAAM appears to be more professional than the TransAm race, which I have written about before. In RAAM there are teams of 2-, 4-, and 8- people who race in a relay fashion. There are also solo riders. Teams might finish in 7-9 days and individuals 9-12 Days. While The TransAm ride does the whole TransAmerica Trail, while this one starts in Southern California and finishes in Annapolis, Maryland. I think they only overlap with our ride for about 20 miles.

Unfortunately, I did not see any RAAM riders but I met two RAAM race officials. They saw me riding and pulled over up ahead. I guess they thought I might be a racer (those aero bars) who was not coming up on their radar. I told them, I was not but we chatted for a bit before they had to get back to work. I hoped one of the teams would pass me (the individual riders were well ahead by now) but they told me one team was miles ahead of me and one was far enough back that I would not see them. These folks follow the riders, provide support and monitor the race overall.

At the turn toward Toronto (the one in Kansas, not Canada), I saw a sign for Lizard Lips Grill and Deli. Needing some Gatorade, I stopped in. I was glad I did.

In spite of how it looks from the outside, the proprietor (I will call him Earl), was a friendly man In his 80s. He told me he “just had surgery a couple of days ago and so I am moving kind of slow.”

Earl offered me a companion for my ride, “So you have someone to talk to.” I now keep Earl (I named my lizard after the man who gave him to me) in my bike cockpit and talk to him when I am bored.

I rode my bike to a washed out bridge (I actually approached from the other side). I looked over and talked to the buys below. They were little help. When I mentioned my friend went around through the cornfield, one said, “If you want to trespass…”

I thought about it and walked my bike along the corn field. But there were also several deep ditches and some trees I had to make my way through. With my fully loaded bike, this was not fun. But it beat riding an extra 10 miles with 5 miles on dirt.

The road was off to the left in the picture below. So I had to carry my bike through the ditch, then through about 25 feet of fairly dense forest. Happy there was no poison ivy. I probably should have listened to Earl.

After the bridge, traffic was even lighter.

I wanted to get to Pittsburg early on Day 34 so I could visit another bike shop. My derailleur was clicking and needed adjustment. I have SRAMS AXS electronic derailleur, and I am not good at adjusting it. I am also not much of a bike mechanic. So I went to Southwind Cycle and Outdoor where KD took a look at it. I called him the previous day and because he had never worked on one of these before, he did some research. Then, he worked his way through it. It took him a while and he was interrupted by another customer. But KD was persistent, he fixed it, put on a new chain, and things work! Thanks KD.

While I was at the bike shop, I met my third TransAm racer. Italian racer Salvatore Bonfiglio, arrived at the store after WALKING 20 km (~12 miles) to the bike shop after his wheel broke. I asked him why he didn’t just flag down a car for a ride and I think he said that would be against the race rules (his English was better than my Italian, but not by a lot). Because this race is unsupported, I don’t believe he could accept a ride. Fortunately Southwinds fixed his bike and he is back in the race.

I have another entry in the grain elevator photos: They Are Big When You Get Close!

I needed this rolling recovery day. The next few days will bring some hard riding through “The Ozarks.”

It is still hot and windy in Kansas. Last night (end of Day 32), some major thunderstorms rolled through. The storms are supposed to bring a bit cooler temperatures and lighter winds the next two days. After that, a heat wave is supposed to come through (didn’t we just have that?) and move temperatures over 100.

I only saw one cross-country rider on Day 31. Looking more closely at the ACA’s paper maps, I figured out why. I was off the TransAmerica Trail for half the day. I don’t think this was the reason for the earlier days with few sightings. When we put this trip together, we copied someone else’s route from the RideWithGPS app. Early on, we discovered the guy we copied from liked gravel roads and occasionally took minor detours from the main route to go on gravel Roads. It was easy for us to stay on paved trails. For Day 31, it appears he took a different road for half the day. I also chose a hotel in Hutchinson (off the route, a few miles) where I could find a bike shop.

On Day 32, I met Bill (from Vancouver, Washington) and Corey (from West Virginia). They mentioned that they have been riding westward on and off together. We shared a few tips for the upcoming days and talked about the ride for a few minutes before moving along. I think my aero bars make people think I’m a racer.

Day 32 was fun. First, I had a tailwind. Second, I stopped in Newton, Kansas, a neat little town. I share some pictures in my Relive video. Cool coffee shop. The barista there asked which way I was going and told me that east was “the wrong way.” I asked why, and she said almost everyone she talks to is going west. Finally, it was only 78 miles, much less than the ~100 miles of the previous three days.

Riding

Day 31: 102 miles, 1198 elevation

Today was a tough day. I wanted to get to Hutchinson to get to a bike shop, and that meant 100 miles. That became more important after I got another flat tire today in Great Bend. I changed my tires in Pueblo and have had two flats since then. Both came while riding ”in-town.” I’m not sure if it is the new tires, the situation, or both. But I feel better with more inner tubes and CO2 cartridges in my bag.

I fought a lot of headwinds and heat today. A 20-30 mph wind was out of the south, and the route included some straight south and southeasterly sections. These were tough. I was in my aero bars for a lot of the day. THANK YOU, JEFF, for loaning me your aero bars. For my non-cycling readers, aero bars let you get in a tuck position and reduce wind resistance (see some photos—not of me). At the beginning of the ride, I was in the aero bars about 5% of the time, mostly to break up my riding position. Lately, I am in them 25-50% of the time—I like them—and yesterday it was about 75% of the time.

Day 32: 78 miles, 1014 elevation

Today was a mixed day of riding, but mostly good. I got a later start than I prefer, because I needed to wait for Harley Bicycles to open at 9:00. I was there when it opened, bought a few inner tubes and CO2 cartridges. The shop people were great. I took a short cut to Newton where I rejoined the TransAmericaTrail. Later I jumped off the Trail again to get to my off-trail hotel in El Dorado.

78 miles have never felt so good. After the previous three days of fighting headwinds, today’s tailwind and fewer miles felt like a recovery ride. The last hour and a half the sun and 95 degree temperatures dragged me down a bit. Get out earlier tomorrow!

Cool things in small town America

Chris loves to check out interesting sights in small towns. Someday I can see her following me around the country, I ride my bike and she checks out small towns. When we were in Utah, she detoured to find Butch Cassidy’s house after seeing it on the map. See picture below. This lead to us reading about Butch and discovering he probably didn’t die jumping off a cliff, like we all saw in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford).

If Chris was with me here in Hutchinson, I am sure she would check out Strataca (previously more informatively named the Kansas Underground Salt Museum). A two-hour tour takes you 650 feet underground to see rock salt deposits formed 275 million years ago. The Hutchison Salt Company mines the salt. This is one of 15 salt mines in the U.S. but the only one with public access. These are the kind of interesting little nuggets you can find in small towns across our great country. If I had more time, I would do that today.

Stories and pictures

Day 31: From La Crosse to Hutchinson

The road out of Great Bend went straight south into the teeth of a 20-30 mph headwind. Ugh! It was nice to have this wide shoulder. While tucked in the aero bars it is more difficult for me to see the traffic behind me in that little rear view mirror you see poking out the side of my sunglasses. Plus, the wind was gusting and can kind of bounce you around a bit. And this road was pretty busy with traffic. I felt a lot safer with that wide shoulder.

During a long hot stretch between services, about 72 miles into my ride, I saw this sign by the side of the road. It was heaven sent. I had water but it was warm by now as it had been hours since I had seen a store. The temperature was about 95.…

I looked over and saw a literal oasis. Was it a mirage? Was there still water in the cooler?

Not a mirage. Ice cold water in the cooler. Who would do such a thing?

Thank you Flickinger family. Writing that note was a small price to pay. You don’t know how much this helped me, especially when about 10 miles ahead the route included…

A wrong turn. I opened Google maps which took me onto a dirt road for 4 miles. Loose dirt. Heavy, packed bike, and me tired as it was late in the day—not a good combination. Looking closer at the maps later, I saw a slightly longer paved route; I am not sure why Google did not offer that. I kept that in mind on Day 32 when Google offered an alternative to Hwy 50.

Next, a few more picture of grain elevators…

Hard to see the grain elevators, but it is under the sunrise, Sunrise Over Grain Elevator 2.

Glowing Grain Elevator

Reaching for the Sky

Day 32:

Harley’s Bicycles – good people work here

Kevin at Harley Bicycles suggested a less trafficked route south of Hwy 50. I got lazy and decided to hop on this pretty busy road for ~30 miles. While maybe a bit less scenic, it was faster. Kevin‘s directions were helpful to get me here.

One benefit to riding on Hwy 50 was seeing this old gas station. This was next to somebody’s house and farm. The owner collected all kinds of antique gas station signage, old gas pumps (see them in front of the “station,” and even an old gasoline delivery truck.

I Yelped “Coffee Shops in Newton” and found Norm’s had the best ratings. Good choice. Cool place. Very good Mocha and a tasty egg casserole.

I love this world map on the wall at Norm’s.

First note the narrow (nonexistent) shoulder. Then look at the sign. There were two of these signs on this stretch of road. And the drivers were really good about following “the law.” Drivers waited behind me when traffic was coming the other way. Pass with a wide berth. Thank you Kansans. Not that I am ready to forgive you Kansans for the second half of that game back in April, but that is a whole other story.

That’s what I am experiencing here in the heartland of America. Still having fun.

As I lay in my bed in Eads on Friday night, I was worried. A couple of hours earlier, walking to the local grocery store, I was almost blown over by 40 mph winds, and the temperature was about 95 degrees; I had trouble crossing the street because of heavy traffic. My highest priority on this trip is my personal safety (see earlier blog post), and I wondered about the safety of my ride on Saturday morning. How windy would it be? According to my app, it would be 25-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Would I be safe in that? Would I be able to navigate it? Charles and Jean (fellow cyclists I talked with earlier) spent three days at the hotel waiting for better weather.

I created some backup plans. My original plan (Plan A) was to ride 103 miles to Scott City. Plan B: I could stay another night in Eads. Plan C: I could ride 25 miles and stay at a church in Sheridan Lake, where campers could sleep on the floor. Plan D: There was a hotel in Leoti (75 miles up the road) where I could stay. I also knew the wind (and heat) got stronger through the day, though winds of 25 mph were expected by 9:00. I had all of these options in mind when I woke up early on Saturday morning. When I woke up early, I read an article about how to ride in a crosswind. It gave me some confidence to at least give it a try. And as things turned out, the ride was hard, but I never felt unsafe, and I made it all the way to Scott City.

Today, June 18, is my mother’s birthday. So I spent the first hour of the ride thinking about her. She has been gone for 23+ years now, but I still miss her. I trust she continues to watch over me, even when I do crazy bike rides.

My first stop today was in Sheridan Lake. I stopped at a convenience store and I got into a conversation with four locals who were meeting over coffee. They thought I (and the rest of us riders) were crazy. But they were curious and we talked a bit. One admitted that he prayed for us. Another said that when the weather gets stormy, he drives his pickup truck up and down the highway, picking up riders and taking them to the local church (which, as noted above, puts up riders).

Besides that, I saw only two other riders. As you know, I am expecting to see more on the TransAmerica Trail part of the ride. I saw the TransAm racer Laurent twice. Just outside of Eads, I passed him. Later, I saw him at a Casey’s in Scott City, shortly after I showered up at my hotel and went shopping. He mentioned needing to drink a lot that day and then kept riding on. I appear to ride faster than Laurent, but he goes and goes, probably about 15 hours a day. I guess that is how he averages 170 miles a day. I only saw one other solo rider going the other way. We waved and each pressed on. Not sure if that is more normal or if the heat and wind kept some people from riding that day. Day 30 was more what I expected. I saw four groups heading west—one of four riders, two of two riders, and one solo rider. We all just waved.

One entertainment note. I finished Liu Cixin’s The Dark Forest, the second book in the Three-Body Problem series. And started the third book, Death’s End. I like how good sci-fi creates fascinating worlds. This series does that. Very creative. Apparently, Netflix is making a TV series based on the books, which is expected to be out in 2023.

Riding

Day 29: 103 miles, 1286 elevation

Now that I am in Kansas, the whole “wheeee” thing seems a bit silly. There are not big downhill glides anytime soon. And maybe a “wheeee” could come up if those 30 mph crosswinds became 30 mph tailwinds. Or an ”aarrgghh!” might be a strong headwind. But I have been looking ahead at forecasts, and it doesn’t look like either will be the case, so I am not reporting that unless needed.

The crosswind is a force. The wind is out of the south and sometimes southeast. I am mostly riding east, so that means it is a headwind or crosswind. Fortunately, my worst fears were not realized. In spite of the steady 25 mph crosswind, with gusts up to 30-35, I did not feel unsafe for a couple of reasons. First, the traffic on the road was light—maybe 5-15 cars an hour for most of the ride, more later in the day. Second, the cars were almost always respectful and gave me a wide berth. Finally, only occasionally did the wind bump me out into the road. Mostly, I just leaned into it. The downside is that this is more work. If I keep my power at ~150, I figure I lose 2-4 mph.

On the ride, I stopped at the Ghost Bike honoring John Egbers, a TransAm racer who was killed by a car in 2018. You can see a picture of the sculpture in the video below. The story is another tragic tale of a distracted driver hitting a cyclist. The westbound riders I met in Ordway told me that I could stop here and get a free pastry and coffee. Unfortunately, the place is closed on Saturdays, so I missed that.

Day 30: 93 miles, 1001 elevation

So this morning my plan was to get up extra early to beat the wind and the heat (at least for a little while). I fell asleep the night before at 8:00 and woke up at 3:00 a.m. I decided to get up and get ready, a process that can take an hour or more, depending on my previous night’s activities. On Day 29, I wished I had started earlier, so today I thought I would get out by 4:30. Besides, I had moved into the Central Time Zone, so the sun would rise even earlier, right? No, wrong? It is the opposite. Now that I am at the western edge of Central Time, the sun rises later. At 5:00 a.m., it is still dark out. I worked on a couple of things and ended up leaving later.

Once the ride started, I found it to be a lot like Day 29. The wind was out of the south, and my route is almost all east, making it a crosswind. Once again, winds started more moderate (~15 mph) early but picked up by the late morning (30 mph with gusts to 40 mph). It was really hot for the last couple of hours, 95 degrees and full sun.

I learn more about what my body can do

One of my goals this trip is to learn more about my body and my mind. Deep down, I am a scientist. That has been my job for the last 35 years. I like to know about how and why things work. Anything. And that includes my body. I want to do experiments and check out the data.

I have talked before about my use of a power meter and heart rate monitor. I watch those closely while I ride. The data constantly shows on my Garmin bike computer, which I can see while I ride. While riding two shorter days on the flats—Pueblo to Ordway and Ordway to Eads—I experimented a bit with my power. Of course, these experiments are not well controlled as there is heat, wind, fatigue, etc. that are not constant, and I am a sample size of one. But hey, you do the best with the experimental conditions you have. On the first of those days, I tried to maintain a higher power of about 180 kw for much of the ride. For the first couple of hours, I could do that with little problem. But I found I arrived in Ordway too tired. So the next day, I rode at about 150, and that seemed to work better. Consequently, on Day 29’s 103-mile ride and Day 30’s 93 miles, I tried to average 150 kw and felt pretty good when I finished each. That seems to be my best power for day after day 80-100 mile rides, at least until I work myself into even better shape.

A big part of this journey is figuring out my own personal limits; what I can and cannot do. These last few days, I also learned that I can handle 95-degree temperatures, cross winds of 30 with gusts up to 40, and ride 90-100 miles, and get up the next day and do it again.

Stories and pictures

Some pictures and observations from the last couple of days…

Religion plays an important role for social services and life in general in middle America. The hotel I stayed at in Scott City doubles as a halfway house based on Stepping Up Ministries. All the rooms have bible quotes all over. Nice people doing good work.

I saw lots of pro-life yard signs and this big sign on the side of a hill.

There are grain elevators every 8-10 miles. So I am starting a series of photos of them to challenge my creativity. I call this one, Sunrise Over Grain Elevator.

This one is Road to Grain Elevator.

And finally, Bicycle Route 76 and Grain Elevator

I don’t like to eat a full lunch while riding. Let’s say it has not always agreed with me. Usually, I snack on Clif bars and trail mix during the ride. Today I ate a slightly bigger lunch and had a small Chicken Biscuit sandwich.

The Ghost Bike honoring John Egbers.

Use the comments below to let me know if you have a favorite Grain Elevator image from the three above. I will try to find more creative grain elevator photos in the next few days.

Tomorrow I hope to beat the wind and the heat by actually getting out before daybreak. I have good lights and there is very little traffic.

It has been an interesting start as I move onto the TransAmerica Trail. I am seeing many more cyclists coming from the east. I think a lot of people start the trail in May. So many of those who started on the East Coast at that time have reached Colorado about now. My first miles on the TransAmerica Trail, Day 27 from Pueblo to Ordway (51 miles), I saw three groups of cyclists (two riding solo and one as a pair). We just waved and rode on. Four more cyclists were staying at the Hotel Ordway—I learned a lot by talking with them.

On Day 28, I rode from Ordway to Eads (62 miles) and saw three more groups of cyclists on heading west and met more heading east in Eads. The first people I ran into on the road were three guys who cheered me on, “Go, go, go! You can do it!” At first, I just thought they liked to support fellow riders and something similar back to them. After they passed, I realized they thought I was a competitor in the TransAm Bike Race, which claims to be “The premier self-supported road race across America.” The race started on June 5 on the western starting point of the TransAmerica Trail (Astoria, Oregon). Some of the participants are moving across Colorado today (others are further ahead and more further behind).

During my lunch today, I met one of the racers, Marcos Bueno, a Brazilian who does some very interesting stuff. We chatted a bit. He told me he is averaging 180 miles a day. Marcos is 9th of 35 riders. I expect to see other racers pass me in the next few days. Marcos mentioned that because of the heat and wind, he plans to change his strategy and start riding at night and sleeping in the day. The wind and heat were brutal today (and forecast to be that way for the next few days), but it’s generally cooler and winds are lighter early in the morning.

This evening I met another racer, Laurent Bouchard, who is right behind Marcos in the standings. Laurent was checking into my hotel. He rides a recumbent bike and I couldn’t believe he rode in the crazy wind (gusts of 35-40 mph) and heat (97) we had this afternoon. Laurent is French, so communication was not fluid, but he said the race has been brutal with three days of rain and two with strong winds so far.

On Day 28, I met Doug from Louisville out on the road. He was heading the other way, but we stopped and chatted for a few minutes. Then, about 10 miles up the road, I met Trina, Doug’s wife, who calls herself “popsicle lady.” She drives their RV, stops cyclists, and offers them popsicles or fruit juice. I took a juice. I also met Tyler and Jen from England, who were finishing drinks from Trina when she called out to me. See photos of all of them below. At the hotel, I met Charles and Jean from Arvada, CO, who are riding their way to Maine, alternating between camping and hotel stays. The subculture on the TransAmerica Trail appears to be quite social, and so far, I am enjoying it immensely.

Riding

The actual rides were pretty normal stuff. The roads are relatively flat, and the terrain is kind of boring. There are no big descents (no wheeeeees!), though I might have to add a new wind-related “aarrgghh” category as that may be a future issue. Riding in strong winds is no fun.

Day 27 (wrong “days” on the Relive video): 51 miles, 377 elevation (0 wheeeees, 0 aarrgghhs)

One note on this ride. I got new Rene Herse tires put on in Pueblo. Then, six miles into the ride, I got a flat. A shard of metal (maybe 1 mm) got me. Ugh! I was thinking about how excited I was for the new tires. While changing the flat, a commuting cyclist named Seth stopped and talked. As he left, he said my story inspired him (probably that a guy as old as me can do this), and he now hopes to ride across country himself one day. Otherwise, the ride was smooth.

Day 28 (video has wrong day#): 62 miles, 751 elevation (0 wheeeees, 0 aarrgghhs)

Today was another flat and less scenic ride. It did get hot and windy as the day went along and I can really tell the difference from going into the wind or even just riding up or down 1% grades. These subtle variations matter when the terrain is mostly flat.

Meeting fellow cyclists on the road

The folks you meet on the ride are one of the real joys of doing an Adventure Cycling Association ride. The organization attracts enough riders, especially on TransAmerica trail, that you see many fellow travelers.

This gives me an opportunity to reflect on some of the folks I met while riding the Western Express (first half of the ride)—note that I have met almost as many in two days on TransAmerica. I have photos of some of them (and the earlier ones) in the space that follows:

• Thomas. I met Thomas in Utah. He promised himself he would ride across country before he turned 40 (he is 39 now). He is from Pennsylvania. He hoped to ride with his wife, but they couldn’t find someone to watch the kids for three months. So his wife and family is sagging him in an RV. I saw him over a few days but I think we pulled ahead in Utah.

• Gerhardt. We met Gerhardt (who is from Switzerland) in Utah. He was riding pretty slow so we only saw him one day. The last time Dave and Bruce saw him he was looking for a place to buy cigarettes.

• Jen and Diana were riding from Salt Lake City to California (I think). It was a three-week camping vacation. The day before we met them, they rode through snow, hail, and rain. One of the two went to University of Colorado – Boulder and works in marketing analytics.

Pictures of some of the folks I have met…

First, I share some pics of people I met on Western Express. Then, you can see some photos of folks I met today alone.

Folks I met along the Western Express

Thomas heading out one morning.

Jen and Diana bundled up after a couple of tough weather days coming down from Salt Lake City.

Gerhardt talking to Dave.

Below, see some of the folks I met in just one day on the TransAtlantic Trail

Doug and I talked from across the road.

10 miles later, his wife Trina (“Popsicle lady”) offered a cold drink from across the road. She follows Doug and offers popsicles and cold drinks to cyclists she meets along the way.

Jen and Tyler are from England. They were anxious to get a move on, as they said “We are British and need to get out of the heat.”

These are just some of the names and faces I have seen and met so far. There are as many stories as there are riders. I look forward to making many more new friends over the next month.

Tomorrow may be all business. Day 29 looks to be hot and windy. The best way to beat that, (besides not riding at all) is to get out there early. With a plan to ride 103 miles, I am going to try to be on the road by 5:00 a.m. and hope to make Scott City by early afternoon.

Pueblo is a turning point in the ride in a few ways. First, I leave the mountains and start crossing the plains. I am sure it will be different, with no climbs and no descents. You just keep pedaling, all the time! Will it be easier or more challenging to ride 80 miles on flats as compared to the up and down of the hills? I will find out and report back.

Second, a complicating factor is the heat. The mountains typically have cooler mornings (50s-60s), and even the heat of the day only meant temperatures in the upper 70s and 80s. And there was no humidity in the mountains. That is all going to change. I am staring down highs in the 90s and 100s in the coming days. I expect to get on the road early.

Third, I am moving from the less traveled Western Express Trail to the more popular TransAmerica Trail. I expect to see more touring cyclists in the weeks ahead. I look forward to hearing their stories.

Finally, the biggest change will be my riding solo. As Bruce, Dave, and I planned the trip, we discovered we had different ideas about how to do the ride, particularly around schedule and support. So before the ride started, we agreed it would be best to part ways after Pueblo and follow our visions as we proceed to Yorktown, Virginia. The two of them wanted a supported ride for the second half of the trip and will have a driver who goes along with them each day. The driver will carry the gear they don’t need for each day, meet them once or twice along the ride to offer food or water, and generally be available if there are problems. I wish them safety, tailwinds, and good weather.

A few more notes. Day 25 got me to 1581 miles and more than 90,000 feet of climbing. I will probably cross the halfway point in mileage on Day 26 or 27. I finished The Lincoln Highway, another book by Amor Towles. The book was recommended by two readers I respect–Wynn and Bill Gates. I gave it a listen and was not disappointed. It was cool that the book is titled and describes U.S. Highway 50, the main byway for the ride so far. I highly recommend. I plan to go back to some of my sci-fi next.

Riding

Day 25: 108 miles, 4432 elevation (4 wheeees! and 0 arrgghhs)

Wow! What a fun ride this one was. I left Salida by myself at 5:40 a.m. After initially wanting to ride our last day together, they decided to move the start time to a later hour, and I decided I just wanted to get on the road. I told them the night before that I was going to keep the early departure. The early start meant the air was cool and there were few cars on the road. I wound along an early descent by the Arkansas River. Twenty-four miles in, I reached Cotopaxi and took a right turn onto a winding country road. One of the first signs I saw shows a horse and buggy, and “7 miles” (I thought I took a picture, but I must have missed it). I didn’t see any horse and buggies.

From there, I rode 35 miles on a gentle climb. Along the way, I stopped at Tumbleweed Coffee Shop in Westcliffe. At 58 miles in, I started a winding 25-mile descent. It was awesome. The last 20 miles or so were flat or a gentle descent into the wind and Pueblo. Here, my ride connects with the well-known and well-traveled TransAmerica Trail. There was more downhill than uphill and more tailwind than headwind, so the 108 miles didn’t feel that hard (or maybe I am getting into better shape?).

Shortly after I arrived in Pueblo, a cyclist named Matt asked me, “Are you Vincent?” Apparently, he was on a ride looking for participants in the Trans Am Bike Race, which promotes itself as “the premier self-supported road race across the United States.” Matt follows riders online and was expecting to see one ride by. We started chatting, and Matt offered to show me a better route to my hotel, providing a tour of his hometown along the way. Pueblo was nice, better than I thought. Thanks, Matt! One of the best things about rides like this is the connection you make with fellow cyclists.

Day 26: 0 miles, 0 elevation

I got a lot done on my Pueblo rest day. Chris drove (about three hours) down from Fort Collins to stay with me for a couple days. Our first night here, we enjoyed dinner at a fine Italian restaurant, La Forchetta da Massi, near the Pueblo Riverwalk. Thanks for the tip Matt.

The next morning I got my bike tuned up by Blane who operates BikePro Mobile, a bike repair shop out of the back of his truck. He drove to my hotel and gave the bike a minor overhaul–changing out tires, examining tires, checking and cleaning brake pads, and tuning up the derailleurs. Mostly he reassured me the bike was fit and ready for the second half of the ride. I am not much of a bike mechanic, so this was helpful.

Chris and I had lunch on the Riverwalk and did some shopping. We also stopped by the Air Force Academy visitor center. The highlight of the day was diner with my daughters Ally and Mallory, who drove down from Denver and took me out to dinner for Father’s Day.

Flat tires or not

One of the banes of cycling is the flat tire. Everyone gets one sometime. If you are lucky, like Elaine (who rode the TransAmerica Trail more than 30 years ago), you don’t have a flat for your whole ride across America. Or maybe you ride tubeless tires. Tubeless tires do not use inner tubes. Instead the tires are sealed to the wheels. A liquid sealant is put put into the tire. If the tire punctures, the sealant fills the whole before the tire flats out.

Dave is riding tubeless and when I was following him a few days ago, I felt this little spray from his bike. It turned out that he had a small puncture (not much more than a pinhole). The sealant was spitting out and hitting me in the face–but it quickly sealed his tire and he lost little pressure. Tubeless tires can also be ridden with lower pressure which can make for a more comfortable ride. Bruce plans to switch bikes in Pueblo and will have tubeless tires for the rest of the ride. Given Bruce’s luck so far, that will be good.

For me, I am sticking with what I know, traditional inner tubes. I have only a little experience with tubeless tires and worry about being on the road with tires I don’t understand as well. When I rode to Wisconsin 5 years ago, I got 5 flats in 1000 miles. I learned from that experience and do not expect as many on this trip. Fingers crossed.

Stories and pictures

Here are a few more photos and stories from the last couple of days.

Day 25: The road out of the mountains and into Pueblo

More of that beautiful ride out of Salida.

While sitting at the Tumbleweed Coffee Shop in Wesctliffe, the local K-9 Sheriff was practicing having his dog sniff out drugs. I didn’t have anything on me. Whew!

Matt was my Pueblo tour guide.

Day 26: Rest day in Pueblo

Blane at BikePro Mobile made sure my bike was ready for the second half of the ride.

We visit the Air Force Academy. Unfortunately, its iconic chapel is being renovated and not open until 2027!

The highlight of the trip so far! Ally (left) and Mallory come down for dinner. Love you girls.

Seeing the girls reinvigorates me for the next phase of the ride. I am going to test my legs on a couple of shorter rides. I am anxious to learn how much different it will be to ride long flat rides in the heat. New challenges, new fun.

The last couple of days were harder than I anticipated. While the two days were “only” 68 and 62 miles long—shorter mileage than some of our recent days, there were some challenging climbs—one into a stiff headwind.

On Day 23, I rode into Gunnison, home of Western Colorado University. It was a Sunday, and I had to remember that in rural areas, many stores are closed on Sundays. I planned on going to a little store about 40 miles out on that ride, but it was closed. Then I ate some of Scott’s (Bruce and Dave’s friend and SAG for a week or so) stuff and technically violated my “unsupported ride” rule (see this blog post for more on that philosophy). Scott is sagging (providing ride support) for Bruce and Dave by carrying a lot of their stuff and providing them with food along the ride. I didn’t think about it until later. Ooops! I am a purist with a second asterisk now.

On Monday, we rode from Gunnison to Salida. Salida is a neat town. I have visited here before and enjoy it a lot. We had drinks on the riverfront and dinner at a nice Italian restaurant, then grabbed ice cream after. We had planned to ride out together for Pueblo on Wednesday at 6:00 a.m., as it will be hot tomorrow. But I just heard they want to leave at 7 and I don’t think I want to wait. So I plan to head out out early tomorrow.

Riding

Day 23: 68 miles, 4747 elevation (3 wheeeees, 0 aarrgghhs)

Today was a tough start. Bruce had a bad night’s sleep and didn’t feel as strong, so he stayed back with me. Dave, who is such a strong rider, went ahead. Bruce and I climbed the first hill together. Right out of Montrose, the climb was into a headwind, 15 miles, and took a good two hours. Ugh! It was a grind. There was a nice descent (wheeee) before we had another tough 8-mile climb, a short descent, and one more climb and descent. An ugly stretch included 4 miles of road construction. On weekdays, that stretch is down to one lane, but on weekends, traffic moves in both directions. But with no shoulder, no access to the other lane, and a lot of gravel. It was NOT fun. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the dammed-up Gunnison River and Curecanti National Recreation Area, which provided for a scenic ride. You can see some of it in the video below.

Day 24: 62 miles, 3852 elevation (1 wheeeee, 1 aarrgghh)

Day 24 featured a gradual incline for the first 32 miles. Along the way we experienced our first “on the road flat.” I think I previously mentioned Bruce had two and I had one “hotel room flat“ caused by a slow leak, late in the day, such that you don’t notice the tire is flat until you get into your hotel room. At that 32 mile mark we stopped for coffee and then began the challenging climb to Monarch Pass and the Continental Divide. The climb was steep, averaging about 5% grade with plenty of 6-7% areas and took me close to an hour and a half to finish. We each did the climb on our own, but rode most of the rest of the day together. There was a store up top of the pass and we had something to eat before descending.

The descent was a mix. With cliffs just off the shoulder and gusting wind buffeting us about, the initial part of the descent was not fun (aarrgghh!), but later things quieted a bit and we enjoyed a long 22 mile descent into Salida (wheeee!).

Flats lesson delayed…

I was thinking this might be the perfect day to talk about flat tires and tubes vs. tubeless tires. Especially given today’s flat—and a tubeless tire puncture from the previous day. I know this is not a topic for those of you who are experienced cyclists, but it is an interesting one for those who are not. But I decided I need to finish this blog post and get myself on the road to Pueblo. So I will defer that until later.

Stories and pictures

These two days were pretty well covered in the Relive videos. On Day 23 our hotel was just out of town. We drove into town to have dinner and pick up some groceries. I usually try to get a few Gatorades to drink the morning before and during the first part of the ride and to stock up on Clif bars. I don’t like to eat too much before or during a ride—I usually have a lighter breakfast and then bars on the ride.

I mentioned Day 24’s events earlier in this post. I was back at my hotel early. I worked on this blog post and got to bed by 9:00. I woke up early (again) and decided to finish the post and get on the road at daybreak. Today will be a long day’s ride, hot, and Chris will be meeting me in Pueblo. Tomorrow will be a rest day before I head across the plains. There are a lot of changes in store as I move ahead with my dream ride. More on those in my next post.

Here are a few pictures from the last two days…

Riding out of Montrose

Scott sagged for Bruce and Dave and also did a fair amount of riding. He grew up in this part of the state, has a lot of local knowledge and connections. Thanks Scott!

Bruce envisioned “The Three Amigos” riding across America. We made it almost halfway, sort of together.

Gunnison, home of Western Colorado University and the big “W”

After a long climb to the top of Monarch Pass, we reached our highest elevation for this trip (1,312’) and crossed the Continental Divide.

There is a store up at the top of the pass with lots of kitschy souvenirs. Sorry no room to carry them. Fortunately, they had a Salted Nut Roll for me.

Time to roll folks. I hope you enjoy the blog. Feel free to post comments. They inspire and motivate me to write more. It is nice to know that some of you are enjoying reading. This started as a way to keep in touch with my family, to share my photos and some short stories. It is great to read comments that some of you also find it fun to follow my travels. More coming.

After the “hardest one-day ride” and another challenging ride the following day, I needed a break. Fortunately, we rested in Dolores, and I got back into sync. The rest day allowed Chris and me to check out the cute small town of Dolores, me to fix the bike and reset my routine, and we also had another relaxing evening with beers and great food truck food outside at Dolores River Brewing. Bruce’s friend Scott (from Fort Collins) joined that evening and will ride (and drive) with us to Pueblo.

Chris left early the morning of Day 21, stopping for coffee in Telluride, the glitzy ski town about an hour (driving a car) up the road. After a full day of driving, she safely made it back home to Fort Collins.

Soon after, I started my ride. Day 21 was 95 miles to Ridgway and included two big passes. The change in the landscape from Utah is stark. My home state of Colorado has tall mountains, but they are greener, whereas much of Utah has little green. Both had some great red rock, though you see more buff colored stone in Colorado. We had a nice descent into Ridgway, another neat little mountain town that was new to me. Bruce said that just 10 years ago, this town wasn’t much more than a gas station stop.

Day 22 was a recovery ride day at just 30 miles into Montrose. We didn‘t need a recovery day. Our original plan was to split Days 21 and 22 more evenly and stop in Telluride. But after pricing out hotels in Telluride (yikes!), we split those days up differently, making for one harder and one easier day.

By the way, I have now traveled more than one third of the miles of the trip, riding 1353 miles and climbing almost 77,000 feet (elevation gain).

Riding

Day 21: 95 miles, 5571 elevation. (2 wheeeees and 2 aarrgghhs)

This ride had a wide range of experiences. We rode together for the first 10 miles or so, and then the climbs separated us (me being dropped and riding alone). We started up the Dolores River Canyon for a mostly gentle (1-2% grade) 48-mile climb to Lizard Head Pass. There were a few steep spots. We stopped along the way for coffee in the cute Western town of Rico. We later stopped at a Conoco station outside Telluride, but didn’t take the time to go into that town. We had long descents before Telluride (wheeeeee!) and after (aarrgghh! – too much traffic and gusty wind). Traffic after Telluride, the last 30 or so miles, was generally heavy. About 10 miles outside Telluride, I turned toward Ridgway and headed up the Dallas Divide—a 10-mile climb with mostly modest grades (~2%)—before descending into Ridgway.

Day 22: 30 miles, 410 elevation

Today was an easy riding day. We only had to ride 30 miles (me a bit more since I went back to the hotel—see reasons in my story below. Mostly downhill into Montrose. Not many pictures as the ride was pretty simple.

Routines and checklists

When on a journey like this, I have learned the value routines and checklists. As much as I enjoyed seeing Chris, it did throw me off my daily routine. My days tend to start at 3 or 4 in the morning. Not out of choice, I just have trouble sleeping. I fall asleep about 9-9:30 at night and usually cannot sleep past 3 or 4. So I lay there for an hour or two trying to fall back asleep before waking up and reading ESPN.com, The New York Times, or play Spelling Bee. Some days I meditate (wish I could make that a routine). I also start drinking—water and Gatorade (or Body Armor)—as I pre-hydrate before each day’s ride. I have all my stuff laid out ready to put on or pack up. I am not a big breakfast eater, but will usually eat something before I depart, usually scheduled the night before for 7:30-8:30 depending on distance of the ride and/or weather.

Before I leave I go through my morning checklist. I made a checklist that pops up on my iPhone every day. This may seem silly, but it reminds me of stuff to do while I wait.

When I almost forget something, I add it to my list. The first day of the trip I almost left some chargers behind. Add to list. Today, I got out on the road and heard something fall off the back of my bike. Sure enough, a baggie with deodorant, fingernail clippers, and toothpaste fell out of my seat pack. When I went a half mile back up the road I found the gym shorts and shirt I sleep in laying in the middle of the road. I rode a mile or so back to the hotel and was happy to see I didn’t leave anything else behind. This morning my “routine” was thrown off and I forgot to properly close the bag. I learn best when (almost) making a big mistake. Let’s hope adding “all bags tied up“ to the checklist keeps me from doing that again.

The evening has its own routine, depending on how long the day’s ride took. The first thing I do is text Chris that I made it. Then I shower and stretch. We might do laundry (in washing machine or sink/shower). From there it might be going out to dinner or grabbing food at a grocery store. I might also stock up for the following day’s ride depending on stores along the way. I usually get back for a call to Chris and some reading before my early bedtime. I have watched less than 5 hours of TV total on this trip.

Photos and stories from Days 20-22

Day 20: Ridgway

After our long ride, we had the good fortune of having Scott’s car. After riding we typically look for restaurants or grocery stores close enough to walk. Tonight we drove into town and let Yelp recommend an Asian fusion restaurant named GNAR. It was great! I had a salad with Ahi tuna. Good margaritas, too. After some shooting the breeze I went to bed a little later than usual (9:45 ha!)

Day 21: Montrose

After our short ride, we had a lot of extra time and extracurricular fun. After arriving in Montrose, Dave texted me that they were waiting for me at McDonalds. I walked in and said, “Do we have breakfast plans, I like McDonalds breakfasts.” Apparently this won Dave $5 from Bruce. Dave had told Bruce that I liked McDonalds breakfasts (I really do), but Bruce didn‘t believe him and they bet $5. I gave the answer before they could even ask.

From there we went to a Trek Bike Shop in town where Dave was looking for a possible new crank for his bike. We had a grand old time as Dave got Bruce and a woman in the store singing Queen’s “Bicycle Race” (link to the song we sometimes play, often when we are not sure we want to ride—it does motivate you).

From there we went to a bagel shop for breakfast, swam in the hotel pool, ate lunch at Qdoba, and visited Scott’s cousins’ winery. LaNoue DuBois Winery. We enjoyed a tasting and I bought a bottle of wine. Scott is sagging for Bruce and Dave, so it can be kept cool until I can give it to Chris in Pueblo. Tonight I wrote this blog post and did some travel planning for next week, when I will be breaking out on my own.

About 10 years ago, I decided this would be the route for my dream ride. It starts with the ACA’s Western Express Trail (before continuing onto the TransAmerica Trail), which its website describes thus:

The Western Express Bicycle Route connects San Francisco, California, on the west coast to the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail in Pueblo, Colorado. It provides a shorter mileage option (468 miles less when compared to the TransAmerica Trail) on a central cross-country route but challenges the rider with extreme weather and riding conditions, as well as logistical obstacles. One’s efforts are rewarded, however, by experiencing some of the least visited and most magnificent areas of the American West.

On Day 18, we faced the extreme riding conditions and logistical obstacles described above. I knew this was the case 10 years ago and asked Chris if she would be sure to help me through this day, which would be 125 miles long, about 8000 feet of climbing, and zero services along the way. I knew this would likely challenge me physically and take about 12 hours to complete. With no water along the way, I would have to carry lots of water to make it. Or, I would need someone to help me through this day. I guess my dream of an unsupported ride allowed for one “cheat day.” And I took it. THANK YOU Chris and Lori (Bruce’s wife) for meeting us at mile 50, 75, and then being there and available over the last 50 miles. I would not have made it without your help.

Day 19 was tough, but mostly because it followed that brutal day 18. We had dead legs coming into Dolores, Colorado. It was worth the ride because Dolores is a cute little town (nicer than Blanding) and a good place for a rest day.

Before I get into the details of the ride and my many thank yous, I must recommend a book. A week or so ago, my friend Wynn recommended The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (along with a couple of other books). I knew I had already downloaded A Gentleman in Moscow by the same author. I figured I would read the book I already had before buying the other one. Over the last few days, I finished that book. It is a great listen, and I highly recommend it.

Riding

Day 18: 124 miles, 8000 elevation (about 4 wheeees and 0 aarrgghhs).

Today was just a tough and challenging ride. Knowing we would have about 10-12 hours on the road, we left at about 5:45 a.m. In hindsight, we think the best strategy would be leaving as early as possible–maybe even midnight or 1:00 a.m. We were afraid to ride in the dark, but as it turned out, even with our morning ride we had two cars pass us in the first 3.5 hours. Leaving earlier might have saved a lot of time in the midday heat.

The first 19 miles were a gradual climb, which was followed by 20 miles of gradual descent. Bruce and I were both surprised that this day was about as beautiful as the previous few days. Somehow, we expected less. At mile 40, we started a pretty steady climb for almost 60 miles. Fortunately, our wives met us along the way to give us cold beverages and allow us to hop into an air-conditioned vehicle. At 100 miles (or so) in, we had a much-appreciated ten-mile descent that ended at this giant wall. We climbed the road below the wall figuring we were about to hit a 19.9% grade (according to Ride With GPS), and were therefore pleased only to have a few 10-12% grades thrown our way as we went through a slot in the wall. Bruce and I rode together most of the day, but less so in the last 30 miles, as we each handled those last few miles of hills the best way we could.

At 110 miles, we thought it would be relatively easy to ride those last 14 miles into Blanding. But we failed to anticipate the 7-12% grades (for.5 to 1 miles) that came up at miles 117 and 120. UGH! I struggled my way into Blanding and was happy to see my hotel. I ended up lasting longer than my Garmin (which tracks my ride); it gave up at mile 118! I took fewer pictures as time went on. For one reason, the scenery did not change as much as in previous days, and also because we were just pushing on.

Day 19: 84 miles, 4537 elevation (2 wheeees and 2 aarrgghhs)

I woke up to my first flat — a hotel flat, where a slow leak showed up the following morning. Bruce has had this twice and Dave has not yet had a flat. I was already slowed by lack of routine (I have a morning routine but with Chris here, it is a bit out of sync) and just being beat from yesterday’s ride.

Today’s climbing was different from previous days. First, while I had two wheeees, I discovered a new form of aarrgghh. This is a great descent ruined by heavy traffic and/or dirty shoulders. Mostly we had a wide shoulder, but there were a lot of semis on this stretch.

Normally we have long climbs that may last 5-10 (or more) miles. Today was “rollers” where you mostly climb 500-1000 feet elevation and climb for a quarter mile to a mile at a time before rolling down the other side of the hill. In theory the day was not supposed to be too hard compared to recent endeavors. In reality, it followed the hardest one-day ride of my life–so today was tough. Fortunately at about mile 70 Chris called. Besides telling me that our Airbnb was cute, she also told me there was a craft brewery in Dolores that got great reviews. That, and knowledge that the next day was a rest day, motivated Bruce and I through those last dozen miles.

So many thank yous…

Today my topic is an overdue thank you that was driven home by events from the last few days. Even when you think a ride is a pretty solitary effort you are reminded that dreams rarely happen without lots of support.

My wife Chris has been a fantastic partner on this adventure. It is certainly not easy when your husband tells you he is off on a two month bike trip. I am not there to help around the house. Plus, I ask her to drive 10 hours to come meet me in Utah–and help me through several difficult days. She will also see me next week in Pueblo, Colorado (a few hours from Fort Collins). Later she plans to drive out to Virginia to meet me at the end of the ride and drive me home. She has offered to meet me anywhere or drive me anywhere at the drop of a hat. Wow! What a woman. I am very fortunate to have that kind of support from her.

There are others who made this trip work. While I am technically not paid for the summer, I usually work at that time. It helps that Dave and Kim make sure no extra work flies my way.

Also, I am revising my textbook this spring and summer. Normally that is a very busy time. Thanks to so many people at McGraw-Hill, who adjusted their schedules to fit mine, I am able to take this trip without having any book revision stuff hanging over my head or interrupting my travel. When I started the book revision I had a new production manager. I was worried how she would feel about me doing this in the middle of the revision. Then Fran told me her mother Elaine had done a similar trip (the whole TransAmerica Trail) via bike more than 30 years ago. Fran understood and worked hard to make it happen. Other people adapted their schedules to make this work. So thank you Kelly, Jen, David, Sarah, and Brianna who all made this possible by working around my needs, while still making sure the next edition of Essentials of Marketing is the best one yet.

There are many others supporting me on the ride. Dave and Bruce helped organize the ride as we worked together to figure out the route and a plan. And their company has been appreciated on this first half of the ride. Jeff and Sage offered bike maintenance tips that give me (not a very knowledgeable bike mechanic) advice on the ride. Zach gave me a great bike fit — I have had few aches or pains in spite of long hours on the bike.

And so many readers of this blog have made posts, sent me emails or texts, or just read the blog. It is motivating to hear from so many people and to get your questions or read your tips or book suggestions.

Stories and pictures

Day 18: The tough climb had its moments…

It was much more beautiful than we anticipated.

There were also some great man-made images…

And after a while, the best image was seeing Chris waiting to give me cold water.

Day 19: The day after…

Into Colorado (first picture), into Dolores (second picture), into our Airbnb, and of course that little brewery that motivated Bruce and I.

We do have a rest day in Dolores before a long ride tomorrow to Ridgway.

Unfortunately, my anxiety over Day 18 made it difficult for me to sleep last night. I woke up at 1:30, and after tossing and turning for two hours, I am up and writing this overdue blog post. The blog has helped me deal with the loneliness, but with Chris around, I haven‘t had as much time to write. And this post will be short, as Bruce and I will be leaving early today.

All that said, I feel like I have to share the rides of the last two days before they blur into the rest of the trip. These last two days, we rode through incredible beauty. While Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks are the most well-known in southern Utah, there is so much more down here. And while Nevada was pretty similar day after day, in Utah, it seems like every 20 miles, the terrain is a different color, a different view, or just something new and incredible. My photos and videos cannot do this place justice, I encourage anyone reading this to see for themself.

Riding

Day 16: 66 miles, 4367 elevation (3 wheeees, 0 aarrgghhs)

Much of this ride, I rode this mostly alone as my chain fell off coming out of town, and a subsequent climb had me too far behind to catch Bruce and Dave. This ride had so many spectacular vistas. There were also some challenging climbs. I swear we had 8-10% grades early on for five miles (well, it only felt like that, but even a half mile of that was hard). Later in the ride, there were some stretches of 10-12% grades. These are challenging hills. But there were also some enjoyable descents. And the beauty. It felt like I needed to pull off to take pictures every 10 minutes because each pullout provided a different take on the landscape. My weak attempt to share some of this is in the video below.

Day 17: 84 miles, 4521 elevation (6 wheeeees! and 0 aarrgghhs)

How do you compare back-to-back rides like these? This day started with a 3 hour climb with a lot of 6% plus grade. We started the day at about 6500 elevation and topped out this climb at 9600. It was a slow grind for me at 5-6 mph. But it was beautiful. After the long climb it was mostly downhill from there. Ahhh. Then, lots of wheees on the way down. I caught Bruce and Dave at a Subway in Torrey (about mile 35) and we rode in together from there. So why hasn’t anyone ever told me about Capital Reef National Park? OK, Paul and Jeff, you have, but why didn‘t I listen. This area is so cool and so different from Bryce, Zion, and Moab, all of which I have visited before. Again, it seemed like every 20 miles there was something new and different to see. And you see it all when you are slowed down on a bike. Again, my Relive video is a futile attempt to show some of this beauty.

No time for a topic, pictures or stories. I need to get ready for my mid-term exam. Today is a tough ride. But as you may recall from an earlier post, Chris will sag for me today. So my bike will be lighter and there will be someone bringing me food and drink along the way. Let’s hope I can knock it off in one day (if not there is a backup plan).

Dave, Bruce, and I met our wives in Tropic, Utah, just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. Here, after 13 straight days of riding, we all took our first real rest days of our trip.

Chris and I did a little hiking and a lot of relaxing and hanging out. I also got a little bit of work done, did some bike maintenance, and some ride planning, but that is boring. Bryce Canyon is a truly unique national park. I am not sure if it merits more than a couple of days’ visit—once you have seen the hoodoos (photos to follow) from a few different angles, you get the picture. Fortunately, you are pretty close to two other National Parks, Zion (about 1.5 hours away) and Grand Canyon (about 3 hours away). Each is only a few hours from Las Vegas if you are flying in.

If I were to make some recommendations for a visit to Bryce, I would suggest the following.

Bryce Valley Lodging — small cabins In Tropic. We stayed here last time as well. They are convenient and close to some decent restaurants.

Hike the Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon NP, where you can get a nice over-the-top view of the hoodoos (rock formations)

Hike into the hoodoos—this time we took the Navajo Loop Trail, which had some uphill and downhill. But it is a whole different perspective when you are in the hoodoos.

Drive out to Rainbow Point — farthest driving point into Bryce Canyon NP. It is a bit higher elevation and offers a different perspective.

Finally, check out Mossy Cave trail, a short easy trail that gives you an even different perspective on the hoodoos.

We had fun. It is great to spend time with Chris. I got a couple of good nights’ sleep. Now it is time to go back at it. Chris will be staying with me for the next few days, so it is not goodbye to her quite yet.

A quick thanks for all the encouragement. Seeing comments here on the blog and on Strava, or via email, shows me that some of you are enjoying reading my blog, watching my videos, and seeing my pictures, and that is really encouraging. Thank you!

Days 12 and 13. One kind of boring day, and oh, did I appreciate that. And one INCREDIBLE day. Day 12 was a recovery ride as we rode 58 leisurely miles from Ely to Cedar City. The three of us mainly rode together that day at a recovery pace. We all wanted to save ourselves for what we knew might be (and was) the toughest day yet. On the two rides, I finished up Rise of Endymion and caught up (a little) on a couple of podcasts—Hang Up and Listen and The Gist. More details on the ride, my values for this ride, and some extra photos and video.

Riding

Day 12: 58 miles, 2313 elevation (no wheeees and no aarrgghhs)

Today was meant for recovery and preparation. We stopped in Minersville (about 15 miles out) for donuts and coffee. I forgot to take pics. Then we had a slow, gentle climb before descending into the “Big City.” Cedar City is the biggest town by 10x (35,000 people) we‘ve seen since Sacramento on Day 3. We visited a bike shop and had some great pizza for lunch. The Relive video is boring compared to others.

Day 13: 86 miles, 6834 elevation (4 wheeees and 0 aarrgghhs)

Today was INCREDIBLE! I knew it would be a challenge. The ride starts with a 26 mile 5000 foot climb right out of town. I rode pretty much 4.5 hours with 3-11% grade — with a lot of stops for pictures (see some on Relive video below). As the slowest rider, I started early and climbed up this beautiful canyon first; it started narrow, before opening up to beautiful vistas. About 18 miles in, I turned north into Cedar Breaks National Monument. Here it felt like I was on top of the world and continued to climb to 10,599 feet (according to my Garmin). From there on it was mostly downhill for 40 miles—though I faced some headwinds on some of the flats. There was some uphill (ugh!) again near mile 60. Today I had at least 4 wheeees—with the last one carrying me into Tropic where I was met by my dear, darling wife Chris. The Relive video and the embedded photos and videos give you some perspective on the terrain—though photos do not do it justice. Note especially how the video shows the canyon at the start.

What are my values for this ride? What is a “self-supported” ride?

As you may recall from my first blog post, this ride has been brewing in my head for 39 years, since I met some guy in Sacramento who had ridden across country from Delaware. I have been seriously planning for this ride for the last 10 years. I have read blogs of other riders who took the same (or other cross-country) routes, read books by people who have ridden across America, and checked materials and routes from the Adventure Cycling Association.

As I visualized that ride, a few important values arose for me. The most obvious value is to always try be safe and make safe choices. Other values have sometimes wavered a bit, as I tried to accommodate the needs of my fellow travelers and my family. I know that caused consternation for some friends and for that I am sorry. In the end though, I returned to two core values.

First, I wan to ride every mile, every f***ing inch (EFI) coast-to-coast. I don’t want to get help from a car or truck and will strive to make sure this happens. If circumstances force me to accept a lift, I will go back to where I was picked up and start riding from that point.

One other value is the desire to do this ride “unsupported.” The more I thought about this, the more difficult it became to define “unsupported.”

What is a supported ride? One type of supported ride is run by a touring company with a pre-set itinerary and company personnel there to help the rider. By the way, there is nothing wrong with these rides, I have done Ride the Rockies and other day-long supported rides. They are fun and have been some of the most challenging rides I have done. Another type of supported ride involves having a SAG (which stands for “support and gear”). A SAG refers to a person or people who drive along the ride. A SAG typically goes hotel to hotel and possibly visits a rider along with way with water or food. The SAG carries most of your gear, except what you might need for that day. They might also be able to offer rides on days when weather, injury or fatigue make riding too much on some days.

I wanted the sense of adventure that comes from an “unsupported ride.” That said, the more I thought about it, the less I was sure I knew exactly what defines an “unsupported” ride? Is it camping (not my style)? No tech, no Garmin routes, no Epic Ride Weather app and other apps (I like biking tech and it supports safety)?

I ultimately decided the hotels and tech were OK—as was an occasional visit from my sweetie (or friends along the way). I ended up deciding that I define “unsupported” as carrying my own gear the whole way (with one exception, I will explain shortly). So even though Chris is with me for the next week and will meet me at each of the next few hotels, I am going to carry my stuff. A semi-purist I guess.

That said, there is one exception to this rule. That exception is the 125 mile section from Hanksville, UT to Blanding, UT coming up in a few days. There are no services on this section—not a gas station or a rest stop. 10 years ago, when I started planning this ride, I told Chris that I would ask her to follow me with water on that day. And only that day. I knew then it would be too hard to carry 10-12 hours of water on a day likely to be in the mid 90s. I may not even make it the whole 125 miles that day (though I will ride every mile, even if I have to go back the next day to make up those miles). Maybe you call me an unsupported purist with an asterisk.

Stories and pictures

Here are a few more pictures and stories from these two days.

Day 12: Recovery ride

As I said, this day was pretty mellow. If I had taken pictures, I would highlight Todd’s Market in Minersville and Centro Woodfired Pizza in Cedar City.

Day 13: A day to remember

This was an awesome day. Did I already say that? The Relive video above captures most of it. But you are looking for a bit more, here are some pics, videos, and stories.

On the way up the road went to one lane. I was afraid my “ride every mile” rule might be compromised and they might make me jump into a truck. But I was able to ride this, often just going into the closed lane which had plenty of room for me.

Part of the fun on the ride is meeting other people, especially adventuring cyclists. Dan was from Colorado and out camping and mountain biking in Cedar Breaks.

This bike path traversed about 15 miles near the end of the ride.

Of course the best part of the day was finding this woman waiting for me at the end of the ride. And I promise, I was much happier to see her than I look in that photo.

Now we get two rest days with our wives before taking on and enjoying more of the challenging and beautiful Utah terrain.

We survived the ”Loneliest Road in America.” It was nice to have a low-traffic route. We saw some interesting small towns and beautiful terrain going across Nevada. Day 10 was my last day in Nevada, and I stayed that night (near) Baker at the Border Inn—which was on the border between Nevada and Utah. Two different time zones, too. Day 11 was a tough ride, with two long, hard climbs that kept me from getting overconfident about feeling stronger.

Riding

Day 10: 63 miles, 3054 elevation (0 wheees, 2 aarrgghhs)

While I am starting to feel stronger and more confident in my riding, I still don’t have the endurance to ride hard for 60 miles. That should come. I know I am getting into shape when I feel good after 60 miles (not true just a month ago). Two longer climbs and longer descents. Today was still chilly, and our descents were especially cold (aarrgghh).

Day 11: 84 miles, 4111 elevation (0 wheees, 2 aarrgghhs)

This was a tough day; including two long climbs of 5 and 7 miles. You gotta just slog through those. There were three descents, but they were chilly and none earned a wheee! and two earned aarrgghhs—the last one was rated neutral, not good or bad.

Topic – Reflections

As I leave Nevada, I want to share some things I learned about the land mass we just crossed. This is from the Adventure Cycling Association map set. You may recall some of the photos from the past few days of our ride. They often showed ”flats” that typically run 10-15 miles wide. The flats are also called ”basins.” Interestingly, unlike most water that eventually flows into rivers and on to the sea, the water in basins typically collects into pools and evaporates. Some become salt flats—like what we saw on one of our early days.

We would roll along the basin for a while before coming to a “fault” (think tectonic plates) that became a mountain range—and provides a climb. After riding up and over the range, and you drop into the next basin. Over and over, that is how we made our way across Nevada and into Utah. At the eastern end of Nevada you find Great Basin National Park, which is really a misnomer as the park is mostly made up of mountains. We rode around this park on our way to and beyond Baker.

Stories and pictures

This part of the ride is getting a bit monotonous. As the maps say: Basin. Fault. Range. Basin. Fault. Range.… You have seen those on previous days. I have only a few pictures and stories to add below.

Day 10: On to Baker

The sky and mountains were just just beautiful today…

Dave, a wind farm, mountains, puffy clouds, what more can you ask for?

A nice view from where we stopped to eat.

Sunset from my hotel parking lot…

My hotel, the Border Inn was literally on the border. I slept in Utah and walked over to the hotel restaurant in Nevada, where you could also legally gamble.

Day 11: Baker to Ely

The day started dreary, drizzly, cool…

But ended warm and with some beautiful views.

The hotel in Ely was a La Quinta at the edge of town. We didn‘t do much in this town.

Tomorrow is an easier ride before a big day and on to Bryce Canyon National Park.

This post covers Days 8 and 9. For the first time weather played a role in the ride. It was windy, but mostly at our backs. It was cold! I describe the riding days, my new favorite cyclists’ weather app, and then write a bit about the two small Nevada towns we stayed in.

Before I get into that, I wanted to share what has been entertaining me. I finished the book Endymion and moved on to the last book in Dan Simmons’ four-book Hyperion series, The Rise of Endymion. If you like hard (meaning very sciency) sci-fi, the Hyperion series is well done and I recommend it.

My movie tip is The Bikes of Wrath, a documentary about four Aussies who loved the Grapes of Wrath and decided to come to the U.S. and bike the path of the people in the book. If you don’t recall the classic Steinbeck novel, it tells the tale of the Joad family’s 1930s migration from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma in search of work in California. The movie is less about bikes and more about Americana. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation Ken.

Riding

Day 8: 70 miles, 3002 elevation (0 wheeees, 2 arrggghhs).

On Saturday morning, we started with a climb out of Austin in misting, cold rain. About a half hour in, we reached the top of the first pass, where the temps were in the high 30s with light rain. Then, what could have been a wheeee descent turned into an arrgghh descent (new term, defined as a descent that could be great, but because of some reason is not)—riding downhill at 30+ mph, cold, wet, not pleasant (argh!). Fortunately, the rain stopped about an hour into the ride. The good news is that my legs are back! A couple of recovery rides the two previous days has me riding much stronger.

Day 9: 79 miles, 4249 elevation (0 wheeees, 3 aarrgghhs)

I woke up this morning at 5:00 a.m. and saw it snowing outside. Fortunately, the snow ended soon after and and roads were almost dry by the time we left at 8:00. The three of us rode together on and off today, my strength allowing me to keep up with Bruce and Dave more than in previous days. This day had three long climbs—where you get pretty hot because of all the work and the warm clothes. Then three cold descents (argh!). Overall, it was a good riding day for me. I am getting into shape.

One of the best cycling apps I have ever used

These days many cyclists rely on technology. And I will use this space to share some of my favorites. Ride With GPSis great. It can plot our routes for each day. The app shows you the distance, terrain, climbs, grade on those climbs and more. Bruce was able to find someone who had already plotted our route on the app and then he could copy it (that is legal and people often share their routes by making them “public”). Then Bruce used Ride With GPS to split the whole ride into individual days. He also added directions to each of our hotels. Big help. Thanks Bruce.

Given the recent weather, I want to share another app I started using just before this trip, Epic Ride Weather. This app could be nice for every day riding, but it is especially valuable for touring. The app uses Dark Sky (a great weather app by the way) and your riding plan for the day (we import ours from Ride With GPS). You then plug in the day and time you want to start your ride and your anticipated speed. The app then forecasts temperature (actual, feels like), wind, elevation, UV Index, and more — for minute-by-minute weather forecasts along your ride. Below you see three screenshots:

1. The first shows the forecast of temperatures and precipitation and cloud cover from our 8:00 a.m. departure time to our projected 1:35 arrival. You can see how the temperature plummets at the summits.

2. The second image shows the wind forecast for the duration of the ride. You can see that winds were expected to be 17-19 mph with gusts of up to 25-27 mph. Below that you see our route (in orange) with arrows overlaid showing the wind direction (in this case, it forecast that most wind would be at our backs – yay!)

3. Finally, you can scroll down further to see elevation, UV Index (how much sunscreen, how often do we stop?), and humidity (not shown, but relevant when we get back east).

This is a very cool app.

Stories and pictures

Day 8: Austin and on to Eureka

Austin is a small, dying mining town with a population of about 150 people. That said we were impressed by the efforts of Brandon and Sarah, a couple of young, hardworking people trying to build the town back up. They own a hotel (Cozy Mountain) and restaurant (Grandmas) where we stayed and ate. Good luck Brandon and Sarah. I wish I had taken pictures of their places. Here are a few other Austin sites…

I have been eating better than Bruce and Dave.

The town, and several we have already been through, were part of the Pony Express Route which was how mail and packages got from Missouri to San Francisco and parts in between. I took this picture in the Austin Museum.

Austin, population 148, has four churches.

The modern dune buggy is a popular toy brought to these parts.

Day 9: Eureka!

Eureka is a bit bigger town than Austin, with a population of about 600 people. I chatted with Bonnie at a bar/restaurant/ice cream shop where I had a couple slices of pizza and a beer. She told me that Eureka County is the wealthiest (per capita) in the state due to all the mining operations.

We rolled into town…

I stayed at the Sundown Lodge which was pleasant and inexpensive.

While there are some run down, unoccupied buildings, there were also a few wonderful older buildings, check out the County Court House.

That‘s all I have on Austin and Eureka. Next stop the metropolis of Ely, population about 4000. We are big-city bound!

After those two big days (days 5 and 6), I was happy to have some easier terrain. I took it real easy and made both days recovery rides where I kept my power and heart rate way down (I talk about my power meter below). In essence, both these days served as well-earned rolling recovery days.

Riding

Day 6: 63 miles, 2405 elevation (1 wheeee*)

Rode out of Fallon, NV, at around 7:40 a.m. Dave and Bruce quickly dropped me, so I rode the day on my own. I kept my pace slow and easy. It worked. A former Pony Express stop, Middlegate Station, came at mile 50 and was a hoot. Generally, a pretty easy day. (* Note – a “wheeee” is my word for a sustained downhill glide, fun enough that I yell “wheeee!” at least a few times. A wheeee is better when earned, following a climb.

Day 7: 49 miles, 2372 elevation (2 wheeee)

Day 7 was even easier. A nice tailwind most of the way. The uphills were generally pretty gentle. A couple of good downhill glides made it a two-wheeee day. I rode it all solo and arrived about a half hour after Bruce and Dave. Pretty uneventful, less photo-worthy stuff.

One way I use my power meter…

I wanted to briefly describe my power meter and recovery regimen. Professionals and many amateur racers, and some people like me, like to use power meters to measure how much pressure they put on each pedal stroke. I have a power meter in each of my pedals and I closely monitor my power on my rides. The power values show up on my Garmin bike computer, so I can see them instantly. I focus on 3-second power, which is an average power for the previous three seconds. It is useful to monitor when training and to make sure I don’t ride too hard. It keeps from burning out one day at the expense of the next (“ride for tomorrow”). It assures I recover quickly (necessary when you ride day after day).

For these two days, I tried to keep my power below about 140 watts for the whole ride. It takes a certain discipline to do that, but after two days of that I feel pretty refreshed. Hopefully I am recovered from Days 4 & 5 and ready to push more on some harder days ahead.

Stories and pictures

Day 6: First recovery day…

They call Hwy 50 — our pavement for the next week or so, “The Loneliest Highway in America” because there are few towns or people along this stretch of road. The moniker was apparently placed on it by Life magazine in 1986. They play it up here. Towns are close enough for us to find hotels and water, but cars and trucks are relatively infrequent.

There was this stretch of road where we saw hundreds of messages written with stones by the side of the road. Everything from “J+C forever” to political statements, to nonsense. I saw “Goodnight mom” and thought about my mother looking down on me. It made me smile.

Trucks and cars usually give you a wide berth.

See Sand Mountain in the distance. There are some RVs and cars parked in front.

Middlegate Station was a welcome site about 50 miles into today‘s journey. An old bar and restaurant, it was a hoot to see.

Day 7: An even better recovery day…

Today was a rest day. Only 50 miles. Tail wind. Not much to see. We rolled into Austin, NV a dying town that at least a few locals are trying to revive. Nice people.I wish them luck.

The road was prettier today — a bit more green.

Austin is trying to revive itself.

Tomorrow on to Eureka.

If you have read earlier posts, you know that I was worried (really worried) about days 4 and 5 (May 24-25, 2022). These were two big riding days. Even Bruce was concerned (if Dave was worried, he did not say). And you also know I am not in the same riding condition or as strong a rider as Bruce or Dave.

That said, I passed the test! All three of us passed these two tests. Day 4 was the bigger worry and proved to be the greater challenge. We climbed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains with lots of elevation gain. Day 5 was a long ride, especially early in the trip and on the heels of day 4’s climb. More details and pictures follow.

Riding

Day 4: 76 miles, 9364 elevation

The weather was perfect—cool to start and never too hot. This time of year, you can get snow along this route, so I was happy with the warmer weather. I rode the whole day by myself. I was worried I couldn’t keep up with Dave and Bruce, so I left earlier. I left early (5:25 a.m.) after grabbing a donut at Donut Street Cafe, which was right in front of our hotel. Dave and Bruce left about 45 minutes later.

The climbing was strenuous—all in the first 60 miles. It was pretty relentless with lots of 6-8% grade. I started climbing right out of the box, though it was neat to see a vineyard off to the right (this is a wine region). From there, it was a slow, steady climb at about 5-7 mph for hours. The last 15 miles or so were all downhill (”wheeeeee”). The sights were beautiful—see pictures in the Relive video or photos (scroll down). I am a slow, steady rider (think tortoise) and was on the road for almost 9 hours of my 10:40 commute. I saw Bruce and Dave at Cook’s Station restaurant as I was leaving, and they had just arrived. I was entertained by the audiobook Endymion (my Sci-fi), which I got about halfway through. See the Relive video below.

Day 5: 94 miles, 2159 elevation

Nice weather again—though pretty hot by end of the day. The three of us stuck together to Carson City (about 30 miles in) where we stopped at a bike shop (to check air pressure and use a good pump) and had breakfast at a nice little place. From there they dropped me on the first hill. I had little power all day (after yesterday), but pushed through steady to the end. By day’s end it was close to 90 degrees and I had “hot feet” (swelling and painful feet). I only listen to books when riding alone and when out of cities, and once again listened to Endymion. The Relive video below.

Stories and pictures

The best pictures below are from Day 4–the climb into the Sierras and descent to Alpine Village.

Day 4: The road into the Sierras…

This was a long beautiful slog. The ride started with some vineyards (no photos, I didn’t take pictures early and not more came up). I then drove through Fiddletown. I hope you like these look around videos…

The long climb continued to Carson Pass. On the way down someone took my picture and suggested the “thumbs up” I liked how it turned out. Then another ”wheeeee” glide through a beautiful canyon and arrival at Woodfords Inn.

Day 5: A long ride through Carson City and the desert on the way to Fallon

Things started a bit chilly with beautiful blue skies and snow capped mountains in the background.

We stopped at a nice coffee shop in Carson City.

The roads at first were busy but at least I had a wide shoulder.

Eventually, I was on my own in the desert with an occasional oasis.

All in all a really nice, though long, riding day.

But I DID IT! If you cannot tell, I was worried about these two days and I am proud to have made it. That I did this early give me more confidence I can continue to keep pace with Bruce and Dave.

Days 2 and 3 were a bit tougher rides, getting us ready for the big climb into the Sierras. Davis is a college town. We arrived early enough to get laundry done and watch the end of the PGA Tournament.

Day 2 was a pretty easy 41-mile ride from Fairfield to Davis. Day 3, we rode through my old stomping grounds of Sacramento (the town where I was first inspired to ride across country 39 years ago). Actually, I lived there for only 9 months back in 1983 and don’t remember much about the area. Most of the ride through Sacramento was on the beautiful American River Trail, which ends in Folsom. From there, we climbed south to Plymouth.

Riding

Day 2: 41 miles, 518 elevation gain

The main features of this day were head and cross winds of about 10-15 mph. It was mostly flat rides along country roads through farmland.

Day 3: 76 miles, 2910 elevation

A variety of terrains here. We rode along Interstate 80, into Sacramento, along the beautiful American River Bike Trail and then down to Plymouth, California.

Lessons I have learned about cycling

If you are not a cyclist, it might help if I tell you a few things I have learned in the last few years—mostly stuff taught to me by my Poudre Sunrise Cyclists (PSC) friends.

The first lesson is pretty obvious. It is a lot easier to ride with a tail wind than a head wind. I didn’t need PSC to tell me that. But they did teach me how to ride in a pace line. What you learn there is that it is easier to ride right behind someone (drafting). You can save 20% or more (more if you are a pro and get really tight) if you ride in the pace line behind the first rider. The first rider doesn’t ride any harder than if they were riding alone, but the others benefit. Dave, for example is a strong rider and often volunteers to take more than his share of “pulls”(riding first). He did that on Day 2.

Another lesson I learned from my PSC friends was to ”ride your own ride.” I recall one of my first PSC group rides up Rist Canyon (a challenging climb back home). One of our stronger riders Steve, started going more quickly up the Canyon and I took off after him. Marco told me “ride your own ride”— basically telling me that I probably didn’t want to chase Steve. Good advice. Had I done that I never would have made it to the top.That was not my pace. It is also important, especially on hills, to ride your own ride because you find your own zone, it can be hard to ride faster or slower than your body wants to go.

Finally, I once asked Archie (who has completed multiple cross-country rides) for advice about multi-day rides. He told me to always “ride for tomorrow.” That means that if you ride too hard today, you will pay for it tomorrow. It goes well with “ride your own ride.”

Those last two lessons will be important when riding with Dave and Bruce who are both stronger riders (at least right now) than I. Even when we are all in shape that is true, and it is even more true now because I am still getting into cycling shape and they are already there. I have to remember to ride my own ride, even when they ”ride their own ride” at a faster pace than mine. It works for them but may not for me. It also means that I will probably be riding solo quite a bit—which means I will listen to more books and podcasts.

This was especially true on Day 3. While we stuck together for Day 2, they quickly dropped me (left me behind) on Day 3. I expected this and told them before the ride started to not worry about me. Most of Day 3 I rode on my own, though we met up for lunch in Folsom.

Day 2 pictures

A few highlights from Day 2. We rode through California farm country. Much of the ride was on quiet country roads through farmland. We think we were seeing almond trees but were not sure.

We stopped for coffee in the cute town of Dixon.

We ended up In Davis, home of University of California – Davis.

Day 3 pictures

A few highlights from Day 3, which included a range of cycling conditions. At one point I rode along Interstate 80 on a protected bike trail. I should edit out those fat fingers in the photos, but the internet here in Plymouth is awful and I have to get to bed.

The American River Bike Trail through Sacramento was About 25 miles long and lots of great sites.

We all got back together in Folsom for lunch.

And then rode south for a beautiful drive to Plymouth.

I gotta get to bed. The next two days will be TOUGH. Tomorrow we ride what locals call “Hell’s Canyon” about 75 miles and 10,000 feet of elevation gain. Then 93 miles on Wednesday. Yikes! An early exam tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Day 0: Flying to San Francisco

Dave, Bruce, and I flew from Denver to San Francisco on Friday, May 20. Escaping a late-May freeze in Colorado and arriving on a warm and sunny San Francisco day. Lucky us.

We picked up our bikes at the San Francisco Trek store and they looked to be in good shape. The front disc brake rotor on my bike got bent in transport, but they fixed it and all is well.

Day 1: Wheel Dip, Ferry, and Easy Start

Day 1a: 10.4 miles, 725 feet elev

Day 1b (post-ferry): 16.8 miles,1070 feet elev

Relive Video:

 

Stories and pictures

We started the ride today — Saturday, May 21. After checking out of our hotel, we rode down to Baker Beach on the Pacific Ocean for the ceremonial “wheel dip.” At Baker Beach, performed the traditional wheel dip, placing our rear wheels in the sea at the beginning of the ride. We will put our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean in a couple of months. It was a bonus to have a clear day and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Following the ACA Western Express Route, we rode across the City to catch a ferry from San Francisco to Vallejo.

One of the joys of doing a ride like this is the people you meet along the way. On the boat we met Nestor, a delightful young man and fellow cyclist who was ferrying and then riding to Napa to visit his girlfriend. We enjoyed a great chat with him on the hour-long ride to Vallejo.

From there, we took off on a hilly 17 mile (or so) ride to Fairfield, California. It was just enough to get our legs loosened up for the longer rides coming up in a couple of days. As I have come to expect, Dave took those hills with ease—the man is a beast on the bike, especially on climbs. Bruce followed and I lagged behind. But we all made it the short trip to Fairfield and our hotels.

Tomorrow is another relatively easy day as we ride about 40 miles to Davis, before Day 3 picks up the mileage on the road to Plymouth (75 miles). Plymouth is southeast of Sacramento and allows us to avoid the busier highway 50 to Tahoe corridor when we climb into the Sierras. That sets the stage for day 4, which I (currently) fear the most; a big climb of 10,000 feet over 76 followed, the next day by a 93 mile ride to Fallon.

Have you ever wondered what you take on a two-month bike trip? Or have you ever been interested? If not, skip this blog post, it is long and into a lot of detail. I write these posts for the curious, but mostly for Chris and my kids who don’t really know exactly what I am doing (or why).

The more stuff you take, the more weight and the harder the ride — especially when climbing hills. On the other hand, taking too little stuff can mean doing laundry more frequently or maybe getting stuck because you don’t have what you need to fix your bike or ride in bad weather.

I solved one problem by not camping. I plan to spend every night in a hotel. This is sometimes called “credit card” or ultralight touring. I have never been much of a camper anyway. And if you camp even just a few nights, it means you need to bring at least a tent and sleeping bag. I am carrying an emergency sleeping bag (space blanket technology, the size of a beer and weighs less).

I solve another problem by riding with a couple of other people (though we plan to split up somewhere down the road) and by meeting up with Chris (my wife) every 2-3 weeks. Seeing Chris regularly will allow me to offload stuff I no longer need. For example, we go over some high passes out west, which may mean cold or snow. I am packing some warmer clothes that I shouldn’t need in the second half of the trip. I could mail those home or give them to Chris when we meet up.

Another problem is solved by local or online bike shops (or Amazon.com). A mechanical problem might slow you down, but it (hopefully) will not end the trip. I might have to stay in a town for a day or two longer than planned, but thank goodness for overnight delivery (though we all know supply chains are bad and might create other delays). Anyway, that means I don’t need to carry every imaginable spare part. It comes down to a tradeoff between size/weight, likelihood of needing it, and the cost of delays. I read books and blogs (many touring riders share lists), talked to biking experts, and then made my own best guess.

My best guess weighs about 20 pounds (not including food and water). That is more than a usual day ride, where you carry water, maybe a little food, lights, a couple of tubes and materials to fix a flat). I have lost almost that much weight training for the ride. The stuff falls into a few categories and if you are interested, you can see more below.

The first category is your basic bike clothing. I am bringing two jerseys, two pairs of shorts, gloves, hats, sun protection sleeves, a helmet, shoes, socks…

Then, you have your what if the weather gets bad clothes. Heavy jacket, light jacket, base layer, N95 breather mask (in case of smoke – we are riding out west), and that orange thing below is the emergency sleeping bag–which may come in handy if I cannot get hotel reservations one night.

Then you have the essential on-board stuff–water bottles, food, sunscreen, glasses, a tripod (maybe not crucial), and religious medals (Chris insisted).

Next, you need stuff to fix the bike if it breaks down and just for general maintenance (chain lube). The most common breakdown is a flat tire, so there are extra tubes, a pump, etc. Back home, a worse breakdown might just mean a call to Chris to pick me up. So other supplies might help me get to the next town if I break a spoke or chain.

Finally, in this modern cycling world, there are electronic gadgets. Some of these are for safety and others for entertainment. I tend to favor riding tech support. Besides the obvious lights, Garmin bike computer, and smartphone, I have electronic shifting, power meter pedals, a heart rate monitor, an iPad, and then a battery pack backup in case anything essential runs out of juice while still on the road.

And when I get to San Francisco, I plan to buy some CO2 cartridges and a Leatherman with pliers and a knife. Those won’t go carry on for the flight.

Thanks for reminding me to add this, Paul. Fortunately, I did remember to pack it, but initially forgot to post it. You do need clothing and stuff for off the bike–I have one t-shirt, one shorts, a pair of Crocs (lightweight and waterproof), two pairs of undies, and some sleeping clothes. And of course, you need your vitamins, toothbrush/paste, and some first aid stuff.

That’s it! You bike experts, did I forget anything essential? Let me know in the comments below.

I have already mentioned a few of my inspirations for riding across country–and this blog will reference more in the coming weeks. Perhaps we all have a real inspiration for life and liberty when we think about how the Ukrainean people are standing up to an attack by its neighbor Russia.

With that preamble, I am sharing the following from my riding partner Bruce (who is a Rotarian) and Wynn Washle, Foothills Rotary Club, President-Elect Designate.

Relief for Ukraine

Fort Collins Rotary Quad Clubs

Our Goal: $25,000

Basics:

Since February 24th, we have all seen on the news the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian women, children and elderly, who have had to flee their country as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The neighboring countries of Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, etc. have been flooded with these refugees who are uncertain when they may ever return to their homes…if their homes even still exist. Around the world, people are asking and wondering, “What can we do to help?”

What we are doing:

Fortunately, due to a former Foothills Rotary Exchange Student, Anastazia Semancakova, we have a connection with Rotary Club Spisska Nova Ves (RI club number 50182) who are involved in assisting Ukraine under Rotary District 2240 Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.

Our Fort Collins Rotary Quad Clubs are partnering with Rotary Club Spisska Nova Ves in which the District Governor has appointed his responsible coordinators. The coordinators directly manage specific assistance to refugees from Ukraine who are in the Czech Republic and in the Slovak Republic.

Anastazia’s mother, Olga Semancakova is working with Rotary Club Spisska Nova Ves to focus on helping children from Ukraine who live and go to school in Spisska Nova Ves. There are currently about 200 children from Ukraine (and growing) who attend kindergartens and primary schools, and it is necessary to provide them with school supplies, clothes, shoes and other expenses including food and housing. https://artshowukrainesnv.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-international-assistance.html

Tie your donation to Bruce Hottman’s Ride Across America

Foothills Rotarian, Bruce H., has agreed to allow us to use his two-month bike ride across America as a catalyst for giving. Individuals can make a certain donation per mile (3900) or simply make a flat donation towards the Ukrainian Relief Fund.

To Give:Click here. In the drop-down menu, select “Relief for Ukraine.”

Or make checks payable to: Foothills Rotary Foundation with Relief for Ukraine in the memo line. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, please contact:

Wynn Washle, Ph.D.

Foothills Rotary Club, President-Elect Designate

970-215-2255; wwashle@thegroupinc.com

When you are planning to ride an average of 70-80 miles a day for almost two months, you need to be in pretty good physical (and mental) shape. Preparing for this ride has been a bit of an issue for me. I had a very busy spring semester and limited time for training. It didn’t help that I got Covid in March. While it didn’t hit me that hard, I was knocked off my training plan and significantly cut back my riding for a couple of weeks.

Thank goodness for Chris Carmichael’s The Time Crunched Cyclist and my indoor trainer. The book offers training programs for those with limited time. The plan I followed emphasized power intervals (riding extremely hard for say 2 minutes, riding easy for 2 minutes, then hard again…), something called over/under intervals, and longer “Zone 2” rides (which are a couple hours long but not as hard, conversational). My indoor trainer, a Wahoo Kickr, allowed me to get started training in January and February.

I know my riding partners, Dave and Bruce, are in better shape than I from the start. I hope I can keep up with them. Maybe I can ride myself into shape over the first few weeks.

My cross country trek follows two routes provided by the Adventure Cycling Association: Western Express Route (the pink trail on the map, from San Francisco to Pueblo, Colorado) where we connect with the TransAmerica Trail (the orange trail on the map, we will do half that route–from Pueblo, Colorado to Yorktown, Virginia). The trip should take about two months.

39 years ago I was living and working in Sacramento, California. I took a late afternoon stop to grab a bite at a McDonald’s. Outside I saw a well-packed bike parked out front. There was just one customer in the McDonald’s, a guy in his early twenties, about my age. I asked if the bike outside was his, and he said it was. I asked if I could sit down and talk to him. We chatted for a while. He told me the next day he would be finishing a cross-country bike ride, rolling into San Francisco. I recall asking about his training and he told me he never did any long rides before this one started. His first few days were 20-30 miles, but he rode himself into shape. He did the whole ride by himself, meeting interesting people along the way.

I was inspired. Someday, I said to myself, I am going to do that. I am going to ride my bike across the country. This is my dream. And, 39 years later, that someday is finally here.

About 9 years ago, I took up cycling more seriously. After a hip replacement, my doctor said I had to give up basketball, which I loved. “No more high impact sports.” So I started riding a road bike. I met a group of riders, the Poudre Sunrise Cyclists, who taught me some of the intricacies of bike riding. Thanks to all of them, I gained confidence and learned to ride.

Five years ago I rode my bike from Fort Collins, Colorado (home) to Madison, Wisconsin. About 1000 miles over two weeks. That was my test ride. I survived and made plans for a cross country journey.

Two years ago, in spring 2020, I planned to ride across country. By then, my friend Dave had asked about joining me and I was happy there would be company. Then Covid hit and we delayed. Covid was still around enough in 2021 that we delayed again.

This year, another friend Bruce asked about joining and we decided the more the merrier. As we planned the details, we found that we had different visions for the ride. So while we will start the ride together, where those visions conflict, I may choose to ride on my own.

We will start together in San Francisco on May 21. The plan is to ride the Adventure Cycling Association’s (ACA) Western Express Route from San Francisco to Pueblo, Colorado. From there, we connect to the ACA’s TransAmerica Trailand ride that to Yorktown, Virginia. I anticipate arriving in Yorktown mid-late July. By then, I will have ridden about 3700 miles and climbed about 187,000 feet.

As I told friends and family about my plans, some said they wanted to follow my journey. This blog is my way to share my experiences with interested people and maybe other “dreamers.” I got a lot of inspiration from other cross-country riders who blogged their experiences. I hope to post every day or two.