Riding from Sea to Sea: John's Cross-Country Bicycle Tour

I decided to ride a bicycle across America last summer, right after Pfizer offered me the opportunity to retire early. I wanted an immediate goal to work towards after retirement (or more accurately, during my sabbatical between jobs) to move my focus off work. The ride offered that and also allowed me to fulfill some other desires – to re-acquaint myself with America at a more intimate pace than I have been able to do for years; to get back into shape; to take on a serious physical challenge; and to challenge me socially, since I am by nature rather introverted. So now the trip is over. 3000 miles of training rides between March 1 and June 12, when I left for Oregon. 3,839 miles over 51 days, from June 15 to August 4, from Pacific to Atlantic, Oregon to New Hampshire. Over five mountain ranges - Cascades, Blues (in Oregon), Rockies, Black Hills and Greens. Through cold (as low as 38 in the Cascades) and heat (up to 97, with a 20 mph headwind, as we climbed the last hills into Chamberlain, SD) and drenching rain (3 thunderstorms going into Brantford, ON) I have seen the forests of the west, east and everywhere in between; deserts in Oregon; high dry plains in Idaho and Wyoming; and endless, overwhelming farmland - wheat in Oregon and South Dakota, potatoes in Idaho, and then the corn country of the Midwest, Ontario and New York. For days the scenery was corn on the right, soybeans on the left, alternating with soybeans on the left and corn on the right. I can now tell, by smell alone, the difference between a cattle feed lot, chicken barn and hog barn (hogs smell worst to my nose, but chickens have their supporters.) There have been, as promised, majestic snow peaks – the Tetons, the Absarokas, Mt. Hood – and the more intimate but just as beautiful rounded, green mountains of New England. Great rivers – the Columbia, Snake, Missouri, Mississippi, Hudson, Connecticut – and great falls – Niagara, Multnomah, Shoshone. I saw three of the great lakes – Michigan (which we crossed by ferry), Huron and Ontario, plus many small quiet lakes, ponds and streams. I spent leisurely days in small cities (Boise, Casper, Sioux Falls, Manitowoc, Mankato and others.) I rode through, ate and slept in a host of small towns, where the reality of rural America, with its friendliness and economic challenges, strikes you constantly. If I wanted to be re-acquainted with America, the ride (along with my backpacking trip to Zion in April) certainly did this. The physical challenge of the ride should not be understated. 84 miles a day, over 500 miles in a week, with, on an average day, 2,000 to 4,000 feet of climbing – this was a tough ride. Everyone, myself included, got sore and tired. We all suffered with sore butts, particularly at the beginning, and some riders (though not me) had to ice their knees and relied on Motrin throughout the ride. Both the staff and “repeater” cross country riders rate this as the toughest of the common cross country cycle routes. There is satisfaction in going the whole way – going, as we said on the ride, “EFI” (every, ah, “fabulous” inch.) Everyone lost weight – in my case 10 lbs, in addition to the 25 I lost in training. As you would expect, everyone also ended in much better shape than when they started. When I started I usually cruised at 14 to 16 mph on flat roads, while now it is 17+ and for 80+ miles. Before the ride, I never thought I could do a century ride at 18 mph, which I did on a flat but nearly windless day in Minnesota. More noticeably, I went down over 3 inches in waist size since the beginning of the year and now wear a large shirt as compared to an XL. Surprisingly, I found out yesterday that I more or less sink in the waters of Elbow Pond, where I floated like a cork last summer - muscle is denser than fat. I am now lighter and in better shape than any time since my 30’s. When I left, as nervous as I was about the physical side of the trip, I was also nervous about the social side. I did not know anyone on the trip, and, not having done anything like this before or even done much group riding, I was unfamiliar with how these things are done, the social rules. I found out, as the ride went on, that most of the other riders also had a similar anxiety. But as I have mentioned many times, this was a friendly, mature, empathetic group. I figured out the rules, written and unwritten, pretty quickly. I had positive interaction with almost all members of the group, with lots and lots of great conversations. Best, I made some good friends I could hang out with any time. As I said in my previous blog, likely I will not see most of these friends again, but for the duration, it was good. And you never know – Paul and I may ride the Westchester North County Trail together, and I may arrange to ride with a few others, such as Kevin, who lives in Fair Lawn, NJ. So the ride met my initial goals and then some. But beyond this, did I learn anything? Did the ride surprise or upset me in some way I did not expect? Hard to say. From previous intense experiences, such as my time in Aceh, Indonesia in 2005 or first trip to Nicaragua in 1985, I know that you can not tell the lasting impact of an experience – whether it was “life changing” or not – right after the event. This takes time to discern. Certainly the ride has the potential to be life changing simply for health reasons if not others, but time will tell. I certainly learned many things about this country and had time for pondering. Some of these reflections have been included in this blog, ranging from farming to immigration. But there are others I did not have time to write, or that are still in the “continuing ponderment” status. Likewise, there were many events and episodes during the ride I could write about, some just vignettes, some full blown stories. Time will show which have lasting meaning. I hope to write some of them, adding to my collection of stories from the road (hopefully eventually making a book.) In the end, ironically, the main lessons from the trip, as best I can discern now, are the same as I learned at 20 years old, when I spent a month hitchhiking through the west. It is worthwhile, in and of itself, to put yourself in new and uncomfortable situations, as this is how you grow. And, as I summarized in my song “The Stranger” about the hitchhiking trip: “I’m surrounded by strangers but its OK with me, a stranger’s a friend if you want him to be.” Funny how for all our years and experiences, we need to relearn the basics. In conclusion, I must thank those who helped me live out this dream. First and foremost, Carolyn, who supported and encouraged me throughout the planning and the trip, even though she underwent knee replacement surgery just 3 weeks before I left. (She is recovering very well.) Also Jessica, Amy and Brad, who encouraged me, helped Carolyn in her recovery during my training and after I left, and helped maintain the houses in my absence. Jess, thanks in particular for setting up this blog site. Others who helped me prepare include the team at Brewster Bike, who assembled my Surly “Long Haul Trucker” touring bike, which worked flawlessly the entire trip (only one flat and no mechanical problems.) Lightsey Cycle of Gardiner did a fine job with the final tune-up before I left. Also, several friends offered good advice about long distance cycling. Of course, I need to thank the people on the trip who made this such a positive experience. Mike Munk (the trip leader) and his staff are to be commended for getting 100% of us across the country without significant injury or incident. Their commitment to safety was excellent. Despite issues with accommodations and food (too many cheap franchise motels and restaurants on the strip outside of town), the tour was run well. Route planning was pretty good and mechanical support excellent. Then there were the riders, who helped me and made the trip so pleasant. In particular, there were the people I rode with regularly - Norm, Paul, Dan, Little Bill, Jim, Carol and Carolyn, and especially my roommate George. For complete strangers, it was surprising how easy George and I got along sharing a room for 7 weeks – no arguments and an easy understanding on how to mesh our daily routines, not to mention many good conversations. Finally, I thank those of you who followed this blog. I have appreciated the many comments, but even if you were just a casual reader, thanks – just by adding to the viewer count you gave me incentive to continue writing my thoughts, and thus to think more. All the best to all of you. I hope your rides are downhill with the wind, but I also wish you some long steep climbs and hot days into the wind – challenges promote growth. Just remember to avoid the potholes, watch out for trucks, and talk with people you meet along the way. John Keith